Six Pack Abs

October 18th, 2011
under Information, six pack abs

Why Comments are disabled here (on SixPackAbs.tk)

Readers of this six pack abs information portal (namely sixpackabs.tk – this site) would have observed quite a few changes recently. Most important of these is that comments are now disabled completely from all posts/pages of the site, due to excessive spamming attacks. I however feel obligated to provide the explanation to this, and there you have it. Consequently, there is no way the readers of sixpackabs.tk may contact me (not that it is important in anyway) or even hold discussions amongst themselves.

As much sorry as I am for the consequences of removing commenting means, I do not feel myself equipped with proper means to cope up with the spam attacks. This must not suggest that I do not care about the readers of the blog, on the contrary, I will try to put up most authenticate articles belonging to “six pack abs” theme (which is pretty much all this blog is for), so rest assured, the readers of the site will not observe any lack in my dedication.

I also take this opportunity to respond to the most popular question asked by the readers, that is, whose abs are featured in the “six pack abs pitfalls” article. The picture is mine, taken some 6-7 months back, for a small community event (healthcare awareness camp) brochure. Also, I had achieved these abs the hard way (Without help of six pack abs diet programs cardio exercises or fitness courses recommended on this site) unsuspecting of any six pack abs pitfalls. When I started my “six pack abs” journey, I was not exposed to the availability of such courses, and it was very painful pursuit (at least initially) – to say the least.

I also have a disclaimer to add to the site (will do it ASAP), which would essentially say that the views expressed by the authors are theirs and sixpackabs.tk does not necessarily share/support them.

You will also notice that the site now features an elegant black and white design with subtle effects. That’s Minii Lite theme created by Chandra of WPShoppe (as evident in the footer).

Lastly, I am positive that I will be able to pursue “The Mike Geary” of thetruthaboutabs.com for an interview. If everything goes well, the interview will be online within 2-3 weeks. Fingers crossed.

Hoping to provide some better content (related to six pack abs) rather than my ramblings next time onwards,

To your health, and six pack abs.

Written by Ken Marc
Ken is fitness enthusiast and author of this site. See about page for more on him.

September 12th, 2011
under Information, Inspiration

Six Pack Abs Pitfalls: What Went Wrong?

– read current six pack abs article

"Six Pack Abs" Six pack abs have proved to be an ever illusive pinnacle of fitness for many of us (‘coz we know why people love six pack abs). I have seen people exerting enormous efforts and getting almost no results. I am frequently asked this same question time and again by these people, the question being “What went wrong?”. I will try to respond to this question in following paragraphs.

You may already know that we already possess six pack abs covered below the abdominal fat, and the problem is only to get rid of that fat. You may also know that the solution to this problems are proper diet and exercise. So why then this problem is so unsurmountable that no matter how hard we exercise, we don’t get the results? In my experience, the problem is twofold, viz. lack of proper information and lack of commitment.

By proper information, what I mean is not only the underlying principles of workout (such as six pack abs diet, cardio exercises etc.), but the real workout program itself. That is twenty sit-ups, followed by cardio aerobics, then 15 sit-ups more…you get the idea. You need to decide upon a proper workout program and strictly follow it. You see, your body needs to realize the need to get rid of the abdominal fat. If you don’t follow the routine strictly, your body considers your workout odd occurrences of your routine, which is not useful at all.

Of course, you must realize that proper diet is probably more important than proper exercise, even if you don’t want six pack abs and just want to lead a healthy life. I can’t put enough emphasis on the importance of a well balanced diet program. Now the question is, how do you manifest a exercise routine or diet program? Well, that’s not a biggie, you may search the internet and get relevant literature within half an hour. You will find links to two of my most recommended programs for these purposes at the end of this article.

Now the second part of the problem is commitment to act upon, which is a major six pack abs pitfall. Sure, you are proud owner of steel will, you can do 100 crunches the next day, but can you commit to do this 100 crunches spread over a period of 10 days, at 10 crunch a day? I guess not. This is not a problem with discipline, rather it’s roots are in the frustration of not getting instant results. People fail to realize that the results are there, just not very apparent. In fact, reducing abdominal fat is easier than building biceps.

