How to Get Six Pack Abs Fast

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Everywhere you turn, someone's promising the next secret to getting 6 pack abs. Some of these so called 'secrets' have some degree of accuracy, while others, not so much. Deciphering which are the best methods to getting 6 pack abs is going to be critical to your having success with this goal.

Steps

1. The biggest area you need to focus on when trying to obtain 6 pack abs is going to be on your diet. Like it or not, the old saying that 'abs are made in the kitchen', is probably one of the most truthful statements in the fitness industry. If your diet isn't in line, your stomach is going to show it.
2. First, ensure you are getting enough protein. Not only is protein going to form the key building blocks you need to build muscle tissue, but it's also going to provide you with a better feeling of fullness than eating just carbohydrates alone would for example. Protein is more "expensive" than any other macronutrient meaning that your body will burn more calories breaking down protein compared to carbs and fats.
3. Next, don't be afraid of dietary fat that comes from primarily monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats such as olive oils, fish oils, a mix of nuts, natural peanut butter and avocado. While it's true that eating fat will increase your calories fast, as long as you keep it between 20-30% it can be one of the best things to get 6 pack abs fast. The important point here is that dietary fat helps keep your insulin level stable, which, when high enough can actually cause fat gain itself.
   1. Furthermore, dietary fat will keep you feeling the fullest for the longest duration in time; longer than both protein or carbohydrates would. Interestingly, some diets high in fat can get you 6 pack abs fast because your body learns to metabolize fat for energy.
   2. So, while you do need to watch it, be sure you are getting some in your diet.
4. Finally, when it comes to carbohydrate intake and getting 6 pack abs, you want to focus most of your carbohydrate intake around the post workout period.
   1. The biggest reason for this is because this is when your body is going to need those carbohydrates the most and will really suck them up into the muscle tissue. When you eat them at this time, it is least likely that they will turn into body fat.
   2. Additionally, consuming carbohydrates during this period will also help to aid with muscle recovery and repair, so that means less down time from the gym for you.
5. If getting 6 pack abs fast is your goal than each meal you take should consist of 1-2 cups of raw vegetables to control insulin levels, improve absorption of your protein and flood your body with vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants.
   1. Look for the top super foods (nutrient-dense, low-calorie fruits and vegetables, like broccoli). These give the most vitamins and minerals to heal and prevent strain to the muscles.
6. So, if you are aiming to get 6 pack abs in the coming months, have a good hard look at your diet. That is the big secret that must not be overlooked if you are to succeed.
7. Build the muscle and cardio to uncover it . The exercises you should do for your abs are basically sit ups for your upper abs and leg lifts for your lower abs. Try and running a little to burn fat , if you are not fit enough to run , try and swim for once or twice a week. Skipping is also a great fat burning exercise, and it will help tone your abs as well.

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Get Six Pack Abs Fast. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

(Advertisement)

How to Get a Flat Stomach

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Stomach feeling flabby or just want to do a little toning up to get it looking good? Let these tips be your guide.

Steps

Diet

1. Always get enough sleep. You know you got full sleep when you wake up by yourself from bed without any alarm clock. Sleep deprivation slows your metabolism.
2. Eat healthier and cut down junk food, such as replacing sweets and chips with fruits. You'll see a world of difference.
3. Eat lots of lean protein (like beans and nuts - have some meat, it is rather good for you as long as you do not eat the fat!), fruits and dark vegetables, and whole grain breads and grains. If you eat "whole wheat" it's like the same as eating white bread; except with white bread all the good fibers have been stripped away. These "whole grains" keep you fuller longer than white breads like cakes, cookies, and sweets. Also, stay away from high-fat dairy products (low-fat dairy products are a great source of protein and vitamin B6).
4. Eat smaller meals a day. To get a flat stomach you should eat many small meals throughout the day. Eat just enough until you feel full; don't overeat! Wait until you feel hungry again and eat a little more. Focus on only eating healthy food items, and do not eat any sugar; it will only make you feel tired and will cause you to crave more - a vicious cycle!
5. Eat food raw. This is to avoid the loss of enzymes that result from cooking food, which also decreases its nutritional value. Raw food, unlike cooked and processed foods, takes longer to digest so you feel full longer. Your body will slowly absorb the nutrients so you'll avoid any spikes or drops in your blood sugar until your next meal. Some of the best raw foods are:
   
