Sexy Abs

Let's face it - abs can be sexy. And they should. But, most of us can only dream of having the kind of sexy abs we might see on TV or the magazines. The fact, though, that ordinary people can do it (and, being in a magazine does not make them less ordinary than the rest of us) means that it can be done. And it can. With persistence, patience - and having the right knowledge - we can all benefit from having a pair of trim, well-defined, sculpted, sexy abs.

Really? Tell me more

Firstly, you've got to focus on diet. Yes, 'diet' may be an evil word in most of our vocabulary, but diet (according to professionals) can account for 80% of our physique. This means that by focusing on diet, you're 80% there in getting the abs you want.

Abs are not the same as the rest of the body, in the sense that you don't 'build' them or 'work' them as far as size is concerned. Rather, you work at getting rid of body fat, which in turn exposes your sexy abs that you actually already have underneath the fat and water which covers them. You need to work your body fat ratio down to just below 13% for women, or 10% for men. This can be done easily with the proper diet of carbs, proteins and good fats. Plus, cardio training is essential. You will not get rid of body fat through doing exercises that focus on strengthening or firming your stomach muscles. You will only get rid of fat through cardio training and dieting correctly.

Cardio training has many other benefits as well, and is essential to your overall health. For losing fat, you need to spend about 20-30 minutes doing cardio training about three times a week. People with a slower metabolism should consider cardio training for 45 minutes, six to seven times a week. Cardio training can be done through running (using treadmills) or using elliptical machines, as well as swimming and many other exercises. Combining cardio training with a proper diet, and you will be well on your way to losing fat and seeing your abs.

The Exercising You Can Do

The above doesn't rule out exercising altogether, but it's important to focus on the right kind of exercises to do. Mostly, crunches, sit-ups or leg lifts will do very well. The secret of exercising your abs is to keep your exercises varied and 'natural.' What this means is that you should work with your abs in your exercises, understand how they work, and train them functionally. They are responsible for bending your body forwards, backwards and to the sides. Exercises that do this are very effective. Your abs also strengthen very easily, becoming quite resistant to a particular exercise that you may be doing. By varying your exercises, you train your lower, middle and upper abs, rather than just a specific part - and this leads to the firm, sexy abs you're looking for.

Mark Bennet is a fitness enthusiast always looking for the easier and quicker ways to get fit and look your best. Mark has some of the best strategies for real people to get and keep great abs at http://www.RealEasyAbs.com

How to Get 6-Pack Abs Without Crunches or Sit-Ups

One of the biggest misconceptions made by people is believing that doing 100 sit-ups or crunches is going to result in rock hard 6-packs. Concentrated exercise alone will not give you 6-Packs. A more holistic approach is required.

There are 3 important elements to attaining those wonderful 6-Packs:

Diet The best eating plan does not include 3 meals a day. Our bodies are not designed to function in this manner. When limiting ourselves to 3 large meals, we are forcing our bodies to store extra food as fat. It is this fat that covers our abs and prevents 6-pack abs from being visible, no matter how hard we exercise.

In order to burn fuel efficiently, it is important to eat at least 6 meals in smaller portions. A portion should be no larger than your fist.

If you want to build muscle, cut out on the carbohydrates and increase your protein intake.

Eating in this manner will help increase your metabolism and allow your body to burn fat and fuel with greater efficiency.

Interval Training Interval training is the best way to increase your metabolism. This will allow you to burn fat a lot quicker.

Try the following out;

Run as fast as you can for 20 - 30 seconds and then walk briskly for 3 minutes. Repeat this 5 times in a session. Do this exercise for a minimum of 3 times a week. This exercise includes bursts of hard action followed by a period of less strenuous activity. Use a park, street or track.

Leg lifts Lay on your back with your hands behind your head. Using your abdominal muscles, lift your legs to approximately 60 degrees from the floor and hold them there for 10 seconds. Then let them down slowly. Do not let your feet touch the floor!

Start off with 3 times 10 - 15 reps and work yourself up to 3 times 30 reps. Do this every second day. This is extremely important because your muscles need a rest period in order to build up.

As complimentary exercises, Push-ups and Chin-ups are an excellent way to develop ribbed abs. The reason for this is that the abdominal muscles will always support the other muscles during exercises.

Please understand that a well designed exercise program is the best way to develop six pack abs without the risk of injury. This also ensures that you get maximum results in the shortest time frame possible.

If you would like to know which abs exercise program we highly recommend, click here

Forget Crunches If You Want Six Pack Abs

That can't be right can it?

Surely if you do nothing else but do ab crunches all day long you'll end up with a stomach like a washboard?

Er, well no, that's not strictly true...

In fact, not only is it possible to get six pack abs without a single crunch, it's also possible that relying on relentless crunching is moving you away from your desired flat stomach!

Ok, before I get carted off by the men in white coats, let me explain. Come to think of it, even if you *did* call the men in white coats, it would be *me* they would agree with!

It's all to do with the physiology, the construction of the body around the abdomen. A six pack is a display of defined abdominal muscles. Crunching is a superb way of strengthening and building these muscles, but it's vital to bear in mind, that if you currently don't have that six pack, your ab muscles will most likely be covered with a layer of fat. It doesn't have to be a rippling spare tire, Homer Simpson style, but there will be a layer of fat covering those muscles.

If you simply concentrate on building the abs, but do nothing about the fat, then as your abs develop, not only will they not be visible, but they will actually be pushing the layer of fat outwards! This is the last thing you want!

The layer of fat is one of the hardest areas to get rid of, so you need to start an all-round fitness regime if you really want a six pack. Try to focus on a good cardio workout, some sort of aerobic type exercise that will get your blood pumping and keep it in your target heart rate zone for at least 30 minutes and do your cardio at least 5 days a week for best results. Brisk walking, jogging, swimming and TaeBo are all good examples of a cardio workout. Gradually, and this won't and cannot happen overnight, as the fat layer disappears, your ab muscles will become closer to the surface, and therefore more visible.

Take it from me, as someone who's done it, the ab muscles get plenty of workout in everyday life, so are often defined enough so that once the fat layer had gone, they give off that familiar six pack look.

So there you are, a simple explanation of biology has got rid of almost any need for those horrible crunches! You may want to do them to buff up your abs once the can be seen, but blimey they are hard enough to do at any time let alone if the effort is just going to waste!

Getting that elusive 6 pack doesn't have to be hard, you just need to know the facts. To learn the best way to get Rock Hard Abs and receive a free copy of the special report "The Stubborn Fat Solution" please visit:http://www.squidoo.com/flatten-your-abs