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The fact is, getting those ripped abs you see on the cover of fitness magazines is not easy work.
With all the misrepresentation out there regarding anything from the usefulness of crunches to the demonization of carbohydrates, it is no wonder that people become frustrated while trying to reach their full athletic potential and either give up or resort to risky diets.
Showing off a muscular six pack takes dedication, but it is not just for professional athletes. Neither an ab-centric workout nor stringent diets are the answer to achieving ripped abs, however; it is a balance of a full-body workout and a healthy eating lifestyle that will get you the results that you are looking for. It might be believable that thousands of crunches a day would get you to your washboard abs goal, but the fact is an exercise regime that engages your core while working out other parts of your body is going to be much more beneficial in the long run. And while it might seem like common sense to cut all carbohydrates from the menu and embrace a low-fat diet, carbs and healthy fats can be essential tools in burning fat and building muscle.
It isn’t impossible to build muscle and achieve ripped abs, but it does take understanding how exercise and diet work in tandem to help you reach your physical goals as well as enacting discipline to get the results you want to see.
Table of Contents
A Good Workout
While exercise is not the be all and end all of getting those rock hard abs you’re looking for, it is a huge factor. Diet is incredibly important when it comes to burning fat and building muscle, but you will see faster and more toned results if you dedicate yourself to a regular exercise regime.
There are a lot of different types of workouts, but the most beneficial to achieving a six-pack is going to focus less on cardio and more on building strength and muscle, especially when it comes to your core. However, concentrating on only your core may seem second nature to achieve washboard abs, but there are other exercises that will tone your stomach and give you the results you want to see while strengthening the rest of your body as well.
Too Many Crunches
Regardless of what the diet pill industry and get-ripped-fast schemes might want you to think, there is no quick or simple way to get a six-pack – regardless of how many crunches you might do every day. Dedicating large chunks of your workout to crunches and sit-ups is not only tedious, but it isn’t nearly as effective as working out other parts of your core, as well.
It might seem counter-intuitive, but total body movements are much more beneficial to the process of achieving a six-pack. While crunches and sit-up do work some of your core muscles, ripped abs come out of a combination of fat burning and muscle building exercises. The more you work out surrounding muscles, the better your results will be. Plus, by shaking up your routine with different exercises, your workouts will not be boring and will keep you both physically and mentally stimulated.
A Variety of Exercises
Don’t discount an exercise because it doesn’t “look” like it is working out your core. You’ll be able to tell what muscle groups are being worked once you start, and many exercises for your arms and legs are also beneficial to building up your abdominal muscles.
For example, split leg-arm exercises are great for strengthening the spine, glutes, and hamstrings while still working your core. Hanging leg raises are similar to pull-ups, but instead of engaging arm strength, you will rely on your core strength to lift your legs. There are floor exercises, like the Spiderman crawl, that will also put your core to good work.
Incorporating the use of weights and kettlebells will not only spice up your workout, but it will also challenge your core muscle groups. An exercise as simple as carrying a kettlebell while engaging your core can offer a great workout, but there are many different types of exercises you can work into your routine to offer similar challenges.
If you use a gym, utilize kettlebells, dumbbells, and barbells by working them into squats and lifts. Deadlifts and pull-ups help build muscle and also assist in abdominal strengthening if you make sure to keep your core engaged. If you work out from home, you can incorporate hand weights into lunges, which will work out multiple parts of your body. And, of course, you can work in a variety of core exercises like reverse crunches or side crunches.
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that great abs can only be attained through thousands of crunches or sit-ups. Many different exercises are much more interesting and will spice up your workout while engaging your core. Reaching a balance between burning fat and gaining muscle is integral to achieving that ripped look.
What About Cardio?
Another myth to contend with is that cardio is somehow the ultimate answer to becoming lean. While cardio does burn calories, it doesn’t do anything to build the strength necessary to show off toned muscles. To achieve the ripped abs look, swap out your cardio for more lifting and circuits. As you build muscle, your body will naturally begin to burn more and more calories. If you need cardio, once or twice a week for 20 minutes is all that is necessary.
If cardio is a big part of your work out, maximize its potential. While some workout gurus suggest long-term cardio at a slow to medium pace, other fitness buffs find better results by doing cardio at intervals combined with various abdominal workouts. For example, power through a fast 30 seconds on a bike or treadmill and then fill your recovery period with a core building exercise. Doing this up to 8 times will give you a great cardio workout while not neglecting your core, and it will burn fat far faster.
