THE Guide to Getting a Six-Pack (Men) or a Nice, Firm Stomach (Women)

I see this asked all the time: "How do I get a six-pack" or "How do I get a nice, toned stomach?" Well, this is easier than you think. The reason why people don't have one is because they aren't doing the right thing to get one. People recommend things such as hundreds of crunches, and that just will not do anything. See, your abdominal is composed of six muscles. You have four components to your abdomen. The rectus abdominis, the transversus abdominis, the external oblique, and the internal oblique. That's right, 4 different muscles that make up the abdominal section. However, the rectus abdominis is a SINGLE muscle. Surprised? Even I was surprised to read this the first time I did. The reason that the abs appear to be six different individual muscles is from the fact that connective tissue separates the muscle. So, what does this mean? That means you can't work a certain section to obtain a six-pack. Along with this, your obliques are also important to train. This muscle is located on the left and right side of your body right next to the lower section of the rectus abdominis. Basically, where your torso twists. So what does this all mean? As far as exercises are concerned, when you work your "abs," you are working the WHOLE muscle, not just a section of it. Anyways, how do you get this look?

If you read my post earlier about "spot reduction," then you are probably aware. You must have a strict diet and perform many exercises to burn off the extra body fat. There are three solid, proven techniques that help shed body fat.

On the diet side, there is something called "ketosis." This happens when your body is deprived of carbs and has to use ketones from body fat as a source of energy. This means, that your body will be eating its own fat as energy! All you need to do is avoid all carbs for about a day or so, and your body will begin this process. However, I recommend you do this diet in short periods. No more than for 2 weeks straight. When consuming carbs again, you must progressively intake them. This way your body can process them and not turn them into fat.

The second technique is called "carb cycling." This technique is done by changing how many carbs you eat on every third or forth (usually forth) day. For example, you may eat 200 grams of carbs (not recommending any specific number. For demonstration only) on the first day, 250 grams on the second day, somewhere between one of these amounts on the third day, and then the fourth day you eat about 50 grams or so. That way your body becomes confused, and thinks it will be eating 200 or so grams that day, but when it discovers it does not have that many, it looks for alternative energy sources. e.g. body fat.

The last technique is an exercising technique. It is called High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT.) Basically, you do less time on cardio 20-30 minutes, but at a higher intensity. Since it consists of "intervals" you would do, for example, one minute of regular intensity, then one minute of high intensity, then one minute of regular intensity, then one minute of high intensity, and so on. This is effective because you are burning around the same amount of calories, but the effects linger on for hours. This is because this form of cardio speeds up your metabolism.

So, now that you know three solid techniques, give them a try. I'd love to hear the results from them.


As for abdominal exercises, here are some of my favorite:

Cable crunches: Grasp a cable rope and kneel on the ground. Split the rope so that your head is between the rope and your hands are near your shoulders. Pull with your BODY, not your hands. You should feel your abs doing the work. If you do not, select more weight and try again. This is one of the best exercises, and you should really feel the effort from your core. Do about 10-15 of these per set.

Russian Twists: This can be done on a mat or a balance disk (things that look like half of a workout ball.) Place your feet together, bring your knees in a little bit, so your feet are off the ground. Then grasp a medicine ball in both hands and move the medicine ball from side-to-side. Your core will be twisting. Do about 50 of these on each side per set.

Pikes: This is a fun exercise, but it requires a strong core. You will need a pull-up bar. Grab the bar with both your hands and bring your knees up to a 90 degree angle. Stablize yourself, and keep your knees in that position while using your core to bring your shins up to the bar. Then lower your knees back to the 90 degree position. This is a tough exercise, and you may not be able to do one of them if you don't have a strong core. I recommend about 5 of these per set, but if you can do more, that is great.

Hanging Twists: Same position as the pikes, but instead, you will move your knees side-to-side. Works the oblique muscle. Do about 10 per side per set.

Captain's Chair Leg Raise: These I apparently do wrong. First you need a captain's chair (two pads for your arms to be placed on. Google it if you don't know what it looks like.) The correct way is to bring your knees to the 90 degree position (like pikes and hanging twists) and then bring them up to your chest. Keep your back on the back pad. However, I do them where I keep my legs straight and bring them up (like I am doing leg raises from the ground.) Do about 25 of these per set.

Weighted Leg Raises: These are my favorite. This is basically what you can do if you do not have a Captain's Chair. (This is what I do to replace the "correct" form of the Captain's Chair Leg Raises). Grab a dumbbell and place it between your feet. Then bend your legs and raise them to your chest. Try to keep your back on the ground. You should really feel this in your abs. As a bonus, try to extend your legs on the way down, so they are straight (akin to my legs on the Captain's Chair.) Do about 10-15 of these per set.

Heel-Touchers: This is an easy exercise. Place your feet on the ground out in front of you. Keep your hands flat on the ground and alternate hands, so they are touching the corresponding foot. Make sure your feet are far enough just so you can touch. It is a good exercise to do without any equipment. Do about 30-50 of these per set.

Decline Sit-Ups: These are sit-ups that actually work. You will need a bench that can decline. Secure your feet and grab a plated weight. Put that weight on your stomach and act like you are doing a regular sit-up. Do about 10-15 of these per set.


That's about all I need to say. The key to exercising your abdomen is using WEIGHT. All muscles that are exercised need to use weight. Abs are no exception to this. You will notice your core getting stronger and more prominent. However, to do this, you need to lose enough body fat (people say around 12% percent for men, and that is probably the same for women too) to see it. Women have a harder time with this because their bodies naturally have more fat. Good luck with whatever your goal is.