   • Cabbage
   • Carrots
   • Cauliflower
   • Celery
   • Cucumbers
   • Zucchini
   • Dark leaf lettuce
   • Onions
   • Pears
   • Tomatoes
   • Watercress
   • Broccoli
   • Bananas
   • Apples
   • Berries
6. Make sure you don't eat anything 2 hours before you sleep. Your body slows down when you sleep so you can't digest food properly. And if you go to bed really late, don't eat past 9:30 pm, because foods eaten late are normally stored as fat.
7. Drink plenty of water. You should replace it with all your regular beverages, especially soda and sugared drinks. Water will make it easier to lose weight. Consider flavored water as an alternative if you must. Drinking lemon water is said to be a natural way of speeding up your metabolism as well. Warning: Drinking fruit juice may seem healthy but it usually contains just as much sugar as fizzy drinks. If you like juice, try making it yourself.
   • Your urine should be a light yellow or clear color; dark yellow with an odor could be a sign that you are dehydrated.
   • Try to decrease your usage of salt or other fattening additions to a meal; adding salt or oils to a dish may allow the body to use the food for your body fat. doing this will decrease your addition of fats for your legs, stomach, buns and even the face

Exercise

1. Do aerobic exercises daily at 30 minutes minimum and include 1-2 days of rest break each week. Anything that brings your heart rate up. Take up dancing, running, Tae-Bo, swimming,cycling and walking at a good pace.
2. To better work the entire abdominal region, vary your exercises: Crunches work the upper abdomen, leg raises work the lower abdomen, side bends work the obliques (also known as love handles). About 15 - 25 reps should be enough a day for certain exercises (but if you can do more than that, try adding a weight to your feet for the leg lifts). Sure, you can do 100 daily crunches. But if you've got a layer of fat covering up your ab work then what's the point? You need to burn the top layer of stomach fat to see the changes- Try the plyometric and cardio exercises in the section below.
3. Do cardio exercise. Cardio exercises are best as they will heat up your core temperature and improve circulation, both of which will aid you in acquiring a flat stomach. You should aim for interval cardio training, such as alternating between sprinting and power walking. You can try sprinting for as long as you can. When you become too tired, you should walk. When you feel that you've caught your breath, sprint again. Do these alterations for a total of 20 minutes at a time.
4. Include plyometrics. Plyometrics are exercises that require explosive power. They are not just cardio, but strength training as well. Some great plyometric exercises you can do at home include:
   • Modified jumping jacks. Start standing, then jump up with hands and feet spread apart, creating an "X" in the air with your body, then land back in standing. Repeat as many times as you can.
   • Squat-Thrust-Push-ups. Start in push-up position, do one push-up,then push off with your feet and pull your knees up to your chest so your feet land between your hands(still on the ground in push-up position), then jump as high as you can, arms over head. Then squat back down with your hands on the floor, then jump back to push up position again. Repeat; do as many as you can do well with good form.
   • Cartwheels. If you don't already know how to do them, once you learn, you can do multiple cartwheels in a row. The quicker you do them the greater the plyo benefit.
5. Strength training. This will improve your muscular tone as well as increase your metabolism so you'll burn calories faster over time. Best strength training exercises (that don't require a gym or weights) include:
   • Push-ups
   • Pull-ups (You can do these in a park hanging from the branch of a large tree)
   • Squats
   • Lunges
   • leg lifts
   • crunches
   • plankholds
   • 6" hold
   • flutters
   • scissors
   • v-ups
   • L-holds from a bar
   • Yoga arm balances
   • Handstands (these take a lot of strength when repeated over and over)

1. Consider some form of anaerobic exercise as well. Some simple resistance training or light weight lifting will not only help you burn fat more efficiently but tone up the rest of your body as well.
2. Raising your metabolic rate is crucial. The higher your metabolic rate, the more energy (and thus fat) you'll burn even when you aren't doing anything. Try compound exercises like deadlifts with heavier weights. See "How to Do a Deadlift" for more information.
   • To increase your metabolic rate, increase the frequency of your meals to 6-8 times a day. Every 2 to 3 hours, ingest a small meal. This increased frequency will put your metabolism into overdrive. Do not overeat. For greatest effect, only eat carbohydrates before 2:00 p.m, from then on only proteins.

