How To Get Six Pack Abs - Do You Want Abs Fast?

Most of us at some stage of our life have decided enough is enough! I'm going to loose this gut. So we trim down the level of our eating and either buy some cardio equipment or go down to our local gym to sweat away with the others that have given into this method. Most people after a short period of time will see little or no gains & with a break from training of a week they find they are right back where they started to begin with.

I'll tell you right - This cardio training method above is a waste of time.

Thats right a complete waste of time, if anything is only going to damaged your motivation levels or cause you to have a injury as a result of going crazy doing cardio for hours on end out of pure frustration.

It may seem logical to us all that if we drop the levels of our eating this will assist loss of fat, well ill tell you right now this is very far from the truth! By doing this, we make our body confused as it now believes it has to reserve all fat stores until we know when we are going to get our next meal. This process only takes 3 hours, thats 3 hours of not eating and our body is already in starvation mode, our metabolism slows down and we now are trying to keep our fat. Ok so eat more, thats right more meals 5 - 6 a day and spaced out in 2.5 hr increments. After doing this for a period of a week your body will feel quiet comfortable with going into overdrive 24/7 & you will become a natural fat burning furnace.

The next thing you need to look at is your current muscle mass. The more muscle you have the more your body will want to convert your fat to fuel to be used. So you do need to start doing some weight bearing activity's. I highly recommend you write down what you eat over a period of 2 weeks and sit down to see what you can do in order to drop some fat and increase your energy levels. You should be trying to add more foods that are high in protein and alter some of your meals that are full of fats.

If you want a tell all resource on How To Get Six Pack Abs fast?

Go To http://www.truthaboutabprograms.com

Here you will find Ab diets, killer ab workouts and all round top notch advice for getting abs fast.

How To Get Good Abs In No Time At All

The one thing a set of good abs has is definition and detail. Whether you are male or female, getting a little bumpiness and detail in the large area of the mid section actually creates a focal point making the area look smaller. With no detail on the mid section the area does look larger than it is. It is an optical illusion, but a good set of abs, has that familiar 6 bump outline.

To get those abs, the first step is to have a thin skin layer around the tummy. If your body fat percentage is too high, the thickness of your skin will hide any ab work you have done. So, ultimately, reducing body fat on your body is just as important as having the abs in the first place. The whole project is about presentation. First you need to create the abs with a little resistance training like ab crunches and sit up's, but more importantly you will need to limit your calorie intake for a month or two and do some light cardio work in an effort to reduce the engorged fat cells in your skin.

Always drink lots of water when looking to build muscle. When you do the right exercises that stimulates the abs, what you do is create an anabolic environment in your body. The anabolic environment feeds the growing muscle nutrients and amino acids it needs to begin reshaping and thickening. If you are de-hydrated, those nutrients on a molecular level cannot travel as easily to the places it needs to go. Drinking lots of water especially during and after a work out will assist in the anabolic restorations of the muscle group.

Also, drinking lots of water, assists you when you are limiting your calorie intake. Before, when your body said, "I'm hungry" you fed it food, but often these messages and signals are not hunger but simply a discomfort or some other thing. Unfortunately, the majority of people respond to such bodily signals with food. By responding with water, quite often that is all thats required. Filling you belly with water also creates a sated feeling inside making it easier to avoid food until your designated planned meal time.

If you would like to get a six pack in 23 days or less, buy The "Abs In 23 Days" training program. You can learn more about this award winning, abdominal pumping, fat stripping product by clicking HERE

How To Get Six Pack Abs in 3 Easy Steps

The quest to look your best with a great set of six pack abs is many men’s dream. However to do this you must be prepared to sacrifice time and energy. You need to have a game plan to achieve your goal. Remember great six pack abs will not happen in a day or even a week. It generally takes at least 6 weeks to get that “ripped” look and you will need to work hard to maintain your physique.

1. Diet: diet is very important if you want to achieve a great looking six pack. You will not only need to quit the junk food but replace it with a healthy diet. In order for your six pack to show you will need to lose your abdominal fat. Otherwise the fat will cover those great muscles and all your work will be wasted. In order to do this you will need to take a diet that is low in fats and regulate your carbohydrates. You will also need to have extra protein in your diet.

