Step Eight: Beginning Your Training For a 6 Pack

How to Train for a Six Pack

Training for a six pack is no walk in the park – it takes a rigorous exercise routine that works the core muscles and all of the abdominal muscles, and it requires a sacrificial diet. Proper eating is a must if you want lean abdominals, even if you intensely train for a six pack. You should eat about a gram of protein per pound of body weight. These foods include lean meats, chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, milk, protein drinks, and protein bars. Eat fresh vegetables as your growing muscles require strong nutrients. Eat starchy carbohydrates like brown rice, potatoes, yams, oatmeal, high fiber cereals, and other grain foods.

Limit your fat intake. Remember that you need a little amount of fat for survival but almost all junk foods should be eliminated as they are high in saturated fats. Snack every few hours – smartly. Try raw veggies or protein bars. Drink a lot of water throughout the day – even more than the recommended eight ounces a day. If you have problems with a sweet tooth, try to eat fresh fruits in moderation. Protein bars and drinks will also help to satisfy your sweet or junk food cravings.

If you have excess body fat on your midsection there is no physical way to see the results of vigorous abdominal exercise even if your abs are totally “ripped” and highly developed. They are hidden under the layers of subcutaneous fat. Cardiovascular exercise is the only way to burn off substantial amounts of body fat – you can do one hundred sit ups a day and it will not make you lose belly fat. Just remember that weight training builds muscle and cardio burns fat. If you have belly fat you should do cardio at least thirty minutes a day for three days a week or more. Some people work up to do two thirty minute cardio sessions a day.

People believe that if they work their abdominals every day that they will speed up the process of getting washboard abs – and this is not necessarily true. In order to get developed muscles the muscles need time to recuperate and grow – training causes damage to the muscles and in response they get bigger and stronger. Daily ab workouts do not allow the abdominals to recover and grow. They do recuperate faster than other muscle groups so you could possibly train them up to three times per week on alternating days.

Training for a six pack is hard to do and requires tremendous effort and willpower – sometimes it is hard to sacrifice food or time to exercise, but it is often the only way to get the abs that you want. Sitting around and waiting for the fat to melt off is not going to work, nor is slacking on the exercise. Training for a six pack is one of the toughest accomplishments in the weight training world – but if you stick with it you will lose belly fat and gain the flat abs of your dreams.