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Have you ever gone to conditioning classes and done countless sets of abs workouts continuously yet not yielding any results? After looking at the mirror, you wonder, ‘Why are my abs are nowhere to be seen?’ Typically, when we talk about revealing the six-pack, what comes to mind to the average person is probably doing lots of sit-ups and other abs exercises.
While exercising hard may be partially true, working the abs without controlling your body fat will prove difficult if your goal is to have a visible six-pack. Everyone already has abs, it’s an integral part of our body. However, not all are visible because of our fat percentage. The ideal body fat percentage for visible six-packs is around 17%. However, having a 17% body fat does not automatically mean your six-pack will be as chiseled, as everyone’s body is unique in terms of storing fat. But it is widely known for the six-pack to show with lower body fat percentage.
There are a lot of ways to get the six-pack.
Ultimately, revealing the six-pack only comes down to two things: having a considerably low amount of body fat that does not cover muscles, and a bigger muscle to show through the skin after removing the fat.
Here are 4 realistic and quick ways to get six-pack abs fast.
1) Caloric Deficit
To have a visible six-pack, the two main goals of visibility are lowering body fat and body weight. This is when having a caloric deficit comes into play. The idea of a caloric deficit is to reduce the amount of daily calorie intake compared to the amount of calories you burn and consume (output). The goal is to help your body lose weight by consuming fewer calories than how much you burn throughout the day.
Calories are not a bad thing; they are extremely important in fact. Having enough calories provides our body with the necessary amount of energy to function daily. However, consuming too much without burning it will be problematic. In a caloric deficit, it is important to monitor the daily calories you take from eating and drinking as well as the number of calories you burn.
An example of a caloric deficit is burning 2,300 calories but only consuming 2,000 calories a day. Eating fewer calories and burning more through exercise is a good way to achieve this. A caloric deficit is best partnered with some type of intense workout such as HIIT.
2) High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
HIIT is a set of exercises that requires you to burst for a period estimated stimulating 80% of your maximum heart rate altered with an exercise referred to as the recovery period, which requires you to work for about 50% of your maximum heart rate. It is useful for people who want a quick but effective workout to burn a lot of calories before proceeding with their busy schedules.
An example of a good HIIT is reflected here by Jordan Yeoh, composed of only 2 sets. The first set comprises of just 5 exercises, which he refers to as the warm-up set with 45 seconds to perform each exercise and a 15-sec rest between each exercise. The second set comprises 10 exercises requiring you to work between high intensity and a recovery exercise.
Once you are used to the difficulty of the HIIT, a good way to spice it up for added difficulty is with the use of a kettlebell. Another great HIIT example could be reflected by Eric Leija which consists of just 5 warmup stretches and 11 exercises all within 20 minutes. Remember, an effective HIIT workout should always increase your heart intensity in the shortest amount of time.
3) Do Ab Workouts
What’re abs without training the abs? To achieve the goal of having a six-pack, it is important to do direct abs workouts. Doing abs exercises 3-5 times a week is a great way to ensure that your abdominal muscles are getting enough work for them to grow. Doing exercises such as the weighted crunch, hanging leg raise, plate side bends, and plank will add definition to the abs.
In relation to doing abs exercises, compound lifts such as the overhead press, squat, and deadlift will help in producing a thicker and stronger core overall. So do make sure to incorporate these compound lifts in your program together with the direct abs exercise to build a strong physique!
4) Intermittent and Water Fasting
Intermittent fasting can help with mental performance as well.
There are various ways to do fasting. One of the most famous methods today is the 16/8 intermittent fasting. This is done by fasting for 16 hours a day and consuming all your calories during an 8-hour window. An example of the 16/8 fast is eating breakfast at 8:00 a.m., lunch at 12:00 p.m., and dinner at 4:00 p.m., which totals an 8-hour window to consume all the food for the day.
Intermittent fasting can be done according to your convenience, tweaking, and adjusting to fit your schedule. Aside from helping you lose weight and fat, intermittent fasting also helps lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and lower blood sugar levels and cholesterol, which may lead to cardiovascular problems if not prevented.
Water fasting is a method of fasting where you consume nothing but water for an amount of time. The advised maximum days of water fasting is 3 days, but it can be done for more if there is supervised by a medical professional. This type of fasting is ideal for fat loss, along with other benefits, such as body detoxification.
Final Thoughts
To have a chiseled six-pack is admirable, as it is a sign of continuous hard work and discipline. Having a combination of proper diet, exercise, and lifestyle are all essential factors to have to achieve visible six-packs. Persistence is required to achieve it, but balance and discipline are the keys to maintaining it.
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