A second symptom, and increasingly widespread one, is that people waste their time in finding a perfect solution (say an exercise routine or a diet program or related literature) so that they have to go through the course only once and they are done, and in so doing, they delay acting upon their workout or other actions. Believe me, there does not exist a perfect solution for anybody/everybody. That is not to say that the “Six Pack Abs” courses offered by many trainers are rubbish (actually, I have found more than half of the courses on the target, though their methods may vary). The truth is exactly the opposite. The courses are good, the students are not. In fact, I will recommend two such courses at the end of this article itself, but the point is not to get one or many such courses, but to act upon them.

There is not a single course out there that can give you six pack abs without a disciplined effort, but, if you are committed to getting six pack abs, the crappiest course will get you results. May be the last sentence was a little bit exaggeration, and you indeed need a decent course, but the fact remains, the book or dvd is not going to burn your calories. You are the one supposed to act. The more you wait, the more abdominal fat you accumulate with your current dietary habits, and the more difficult the task of getting rid of it becomes.

Before I conclude, I would also like to comment upon the timeframe of the process. I have seen people get six pack abs in less than 4 weeks, and loose them even faster (they disappear below new fat deposits). I have also seen people working for 6 months to get desired results and maintain the results for years. I consider it a lifelong process. Your love for six pack abs can indeed become a key to maintaining your health for extended life/future. And all you have to do is to educate yourself on the matter and develop some healthy habits. I assure you that these habits (discipline and commitment) will help you in other areas of life as well and is in no way obtrusive to your happiness, provided you choose to act.

Now as promised, I have two recommendations to make, however, you may also checkout recommendations by other experts at the end of their respective articles.

The Diet Solution Program
Truth About Six Pack Abs

To your happiness and health, and yeah six pack abs too.

Written by Ken Marc
Ken is fitness enthusiast and author of this site. See about page for more on him.

September 2nd, 2011
under Cardio, Exercise, Information, six pack abs

Cardio Exercise for Six Pack Abs

– read current six pack abs article

"Six Pack Abs" In my experience, popular belief seems to be that doing countless sit-up and crunches all day will give you toned six pack abs (some of us also know that there is something called six pack abs diet!). However, everyone has six pack abs underneath the abdominal fat, they may or may not be visible though. The key to expose these six packs is to get rid of this belly fat. Abdominal exercises like Sit-ups and crunches will only help in the actual muscle building, but without losing that fat layer you won’t be seeing any abs at all.

One of the most efficient ways to lose body fat (aside from eating correctly) is performing cardio exercise like swimming, running or cycling. Following are some tips to remember.

Perform Fasted Cardio

Cardio exercises are best accomplished on an empty stomach. Finishing your cardio work out the first thing in the morning even before breakfast is my recommendation. Our body is in a catabolic state when we wake up in the morning. Catabolism is a term used to depict ‘the breaking down’ of body tissues. Thus, morning is the best time to burn fat by exercises. Further, your body will break down mostly fat to fuel your exercise because you haven’t eaten any food. The idea is to leave the body no choice but to burn fat only.

Maintain Optimum Heart Rate

When performing any chore our body decides how to accumulate the energy based on how intensive the exercise is. That is, our heart rate during the exercise is the decisive factor. Our body burns fat optimally at a specific heart rate. This heart rate is around 63% of our maximum heart rate. Slow jogging, swimming, fast-paced walking or other similar low intensity activities have characteristically this heart rate. Thus, counterintuitive-ly, this low intensity exercises are optimal for fat burning! The procedure to calculate optimum fat burning heart rate is explained in this excellent work out guide recommended at the end of this article.

Perform HIIT to Boost your Metabolism

It is good idea to accomodate some high intensive interval training (HIIT) in your work out plan.

This primarily involves performing short bursts of intensive exercise. An example would be running as fast as you can for half a minute, and then slowly jogging for half a minute, and simply repeating this process for a few cycles. Although HIIT burn blood sugar as opposed to fat itself, it will boost your metabolism. Your metabolism will be far better (faster) than it was before performing the exercise. This means that by doing HIIT you are putting your body to fat-burning mode for the remainder of the day.

It’s important that you apply a combination of the above points, and not follow a single point plan, to avoid any six pack abs pitfalls. You may refer to “THE TRUTH ABOUT SIX PACK ABS” course if you need further assistance in your training.

Written by Paulin Grubber
Paulin works at Symmetrica Gymnasium & Spa in Miami. She is as much a six pack abs enthusiast as she is a surfing affectionado.

