Get Six Pack Abs

Ben W asked:


i want to lose it mainly by diet, but partial exercise, lmaybe skating, sit ups and weights

orthomajor2 asked:


Im 28, and now I have to 2 beers per day habit. I also gained 30 lbs in 7 months.

I’m just wondering if beer bellys are permanent

Here’s Five Training Mistakes You Can Correct Now!

chicklad asked:


I’m generally quite fit, play soccer/gaelic on a good basis and go to the gym regularly but can’t seem to lose enough fat round me belly and i’m very conscience that i’ve got man breasts. Would it be the case that some blokes would have a different upper body to others despite being relatively fit and not eating much junk?

Eric asked:


Alright, I’m a freshman in college. I came in to college with a 6 pack weighing 145.

I was fine up to Thanksgiving when I quit working out and started drinking a lot of beer. Six pack is gone, now the only muscle I have is a beer belly.

Is it possible for me to lose this before I have to go home in a week. I really don’t want my family and friends giving me a hard time since I told them all I wouldn’t get the freshman 15.

Would a crash diet be a temporary solution? Or am I doomed to be poked in the belly for 4 weeks+

Shawn Lebrun asked:


Want a sure-fire way to help your body rid itself of unsightly body fat, better yet, keep it off for good?

Learn to accelerate your body’s metabolism. One way to do this is by incorporating resistance training (weight-training) into your routine. That’s because the more muscle mass you have, you more body fat you will lose, even at rest!

Your metabolic rate determines how your body utilizes calories throughout the day for energy.

Metabolism is simply the speed in which your body burns through food. It is the conversion of digested nutrients into components for energy or building muscle.

Having an accelerated metabolism means that we will burn more calories often because our body will be utilizing and burning off food more often. One way to accelerate our metabolism is by increasing our amount of lean muscle tissue in the body.

Muscle helps speed up your metabolism. Since muscle is metabolically active tissue, the more you have the more calories you burn. This is why resistance training is so vital to long-term weight loss.

By the way, long term weight loss is really the only safe and effective way to lose weight. Quick weight loss is not long-term weight loss.

When you add lean muscle tissue to your body composition, you increase the amount of calories your body burns and you also increase your metabolic rate. Muscle requires energy to maintain and it gets that energy from burning calories. So building muscle is one of the best long-term weight loss tools you can use.

There are studies that suggest that you only expend about 10% of your daily calories through exercise, the rest is expended through your body’s metabolic functions. So again, the more lean muscle tissue, the more calories your body will burn for energy throughout the day while going about your daily routine.

Now, the quickest and easiest way to build muscle through resistance training is to perform your resistance training with less repetitions and a little more weight.

It would stand to reason that if you could lift 100 pounds 10 times, you could lift more weight than that if you had to do less than 10 times. I incorporate lower reps into my clients workout programs and the results are an increase in lean muscle.

Over time, this increase in lean mass will help accelerate fat-loss by dipping into stored body fat as a source of fuel. Losing body fat, remember, simply comes from expending more calories than you consume.

Also, progressively strive to lift more weight when the weight you are using becomes too easy. If it’s too easy, you will not benefit from it very much.

The combination of resistance training with supportive eating throughout the day will assist your body in adding lean muscle to its frame.

This lean muscle will increase the amount of calories you burn off throughout the day. So to lose fat, hit the weights and build muscle!

The_Trainer asked:


I like to do things completely different from what most people do. If conventional wisdom says “train each bodypart once a week for best results,” I immediately start thinking “I wonder what’ll happen if I train each body part EVERY SINGLE DAY?”

And let me tell you, this mindset has allowed me to discover some pretty amazing things about how the body works…how it burns fat and how it builds muscle and strength!

But that being said, when you’re training to make rapid changes to your body, you MUST start with the basics. There’s no getting around it…not even with the stuff I’m about to show you! Without first having the basics in order (such as good nutrition and training technique), even the best “tricks” won’t help.

So the purpose of this article is to help open up your mind and EXPAND upon the basics, NOT to replace them.

One thing I’m going to tell you right up front…these techniques are sometimes based on logic, sometimes based on scientific studies I’ve read and tried to find practical applications for, and sometimes they’re just based on some wild idea I wanted to try out!