Tips

• Going to see a personal trainer or a doctor can help greatly as they can give you a dietary/work-out plan that will help you keep at your desired weight rather than going over it alone.
• Get someone to work out with you so you'll inspire each other. If you can't find anyone, try imagining you are with someone you know, a celebrity or an athlete with abs you admire (this usually works better than actually working out with the said athlete). Pretend they're with you as you work out.
• Music will also do wonders to get a workout moving along! Make sure it's upbeat and motivating.
• While crunches are good for your abdominal muscles, make sure that you have a well-rounded weight loss program. Millions of crunches won't help if you eat buckets of ice cream every day!
• Be patient! Some people find it harder to obtain a flat stomach than others, as this is dependent on your own personal fitness level.
• Doing crunches on an exercise ball will specifically target your abdominal muscles, while doing them on the floor strengthens mostly hip muscle. Just the act of balancing on the ball alone will help tone abdominal muscles.
• Find something that you enjoy doing that involves a lot of movement, for example jogging, biking, Wii Fit, etc.
• Drinking more water can help flush out toxins from your body.
• Cut out refined carbs. Foods such as white bread, pastas, potatoes, and white rice are rich in refined carbs and should be taken out of your diet. They have less nutrients and vitamins than the non refined kinds. Eat brown rice and whole wheat bread instead.
• Drink more herbal tea, such as green tea, as this will help you lose the saturated fats in your body. Drinking without the addition of milk, sugar, or honey is best, so only drink water and skinny milk

Warnings

• Do not starve yourself. Your results will only be temporary and you will feel frustrated sooner (and will probably give up quicker). When you starve yourself, your body goes into "starvation mode," and it causes your body to slow down your metabolism (which digests your food) and minimal weight loss. While you might think that by not eating completely is most effective, in essence it could do permanent harm to your body as well as make it hard to keep off the weight.
• Don't go overboard with the crunches. Your body will tell you when you need to rest. Take a quick break, deep breaths, and then continue until your workout is complete.
  • Try doing a number of sets and repetitions (reps). For example, two sets of 20 reps. This means you will do 20 repetitions of a specific exercise two times, for a total of 40. After each set, take a short break.

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Get a Flat Stomach. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

(Advertisement)

How to Get Tight Abs

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

We all want them. Tight beautiful abs. Both girls and guys want the perfect stomach. And now I can tell you how to get those hot abs in time to show them off at the beach! There are several steps to getting the abs you've always dreamed of. You will have to do actual ab workouts, as well as cardio exercise. Yeah, yeah, I know. It sucks. But don't worry, it can be fun, too!

