Six pack abs workout and fat loss article
Spoiler Alert: there is no special exercise or diet that will magically give you a ripped set of Abs or Six Pack Abs!!
Yes, that is correct, developing an amazing set of Abs is not as complicated as you might think it is. At the end, it only comes down to 2 things: Losing fat and building your Abdominal muscles.
Six Pack Abs was one of the reasons I get into the bodybuilding word, so I know the emotional need to achieve that look, but besides looking amazing aesthetically speaking, the other great thing about achieving a six pack is that it shows hard work and discipline, it represents your personality and that you are a persistent men who is ready to get what he wants, and that will get you respect.
Now, as I said, achieving a Six Pack Abs won’t be the hardest thing you ever did in your life, contrary to what many experts led you to believe to buy their products, but it still recommends hard work, patience, and consistency.
P: Not all people have Six Packs while others might have 8 Packs or 4 Packs. This factor is completely genetic and we won’t be able to do a thing about it, but really it doesn’t matter since all Abs shapes look incredible when properly developed and accompanied by a low level of bodyfat.
So, as we already established, achieving a Six Pack will require 2 Steps:
Step 1: Building Your Abdominal Muscles:
Abs are a muscle, same as chest and back. In order for them to look amazing, you need to properly develop them.
Now, a common misconception in the bodybuilding world is that you don’t need specific Ab training, you only need to achieve low levels of bodyfat and you will have a great looking Six Pack since your Abs will be developed bu Squats and other Heavy Compound movements. Well, I call that Bullshit!
Why? Because if you want a great looking Six Pack you need to develop them adequately to the best of your ability, sure if you want an average looking Abs then fine you don’t need any Ab specific work. But if you want eye-catching, jaw-dropping midsection, then you need Ab specific Training.
I myself was a victim to that false belief, i dieted down hard for 16 weeks, doing tons of Cardio, restring my Diet to unhealthy levels just to find out that at 10% my abs Looked like a couple of small unappealing peanuts, It SUCKS!
So don’t fall for it.
Now, Ab Training doesn’t need to be all fancy and complicated. Start with 2 sessions per week for the first month, then bump it up to 6 times per week when you are very lean, usually after the third month.
To fully develop your Abs, you need to work on all the muscles of the Abs, which includes: The rectus abdominis( upper and lower Abs), The obliques and The transverse abdominis.
Here are the best exercises for each one of those muscles:
-For the rectus abdominis:
Hanging Leg Raises
Cable Crunch
Ab Roller
-For the obliques:
Cable Wood chopp
Russian Twist
windshield Wiper
-For the Transverse Abdominis:
Planks
Stomach Vaccum
Now, let’s move to the harder half of the equation: Fat loss.
Step 2: Losing Bodyfat:
To show an acceptable Ab definition, you need to be at least 12% bodyfat for most people. To show a shredded set of Abs then you need to cut even more to the range of 10% may be 8% bodyfat.
So, if you are like most average dudes around the gym you will be around 18–20% bodyfat. That means you need to Cut 10% bodyfat to finally show your six pack.
For a 180 lbs male, that is 18 lbs of Fat loss, which mean somewhere between 12 and 18 weeks of dieting, could be more or less depending on how aggressive you want to proceed with your cut.
However, here are some general guidelines on fat loss:
1- Establish a Daily calorie deficit:
A calorie deficit simply means that you need to ingest fewer calories than the calories that you expend during the day.
for instance, to lose 1 lb of fat you need a deficit of 3500 calories, so if you want to burn a lb of fat per week you need a daily deficit of 500 calories.
Of course, your calorie deficit can be bigger or smaller depending on your goals and preferences, but I generally never recommend above 750 calories deficit per day for long-term dieting.
From my experience, and for a relatively good amount of fat loss. I would suggest a total calorie intake of 10–12*Bodyweight calorie intake, so if you are a 180 lbs male that would be around 1800–1960 calories per day.
However, if you are someone with over 30% bodyfat, then you may multiply your Lean Bodyweight*10–12 to get you cutting caloric intake.
