Wondering How To Get 6 Pack Abs?
Everybody in the gym has their fitness goal. Well, most everybody I suppose. Within the realm of those that do, some are far more ambitious than others, and, of course, some are far more realistic than others. A newcomer to the gym wanting to bench press 315 pounds for reps is very unlikely, and a little delusional, just as if someone signs up and expects to drop 50 pounds of fat, and add some muscle in the first month or 2. Sometimes, goals are merely based on attendance rather than performance. This can be very satisfying if accomplished for some people, because for someone who has resisted going to the gym previously, for whatever reason, just showing up can often be the biggest hurdle they face. Other goals can be performance oriented, such as the amount of weight lifted in a certain exercise, such as squats, for example. Professional athletes have their sport specific training goals in place and a lot of money is usually riding upon the success or failure of said goals. Sometimes, and more frequently, people are chasing an aesthetic such as a more toned figure for the ladies, and often times bigger arms and pecs for men. While those are very common goals that I’ve seen and been asked to assist with as a personal trainer in Austin for the past 20 plus years, there’s a certain pinnacle of fitness that goes beyond pecs, compact derrieres, and swollen biceps. It is the 6 pack. How to get big arms is one thing, but how to get 6 pack abs, however, is something else entirely.
How to get 6 pack abs is not rocket science, but conversely, getting them also isn’t something that many people are capable of doing either. This isn’t because of bad genetic dispositions necessarily, or that some people live too far form a proper gym to work out in, though that has been one of my favorite excuses over the years as to why people are in poor physical condition. Rather, it is because it is a combination of well developed abdominal muscles, and an overall body leanness that most people will have a very hard time willing themselves to achieve. Some people erroneously believe that you need to starve yourself onto a 6 pack, but that’s far from the truth. It’s a lot more complicated than that, especially if you are to maintain having one.
How To Get 6 Pack Abs: The Nutrition Aspect
Achieving a 6 pack is a 3 step process, barring postural distortions such as overly tight hip flexor muscles, such as the psoas, iliopsoas, TFLs, and so on. The first thing you need to consider, if you’re wondering how to get 6 pack abs, is your nutrition. You will need to change your diet to one that is properly balanced with the correct amount of macronutrients for your body. You will also need to set aside all of the comfort foods and indulgences. This is where many people have the biggest issue. It’s one thing to eat well for a week or so, but to do it day in and day out for many, many weeks, is another thing entirely. If you’re trying to get your body so lean that the abdominal muscles are visible, you can’t be running through the drive through for cheeseburgers, drinking much, if any alcohol, or opting for desserts. The other factor from a nutrition standpoint to consider, which I will touch upon later, is that what you eat very much dictates how much water you will hold. If you eat a higher carbohydrate diet, be they complex or simple carbs, not to be confused with fibrous carbs such as broccoli, bananas, asparagus, and other fruits and vegetables, you will hold more water than if you didn’t. On average, if you ingest 1 gram of carbs, your body will hold roughly 2.2 grams of water. If you place enough carbs in the mix, you will wash out your abdominals, whether you have them or not.
The second thing you’ll need to do if you want to get a 6 pack, is to relentlessly, and thoroughly workout your abdominal muscles. This too, like most things, is easier said than done. If you have tight hip flexor muscles and/or tight gluteal muscles, as I mentioned earlier, you will have a hard time getting to the abs since you will suffer from a lack of full extension, and thus end up not being fully able to engage the abdominal muscles. If some corrective flexibility training, as I call it, is needed first, then so be it. Get structurally aligned, loosen the hips, and then get to the crunches, planks, sit ups, etc, etc.
How To Get 6 Pack Abs: Burning Abdominal Fat and Minimizing Water Retention
The third, and final thing you’ll need to address if you’re wondering how to get 6 pack abs, is cardiovascular exercise. It’s fine to build the abdominal muscles, or any muscle group for that matter, but if they are obscured by a layer of fat, they won’t be visible, and you may have a well develop mid section, but you won’t have a 6 pack. Cardiovascular exercise, especially done on an empty stomach, is the best way, coupled with proper nutrition, of course, for us to lose body fat. Yet another thing to consider, though it’s related to both the nutrition, as well as the cardio, is water retention as previously mentioned. Since our body’s are comprised of roughly 60 to 65% water, it is very easy to keep a visible subcutaneous layer of water, thus allowing even the most chiseled of abs to wash away.
As I said, answering the how to get 6 pack abs question doesn’t require an advanced degree in thermonuclear physics or neuroscience. It does, however, require a fierce determination, a very strong will, and most of all, consistency with your nutrition, cardio, as well as the actual abdominal exercises with will strengthen, and build the muscles themselves.
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