2. Exercise: not only will you need to do abdominal exercises, but also you should have an overall exercise regime. This is because abdominal exercises alone will not achieve your goal. You will need to get your entire body in shape.

3. Proper rest: it is important to take proper rest, especially if you have a tough exercise routine. Your body needs rest in order to grow and develop muscle. It is wise to do your intensive exercises for about 20 minutes 3 times a week. This will allow your body to recuperate and develop muscle.

Download your free report today and discover the SHOCKINGLY simple abdominal workouts, exercises and nutritional advice that will shed pounds from your stomach & transform your flabby belly into firm & flat six pack abs. Visit http://www.firmupyourabs.com to download your free copy.

Advanced Workouts For Your Full Body - Abs And Core

I was a US Army solider not too long ago. I just got out in August of 2007. While I was in the Army, we were always looking for high intensity workouts with some work for abs, core, and full body to take our team of soldiers to a new level of fitness in preparation for our PT testing.

Basically, we had reached a plateau in our training and needed something really high intensity to take us to the next level. I’m going to share this workout with you!

Keep in mind that this workout uses bodyweight-only exercises, however, it is VERY intense and for people looking for advanced fitness levels, you should try this out.

With that said, keep in mind that if you're not yet at an advanced level, you can still use this by simply using the basic format of the workout, and just do less of whatever exercises you struggle with, or choose an easier alternate exercise that's similar.

Here goes...

We're going to keep the intensity super high here and use the whole body. Keep rest periods short, and use full-body multi-joint movements as much as possible.

I'll give you a killer workout idea below that not only incorporates abs and entire core, but the entire body as well in an intense fashion. Not sure what (if any) equip you have available, so I'll give you a great workout that's bodyweight based. Here's an example to take you through:

Start with a 2-3 min warm-up of light jogging, jumping jacks, or jump rope.

Then, move through these exercises in circuit fashion, one right after the other with only 10 seconds rest between each (repeat the circuit 3-5 times for a killer total body workout):

1. Bodyweight squats - 12 reps

-Position your feet slightly wider then hip-width apart with your toes slightly turned out.

-Hold your hands out in front of you at shoulder height. This will counter balance your weight and help you keep your balance

-Slowly and under control bend your knees and lower yourself down as far as you can without lifting your heels off the floor and then after a brief pause at the bottom push your weight back up until you are back at the starting position.

2. Plyometric pushups (clapping) - 10 reps

-Lower yourself into the standard push up position.

-Lower yourself to the ground and push up explosively so the hands leave the ground

-Clap once and return to the starting position

3. Walking lunges up 6 steps and back down 6 steps

4. Floor mountain climbers for 30 seconds

-Stand with your arms by your sides, feet together.

-Bend down and put your hands shoulder width apart on the floor.

-Place yourself in the basic push-up position with your arms in line with your chest and your legs extended outward.

-Rest on the balls of your feet while bringing one leg (for this example we'll say left leg) forward to your chest and back to its original position. Keep the right leg tucked during the forward and back movement of the left leg.

-Check to be sure your bent leg and hands carry the weight of your body and that you hold your head up during the back and forth leg movements.

-Repeat the motion described in Step 4 rapidly, alternating one leg forward and one leg back. This movement mimics the "climbing of a mountain."

-Repeat as many times as you can. Remember to inhale and exhale steadily during the entire mountain climber exercise.

5. Lunge jumps - 6 reps to each side

-This jump starts off by standing with your feet next to one another.

-Bend your knees and jump up as high as you can and perform a hip-flexion with one leg and bending the back leg knee.

-Before landing bring the feet next to one another.

-With the next jump up, alternate the legs.

6. Lying leg thrusts (abs) on floor - 12 reps

-Lie on your back.

-Perform a lying leg raise.

-Thrust your heels to the ceiling, breathe out; keep contracting the lower abs so that you are raising your torso.

-Lower out of the thrust back to your initial position, leaving your feet straight up.

- Lower your legs back to the starting position.

7. Squat jumps - 8 reps

-Stand with your legs in a normal squat position.

-Lower your body down so that your thighs are parallel to the ground.

-Explode into the air as high as possible. When you land, lower your body quickly into the parallel squat position.