August 31st, 2011
under Diet, Information, six pack abs

Six Pack Abs : Key Recommendations on Diet

– read current six pack abs article

"Six Pack Abs" Speaking of “How to get six pack abs”, it’s really hard to figure out facts from fictions. One of the reasons for this is that each case is different and what may have worked for one isn’t guaranteed to deliver for others. Further, there is a full spectrum of products and programs out there, each one promising six pack abs in no time. Sure enough, in most cases, they are only promises.

They may sound good on paper, but won’t produce expected results in real life. This inspired a need for a myth-buster sort of article since long, and Ken’s invitation to contribute to this site has presented me with this opportunity to present my views on the subject. In future, I will try to compile the referred myth-buster, but for present article, we will tackle Diet. So without further ado, following are my recommendations for six pack abs diet.

Low GI Foods is the ONLY way to go

‘GI’ refers to Glycaemic Index. It is a ranking system based on the effect that foods have on our blood sugar levels. In dummy terms, high GI foods digest faster getting converted to sugar, which in turn enters in to our blood stream. Higher sugar levels in blood results in insulin being secreted, which converts excess unused sugar into fat! So, the idea is to keep those insulin levels down by keeping blood sugar levels uniformly low. Low GI foods help you do that. They will also help you feeling fuller for longer periods through out the day because energy is released a lot more gradually than with high GI foods. Low GI foods include all whole grains, brown pasta, brown rice, whole wheat items, soya, linseed, and many more. (See the end of this article for my recommendation on a comprehensive diet guide)

Low-Fat Foods

Fats contain more than twice the calorific value compared to carbohydrates and proteins. Consequently, it takes more than double the exercise to burn it off! So switch to low-fat diet such as skimmed milk, smoothies, cottage cheese, low-fat spreads and sauces and so on. Further, be sure to ensure (that’s pun I guess!) the fats you take are good ones i.e. cholesterol free. Good fats are essential though for protecting the brain and central nervous system and many other bodily functions, so avoiding the fats completely is a strict no go. A few examples of good fats are fish oil, olive oil, nuts and avocado pear. You must balance your fat intake though, as it’s easy to accumulate a large amount of excess calories in the form of fats unknowingly. For example, a handful of nuts may have more calories than a ready-to-cook microwave meal.

Watch Your Sugar and Carbohydrate intake

Carbohydrates constitute the major part of our food, and are the body’s preferred source of energy as these are very easy to digest high GI foods. We need carbohydrates for energy on a daily basis, however they get converted to sugar by metabolism and if in excess then our daily requirements, gets converted to fats. You should keep your carbohydrate intakes to around work out times to ensure that you’re consuming the sugar/calories which would have otherwise resulted in excess sugar and in turn fat. It’s crucial that you have precise balance of the above points. Of course, you also need to consider other essencial facts about six pack abs like cardio exercises to avoid six pack abs pitfalls.

There is so much misleading information out there that simply results in fat gain and bad health. If you are more curious, you may proceed to follow the literature on proper dietary habits offered by the following course, which I believe are the most comprehensive resource available, prepared with a layman oriented detailed approach.

Fat Burning Furnace
Muscle Maximizer
The Diet Program

Written by Ketan P. Bird
Ketan is long time fitness trainer serving at Gebenhouser Municipal Public Facility in Munich. He is also one of the first trainers to have successfully devised six pack abs programs for common people (not body builders).

August 24th, 2011
under Cardio, Diet, Exercise, Inspiration

Essential Facts about Six Pack Abs

– read current six pack abs article

"Six Pack Abs" Six pack abs is Holy Grail of fitness for some, and achieving six pack abs can be one of the most exhaustive tasks ever attempted. However, that’s only if one is not equipped with the accurate information. There are so many misconceptions related to the development of six pack abs that it’s no wonder people eventually give up hope and accept their fat tummy as inevitable part of their life. No matter what others say, proper diet and exercise is all you need in order to feature gorgeous six pack abs.

The truth is, no matter who you are or how slow you think your metabolism is, you and everybody else are capable of discovering toned and attractive six pack abs. Every single one of us is (by birth) already in possession of an underlying six pack of abs to be revealed. The key is simply follow a handful of basic rules to get rid of those extra layers of fat covering the six packs. It’s also important that you thoroughly understand your methods. This will help keep you motivated and enlighten the path towards your goals.

