How to Get Firm Abs Fast

How to Get Firm Abs Fast
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To get firm abs fast, you have to make changes in several areas of your life. In addition to building your abdominal muscles, you will need to build self-discipline. Abs are made in the kitchen just as much as the gym. If you don't lose that extra padding on your belly, that six-pack will never be visible.

Healthy Eating

First things first, change your diet. Throw out all of the junk food and stock up with healthy nutritious foods, such as lean meats, fish, low-fat dairy, nuts, sees, fruit, vegetables and whole grain. Even on the go, there is always a healthier option. Drink lots of water instead of empty liquid calories from soda. Men and women should drink 3.7 and 2.7L per day, respectively, according to the Institute of Medicine.

Food Plan

Calculate daily intake of calories with a counter such as MyPlate from LIVESTRONG.COM. Take an average from three days' intake and then drop this by at least 500 per day to begin losing fat, according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention. Break your eating pattern down into five to six small meals rather three large ones. This supplies you with constant energy and increases your metabolism.

Workout

Use your main weight-lifting workouts to work the abs also. Concentrate on the big compound lifts, such as dead lift and squat, which will simultaneously work the core as well as other muscle groups. Apply interval training to your cardio sessions to burn fat more efficiently. Interval training, or HIIT, uses spurts of high intensity followed by lower intensity periods to work the body.

Ab Exercises

Be sure to work the whole area of your abdomen. Swiss ball sit-ups can concentrate on the upper abs, while hanging leg-raises work the lower section. Crunch twists and reverse crunches work the side muscles, the obliques. Perform more taxing ab exercises as your muscles develop, adding weight resistance if necessary.

References

Article reviewed by Eric Lochridge Last updated on: Dec 9, 2010

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