-Hold this position for one second and repeat for the required number of repetitions.

-Upon landing, your feet should be in a strong, dorsi-flexed or "toes up" position. Use your whole foot to land and generate power, not just your toes! Maintain good posture in your upper body. Keep your chest and head up. Don't let your shoulders lean out beyond your knees. This can stress your lower back.

8. Side plank hold 30 seconds one side, then 30 sec opposite side

-Lift your body of the ground and balance on one forearm and the side of your foot.

-Contract your abdominals and relax your shoulders. And breath.

-No movement, just hold that position ... keep holding.

Rest 2 min after each circuit; repeat circuit 3-5x

This Soldier Workout was brought to you by Perfect Health and Fitness. For Tips, Secrets and Information on Dieting and Muscle Training, please see the link below.

Perfect Health and Fitness has reviews of some of the internet's Top Rated Fitness and Diet Programs! We are your source for Tips, Secrets and Information regarding Dieting and Muscle Training.

http://www.perfecthealthandfitness.com/

Nice Abs - Some Great Ways to Get a Stellar Midsection

Just about everyone wants to have nice abs that make them look great. Unfortunately many people try to get nice abs by doing all the wrong things! If you make some of the mistakes that are discussed in this article it is likely that you will never get a solid six pack.

Mistake #1: Trying to do too many crunches to lose stomach fat

If only doing lots of crunches worked for carving out a solid set of abs. If doing a few hundred crunches was all it took to lose body fat then everyone walking around would not have any excess fat. Doing lots of crunches and other ab exercises do not help you get nice abs simply because they do not help you lose the fat that covers them up!

Ab exercises simply do not burn enough calories or stimulate the body's metabolism enough to get down to 8-10% body fat for a man and 15-20% if you are a woman. The only way doing lots of crunches will help is if you are already down to a very low body fat percentage and want to increase the "toned" look of your abs. If you cannot see your abs at all then it simply means that is too much body fat covering them up!

That means that the main focus of your diet and workout regimen should be to lose body fat. Doing endless amounts of ab exercises just won't help do that.

Mistake #2: Not keeping a food log

Since you know that getting a nice set of six pack abs all depends on having low enough levels of body fat, you should know that the next step is to pay attention to the most important part of the whole process: how many calories you are taking in.

If you have excess body fat that you can't seem to get rid of, then you absolutely have to understand that it is simply the result of taking in too many calories. Its not from poor genetics or some other physical disorder, it just comes down to consuming too many calories. The fitness models who have the sexiest abs of anyone will be the first to tell you they got that way by being extremely careful about what they eat. The absolute best indication you can use for figuring this out is to keep a food log of what you are eating. You will be amazed at the perspective you will gain about your eating habits from keeping a food log.

Since getting nice abs and a lean midsection is all about losing body fat, and losing body fat is all about taking in less calories or burning more with exercise, then a food log to track yourself is an absolute must.

Mistake #3: Not lifting weights

This will seem counterintuitive to some, but lifting weights is an excellent way to lose more body fat. Resistance training will give you more lean muscle mass that will have a dramatic impact with increasing your resting metabolism.

This means that you are burning more calories because muscle is very active tissue. If you are not strength training then you are missing a huge opportunity to burn more calories. It has been said that each extra pound of muscle mass burns an extra 60 calories per day. If you gain even 3 lbs of lean muscle tissue, you will burn an extra 180 calories each day! That is much more than a simple ab workout will burn.

Conclusion

Getting nice abs does not have to be a big struggle in which you are constantly playing the guessing game. You simply need to eat the right foods at the right time while tracking your calories.

You can use a regular notebook or an online food log if you want more detail. If you focus more on strength training your whole body instead of just doing ab workouts then you will get stronger and increase your metabolic rate. Now take action right away and start developing those nice abs to show off!

Are you not getting the results you want with diet and exercise? If so, there is good news for you. My name it Tom Gifford, Certified Personal Trainer, and I would like to extend to you a personal invitation to stop by my website at http://www.thegreatcardiomyth.com and check out the first two chapters of my brand new book! You will get lots of great tips you can start implementing immediately. Looking forward to seeing you there!