In addition, one needs to be willing to put in the effort and more importantly – have the determination to follow through with it. Your six pack of abs will not come from sitting on the couch in front of the television all day, and that’s a fact. Below I will introduce main areas that are absolutely essential for achieving those six pack abs in a reasonable amount of time, and without too much unnecessary back ache and pain, if you know what I mean.

Proper Diet

Your choice of foods is very very important part of your “getting six pack abs endeavor”. You should know that 3/4^th of the efforts involved should go to losing that abdominal fat. It’s therefore stressed upon that you eat correctly. You can engage in as many exercises as you prefer, but until you start getting rid of the accumulated layers of belly fat you’re not going to observe any results at all.

Eating Patterns

Now that you know it is important to keep an eye upon the contents of your diet, it is equally important to decide when to eat. I never recommend skipping meals or limiting the meals to one or two for entire day. This may result in transient starvations for the body, as a result of which, the next time you eat, your body will store a lot of that food as reserve fat, not knowing when it’s going to be fed again! Instead, you may have as many as six small meals spread over a day. This ensures proper blood sugar levels, optimum metabolism rate and keeps your body burning fat, provided you indulge in exercises.

Cardio Workouts

I strongly recommend some form of cardio exercises as part of every fitness schedules. This may include running, swimming, cycling, skipping, or even rhythmic dance forms/arobics, if that suites you. This will speed up the fat burning process and ensure faster results.

Abdominal Exercises

I believe abdominal exercise to be least important factor when it comes to six pack abs programs, counterintuitive as it may seem. As you know, everyone already has a six pack of abs underneath the abdominal fat. Performing ab exercises, however, will help in shaping and definition of your abs. It will also aid in higher calorific consumption, resulting in more fat loss.

Having discussed the above, it’s crucial that you apply the correct combination of the above points, and mind you, this combination is different for different individuals. Please consider core facts about six pack abs first. Many of the exercise routines and six pack abs diet plans out there may simply result in fat gain and back ache, so please be extra cautious about what you read. I highly encourage you to pursue a self-organized six pack abs routine, as I strongly believe that the job of a personal trainer such as mine is to motivate and to ensure you don’t come across any six pack abs pitfalls, the rest is always up to you. If you wish to go through the self training approach, I believe these resources on the subject may prove to be most essential on your journey.

Fat Burning Furnace
Truth About Six Pack Abs

Written by Griffin Theodor
The author of this article is a personal trainer and fitness enthusiast. He works at silver life health club in Ontario, Canada, and considers himself six pack abs lover rather than expert.

August 19th, 2011
under Diet, Exercise, six pack abs

Some Harsh Facts about Six Pack Abs

– read current six pack abs article

"Six Pack Abs" Calling facts from fictions is particularly difficult for unsuspecting six pack abs enthusiasts, especially in present times of information overload. What you may believe to be hard facts based on scientific trials often are nothing more than individual perceptions. In fact, there are so many guides and courses out there claiming instant six pack abs, which in real life turn outs to be a little more than clever pieces of useless text. I urge you, therefore, to consider the crucial facts about six pack abs.

So, what is the truth about getting six pack abs and what can you believe?

First of all, you have to absolutely believe that you are not going to get six pack abs from some magic potion sold on grocery store (or internet, for that matter). If that were to be the case, then those of us not having six pack abs would be in minority, and I would be writing this article about how to lose six pack abs. To get six pack abs, you have to resolve that you are NOT going to believe in the myths and the hype about the subject.

Here are some pointers to keep in mind while you are in pursuit of six pack abs:

You will have to sweat it out.

Just sitting around idle is not going to accomplish that firm belly that you so much desire. There will be some sacrifices along the way, including sweating it out. If some sort of exercise is not part of your daily habits, then a flat stomach is just going to be an impossible dream. However, you also have to settle upon the RIGHT exercises to get rid of that belly fat. Don’t ignore cardio exercises either. With the wrong ones, you will end up with frustration, and your fat stomach will keep on staring at you with and evil smirk.

You will have to commit to a proper diet.

Working out tirelessly is prone to inflict more harm than otherwise without the proper six pack abs diet and nutrition. For some folks, one point agenda like tremendous amount of work out seems to fit the bill, rather than following a proper routine. Believe me though, nothing could be more wrong than this. You will be surprised to know that taking care of proper diet is more than 50 percent work done.

