Best Exercise for Six-Pack Abs – How to Achieve Your Dream Toned Body
Who doesn’t like to go to the beach, take the shirt off and show off with carved six-pack abs? Every day we are bombarded with various training routines and sports supplements that promise us six-pack abs and an athletic body in just several weeks.
However, there is ONE single exercise that has shown to be the most effective exercise in acquiring six-pack abs and that is: when you are halfway through your meal, stop eating – and that is all ... :)
Published: April 30, 2021.
Disappointed? Did anybody expect me to come out with some real gym exercise that will melt away all fats from someone's abs and finally show them to the world? Reality check, people!
Many women and men have strong abs, but they are not viewable. Not only that the abs are covered with a layer of fat, but often rest of the body doesn’t look as if that person is actively involved in the sport of any kind.
Does this mean that we should stop working out our abs? No, train them as any other muscle group, but in order to have them visible, one has to lower body fat percentage (bf%).
So, if you really want next summer to go to the beach and walk around with a strong and toned body, then:
- check your diet and eating habits,
- rest enough, including at least 7-8 hours of sleep,
- workout regularly!
Diet and Eating Habits
If you want to lower your bf%, eat clean - forget about simple carbs (sugars!), unhealthy fats, fast food, pizzas, and similar foods.
Focus yourself on eating a balanced, low-calorie diet, and enjoy cheat meal from time to time. Base your diet on lean protein sources like egg whites, low fat, and cottage cheese, lean cuts of red meat, chicken and turkey breast, and similar. Fish is a great source of protein, but also of healthy fats. Whole eggs should be consumed in moderation, even omega-3 eggs - one per day is OK.
Fats should come in the form of fish oils, olive oil, fish, omega-3 and organic eggs, organic butter (from grass-fed cows), and similar. Nuts are a great source of healthy fats, but be very careful about them and the amounts you eat.
Fruits on a diet should be consumed in moderation, but should not be avoided.
Vegetables and salads give volume to the meals and are rich in fibers, vitamins and minerals, and help the body burn fat.
If you are not able or don't have time to prepare every meal, supplements can be of great help, especially Meal Replacement Supplements (MRPs).
When on a diet, don't lower your calories too low - go for a 500 kcal deficit per day and stay there. On training days or on days when you feel lightheaded or similar, give yourself a break and increase carb intake, preferably in the form of berries and green and leafy vegetables.
Resting Enough
In order to rest properly, try to have at least 7-8 hours of sleep every night. Also, when working out, give your body time to recover and regenerate from workouts. This is very important because if you are sleepy and feeling tired from your last training session, in order to compensate, you will need to consume more calories than you planned - bye-bye abs ...
If you need, try to take short naps in the afternoon - 20-25 minutes will do just fine. If you need more time, then you are not getting enough sleep during the night.
If you are working out in the gym using split days system, try to directly train every body part once per week. This will give the body enough time to recover, even on a low-calorie diet.
Working Out for Abs
First of all, it is pointless to train abs every day in order to have them visible. Train them once a week directly and they will be fine. Note that they receive plenty of work during other exercises, rowing included.
To burn additional calories, it is best practice to have a light or moderate-intensity cardio session right in the morning, on empty stomach.
This will 'force' the body to burn extra fats for energy and rowing can be very helpful for increasing energy expenditure.
If you don't have time for morning rowing sessions, feel free to row whenever you have time. For example, if you go to the gym 3-4 times per week, include short rowing sessions (15-30 minutes) at the end of the weights workouts. If you need to warm up before gym workouts, 10 minutes of moderate rowing can be very helpful for better gym workouts and for a slight increase in daily burned calories.
Note that there is no workout that can outrun a bad diet!
Long story short - in order to get visible abs, check your diet, eat clean, sleep enough, and work out regularly - rowing rules! :)