2-Get adequate Protein Intake:
After establishing a caloric deficit, the most important thing is to get an adequate amount of protein, because you don't want to lose your hard earned muscles alongside your bodyfat, unless you love being skinny then you don't need much protein.
But even if you are not interested in looking muscular, losing muscle is a bad move because muscle is active metabolic tissue that will increase your BMR at rest.
Aim for at least 0.8–1 gram of protein per lb of bodyweight. Also, you may need to increase that number as you get leaner to avoid any possible muscle loss.
3-Choose your Cardio Wisely:
Cardio is an essential element of fat loss, and it will help speed up your fat loss a little especially when it comes to the last stubborn areas like the Abs and the muffin tops.
There are two types of cardio: HIIT and LISS. Both of these types would help you lose fat but you have to choose which one is best for you depending on your fitness shape, energy levels, and general preferences.
I personally like to alternate between both through the week, starting with 2 HIIT sessions and 2 LISS sessions and building up to 6 HIIT sessions and 6 LISS sessions 12 weeks into my cut. It’s extreme, but nothing worth having will come easy.
4-Get Enough Sleep:
It may seem like a piece of outdated advice but trust me it is crucial, I can tell you by experience that the most roadblock I had to overcome when trying to get shredded is to adopt good sleeping habits.
Sleep deprivation will do basically two things:
-Decrease your Insulin sensitivity
-Increase cortisol production
those two are your worst nightmares when you are interested in scoring a chiseled Six Pack Abs.
5-Eat A Lot Of Vegetables and greens:
Same old boring advice, I know it sounds like a given must, but trust me most f people screw up when it comes to getting adequate amounts of vegetables.
So make sure get at least 3 cups of veggies per day, and try to vary your sources as much as possible to get a wide spectrum of micronutrients.
6-Use The Right Supplements:
Most fat burning supplements are scams, but there are few ingredients that had been shown to help with fat loss, the best ones are:
-L-Carnitine
-CLA
-Caffeine
-Green Tea Extract.
Now with the pieces of information above and a sound resistance training plan, you will get your Abs to show much sooner than you ever anticipated. But remember, it is not going to be easy, it will be hard and you will need to put in the effort But you will get the results. So it's a fair trade.
Good Luck
Yes, that is correct, developing an amazing set of Abs is not as complicated as you might think it is. At the end, it only comes down to 2 things: Losing fat and building your Abdominal muscles.
Six Pack Abs was one of the reasons I get into the bodybuilding word, so I know the emotional need to achieve that look, but besides looking amazing aesthetically speaking, the other great thing about achieving a six pack is that it shows hard work and discipline, it represents your personality and that you are a persistent men who is ready to get what he wants, and that will get you respect.
Now, as I said, achieving a Six Pack Abs won’t be the hardest thing you ever did in your life, contrary to what many experts led you to believe to buy their products, but it still recommends hard work, patience, and consistency.
P: Not all people have Six Packs while others might have 8 Packs or 4 Packs. This factor is completely genetic and we won’t be able to do a thing about it, but really it doesn’t matter since all Abs shapes look incredible when properly developed and accompanied by a low level of bodyfat.
So, as we already established, achieving a Six Pack will require 2 Steps:
Step 1: Building Your Abdominal Muscles:
Abs are a muscle, same as chest and back. In order for them to look amazing, you need to properly develop them.
Now, a common misconception in the bodybuilding world is that you don’t need specific Ab training, you only need to achieve low levels of bodyfat and you will have a great looking Six Pack since your Abs will be developed bu Squats and other Heavy Compound movements. Well, I call that Bullshit!
Why? Because if you want a great looking Six Pack you need to develop them adequately to the best of your ability, sure if you want an average looking Abs then fine you don’t need any Ab specific work. But if you want eye-catching, jaw-dropping midsection, then you need Ab specific Training.
I myself was a victim to that false belief, i dieted down hard for 16 weeks, doing tons of Cardio, restring my Diet to unhealthy levels just to find out that at 10% my abs Looked like a couple of small unappealing peanuts, It SUCKS!
So don’t fall for it.
Now, Ab Training doesn’t need to be all fancy and complicated. Start with 2 sessions per week for the first month, then bump it up to 6 times per week when you are very lean, usually after the third month.