Steps

1. Eat well. Before you start thinking of tightening your abs, you've got to work on shedding the fat above them. One of most important ways to do this is to make sure you keep a healthy diet. Rather than counting calories, aim to eat 5-6 small meals a day [1]. This helps you keep a high metabolism.                            
2.  Get cardiovascular exercise. Another important part of shedding tummy fat is regular cardiovascular exercise. This doesn't mean you have to run everyday—if running isn't your thing you can try walking, dancing, cycling, or swimming.         
3. Keep in mind that quality is better than quantity. In ab workouts, more does not mean better. Instead, work hard and smart by doing each exercise cleanly, working to isolate only the muscles you're using.
4. Stretch. Stretched muscles create a sleeker, longer torso, and thus better results. [2]
5. Begin abdominal exercises twice a week. Don't feel the need to go to the gym—studies have shown that regular at-home exercises may be just as effective (if not more so) than gym machines [3]. Do the following until the point of momentary muscle failure (30-90 seconds). Again, remember that quality is better than quantity—this should not be more than 15-20 reps. Then, rest for 30-60 seconds and try again. Do 2-3 sets of each exercise. If performed regularly, you should notice results after about 6 weeks. When you feel ready, you can start doing this three times a week [4].
   • Reverse Crunch - Lie on the floor and put your knees together at a 90 degree angle. Put your hands by your sides (or behind your head if you feel particularly strong). Contract your abs to life your hips up towards your rib cage. Be careful not to use your leg muscles here—you should only be using your abs. Breathe out as you contract your muscles and in as you lower your legs.
   • Bent Elbow Plank - Lie on your stomach with your elbows in line with your shoulders. Lift yourself onto your toes and forearms. Contract your abs, and make sure that your back stays in a straight line. Hold for at least 5 seconds (ideally you'll be able to hold this for 90 seconds without rest). For an added challenge, drop one hip towards the floor. Hold for a bit, then return to the basic plank position. Repeat with the other hip. This can also be done with an exercise ball—put the ball under your feet before you assume plank position. Then, use controlled motions to keep the ball in place under your legs [5].
   • Bicycle - Lie on your back and again bend your knees at 90 degrees. Put your hands behind your head. Lift your upper back off the ground. Extend your left leg and bring your right knee in towards you chest. Keep your arms still and your upper back off the ground. Rotate your trunk with each movement. Make sure that each moment is highly controlled—you don't want to move your hips.
   • Balance Board - In you have a balance board or ball, standing on this will help train your abs. If need be, practice standing on one foot on a sturdy floor first. When you use the balance board, make sure that the blue, rounded side is facing up. Put your hands on your hips or relax them at your sides. Keep your abs tightened and your spine straight. Step one leg to the center and lift the other in the air. Do the same with the other leg. [6]
   • Stability Ball Knee Tuck - If you have a stability ball, this is another exercise that can help you accomplish your goal of tight abs. Sit on the ball with your legs in front of you and your feet flat on the ground. Rest your hands on the ball for support. Then, lean back slightly (from your hips, not your upper back). Lift and extend your right leg at the same time. Pull your knee up and toward your chest as you pull your torso forward from the hips. Do the same in reverse to get back to starting position. Repeat with the left leg. [7]
6. Exercise your abs first. If you're adding ab exercises to your daily workout routine, do them first. You'll get the most out of your workout if you're not fatigued from doing other exercises.
7. Rest. Just like any muscle, your abs need time to recover between workouts. Working them too much will not give them the time to rebuild, and you're less likely to get the desired result.
8. Learn to breathe. Even if you don't have time to work out, you can give your abs a little exercise by breathing. Place your hand on your stomach and feel your muscles tighten. Be sure not to suck in or push out very much—breathing should still be easy and even.
9. Be conscious of your posture. Even something as simple as keeping a good posture will help strengthen your core. While this alone will not give you tight abs, every little bit helps.
10. Don't get discouraged. The older you get, the more difficult it will be to get a six pack. Women also have a hard time getting six packs, because their bodies store more fat than men's bodies [8]. Men also tend to lose weight faster with the same amount of exercise. Don't get obsessed with the idea of a six pack—losing that much weight may even interrupt a woman's menstrual cycle.

Tips

• Make sure to drink plenty of liquids. Staying hydrated will help you to lose weight. Remember, caffeine dehydrates you. If you're going to drink coffee, make sure to drink extra water to make up for it.
• Don't expect immediate results. It will probably take at least up to six weeks for you to see definitive results.
• Don't be discouraged if you happen to step on a scale, and you weigh more than you did before. You wanted abs, right? Muscle weighs more than fat.

Warnings

• Don't start off working harder than you're capable of. It could injure you, plus you will just get burnt out.
• Stay hydrated. The fee for not doing this is expensive, as you could end up in the hospital

Things You'll Need

• An open space
• Comfy clothes
• Music (optional, but helpful)

Sources and Citations

1. ↑ http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=52413
2. ↑ http://life.gaiam.com/article/8-insider-tips-tighter-abs
3. ↑ http://www.fyiliving.com/research/most-effective-exercises-for-tight-abs/
4. ↑ http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=52413&page=2
5. ↑ http://www.livestrong.com/article/72824-exercise-tight-abs/
6. ↑ http://www.livestrong.com/article/101225-abdominal-exercises-flat-stomach-tight/
7. ↑ http://www.oxygenmag.com/Training/Articles/Your-Tight-Abs-Solution.aspx
8. ↑ http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=52413

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Get Tight Abs. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

(Advertisement)