How To Get Great 6 Pack Abs

At one point in time, every last one of us passionately wanted a chiseled rock-hard mid-section. We all want to know how to get great 6 pack abs. Well here is one of the best kept secrets. It is the most coveted body part, the symbol of sexuality. In study after study researchers and health specialist alike have found that decreasing fat in your abdomen, and waist to hip ratio is the single most significant step that you can take to stay healthy for life, and age gracefully. Most of us have given up on the idea because our quest has for naught. We have been flooded with miss-information from fad diets, fat burner supplements, to exercise gadgets, promoting six week transformations with dramatic before and after photo’s, etc. The key to that coveted six pack is not one thing, it is four things.

Bringing your body-fat level down by:

1.) Following a precise nutrition plan that has the right amount of protein combined together with the right amount and the right type of carbohydrates spaced strategically through-out the day, and around weight training and cardio sessions.
2.) An intelligent cardiovascular program
3.) An optimistic athletic mid-set
4.) Building up the muscles of the mid-section, and building up all other muscle groups

In this article let’s focus on #4.

The secret weapon for developing the musculature of the abdominal wall is a little known exercise called the ab vacuum. It targets you inner most abdominal muscle, the transverse abdominis (TVA for short). Most people don’t even know they have one let alone how to activate it. The TVA is like a corset, it is your own internal weight belt, holding your internal organs in place. It is the foundation for the rest of the abdominal muscles, the internal and external obliques, and the rectus abdominis. If you have done crunches and leg-lifts until you are blue in the face and are still unhappy with your mid-section, this information could take your quest for that fit chiseled mid-section to the next level.

There are other benefits to strengthening your TVA.

• It is the only exercise that has the ability to actually make your waist-line smaller.

• By working and strengthening the TVA you are actually giving your spine more support, so the risk of a vertebrae or a disc slipping out of place is less. Did you notice that the old leather weight belts are not used anymore? That’s because we learned to tighten up our own internal weight belt on exercises verses using an external weight belt that shut off the need to activate the TVA which lead to injuries.

• Better sex. When you strengthen your TVA with the ab vacuum exercise you will be using your diaphragm and you will also strengthen your lower pelvic floor muscles (ala a kegel squeeze). To perform a kegel exercise, squeeze your pelvic floor muscles, as if you’re trying to stop the flow of urine mid-stream. Stronger pelvic floor muscles help women achieve orgasms and help men achieve and maintain erections. It also makes the orgasms more pleasurable. As soon as I tell my clients this, you can always be assured of overtraining of the TVA.

• You can work the other abdominal muscles more effectively. You can’t shoot a cannon out of a canoe. You can’t have strong walls on your building if your foundation is weak. When you strengthen up the foundation of your mid-section you will be able to perform your other abdominal exercises with more focused intensity. You will be able to feel the difference in weeks.

• Athleticism- The TVA is the deepest abdominal muscle group there is. It is truly the core the core. An athlete can have excellent cardiovascular condition and have strong leg and back muscles, but if his core muscles aren’t in optimal condition, this creates a weak link in the bodies muscle chain that affects all his movements. All movements and reactions start at the core. If core muscles don’t do their job to stabilize and move the torso, then arm and leg muscles will overcompensate, trying to do a job for which they are ill-equipped.

To get in tune with and activate your TVA simply place your hands around the sides of your body at your pelvis. Flatten your stomach by gently pulling in your gut, or pulling your belly away from your waist band. You can feel the TVA at work as it reduces the diameter of your torso in that area. This simple exercise also demonstrates the involvement of the abs in respiration, particularly exhalation.

I have put on an incredibly unique twist to this exercise. The combination of two little known exercises takes the effectiveness of this core exercise to the next level. Basically, I have combined an ab vacuum with a kegele squeeze. Most women know what a kegel squeeze is. In child birth it gets the lower pelvic floor muscles stronger which aid in the pushing for child birth. For men, when trying to perform a kegel squeeze, think about stopping the flow of urine mid-stream while pulling your belly-button back toward your spine (as you exhale about ½ of your lung capacity). Also try to think about squeezing your sphincter muscles or like you have a quarter between your butt cheeks and you don’t want it too fall out.

