The Best Six Pack Abs Workouts
The most common questions asked of fitness professionals are about the best six pack abs workouts. People want to know how to get perfect abs, how to get rid of belly fat and what the best lower abdominal workout is.
Unfortunately, there is no short answer to these questions, just as there is no “magic pill” solution on how to get perfect abs. It has probably taken you years to get your flabby abdominal muscles and belly fat, so it is really unrealistic to expect to build a rock hard six pack overnight.
The truth is that the best six pack abs workout consists of a combination of diet, fitness and muscle strength, together with commitment, a positive attitude and firm goals.
The first step is to look at where you are currently and where you want to be as far as your abs are concerned. You need to know where you are starting from in order to know what you need to do to get to your goal. Set measurable, achievable goals with a pre-determined time frame.
Next, check your mental attitude - believe in yourself and that you can achieve your goal. Have some positive reinforcements you can refer to - pictures of what your ideal abs will look like; progression photos of yourself as you burn the fat and tighten the flab; quotes and sayings that inspire you. Ask any athlete - getting your head right is half the battle won.
Your diet is the next area to look at - you need lean protein to build new muscle, low GI carbohydrate to give you energy and burn calories, vegetables and fruit for vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and good fats for fatty acids. Each meal should be about 20% protein from different sources like fish, chicken, legumes. Vegetables should fill about half your plate with lots of colors represented. Limit highly processed foods and foods high in fat and sugar, drink plenty of water and have 2 or 3 high-protein snacks a day to prevent hunger pangs.
Increase your fitness and burn extra calories and fat with daily cardio exercise, varying the activity to use all muscle groups. Start slowly, if you are new to exercising, and build up distance and intensity gradually. A good warm up and down, with stretches and flexibility, helps you avoid injury. To increase fat burning, add several short bursts of intensity or speed into your cardio sessions.
Strengthening exercises need to focus on your abdominal muscles and core strength. The abs are a group of muscles, so you need a variety of exercises to develop a six pack. Exercises that twist the trunk work the obliques, ones that raise the upper body work the upper abs and those that raise the legs give the best the lower abdominal abs workout. Increase the intensity, to increase new muscle, by adding resistance in the form of weights or resistance bands.
There are strengthening exercises that you can do at home - bicycle legs, planks, V-sits and twisted crunches. Do 15 - 30 minutes daily at home and add 2 - 3 weights sessions at the gym each week. Alternate the sequence of exercises to increase the effectiveness of the best six pack abs workout and you will discover this is how to get perfect abs.