How do you get good abs?

Answer 1

• Men and women with visible six packs abs have a low body fat percentage. Everybody has abdominal muscles, just some of us don't have them built up enough or we have fat covering them. Therefore, in order to have visible abs, you have to lose fat (reduce calorie intake and do cardio, etc) and then do the exercises to build abs. You cannot do one or the other and expect to see good results. You could have six pack abs, but you may have a layer of fat covering them up. So, eat less refined (processed) carbohydrates. Eat a high protein and a high fiber diet. Get plenty of sleep. Workout 5-6 days a week with at least 1-2 days of cardio exercise. And for super fast results try 500 sit-ups, crunchies, V-sits, leg raises per day. You may get crazy results in just one month.
• Try elivated crunches. Keep your legs in a 90 degree angle as you do them. For best results, go up at an angle. Buy a medicine ball- for women, start out with small 2-3 then go to 5lb and then 8 lb. Do reverse crunches holding the ball and incorporate it into every crunch you do, you will see faster results and more defined sculpting.

• Everyone has abs but you have to shift the layer of fat covering them to see them. Best way to do this is by increasing your matabolism consistently. By this I mean you should look to increase lean muscle mass all over you body. This muscle requires more calories so it just by having it you are burning more calories just sitting there.

• Don't just rely on sit-ups as your body will get used to it and not respond aswell unless you mix it up a little. Try adding crunches on a Swiss ball, leg raises, the plank and other ab strengh exercises. A "clean" diet can help big time. Try eating more slow burning carbs (oats/brown rice) and only eat instant carbs/high gi carbs after training to restore your bodys glycogen levels.

  Cut out as much saturated fat as possible and definitely try to avoid all "trans fats" (these are hidden fats in processed foods and hydrogenated fats - they serve no purpose for your body other than clogging arteries and making you fat!). Don't fall in the trap though of cutting out fat completely. You need good fats (poly.monos) for healthy hormone control (important for testosterone for guys if you want that muscle). These can be found in things like nuts, flaxseed, olive oil, oily fish. Failing that supplement with flax capsules from somewhere like Holland and Barrett or any good health store.

  Very important for building muscle is protein. You should aim for around 1.5-2grams per kg of bodyweight (e.g. 70kg guy 140grams protein a day) This can come from eggs (be wary of having to many yolks), milk, lean meats like chicken/turkey/extra lean beef and fish. If you are a veggie or simple find eating all that too much of an effort you can get whey protein powder to supplement your diet. Average serving contains around 25grams of protein and this can be bought from places health food stores or online.

For more information about what to eat, and the actual exercise routines for six-pack abs, see the page links, further down this page, listed under Related Questions.