Now lets perform the exercise

To begin, lie on your back with your knees bent at a 90, feet flat on the floor and the small of your back pushed flat into the floor. Take in a very slow long breathe and start to slowly exhale ¾ of your air while you are pulling your belly button down toward your spine (I like to put my index finger on my belly-button and feel it raise as I take the long breathe in and then feel it start downward as I exhale ¾ of my lung capacity). While at the same time pushing your lower back into the floor and drive you chin down toward your chest slightly. Once you have ¾ of your air out hold your breathe and suck in through your throat with your breathe being held for5-10 seconds. As you are holding your breath and sucking in, think about pulling your innards up and under your rib-cage. It is called the ab vacuum for a reason, it is a little hard to come out of it and resume your normal breathing. But you will, and once you do relax and take a couple breathes and repeat. Starting out do 1 set of 6-9 repetitions, 2-3 times per week.

You can do the ab vacuum anywhere, and need no equipment. It’s a great way to wake up, or to end your day. It will take lots of practice and each week you will be able to feel the muscles working more and more. Once you get good at the technique you will be able to feel a ½ circle burning sensation in the pubic area. Don’t be alarmed, just feel good about mastering one of the most unique and effective abdominal exercises out there. Please don’t give up on this exercise, once you master it you will be able to reverse gravity, and start to put back in place what years of inactivity and bad posture has started to let hang over your belt line.

To view pictures, stats, and testimonials of well over 80 clients that graduated from Darin's "FATLOSS LIFESTYLE" program go to: Testimonials

Make it a great day, Make it a great week, Make it a great Life!! Your friend in fitness, Darin L. Steen at: Fat Loss

Bodybuilder Six Pack Secrets Revealed - Tonned Abs As Easy As 1 2 3

As you may already be aware, abdominal muscles are crucial for stability and wellbeing. Its crucial that we all take this muscle seriously as under developed abs will lead to medical conditions such as muscle strain, back pain & many other conditions. After adding abdominal workouts into your life you will find yourself sitting straighter, lifting more at the gym and working with confidence.

The Abdominal region is broken up into 4 different muscle groups ! What you will find is that you will have stronger and weaker regions in your abdominal area which is due to your current lifestyle physical activities. I personally used to suffer with one side of my body being significantly undeveloped due to being on the shovel a lot of the time.

Ok so what are these abdominal muscles called you ask ?

Transverses abdominus, rectus abdominus, external oblique muscles, and internal oblique muscles. They are present in between the ribs and the pelvis.

The first part of the Abdominal process should be diet ! You must get the old school theory out of your head that three meals a day is enough, simply put its sending your backwards.

After a couple hours of not eating your body goes into starvation mode and slows down your metabolism as it has no idea when its going to get its next meal. You must fix this as this is your easiest ticket to getting your stubborn fat of your belly. You can almost eat anything if its in moderation and spaced throughout the day. Try to stay away from Carbohydrates just before you go to bed as this will most definitely end in a flabby stomach.

The Second for abs development is exercises. The essential exercises include basic crunches, abs rollers, abs trainers, hip-lifts and leg raises. It would be a great idea to create a workout diary so you have a system to stick to & just as importantly be able to monitor your progress.

Rock hard abs are the result of diet, discipline, correct workouts and using the right tools, learn about Abdominal Exercise and correct eating plans at http://www.truthaboutabprograms.com

The Top Fat Loss Secrets for Flat Six Pack Abs

I had the pleasure of being interviewed recently by a fitness professional from NYC, Geovanni Derice, of 4evertoned.com. The interview is below and I think you're going to like it...I reveal some of the hardest hitting strategies for getting rid of body fat to uncover those six pack abs that everyone wants.

"GD: Welcome Mike Geary to 4everToned's Fitness Journal. For those who do not know you, please tell us a few things about yourself.

MG: Thanks for having me, Geo. Well, to go back a little, I have been heavily involved in fitness and sports for about 15 years now, ever since I was a teenager. Being involved in sports in high school got me interested in strength training and conditioning. At that point, once I started feeling more energetic, getting stronger, and looking better, I was instantly hooked for life. I'm 30 now and still addicted to the way living a healthy and fit lifestyle makes me feel energetic, confident, strong, and youthful on a daily basis. I decided earlier in my 20's that I wanted to make the commitment to help other people experience the excitement of being fit and getting in the best shape of their lives, especially since we've reached an epidemic of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, depression, etc.

