1-Keep your Body Hydrated
You need to make sure to drink enough water every day. Increasing your daily intake is linked to many health benefits, such as muscle growth, detoxification and weight loss. Water is a crucial ingredient to get six pack abs. It improves your digestion and is necessary for proper elimination of colon waste.
2-Fiber-Rich Foods
Not enough fiber in the diet can contribute to constipation and gas. Not getting fiber will stop your progress in the gym by causing stomach discomfort such as bloating and constipation. It is necessary to track your fiber intake each day until you get an idea of how much the perfect balance is for your body type. It is also important not to get too much fiber which can also give you stomach troubles.
3-Lift Weights
Doing only crunches along with other ab exercises won’t be enough to help your core muscles. You need to lift weights regularly to work your abs muscles during exercises and keep your hormones healthy. Some compound exercises also work your core muscles.
4-Right Type of Cardio
Your goal is to bring your body fat percentage down to make your abs pop out and be more visible. Doing the right cardio exercises is more efficient and will help you get the desired results faster. Try several exercises and figure out which cardio routine works for your body type.
5-Eat Smart
What you eat plays a major role in getting the abs you desire. If you are doing the right exercises but not eating well, then you won’t make any progress. So make sure you eat smart by watching your portions, eat at the right time, and choose nutritious foods over damaging foods. Listen to your body and eat the foods that are beneficial for you and ditch the ones that are making you fatigue and fat.
6-Right Macros
It is extremely important to eat the right macros. Listen to your body once again. For my body type, I found it efficient to eat high complex carbs with medium protein and low fat. Eating this type of macros worked great for me. As I mentioned earlier, everyone has a different body type. Find out what works for you the best and stick with it for the best possible results.
7-Eat Healthy Fats
Don’t eat foods that are made with unhealthy fats. Eating fast food shouldn’t be an option when your goal is getting 6-pack abs. Omega 3 rich foods such as salmon, trout, and flax seeds should be eaten regularly. Fried and oily foods should be avoided at all times.
8-HITT (High Intensity Interval Training)
High intensity training is the most efficient way to get faster and beneficial results. It’s a significantly faster, more efficient form of cardio. HITT incinerates body fat and effectively preserves muscle tissue. After-burn effects elevate metabolism and increase the rate of fat burning. It also boosts O2 consumption up to 48 hours post-workout. So you can burn fat in a more efficient and faster way by adding HITT exercises to your workout routine.
9-Train Your Lower Back Muscles
A strong lower back helps you build a strong core. If you have a weak lower back, then you will struggle with getting strong and appealing ab muscles. Strengthening your lower back can increase your workout efficiency and help you get 6 pack abs faster.
10-Avoid Over-training
Your abdominals need time to rest and recover just like any other muscles in your body. It is not a smart idea to train your abs every day. Instead, work on them 3 times a week and if things are easy, you should increase resistance and add some weight to your exercises.
11-Track Your Calories
You don’t have to track your calories all the time. But I recommend everyone track their calories at the beginning of their goal for at least a couple of weeks to figure things out. It is important to know how many calories you are consuming each day. Tracking your fiber intake is also a necessary step to progress efficiently.
12- Appropriate Amount of Sleep
Sleep quality is the most crucial step not only for 6 pack abs but also for your overall health, fitness goals and productivity. A healthy sleep cycle is needed for maximum fat loss. Sufficient sleep improves digestion, helps with metabolism, lowers the risk of illness by strengthening the immune system.
13-Change it around
Try to add or switch exercises in the process to see which ones work better for you. There might be an exercise that is more beneficial for you that you haven’t been doing and missing out on it.
14-Do Yoga
Yoga is a great practice for everyone and for all ages. It relieves stress. Yoga poses stretch your whole body and muscles. Some yoga sessions focus on the core as well. Yoga is beneficial to burn fat, get rid of toxins and to maximize your results.
15-Balance Hormones
Hormonal imbalance is a cause of stress, lack of sleep and nutrition deficiencies. If you suffer from fatigue, stress and lack of sleep for a long period of time, you might have hormonal imbalance. Getting a six pack requires a healthy balance of hormones. So make sure you eat, sleep and reduce stress to heal and rejuvenate yourself.
