Archives for six pack abdominals

If you search for training methods to help you develop those much wanted six-pack abs you will find hundreds of sites promising to sell you their “secret” to success.  While some of these secrets are at least partially effective many of them are worthless.  Deciphering which methods will work for you is critical to achieving success with your abdominal muscles.

While hours of sweaty exertion is almost a romantic idea when dreaming of six-pack abs the truth is your focus initially must be on your diet.  There is a saying that “abs are made in the kitchen” and this statement probably is one of the most accurate in the weight lifting world.  So what should you be doing with your diet?

Primarily you need to provide sufficient protein.  Simply put, you will not be able to build muscles without protein in your diet.  The carbohydrates you ingest supply you with energy to build the muscles but it is only the protein that is capable of supplying necessary amino acids to build and repair muscles.  So when you want to work on that set of six-pack abs you need to get in line at the butcher shop.  Turkey, chicken, fish and lean beef will all supply you with quality protein and then all of those crunches will be effective in building your abs.

This is not the time to be afraid of ingesting fats.  What you do need is to limit your fat intake to the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats that are abundant in our stores.  Your choices can include olive oils, mixed nuts, natural peanut butter and the wonderful avocado.  Just a quickly added “don’ts” is DON’T EAT SATURATED FATS!  We all know by now that the Big Mac is not our friend when we want to be physically fit.  Keep your culinary efforts to the fats that ARE going to help you and your reward will be those magnificent abdominal muscles that all weight lifters crave.

Along with the types of foods you should be stuffing down your throat it is always necessary to discuss a bit about how to eat.  If your nutritional plan calls for you to ingest 3000 calories per day you do now want to chew that all at once.  Break your daily intake down into at least five or six meals throughout the day.  This way you will be replacing those calories you have burned, have sufficient supplies to get through to the next meal and the ability to get on with your goal.

And above all keep flushing your body with plenty of water.  When you digest proteins there is a metabolic waste product that must be dissolved in water to be excreted.  Without sufficient intake of water your kidneys will be unable to process this waste and kidney problems could loom in your future.  As well, muscles stressed through a workout will be dehydrated.  A stressed muscle that is dehydrated takes longer to repair itself and this will delay your desired results.