That's why I became a fitness professional. It just gives me so much satisfaction to help others, who have struggled for years to get in good shape, and show them that it can be done, and it can be fun in the process. I've expanded over the years from just reaching local individuals with personal training, into being able to help people all over the globe achieve their fitness goals with the reach of the internet. I only hope that my passion for fitness inspires people to take action and improve how they look and feel for life.

GD: Now Mike, there's so many things out there as to what works and what does not work...if you had to pick 3 things that work time and time again to get flat abs, what would they be?

MG: The first and most important thing to get control of in order to get flat abs is cleaning up your diet. Exercise is important, but your diet is king when it comes to losing body fat so that you can see your abs. There's so much confusion these days about what a healthy diet that promotes fat loss really is...after all, we are bombarded by conflicting messages in the media about what is healthy and what is not, and you have all of these gimmicky diet books about low carb, low fat, high protein, vegetarian, fasting, atkins, south beach, liquid diets, and hundreds more. There's so much conflicting info, that the average consumer doesn't even know where to start when it comes to eating for fat loss.

The second thing that works time and time again, is to focus on the intensity of your workouts and focus on working the body as a whole in order to get the best metabolic response to lose that stubborn body fat. In order to really get lean, the workouts should have a high intensity, with short rest periods, working the largest muscle groups of the body, instead of trying to isolate specific small muscles like the biceps, triceps, or calves.

For the third thing, let's talk about actually training the abs specifically. When it comes to training the abs, if you want real results, I always recommend forgetting about the crunches and situps for the most part. They are ok for someone that is really deconditioned, but most people that already have some training under their belt need a much better stimulus for their abs than crunches. Crunches are one of the abs exercises that actually provide the least amount of resistance, and remember that resistance is what develops and tones the muscles. I provide a ton of great abs exercises in my book, but one of THE highest resistance exercises for the abs, is hanging leg raises (but NOT the way you see most people at the gym doing them). The key to doing these and actually working the hell out of your abs is to curl your pelvis up as you raise your legs. Almost nobody ever does this right. To be honest, the majority of people cannot do this at first, but I provide some strategies in my book as to how to progress to doing these correctly.

GD: What are people doing wrong when it comes to developing the coveted "6 pack abs"?

MG: Well Geo, I know this sounds funny to most people, but the MAIN thing that people are doing wrong to get those 6 pack abs is...are you ready for this? They spend entirely too much time focusing on training their abs! Sounds crazy, but it's true. Remember, having a visible six pack of abs is all about getting down to a low body fat percentage. In order to do that, your workouts must focus on stimulating a fat burning hormonal environment in your body, and increasing your metabolic rate. That just does not happen when you focus too much time training a small muscle group like the abs. Instead, you must use the majority of your time focusing on training the largest muscle groups of the body like the legs, back, and chest. That's what stimulates your metabolism and the fat burning hormones that will get you truly lean and sporting a sixxer!

GD: Which exercises are the top exercises that people need to do if they are to get maximum defintion with their midsection?

MG: When it comes to developing the abs themselves, I again refer to any kinds of hanging abs exercises, as well as some good floor exercises like lying leg thrusts (all described and illustrated in my book). However, maximum definition in the midsection comes from losing bodyfat, and the most effective exercises featured in my program for that goal are various forms of swings and snatches (unique dumbbell or kettlebell exercises that almost nobody ever does in normal gyms), squats, deadlifts, lunges, step-ups, clean & presses, mountain climbers, sprinting, and other full body exercises and calisthenics. If you want great looking abs, focus on those instead of focusing so much on training the abs directly!

GD: When it comes to diet Mike, people really have tried millions of ways to get one thing...and that is fat loss. What recommendations have you used to successfully help your clients lose fat and keep it off?

