The "6-pack" may be the most sought-after goal in the gym. It's what many people resolve to acheive after midnight on December 31st; and it's a popular theme for hucksters who promise quick results if you buy their machine or take their drugs.
Any Professional trainer will tell you that countless people spend too much time pursuing this goal in entirely the wrong way. It's frustrating to pour time and energy into a goal without getting results, so this article will show you how to develop chiseled abs with minimal effort and no drugs!
Don't bother with stomach exercises in the gym.
It's a waste of gym-time that could be spent doing something else. Most people think they don't have visible ab muscles because they aren't working out hard enough. That's not true!
The good news is, it's hard to over-train the muscles in your torso; so there's often no harm done by spending five hours a week working on your stomach. It just won't help you reach your goal! Strengthening your core is a good idea for many reasons, but (having strong stomach muscles) doesn't mean you're going to have a lean waste.
Eat right, and eat at the right time!
(A good diet) is the most important principle to follow, if you want a lean waste.
- Don't skip Breakfast.
- Don't eat carbs at night.
- Eat a nutritious snack immediately after exercise.
- Watch your meal portions, etc.
There was a great deal of attention given to eating principals in an article titled "Practical Weight-Loss Tips". The principles explained in that article will help ensure your success in the gym. If your goal is to build muscle and reduce fat, a proper diet is actually more important than exercise.
You will never reach your fitness goals if you can't gain control over what you eat, when you eat, and how much you eat. This point cannot be stressed enough.
Do your stomach workout first thing in the morning.
You don't need to spend more than 5 or 10 minutes to get a good ab workout.
Mornings are the best time of the day to work your stomach! It clears your head, kick-starts your metabolism, and it gives you a sense of accomplishment first thing in your day. Admittedly, it's hard to force yourself to do it, but pays dividends big time!
I have about 10 different types of crunches that I 'like' to do. I'll pick 3 or 4 of them on a given day and do 150 to 250 crunches. I do stomach work 3 times a week.
Many trainers say you can do stomach exercises every day, and this is probably true for most people. However, I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome; which affects my ability to recover from exercise: So I can only handle 3 good stomach workouts a week. Do more if you can, but 3 per week should be enough for about anyone.
You should also do something active first thing in the morning, like house-work or chores. If a 6-pack is the goal, your primary objectives should be to raise your metabolism and watch your food intake. This will help burn excess fat around your middle. If you force yourself to move around right after you get up, it will also help you feel better for the rest of the day.
People who spend hours in the gym working their stomachs probably have better ab muscles than Kathy Smith, but their awesome abs could be hidden under layers of fat.
As a practical habit, I like to put off household chores till first thing in the morning. When I do them, I force myself to move around quickly. This simple thing gets me moving in the morning and it gets my metabolism going. Notice also; I'm taking a very practical thing and making it work for me, rather than the other way around. How often do we try and get housework done just before we go to bed? Consider putting it off till morning: You'll sleep better because you've avoided busy-work at night, and you're not adding any extra activity to your daily agenda! If you have time for a morning jog, or a walk, by all means do that also.
If you follow these guidelines, it won't take long to see results. If you don't follow these rules, but you still exercise regularly, don't sweat it: You'll probably never have a 6-pack (without drugs), but who cares! At the end of the day, your physical health is much more important than your superficial appearance. I know a guy in his 60s who bikes 200 miles a week. He's in great shape, but he has a small gut because he likes to eat at night. Big deal!
It is not hard to develop chiseled abs. If you practice good eating habits and do some cardio to keep your metabolism up, and you'll have a 6-pack before you know it!
Footnotes:
I work my stomach 3 times a week, first thing in the morning. Each stomach workout is different, because I switch out a number of different crunches each time. Here's a list of stomach exercises that I use on a regular basis:
- Sitting leg lifts.
- Crunch position - raising hips slightly off the ground: Flatten your stomach as much as possible while doing this. This exercise really isolates your lower stomach if you do it right!
- Crunches with legs straight in the air.
- Crunches with legs straight in the air and knees bent at 90 degrees.
- Crunches with feet together and knees out.
- Crunches with feet on the floor and knees bent at 100 degrees.
- Crunch position - raising shoulders and hips.
- With legs straight in the air, knees bent at 90 degrees, touch your knees to your elbows.
- Same position as above, but alternate with one leg straight (but elevated 6 inches above the floor) and the other knee touching the opposite elbow.
- Start with feet in the air, Raise your hips.
- Start with hands and feet in the air, then raise your hips and shoulders.
- Start with hands and feet flat on the ground. Raise hands and feet upward, meeting at the center.
All these exercises (except sitting leg lifts) should be done while keeping your lower back against the floor. Do not arch your back. That's cheating! and it can be bad for your back.
These exercises are listed in order of difficulty - Easiest first. I pick 3 to 5 of these and do 150 to 300 crunches total. Starting with the hardest, and ending with the easiest.
This page is sponsored in part by World Class Nutrition 
I use World Class Nutrition because their prices are great, and because they paid me to model for this picture.
But seriously folks; Their prices are the best I've found anywhere.
My favorite product?
The Trioplex bars! Excellent pre and post-workout bars! They also taste good, but who cares about that!
BTW: Stay away from the Growth Hormone, Creatine, Testosterone, etc.. Some say it's safe, but why even take a chance? For appearance?
Just because a substance is legal, that doesn't mean it's healthy. IE: Do your homework before buying anything from this or any "nutritional products" web-site.