Concentrating on one kind of exercise as a quick fix to looking ripped is a huge mistake and one that will not get you any decent results. Once your core is used to being engaged, it will work without you needing to think about it. This will not only help you maintain core strength, but it will support the rest of your body throughout your workout, making you a better athlete.
Eating Right
As important as exercise is, however, diet is an integral part of toning abdominal muscles. You can build up plenty of muscle and strength, but lack of a proper diet will make it difficult to maintain muscle mass and decrease body fat. If you want to be able to show off the hard work you’ve put in, you have to make sure that your home eating habits are just as conscientious.
Food gives you the essential energy you need to work out. One of the worst things you can do is deny your body the nutrients it needs, and this can happen when people become focused on a certain body type or physical goal. No magical diet will drop all the fat and build muscle. Restricting certain foods can be detrimental to exercise and even dangerous if the body is denied essential nutrients.
Instead of denying yourself food, it is essential to balance your diet with your workout program so that you can encourage your body to burn fat and build muscle. That starts with energy, which can be found in macronutrients – protein, carbohydrates, and fat. There are a lot of misconceptions out there about how to handle macronutrients in a workout associated diet, and some of that information can be very harmful to people who are just learning how to eat well and exercise. Dissolving these myths and misinformation will not only make sure that people are participating in safe and healthy workouts and eating routines, but that they are also getting the best possible results.
Lean Protein
One of the major macronutrients, protein, is less demonized than most foods. It is important, however, to differentiate lean protein, which is absolutely essential to helping your body show off its good workout results. Lean protein consists of foods like fish, chicken, low-fat dairy, and beans.
Eating protein is key to building up lean muscle. It also has the highest thermogenic effect within the body, which is a fancy way of saying that it is the best possible way to burn body fat. You’ll find that most professional athletes eat diets that are heavy in lean protein because the amount of calories it requires to be broken down perpetuates keeping bodies well-toned.
Protein is also a necessary part of the diet for any human being, so eating lean proteins will not only keep you strong but help you to continue to maximize the results of your workouts.
When Carbs are Good
We’ve seen dozens of get-skinny-quick diets warn about the dangers of carbohydrates, and more than enough bad press about how a carbohydrate-free lifestyle is the answer to everyone’s woes. Nothing could be further from the truth, however. Of course, too many carbohydrates in your diet can be detrimental to seeing the results that you want, but too much of anything is a bad thing. Carbs are not only good for you when you eat them at the right times, they are absolutely necessary. You brain and central nervous system both thrive on carbs, and while you may see quick results by cutting them out of your diet, you’ll also likely find yourself feeling run down. Your body will also turn to metabolizing your muscle in lieu of carbs, which means you’ll be working against the muscle mass you’re trying so hard to gain at the gym.
The key to carbs is to make sure you’re eating them at the best time for your body to process them into energy rather than fat. That’s in the morning and post-work out, when your body is mostly likely to use them right away rather than store them. It’s okay to eat a moderate amount of carbs with meals, but make sure to balance it with plenty of vegetables to ensure your body is getting all the nutrients that it needs, and it’s best to stick with natural grains and starchy carbs like potatoes and oatmeal. When eaten at the right times, carbs will actually help you achieve the lean body that you are working hard for.
Healthy Fats
The final member of the macronutrient trifecta is probably the most misunderstood of all. People often associate fats with getting fat and think that the key to achieving a ripped belly is to cut the fat completely. This couldn’t be further from the truth and, as with protein and carbs, can also be detrimental to health and fitness. Nuts, fish, and olive oil offer healthy fats that can help you control insulin levels and curb cravings that can be caused by reducing carbs.
The “low fat diet” concept is yet another scheme rife with inaccurate and unhealthy information. There’s no fast way to a toned and muscular body, and it certainly won’t be achieved by completely restricting carbs or fats from your diet. Like carbs and lean protein, fats have their place in a healthy diet and work in tandem to balance your body.
Veggies
While fruits are a healthy—and delicious—addition to your diet, it’s important to remember that they are also rife with sugars. While they offer plenty of good nutrients, ignoring the amount of carbohydrates in them can throw off your healthy eating plan which will, in turn, wreak havoc on your workout routine.