MG: I have included a fully comprehensive discussion of this topic in my book, which accounts for almost half of the book, but I'll try to make some nice simple generalizations to get people started on the right path immediately. The most important thing is that your diet is as natural and unprocessed as possible. It almost always comes back to the overprocessing of food that makes it unhealthy, and makes it totally wreck your metabolism and hormone balance in your body. For example, why eat refined grains, when you can eat whole grains. Why eat refined sugar, when you can get natural sources of sugar from a high nutrient whole food like fruit. Why eat highly processed, refined, and hydrogenated vegetable oils (these are THE worst thing in the modern diet), when you can eat natural sources of healthy fats like nuts, avocados, fish, eggs, coconut milk, organically raised meat, and so forth. The point is to not fall for some gimmick like low carbs, low fat, high protein, or any other combination that has you focusing on one macronutrient vs. another. Your body needs all macronutrients to thrive and obtain a variety of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, etc. Trying to cut an entire food group out just works against what your body needs. I get into much more detail on this vitally important topic towards losing body fat for life in my book.

GD: Thank you very much Mike for sharing with us all of this great information. For more info on Mike Geary and his internationally popular Truth about Six Pack Abs book, please be sure to visit his site below. Remember that 6-7 weeks from now, summer will be here, and if you wait until then, I'm afraid to tell you, but it will be too late!"

Visit http://truthaboutabs.com/freenewsletter.html to receive a free copy of the innovative ebook, Training & Nutrition Secrets for a Lean-Body, as well as your own free personalized metabolic rate calculator.

Michael Geary is a nationally dual certified personal trainer and author of the internationally-selling The Truth about Six Pack Abs ©2004-2006. Also, be sure to visit http://4evertoned.com for more valuable fitness tips.

The Quick and Easy Way to Tone Up Your Abs - Part 3

All About Abs - Ab Training

Exercises for Variety and Development Step by Step Abdominal Training Explained

Concept 1: How Many Times Per Week to Train Abs

Do you remember hearing somewhere that in order to get the abdominals you want; you've got to train them everyday? I know I heard that from several sources. None of those sources had super ripped abs.

Fact: Many of the people who DO have ripped abs train them 1-3 times per week.

Train your abs 1-3 times per week. I would recommend training them after a smaller body part workout like chest and biceps and abs, or shoulder, triceps and abs. You can do them on your off days as well. Try to avoid doing them with legs as it's a major body part. Try to avoid doing them first as you'll need your stabilizers to be 100% when they are used in other compound exercises.

You probably already know this... your abs can be trained a bit more frequently then most other muscle groups because of two factors:

1. The muscle density is different allowing for different recovery time

2. 99.9% of programs do not encourage you to train abs to muscular failure

You don't want to train abs to muscular failure for the purpose of this guide.

Concept 2: How Many Exercises Per Session

If you're like me, you don't want another session added to your workout that is going to add another 20 minutes to your gym time. But like any other muscle, the abdominals require a bit of stimulation but just enough to grow and change and become stronger.

Unlike other body parts, you won't be doing countless sessions for abs. In fact...

Use 3-5 exercises per session

That's all you really need. Use the schedule listed in this guide or just pick 3 different exercises and do 3-5 different exercises per session. You can vary your rest up to 90 seconds.

You've got to wonder why people train abs by themselves for 30 or more minutes at a time. That's crazy! And most of the people coming out of those "Ab Blaster" classes don't even have abs. They are doing longer sessions for a single muscle group then you ever need to engage in.

Simply put, 3-5 exercises will do just fine.

Concept 3: Using Cardio as A Metabolism Boosting Tool

For maximum fat loss, you should do cardio 4-7 days per week for 30-60 minutes (the amount is variable depending on your results). You could continue running or mix up the type of cardio you do (stationary cycling, stairclimbing, elliptical machines, and other continuous aerobic activities are all excellent fat burners without the high impact and joint stress of frequent running).

If time efficiency is an issue for you, you could perform high intensity interval cardio training and achieve very efficient results with even briefer workouts (20-30 min per sessions, or less, if the intensity is high enough) Once you are satisfied with your level of body fat and your abdominal definition, you can cut back to 3 days per week for 20-30 minutes for maintenance.

Concept 4: Advanced Techniques

Part of this guide is to ensure that you use all the techniques possible in order to achieve the results you want. There are two techniques you can use so that your routine doesn't become 'routine.'

