6 Tips For 6-pack Abs

No matter if you are a teen trying to get into shape or a grown woman returning to the world of fitness, a harder and flatter stomach is the final goal for many a person. Because of this, this topic is covered in plenty of fitness myths and revolutionary ideas and is especially susceptible to fancy machines and ideas that claim to give a rock hard 6-pack in  weeks, yet do absolutely nothing. This article does not claim to give "rock hard abs" in a week, but instead serves to try to change the views some people have gotten from watching too many infomercials .



1. You Can't Spot-Reduce

This means that you can't burn fat only from a specific spot on your body. All the sit-ups in the world will not burn the fat on your gut. Bodyfat is lost from all over your body and is caused by a caloric deficit, not from activating a certain muscle group.

2. Cardio is Important

The key to getting a 6-pack is not in building up the abdominals, but in burning the fat that is covering them. The way to achieve this is is to have a caloric deficit, which can be achieved by both taking in less calories and using up more calories. A form of cardio that is very effective for burning fat and boosting your metabolism is HIIT. HIIT is exercising in short bursts of intense cardio followed by a short cooldown. An example of a session would be a 30 second run, followed by a 30 second jog, followed by another sprint, and so on for 4 to 15 minutes depending on the fitness of person.


3. Abs are made in the kitchen

This is the least complex and yet the most difficult aspect in getting a 6-pack. The key to getting a 6-pack is to cut down on food and lose bodyfat. Here are some easily applicable tips:

    * Stop drinking soda and start to drink only water. It can make a huge difference.

    * Eat 5-6 small meals a day. This helps boost your metabolism and keeps your appetite in check.

    * Try to find your calorie maintenance level and gradually decrease 100-200 calories per week until your are shedding about 1-2 pounds a week.

4. Sit-ups are useless

Sit-ups are supposed to target the abs but really the hip flexors and spinal erectors are doing the work in the movement. The abdominals are only used isometrically as stabilizers. This means that sit-ups are terrible for your back and do not benefit your abs anyway.


5. Other Exercises To Do


Now this would be the time for me to plug some new life-changing product or idea, but that is not the point of this article. Here are some ab exercises for beginners to do instead of the traditional sit-up:

    * Crunches - There are many different types, but try to think of it as pulling your bottom rib directly to your hip

    * Weighted crunches - Do normal crunches except hold a plate to your chest

    * Hanging leg raises - hang from a bar and pull your knees directly to your chest

6. Don't Give Up!

While achieving  your goal of a 6-pack may not be as painless and easy as infomercials may have you think, it is still a very realistic goal even for a beginner. All it takes hard work and determination. Giving up a week after you started will not help you get a six pack or help your your overall fitness.

Abdominals - Tips for Getting Well-Defined Abs

Any person that wants to get in shape or feel good about their body, wants to have well-defined abs. There are stages in a year, for example summer, were this becomes even more desirable.
In this article we will look at some tips to define our abs in the fastest way possible.

Having chiseled and well-defined abs shows that the person who has them is a person in shape, since building them requires time, discipline and dedication.
Strong and well-defined abs don't only provide aesthetic beauty, but also provide benefits that go even further. By building a good set of abs, we improve our posture and prevent back problems and injuries.
Below we provide a series of tips that will help us in our task of defining our abs:
- Review your diet.

A lot of people start working on their abs neglecting this. Having an adequate diet is much more important than people think. No matter how many sit-ups you do daily, if you don't have an adequate diet you will not get the desired results.

The first thing you must try is to burn the excess fat immediately, since even if you get strong abs but they are covered with a layer of fat, nobody will see them.
You must eat right and control your calories. You must eat less calories than what you burn. It would be ideal if you saw a diet specialist to formulate an adequate diet. From here we advice eating foods rich in oats, green vegetable fiber and lean proteins like chicken breast.

- Have an accurate exercise routine.
Obviously, what's inevitable for obtaining your objective is spending hours in the gym with a workout routine for well-defined abs.
I advise you to not use extra equipment for your sit-ups. It is always better to do them "manually," that is the typical movement from sit-ups, moving the torso up and down to the exact angle where the abdominal muscle is totally rigid. Don't just do one type of sit-up, but you must also do lateral ones.
Also, even though you are not doing an abdominal exercise and you are doing some other type of exercise at the gym, try to always have your abs tightened, since you will be working those as well.
- Burn fat with other sports.

Finally, once you have checked your diet and you have a good workout routine, you should do some ideal exercises for burning fat. These types of exercises are provided by perfect sports for burning fat like for example footing, bicycling, swimming, tennis or soccer.

Now you only need to work on these aspects and you will start seeing defined abs quickly.

Harry Aaron is an expert blogger and gives you great health and fitness information on the Internet. In the next link you can take a look at valuable information about getting your six-pack abs

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