Do you have the right fat loss philosophy for six-pack abs?
For most people it seems like the hardest thing in the world to accomplish. Yet people from all over the world spend thousands of dollars on the latest gimmicks for developing that elusive six-pack. Personal trainers can’t keep up with the number of requests from newbies looking for quick fixes to fat loss and develop a ripped midsection.
We hope you can handle the truth about achieving a fat-free ripped midsection. It doesn't matter how many sit-ups or crunches you rep out, or what new machine you see on a home shopping channel; if you don't reduce your body fat percentage you will never see those ab muscles that have been on the missing list since high school. For eye-catching, rock hard abdominals, you need to get rid of the fat covering them.
The fallacy of spot reduction
You want more bluntness. Despite the marketing approach of some of these home shopping channels, you can’t spot reduce. By this we mean just training the areas you want to shrink – especially the abs - and expect to see a whole new midsection. Achieving a toned six-pack waist is a lot more involved. The body takes fat from all over the body, not just any one area. And it does this at its own pace.
Ignore the Gimmicks!
We live in a quick-fix society. If a pill can’t solve it a machine can. Unfortunately this rarely works and it certainly doesn’t produce results when it comes to ab training. Most of those gadgets you see on TV are a waste of your hard-earned money. They are designed with one purpose in mind – to make the manufacturers rich. They’ll do virtually nothing for fat loss and shrinking your midsection. No piece of equipment will give you rock hard abdominals and the ripped midsection that you crave. So go ahead. Hang upside down for just “three easy installments off $39.99.” While the blood is rushing to your head, your money is rushing to the manufacturer’s bank account. And you’ll still have a fat waist!
Weight training - The real key for firming up your abs and losing body fat
Now that we’ve made you aware that the only way to bring out your abs is to get rid of the body fat that’s covering them you are probably thinking, "OK now what’s next?” Well first you need to understand that a small waist doesn't necessarily mean that you have a well-toned midsection. Your abdominals are muscles just like your chest, back, or arm muscles. Granted they don’t have the same growth potential as these more familiar muscles, but they’re muscles just the same. This means that to strengthen and tone them you’ll need to perform various types of resistance exercises.
Crunches every day but your waist is still growing?
Many people still think that if they perform a few crunches every day their abdominals will magically turn into a six-pack, regardless of what they’re eating. Not a chance! How can you expect to reveal rock hard abdominals if you are consuming foods that are increasing the fat layer above them? We know this sounds harsh but if you want to have a waistline that looks like you put in some effort achieving it, then this is exactly what you’ll have to do – put in some effort. If you are constantly eating junk food while slightly increasing the size of your abdominal muscles, then yes, you may actually make your waistline bigger. Your goal is to remove body fat while at the same time build the muscles in the abdominal region. This is the key to fat loss and developing an eye-catching midsection.
