Abdominal muscles lay under layers of subcutaneous fat, so revealing your six-pack requires strict dieting and exercise regimens. Your goals are to drop your body fat percentage and develop the rectus abdominus and oblique muscles. To lose weight quickly and safely, strive to eat cleanly and to incorporate regular aerobic exercise.
Diet
Step 1
Make protein and fresh green vegetables the focus of every meal. Strive to eat between 20 and 30 percent of your daily calories in the form of protein low in saturated fat, like skinless poultry and whey protein. Accent your protein with green, watery vegetables like lettuce, zucchini and asparagus. Minimize carbohydrates, eating only one serving with breakfast daily. Include healthy mono- and poly-unsaturated fats in the form of avocados, almonds or olive oil as about 20 percent of your daily calories.
Step 2
Eat small meals every three to four hours. Prevent binges by regularly fueling with 300- to 400-calorie meals that keep your metabolism burning. Avoid eating too much at any one time, because this slows digestion and leads to distension of the belly.
Step 3
Learn to distinguish between hunger and thirst. Drink enough water to maintain a level of hydration (usually at least 40 oz. daily) and keep your system cleansed. Have a glass of water before meals to offset hunger.
Exercise
Step 1
Participate in moderate- to high-intensity cardiovascular exercise for at least 30 minutes, five days a week. Burn more calories than you consume to create a caloric deficit of 3,500 calories to lose 1 lb. Try to maintain a healthy rate of weight loss--no more than 3 lbs. per week--to ensure you are not cannibalizing lean muscle.
Step 2
Perform basic abdominal exercises on a mat. With hands cupped behind your head and knees bent, contract your abs and lift your head and shoulders off the floor for a crunch. Take the movement side to side (shoulder toward opposite knee) to target the obliques. Conduct three sets with 12 to 15 repetitions in each set. Rest 30 to 60 seconds between each set.
Step 3
Use a medicine ball and stability ball to increase the intensity of your abdominal work. Hold the medicine ball when doing basic crunches or do your crunches with your back on the stability ball. Sit in a v-sit on the mat, holding your medicine ball in both hands. Rotate side to side and touch the medicine ball to the mat--repeat 10 times, rest 30 seconds and repeat twice more. Use the stability ball to create greater instability in plank position. Place your forearms on the ball and toes on the floor and keep the body in a straight line, abdominal muscles tight. Hold for 30 seconds. Work your way up to holding as long as 90 seconds.
Tips and Warnings
- Your ability to reveal your six-pack also depends on genetics and body type--for some, a six-pack may never appear despite hard work. Avoid extreme crash diets or fad diets, which might drop pounds immediately but ultimately lead to regaining of lost weight and more. Try not to dip below 1,200 calories per day. This puts your body in starvation mode and actually prevents you from losing fat. Consult the food guide pyramid (see resources) for healthy meal planning. Do your ab exercises every other day to leave enough time for rest and repair of the muscles you are building.
- Weighted abdominal exercises should not be performed by beginners. If you are just starting out, perform the exercises without the medicine ball. Consult your physician before beginning any exercise program.
References
- Six Pack Abs Diet
- Journal of Applied Physiology
- "Amazing Abs in Under 10 Minutes", Lara McGlashan, Oxygen Magazine, May 2009.
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