Muscle Gaining

Most people think that 6 pack abs come from training and this is where they focus their efforts. Unfortunately this is not the case. I have said this before: nobody can see the abs you are so desperately working if you have too much body fat. The goal, therefore should be getting your nutrition in order. Training your abs is the smallest piece of the puzzle.

A much bigger piece of that puzzle is how much time you spend on cardio. I know, it sucks. A fat belly sucks even more. The fastest way to get rid of total body fat is to concentrate some of your workout time on high intensity interval training.

And finally, the biggest and most difficult piece of the 6 pack abs puzzle; nutrition. If you fail at getting the proper nutrition, all of your other efforts will not matter. Get your nutrition facts on paper. Find out how many calories you need daily, learn your body fat percentages, learn what foods to eliminate from your diet, learn what to add to your diet, and keep track of your progress.

So lets recap…..the key to 6 pack abs is nutrition, cardio, and ab training, in that order. Although there are different opinions floating around about workout routines, supplements, sets and reps, all fitness experts, books, and programs agree on this one fact.

There isn’t a guy on this earth who wouldn’t love to have a 6 pack. Unfortunately, most of these guys are not willing to change their lifestyles and many are always looking for a quick fix. Regardless of sales pitches you read in muscle magazines, there are no potions and pills to help you get 6 pack abs. Don’t waste your money. I am sure I lost some readers here.

The very best way to get 6 pack abs, is through diet. Doing abdominal exercises will not eliminate fat around your middle. How many people do you hear complain about doing endless ab work with no results. Ab exercises will definately strengthen and tone your muscles, however those muscles you are tightening by doing 100 crunches a day, lay underneath all the fat.

First things first. You must get enough protein. Protein produces bigger muscle. If you work out regularly, you need more protein than the average couch potato. That doesn’t mean you must eat tons of it through supplementation; how much protein you need is determined by how much exercise you get. You want just enough to create more muscle. More is not better. Eating more than your body needs could slow muscle gain by lowering your energy reserves.

How much protein do you need? (more…)