The easiest way to get all the wonderful nutrients and less of the sugars can be achieved by simply swapping out your fruit for some veggies. Vegetables offer plenty of antioxidants and nutrients with a fraction of the carbs and significantly less calories than fruit; plus, lots of green, leafy veggies are an important addition to your protein/carb/fat trifecta.
Cut Down the Drinking
It’s not for everyone, but plenty of people do enjoy a little drinking, whether it be a night out with friends or an evening in with some beer and a good movie. Unfortunately, as much fun as alcohol can add to the party, it will do everything it can to work against your dietary goals.
The main problem with alcohol is that it puts the brakes on your digestive system, which means your body is holding onto fat rather than burning it. It will also decrease testosterone which makes it harder for your body to create muscle. This obviously can counteract your carefully balanced macronutrients, which are all working together to build muscle and make sure that fat and carbs are burned as quickly as possible.
Alcohol is also a diuretic, which will dehydrate you and zap you of energy. Many people know the pain of trying to get to the gym after a hard night of partying, and it will negatively affect your workout as well as make you crave the kinds of foods you should be staying away from to make up for loss of energy.
If you are planning a night out, the best bet is to stick to light beers or a little hard liquor. Like everything else, it’s all about moderation.
Diet is Key
It’s incredibly important to not ignore how essential diet is to not only achieving those ripped abs that you’re longing for, but also maintaining them. A healthy diet shouldn’t be thought of as a “diet” but rather as a lifestyle, especially if you don’t want to have to start from scratch every year to get that desired six pack by summer. Misinformation and lack of understanding of how macronutrients work can be a huge stumbling block in planning out a successful workout and diet regime, and too little of one of them can be just as harmful as too much.
Balancing your diet will involve some trial and error, but regardless of what miracle diets and diet pills might profess, there is no replacement for good, old fashioned work. If you want to achieve washboard abs, you are going to have to keep in mind how important diet is and make sure that it is treated just as importantly as your workout.
A balance of macronutrients is key. The most important of them all are lean proteins, like fish, which keep your body busy burning calories in order to digest them. Carbohydrates are not the enemy, regardless of what some diet schemes might say; in moderation and after a workout, your body absorbs them to be able to promote muscle growth. Carbs will also help your muscles heal faster which makes them grow faster. Lastly, healthy fats will not make you fat. The healthy fats found in nuts and oils will actually help you burn fat much faster than any low-fat diet ever will, and will help you control cravings for carbs.
Pairing vegetables along with your macronutrients throughout the day is a recipe for success. Vegetables contain less carbs and calories than fruits, and offer fiber, vitamins, and minerals that will keep your body feeling healthy and energetic. If you give your body the nutrition and fuel that it needs, your workouts will be more successful, and you will be happier with the physical results that come along with it.
A Healthy Balance
Although sometimes it may seem as if a well-toned stomach is out of reach, it’s more likely that you just haven’t yet found the right balance of exercise routine and diet that will get you the results you’re looking for. Reaching a balance between working out effectively and eating the right kinds of foods at the right times are bound to get you to your goals, but only if you are aware of what parts of your body you are working out and what the effects of the food you are eating have on your body.
There is no point in concentrating all your workout energy on repetitive exercises and thousands of crunches. While it might seem like you’re giving your core the best workout possible, a full-body workout that challenges the core while toning other areas of your body will prove to be much more effective and far less tedious. Don’t waste your time on too much cardio, either; breaking up fast cardio intervals with core-strengthening moves like planks or other compound exercises will help you build muscle faster, which will help you burn more calories and fat.
Outside of the gym, it’s just as important to nourish your body with the nutrients it needs – including carbs and fats. Macronutrients, which consist of protein, carbohydrates, and fats, are essential to a healthy diet and are absolutely necessary to building muscle and giving you energy. Protein takes a lot of calories to burn and will also help you build muscle. A snack of post-workout carbs will immediately be absorbed into your muscle to promote growth and healing, and healthy fats will help curb hunger. With the balance of macronutrients and vegetables, you will be able to give your body the nutrients it needs to encourage muscle development, creating a healthy cycle between meals and the gym.
There is no magic pill or secret diet that will burn away fat and reveal a washboard stomach, and attaining a muscular physique is not easy. However, with the right diet, a thoughtful gym routine, and a lot of determination, you will definitely achieve your hard earned ripped abs.