How do I get great abs?

One of the most commonly asked question that I hear in the gym is “how do I get great abs?”

For most people having great ab muscles is their ultimate goal and a sign of accomplishment. It requires a serious commitment to exercise and eating healthy to achieve.

Everyone has abdominal muscles. The problem is that most people can’t see their ab muscles because they are hidden underneath a layer of body fat. Unfortunately, the abdominal area is one of those stubborn places were our body store most of its fat. 

Everyday at the gym, I watch people perform crunch after crunch and they wonder why they still can’t see any changes. Their ab muscles are nowhere in sight. Many people believe that the key to achieving great ab muscles is to spend most of their time focusing on doing ab exercise.

The problem with this is that unfortunately there is no such thing as spot reduction. What I mean by that is as your body starts to use fat as a source of energy, that fat comes from all over your body, not just from one place. So I can’t just tell you to go in the corner and do 1000 sit ups to get great abs. I wish it was that easy, but unfortunately it doest not work that way.

In order to get yourself a great set of ab muscles, it requires you to get your body fat percentage low enough to the point were your ab muscles will start to appear. For men this usually happens once they reduce their body fat percentage to approximately 12% body fat, and approximately 18% body fat for women.

The key to getting great abs is to reduce your body fat percentage. The best way to do this is to follow a proper diet and workout program.

The number one reason why most people have a hard time getting six pack abs has to do with their diet.

Some common mistakes that people make are:

• They eat portion sizes that are way too big
• They eat foods that are high in fat and are not very nutrient dense
• They frequently skip meals
• They consume too much sugar and high glycemic foods

A few quick tips to eating healthy are:

• Eat a well balanced diet
• Eat small frequent meals every 2 ½ to 3 hours
• Avoid foods that are high in sugar and salt
• Eat foods that are low glycemic to control your blood sugar levels
• Try to have a source of lean protein with every meal

A good workout program that combines strength training and cardio training is also crucial to lowering your body fat. The program should be designed to help you build lean muscle and burn fat at the same time. The more lean body mass that you have, the more calories that your body will need to maintain it. This causes an increase in your metabolism so all day long you will burn more calories, even at rest.

So remember, for you to get a great ab muscles you need to lower your body fat percentage. By eating properly and using the right combination of strength training, cardiovascular training, and abdominal training you too can uncover your ab muscles that have been hiding from you all these years.

By Benjamin Petitpas

Tags: ab muscles, abs, body fat, eating healthy, exercise, workout program