Women seem to love men with 6 pack abs. In fact, some women find 6 pack or washboard abs the most attractive feature on a man. A man with 6 pack abs seems to represent strength, power, protection, attraction, and sexual desire.
Men find 6 pack abs pretty sexy on themselves as well. Men tend to feel that walking into a room with a 6 pack, even if you have your shirt on, commands a lot of respect. You just feel better about yourself. You feel a huge sense of accomplishment by being able to shape your body in this way.
Muscle definition that includes 6 pack abs is a result of gain muscle mass while lowering your percentage of body fat. If you your body mass index (BMI) is not in the obese range, it is possible for you to have 6 pack abs in six months if you make the recommended gains in your diet and exercise routine.
If your BMI is in the overweight or obese range, you can still lose weight and maybe get 6 pack abs over a longer period of time. Before you see any definition approaching the coveted six-pack, you’ll typically need to get your overall body fat at 14 percent to 20 percent
Either way, it takes a lot of discipline and sacrifice to reach your goal in 6 months. You will have to work hard to get your percentage of body fat below 11%. As you lose more weight, you metabolism will slow down. And even more, it’s very difficult to maintain your six pack abs that you worked so hard for due to the low percentage of body fat.
Dietary changes
- You should eat foods that are nutrient-dense, high in fiber and low fat, with whole grains, fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and legumes.
- You should eliminate all fast foods and foods full of simple carbohydrates.
- You should also stop drinking alcohol, sugared beverages of any kind, and instead drink plenty of water.
Exercises
- Do exercises that engage the entire core to promote symmetry. Then add upper abs exercise. You will also need to engage in 15-20 reps of other specific body exercises.
- Start doing 45-60 minute cardiovascular workouts. Doing ab exercises alone will not get rid of all of the fat about your stomach. It’s recommended that you do a cardiovascular workout three times a week on alternating days. Be sure to include a 15 minute warm up time in addition to a 15 minute cool down time.
- Do the ab exercises on the days that you are not doing cardiovascular work outs. This way you are working out in some productive manner every day.
Other important information
- If you have never exercised before or have been sedentary for a long time, make sure to get your doctor’s approval before engaging in any high-intensity exercise.
- To increase the intensity of your ab exercises, wear ankle weights and hold resistance in your hands such as medicine balls, dumbbells or weight plates. When you do your ab workout, start out with a 10-minute warm-up consisting of jogging, cycling or jumping rope, and finish with a 10-minute cool down the same way.
- Make sure that you are getting sufficient sleep. You will be working out pretty intensely each day. Sleep helps to repair your body by releasing hormones throughout the body.
For more information on specific exercises go to The Men’s’ Health Online Magazine http://www.menshealth.co.uk/building-muscle/abs-workout/four-week-six-pack-plan
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