16-Reduce Stress
Chronic stress causes fatigue and hormonal imbalance that affects your progress and performance in the gym. It impairs your digestion and immune systems. Excess fat storage in the abdominal area is related to chronically high levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. So make sure you keep your stress levels low.
17-Green Smoothie
Drink Green Smoothies regularly to keep your body nourished and energized. Green vegetables and fruits can help flatten your belly. Green leafy vegetables are also a good source of fiber that is helpful for a flat belly.
18-Limit Alcohol
If you want extreme results in the gym, you must apply extreme rules. Alcohol, especially beer, causes your stomach to expand and halts your progress with getting six pack abs. Replace alcohol with a delicious and nutritious fruit smoothie.
19-Light Dinner
When you are trying to cut, make sure to don’t overeat and make sure you balance your meal portions. Overeating can result in indigestion and unwanted fat gain. Dinner is especially important because it is your last meal of the day. Eating a large meal at dinner will slow down digestion and make you uncomfortable. It can even prevent you from falling asleep faster due to the ongoing digestion process.
20-Eat Smaller Portions
Don’t eat 3 large meals especially when you want sculpted abs. Focus on small but frequent meals. It is easier on the digestive system and you absorb and assimilate most of what you eat. Large meals can increase the chance of gas and bloating.
21-Cut Down Processed Junk Food
Discipline is the key when it comes to seeing faster results in the gym. Eating junk food once in a while still hurts your progress and it might even ruin your day or even your whole week if it ends up making you sick.
22-Eat more Fruits and Vegetables
Many people make the mistake of not eating enough fruits and vegetables. The most nutritious foods you can eat daily to increase energy levels and strength. Let’s not forget the antioxidants and fiber. Many fruits and vegetables have fat burning effects and can balance your lost mineral levels. Your ab muscles need enough vitamins and minerals to grow.
23-Protein Shakes
If you are tired of eating solid meals, it can be ideal to drink protein shakes once in a while, especially before your workout. Choose liquid meals instead of solid meals before your workout to feel more comfortable and motivated in the gym.
24-Nutritious Post Workout Meal
After any kind of workout, your goals is to bulk up or lose fat, so you should eat a large nutritious meal with the right macros preferably right after your workout or 35-40 minutes after your post workout shake.
25-Proper Form
Proper form is also important for getting six pack abs. If you cheat or can’t get the proper form, you will just be wasting energy and slow your progress. It is important to implement the right exercises with proper form to avoid injury and maximize your workout efficiency.
26-Train Oblique Muscles
You need to work all core muscles, not only the front area. Choose the right type of exercises for your obliques and try not to neglect them to see faster results.
27- Improve Digestion
Poor functioning digestive systems can make things difficult whether it is muscle gain or getting six pack abs. Many people suffer from poor digestion and waste removal and this can cause gut distension.
From my experience, when I had digestion issues in the past, it was extra challenging to gain muscle. It took longer to see my abs improve. Constant indigestion creates toxicity, gas, bloating, discomfort and constipation. Avoid the foods that are damaging your health and digestion.
A weak digestive system causes mineral deficiencies in the long run and can prevent muscle gain and fat loss. A weak digestive system is also responsible for hormonal imbalances in adults and low testosterone levels in men.
You should also not eat while on the move. Take time to sit down when you are eating and remember to chew your food correctly and allow food to digest properly.
28-Stay Motivated, Consistent and Patient
Don’t expect overnight results but be positive. Increase motivation and don’t ever quit. The secret to building muscle and getting ripped abs is consistency. If you are disciplined and consistent, a shredded physique is inevitable. The only factor in determining how quickly you get six pack abs is how hard you work for it and how disciplined and patient you are.
Matt M. Eccles is the founder of Vitality and Happiness Blog. He is a philosopher, psychology enthusiast, wellness and digestion expert, author, and world traveler who is passionate about helping others reach and experience optimum health, true happiness, and increased vitality. The purpose of this website is to motivate and inspire people to handle life’s challenges. Uplift and encourage you to succeed in life and be happy and healthy, increase life quality, and become the best version of yourself.