1. Tempo Variation: Another way to increase the effectiveness of the training program is to focus on the tempo of the exercise. Tempo just means the speed of the exercise. For example, a 3-1-1 tempo means you'll take 3 seconds to lower the weight, then you'll pause for 1 second, and then you'll lift the weight back up in 1 second.

2. Variety: It's been said that your body will adapt to any routine within 5-6 workouts. By including many different exercises, it will be impossible to adapt. Not only will your body be continually challenged but the variety will help to ward of getting bored of doing the same things every week, every workout.

3. Multiple Angles: While the abdominals are classified as a 'single' muscle, that doesn't mean you can't work it from a variety of angles in order to achieve the maximum stimulation. Many times an individual will have their upper abdominals developed but are lacking any real "visual" development in the lower abs. Rather then focus on a section of the abdominals, this guide will encourage you to work the muscle from a variety of angles for the best possible stimulation.

Stay tuned for Part 4 that will flat out give you 6 months worth of ab workouts you can do.

If you can't wait, the Beginner's Guide to Abdominal Training is just one bonus book in the Beginner's Guide to Fitness and Bodybuilding http://www.beginning-bodybuilding.com Learn how to develop the perfect set of abs, the nutritional secrets that will have you in summer shape and the revolutionary training that eliminates the need for 100+ crunches per day. Proven methods to get your abdominals to show.

What You Didn't Know About Your Abs

Getting the abdominal area in shape can be a manageable task, once you understand the basic science involved.

You should have your doctor’s clearance before engaging in any physical activity, now with that said, the first thing that you need to do is warm up for about 8 mins before embarking on the ab workout. Do not engage in any abdominal training , if you have any lower back or pelvic issues.

For you to have a strong, lean and chiseled abdominal area-you need to pay attention to the following; your sleeping habits, nutrition, resistance/weight training and cardio vascular training. Genetics do play a role, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t improve on your ab and core strength.

So how do you work the abs?, we start off by working the oblique muscles (the area that covers your love handles) first. Reason being that they are your weakest muscles in the abdominal region, and unfortunately you also have extra fat holding on over here They are divided into the internal and external obliques. These muscles criss cross each other, another reason why you should work them from different angles.

How? Answer: you would perform 3-4 sets of 12-15 reps of the various oblique exercises, ….get them tired, and then proceed to the “front” muscles, i.e. the rectus abdominis and transverse abdominus –that form the” six pack”. Oblique exercises would include lateral lumbar rolls, Saxons, Standing rotations with a bar, and Diagonal flutter kicks.

The rectus abdominis and transverse abdominus are very powerful muscles, and a lot of energy is utilized in working them out-and its funny the way a lot of people get into the gym, and the first thing that they do is a set of situps!.That’s not effective! Because by the time you get over these muscles, you are tired., and you don’t have enough energy for working the obliques effectively(remember they are your weakest abdominal muscles!).

Now you’d perform about 3-4 sets of various exercises that target the “ sixpack” area., and you’d be on your way to success. Exercises in this section would include balance ball crunches, hip thrusts and air bike crunches.

Performing running sprints is also an excellent way of burning excess body fat, and getting the abdominal area really cut. You only need to look at the wide receivers in the NFL and basketball players like Allen Iverson, a clear testimony of what sprinting can do for you.. A great combination is when you combine some distance running with the sprinting, and icing it up with some boxing or martial arts.

Having dinner early, say anywhere between 6pm and 7.15 pm will also help in keeping your waist lean and tight. A balanced diet consisting of Carbohydrates, proteins, fruits and vegetables improves your metabolism and optimum health in general. Key thing over here is having 5-7 small meals , spaced out over a single day. .Avoid junk food! Powerful tip; Spend time chewing your food, enjoy it…..you’ll end up eating less, plus you also get to reprogram your cells. Resulting in you eating less, which is effective for those who want to control their caloric intake.

You can’t talk about getting the abdominal area in shape, without mentioning resistance training. This may involve using your own body, weights, bands, and other functional training equipment. Do some research on this area or consult with a Fitness professional, before embarking on a resistance-training program. In the meantime stay focused , and keep things moving!

Eric Odera offers motivating and highly creative training to re-energize the lifestyles of busy executives in New York City. Please visit http://www.ericodera.com E-mail:rocadera@yahoo.com