The Secret to Six-Pack Abs

I wish I had a nickel for every time a woman asked me how to get a flat stomach or six pack abs. This is one of the most common fitness goals for women. Here: You can't go around the gym and do crunches until you're ready to throw and expect to get flat abs ... even if you do it 7 days a week. And who wants to do it?

Why doesn't this approach work? Because the muscle doesn't have any fat on it. Hmmm. Another term: Muscles have no fat on them. Think about it. When you see a bodybuilder standing in front of a mirror doing bicep curls, what do you think is the goal? I'll give you a hint. Do you think he's trying to make his bicep bigger or smaller? Why bigger, of course! So why are so many people believing that they can make their stomachs smaller by working their abdominal muscles? Hopefully the light bulb just comes to your head. So then ...

HOW DO DO YOU GET THAT LEAN LOOK?

By having the right body composition. The slim look (and six pack abs) comes from low body fat. Truth is, everyone has six packs. Some have more layers of fat that cover them than others. The key to getting a flat stomach is to make sure your site has low body fat so your six packs can be displayed.

You have three options for determining your fitness goals as they relate to body composition. You can lose fat, build muscle, or take care of your body. There is a big difference between muscle and fat. To begin with, one pound of muscle burns 35 - 75 calories a day. One pound of fat burns 8 calories a day. Whoa! That's what "calorie burning machinery" means. Second, fat does not turn into muscle. They are two different things.

If you want abs, your goal is to reduce body fat. To lose body fat, you must be on a calorie deficit. That just means consuming less calories every day than you spend on energy. As you do that, you want to maintain your muscle mass with resistance training. This is when the fat from your body melts, changing your body composition effectively.

HOW DO YOU USE THE QUALITY DEFICIT?

You can reduce your calorie intake and / or increase your calorie output. The basic formula for thinking about calorie intake for a deficit is that your current weight in the 15 to 500 pound equals the amount of calories consumed daily. (Current Weight x 15 - 500 = Daily Calorie Consumption) This is a basic formula that you may need to adjust based on your activity level and your current body composition (now you know the difference between calories consumed by calories versus calories burned by fat). Any activities that you can add to your daily routine will help increase your calorie deficit and give your body a choice but to dilute it.

It doesn't hurt to work your abs. Your abs are a part of your core and a strong core will help you reduce your risk of injury and help you become stronger for your daily life in and out of the gym. And when you see your six packs start to appear, you'll want them to "pop" and clearer. However, crunches and ab machines are not secret weapons for fighting stomach bulges. Monitoring the amount of calories you eat is key. In short, you can't do a poor diet.

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