Two keys to six pack abs- building muscle and losing fat

Six pack abs are always in fashion. You have probably seen many Hollywood stars and fitness models with six pack abs, but the average person certainly will not have a “six pack” – many have tried, but it’s no easy task. To be successful, you need to build some serious muscle and lose some serious fat. That is the only way of getting a rippled six pack.

Now, let us discuss a few of the things that you need to do in order to gain muscle and lose fat.

Part 1: Build Serious Muscle

First off, you need to have some muscle on your body if you want to see a six pack. You don’t need a whole lot of muscle, but if you’re pretty scrawny right now, it would be a good idea to build up some muscle as soon as possible.

Here are some good ways to do that:

Do squats. Squats are considered by many to be the best way to build muscle. Squats allow you to exercise your entire body with one movement, and using your entire body means you can lift a heavier load with the squat (compared to most other exercises,) giving you more of a workout. Plus, since you need your abs to stabilize yourself during the squat, it makes for a great ab workout!

Do leg lifts. Leg lifts work your abs directly. To do leg lifts, all you have to do is lie back on a bench to support your back, but leave your legs off the edge. Then use your core muscles to lift your legs up off the floor to where they form a 90 degree angle with your body. Then lower back down and repeat.

You can also do leg lifts while hanging from a pull-up bar, but this is much harder, so perfect the basic leg lift first!

Use an ab wheel. This very simple piece of equipment is a great way to build a strong core and accentuate your abs. It is also simple to use – grab the handles from a kneeling position, roll out forward, then roll back. And repeat.

Keep your abs tight the entire time, and start out slow. Seriously, this is very, very intense! You will honestly be sore the next day!

Part 2: Lose Serious Fat

Even if you have seriously strong abdominal muscles, you’re not going to see them if they’re covered in fat. So, the most important part to having a “six pack” is to get to a very low body fat percentage (typically under 10% body fat for men.

Here are some tips to lower your body fat:

Eat less. It’s so simple that some experts say it doesn’t work! But taking in fewer calories is the first step in losing fat. So you should track your daily calories and simply start eating fewer calories. An easy way to do this is to cut out junk food and snacks – forget about fast food, and don’t eat anything pre-packaged like snack crackers.

Eat more fiber. Eat loads of fruits and vegetables that are rich in fiber. This way, you eat plenty of food and feel full, but you consume fewer calories. (More food yet fewer calories? Yes, that’s the magic of healthy food!) And fruits and vegetables are full of nutrients, so you have no excuses not to eat them.

Eat fewer carbs. Low carb diets (think Primal and Paleo) are becoming more and more popular for a good reason – they work. You don’t have to go to extremes at first, though. Just focus on removing high-carb foods from your diet. Foods to avoid would include bread, bagels, muffins, cookies, crackers, and pasta.