To fully develop your Abs, you need to work on all the muscles of the Abs, which includes: The rectus abdominis( upper and lower Abs), The obliques and The transverse abdominis.
Here are the best exercises for each one of those muscles:
-For the rectus abdominis:
Hanging Leg Raises
Cable Crunch
Ab Roller
-For the obliques:
Cable Wood chopp
Russian Twist
windshield Wiper
-For the Transverse Abdominis:
Planks
Stomach Vaccum
Now, let’s move to the harder half of the equation: Fat loss.
Step 2: Losing Bodyfat:
To show an acceptable Ab definition, you need to be at least 12% bodyfat for most people. To show a shredded set of Abs then you need to cut even more to the range of 10% may be 8% bodyfat.
So, if you are like most average dudes around the gym you will be around 18–20% bodyfat. That means you need to Cut 10% bodyfat to finally show your six pack.
For a 180 lbs male, that is 18 lbs of Fat loss, which mean somewhere between 12 and 18 weeks of dieting, could be more or less depending on how aggressive you want to proceed with your cut.
However, here are some general guidelines on fat loss:
1- Establish a Daily calorie deficit:
A calorie deficit simply means that you need to ingest fewer calories than the calories that you expend during the day.
for instance, to lose 1 lb of fat you need a deficit of 3500 calories, so if you want to burn a lb of fat per week you need a daily deficit of 500 calories.
Of course, your calorie deficit can be bigger or smaller depending on your goals and preferences, but I generally never recommend above 750 calories deficit per day for long-term dieting.
From my experience, and for a relatively good amount of fat loss. I would suggest a total calorie intake of 10–12*Bodyweight calorie intake, so if you are a 180 lbs male that would be around 1800–1960 calories per day.
However, if you are someone with over 30% bodyfat, then you may multiply your Lean Bodyweight*10–12 to get you cutting caloric intake.
2-Get adequate Protein Intake:
After establishing a caloric deficit, the most important thing is to get an adequate amount of protein, because you don't want to lose your hard earned muscles alongside your bodyfat, unless you love being skinny then you don't need much protein.
But even if you are not interested in looking muscular, losing muscle is a bad move because muscle is active metabolic tissue that will increase your BMR at rest.
Aim for at least 0.8–1 gram of protein per lb of bodyweight. Also, you may need to increase that number as you get leaner to avoid any possible muscle loss.
3-Choose your Cardio Wisely:
Cardio is an essential element of fat loss, and it will help speed up your fat loss a little especially when it comes to the last stubborn areas like the Abs and the muffin tops.
There are two types of cardio: HIIT and LISS. Both of these types would help you lose fat but you have to choose which one is best for you depending on your fitness shape, energy levels, and general preferences.
I personally like to alternate between both through the week, starting with 2 HIIT sessions and 2 LISS sessions and building up to 6 HIIT sessions and 6 LISS sessions 12 weeks into my cut. It’s extreme, but nothing worth having will come easy.
4-Get Enough Sleep:
It may seem like a piece of outdated advice but trust me it is crucial, I can tell you by experience that the most roadblock I had to overcome when trying to get shredded is to adopt good sleeping habits.
Sleep deprivation will do basically two things:
-Decrease your Insulin sensitivity
-Increase cortisol production
those two are your worst nightmares when you are interested in scoring a chiseled Six Pack Abs.
5-Eat A Lot Of Vegetables and greens:
Same old boring advice, I know it sounds like a given must, but trust me most f people screw up when it comes to getting adequate amounts of vegetables.
So make sure get at least 3 cups of veggies per day, and try to vary your sources as much as possible to get a wide spectrum of micronutrients.
6-Use The Right Supplements:
Most fat burning supplements are scams, but there are few ingredients that had been shown to help with fat loss, the best ones are:
-L-Carnitine
-CLA
-Caffeine
-Green Tea Extract.
Now with the pieces of information above and a sound resistance training plan, you will get your Abs to show much sooner than you ever anticipated. But remember, it is not going to be easy, it will be hard and you will need to put in the effort But you will get the results. So it's a fair trade.
Good Luck
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