You will have to get the accurate information.

Just like everything, starting with the wrong information on how to get a six pack stomach is a recipe for disaster for your training. Avoid such six pack abs pitfalls. Ken asked me to recommend some course. I personally believe in and respect self teaching approach, and one very good course that can help you is called The Truth About Six Pack Abs. I hope you will find it worth your time.

Written by Leo Welsch
Leo is a professional trainer, currently working at Persona Gym & Club in New York. More than Six Pack Abs, his daughter Kelly is his most prised possession.

August 12th, 2011
under Cardio, Diet, Exercise, Information, six pack abs

Why People Love Six Pack Abs? How do I get them?

– read current six pack abs article

"Six Pack Abs" You love six pack abs (why else would you be reading this?). I do too. So let’s contemplate on the logic of this attraction. We will also discuss the means leading towards the ‘six pack abs club’ once we respond to the question, Why people love six pack abs?

There is only one reason why everybody loves ripped abs. Because it is our cross-gender primal instinct. Guys like to achieve six packs to impress girls, and girls are indeed impressed by them. Six packs of abs is an insignia of supreme health. It inspires a sense of superiority amongst peers. Well, there you have it. There is all there is to it. Plain and simple basic instinct.

So if six pack abs so much sway our basic instincts, why then everybody doesn’t have them, the six packs? People do eat and work and fight driven by their survival instinct, don’t they? The answer reflects upon a conflict of interest. It is common belief that achieving six pack abs is a tough nut to crack. One would rather exert his efforts towards his means of survival than six pack abs, right?

Contrary to the popular belief, however, getting six pack abs is not that difficult. All you need is determination, discipline and a plan, and of course – a little time. To have ripped abs you must first have to lose abdominal/belly fat. The best way to lose this fat is by low-fat diet and abdominal workout. One of the best abs work out for fat lose is weight training, because it helps to build abdominal muscles. Muscular abdominal area also improve metabolism. Proper metabolism means efficient burning of calories, which in turn would reduce fat. So the main objective is really to build muscle and burn fat.

No matter what your reason is for trying to get your six pack abs, there are some important things to keep in mind. It is easy to become confused about what you hear or read concerning getting a six pack abs as there are many myths floating around. Any physical trainer would first try to bust these so called theories out of your brain, even before your warm-up training. Knowing truth from myth would ensure good decisions regarding your approach that will help you to get six pack abs fast.

You cannot disregard the significance of proper six pack abs diet when it comes to getting perfect abs. The myth most people buy is that all fat is bad. The truth is converse though. It is actually healthy to have a proper ratio of fats to other food groups for a well-balanced physical training.

Protein is one of the least talked about constituent of your diet, but has most important role in building body muscles, in this case the abdominal muscles. Generally, you need two grams of protein for every kilo of your bodyweight in daily diet. Protein is just one of the nutrient needed for the muscles and fitness though. In short, it is important to maintain a proper carbohydrate/protein/fat ratio in your diet.

While you are working towards those picturesque abs, you have to maintain a healthy workout routine as well, including cardio exercises. Another myth is that working fast or for long periods will help you get the results quickly. The truth however is that you will get your results quicker by alternating workout days with rest days. You should strictly follow the abs workout/rest sequence during your training to build muscle and burn fat. Proper abs workout principles with adequate rest will give you the edge you need to shape up your body that everybody will admire and envy.

Many mistakenly believe that the amount of efforts or time one puts in abs workout, the faster the belly fat recedes, but it is not advised to spot train your abs only. In fact, you should not pursue abs workout for more than 10 minutes at any one time. Getting ribbed abs require a comprehensive fitness workout plan. You should stress on the form and intensity of each routine in all your abdominal exercises.

Sorting myth from truth about six packs abs lore will enable you design your perfect plan towards a healthier & more productive result. Be smart and consider harsh facts about six pack abs to avoid any six pack abs pitfalls. I do not recommend any specific course, as I see there are already some good courses recommended by others on this site.

Written by George Finn
George has been a professional fitness trainer for more than 10 years now. He helps achieve Six Pack Abs to the commoners (normal folks) and Eight Pack Abs to the extremists (serious body builders), as he refers to them himself.