 | How To Get A Six Pack: Before you can start learning how to get six-pack abs and what it really takes to build a great ab section, you must first expose the lies... Learn from the following practical tips and sample ab program. |
Breathe, visualize and connect. These are three powerful words best used when describing proper technique to perfecting the sit-up and a well-defined midsection.
The Key Components
Practicing the art of breathing is energy in motion and to consciously be aware of the interrelationship between breath and energy is a key component to proper execution. A hard contraction at the top of every movement, and a deep exhale before the negative, puts an extra strain on the abdominal wall forcing the muscles to work harder.
Click Image To Enlarge.Put An Extra Strain On The Abdominal Wall.
Concentrating on a strict breathing pattern also forces us to focus and diminishes sloppiness, which causes momentum and reduces effectiveness. Every movement should be strict and deliberate with equal concentration on the concentric and eccentric phases of the exercise.
This also makes us conscious of proper alignment with the cervical spine, head and shoulders as well as keeping the abs tight with every repetition.
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Visualization is also a key factor and actually seeing an illustration depicting exaggerated musculature is highly useful to anyone who wishes to understand the importance of the mind, body connection. A common mistake is to train the upper and lower abdominals as separate muscle groups.
They are in fact one muscle with quadrants separated by tendinous inscriptions. We must not neglect the serratus anterior muscles and the external obliques which make up the lateral portions of the "6-pak". Once we know exactly what these muscles look like, we can better isolate and adhere to a well-balanced mid-section, keeping the whole package looking phenomenal.
Abdominal Exercises
I recommend performing the abdominal exercises at a 30-45 ยบ angle from the horizontal position. This range of motion diminishes hip flexor involvement and increases constant tension on the abdominals. To give my clients a feel for the proper form I will hold down their hips when they are crunching up allowing for pure isolation.
Check Out LiftRite Episode #7
Abdominal Training
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The abdominals are endurance muscles and require minimal rest between sets, and if performed properly you should feel the burn around the 12th or 15th rep. I suggest training the abs in a tri-set and avoid overtraining with sufficient recovery days.
For best results vary the exercises and add resistance for a muscle shocker. It is also extremely important to balance training with a clean diet. Eating 5-6 small meals throughout the day comprised of clean staple foods, quality protein, essential fats and low-glycemic carbohydrates is ideal.
Avoid overly salty and processed foods as well as alcohol and sugary beverages.
Learning how to get a six-pack does not require expensive workout equipment promoted through obnoxious infomercials. You can't flick on the TV anymore without seeing two new abdominal exercise machines being promoted at once.
There are so many of them that if you get suckered into these 'ab workout' gimmicks, you will be broke quicker than Ben Johnson sprints the 100 meter dash!
And get this: Of the $520 million dollars a year spent on exercise equipment, abdominal machines get a $208 million dollar piece of the pie!
 |  Shredded Abs |
2. Thousands Of Crunches:
Learning how to get a six-pack does not require thousands or even hundreds of crunches a day. So much for the Brittany Spears ab workout! Crunches are decent but totally overused and associated with more being better.
Crunches are a very general exercise, and general exercises get general results. Excessive floor crunches shorten the abdominal wall, pull your head forward and emphasize poor posture. They also involve a very low level of stimulation which neglects adequate muscle-fiber recruitment.
Muscle Fibers:
3. Starvation Diets:
Learning how to get a six-pack does not involve starvation diets. Starvation diets starve the muscle when you should be feeding the muscle instead. Guess what happens when you starve your body? Your metabolism shuts down out of survival and causes your body to store fat.
Your body must get energy from somewhere, so guess what gets sacrificed? That's right, your precious muscle which is, in fact, responsible for maintaining a high metabolism. Starve your muscle - great logic!
4. Fat Loss Pills:
Learning how to get a six-pack does not require fat loss pills. What did the last weight loss pill you bought do for you? The same thing the next one is going to do - nothing! Except give you a thinner wallet but not a thinner waist line.
The entire concept of taking pills for fat loss is built on a sandy foundation and misleading because diet pills only treat the symptoms and not the root cause. Without focusing on the root problems of a flabby mid-section, like poor nutrition, a crazy lifestyle and improper training, you will just end up where you started - farther away from having a six-pack for summer instead of closer.
 | Derek Charlebois |
Conclusion
Breathe, visualize and connect! Be in tune with your body; learn the power of mental focus. Perfect these techniques and be committed to your fitness regime. Be positive and motivated and be on your way to achieving the midsection of your dreams.
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