Feel free to try all of these – I’ve used them with varying degrees of success myself and I’m going to let you know how effective I thought they were.

The key here is to read these and not think “wow, that’s stupid” and close your mind, but instead to read these and think “wow, I wonder if that might actually work” and “wow, I’m going to try and think of things I can do differently in my training.”

THAT is what I want to accomplish here…

1. FAT LOSS – Cold Water Immersion

With this technique, the basic idea is this: submerge your body in cold water and let it bring your body temperature down enough to cause shivering. Shivering is almost completely fueled by fat, specifically the brown fat of the body (this is fat that is more metabolically active – the stuff that makes you look fat is known as white fat).

Also, the hormone release in response to the stress of cold water immersion may lead to an increase in metabolic rate.

I came across this cold water immersion idea in a past issue of Muscle & Fitness and the research they presented to back up the idea looked interesting so I decided to give it a try!

The exact study they quoted involved performing activity while in cold water but since I didn’t have a big cold water tank, I decided to try it out with just the shivering in a tub.

Three times a week for a month, I filled a tub up with cold water and went in and started shivering. Now when I say cold water, there wasn’t a hint of warmth in it – it wasn’t ice water but was probably about 50 degrees F.

Let me tell you, you can really find out what you’re made of when you’re faced with a tub full of cold water that you have to get into! You step in, lay down up to your neck then just stay there for 20 minutes. You’ll start shivering pretty quickly!

** Naturally, watch out for signs that you’re getting TOO cold – we don’t want hypothermia here! If you start breathing rapidly or you can’t touch your index finger to your thumb, stand up out of the tub and turn on a warm shower to heat yourself back up.



The Verdict:

I DID actually notice some results over and above what I’ve experienced with standard fat-loss programs. It wasn’t a HUGE difference but I definitely did see a difference. If you want to burn fat while lying down, this is about the only way to do it!

The cold water also has an AMAZING diuretic effect on the body – it flushes subcutaneous (under the skin) water out of your body FAST. I think (and this is just my theory) this is another survival mechanism of the body – when your body starts losing heat rapidly (as it does in cold water), it immediately tries to flush out the best conductor of that heat (which is water). I noticed a major difference in muscle definition immediately after getting out of the cold water.

This MAY be a good technique if you have some stubborn fat you’d like to get rid of AND you’re willing to sit in a cold tub 3 times a week for 20 to 30 minutes. The hormones released (specifically norepinephrine is one that has been mentioned in conjunction with cold water immersion) have the ability to unlock those stubborn fat cells.

You’ll have to weigh these factors to decide if you want to try it.

One other bonus…you’ll develop GREAT resistance to cold weather by doing this regularly. Your body will be better able to maintain core temperature because you’re training it to adapt to cold.

2. FAT LOSS – Swishing the mouth with oil before doing cardio

This particular technique is a case of taking a scientific study and running with it in terms of practical applications. The specific study showed that the mere presence of fat in the mouth (not even swallowed) resulted in the liberation of fatty acids into the blood stream from fat cells.

It sounds strange but basically, this means when you have fat in the mouth (e.g. olive oil or vegetable oil is what I used), it signals the body to release fat from the fat cells and into the bloodstream. It doesn’t have to be swallowed – the body senses the fats in the mouth and responds to it.

So here was my thought process…take a spoonful of olive oil and swish it around for about a minute or so, then spit it back out. Then immediately go do some cardio! The liberated fatty acids will be burned by the cardio. If you do this and don’t do anything to burn the liberated fat, it’ll most likely just get taken back up by the fat cells again.



The Verdict:

I was on a low-carb diet at the time I tried this technique and noticed an IMMEDIATE increase in my energy levels. At this point, I was doing cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and normally, I don’t have a whole lot of energy in the morning. When I swished with the oil, I actually did feel more energetic and I believe the process was effective for increasing fatty acids in the bloodstream.

But here’s the issue…what I DON’T know is how effective a long-term strategy this is. Does this cause a significant increase in fat-burning? Enough to be a useful technique? It’s a definite maybe.

Signalling the body to begin opening up fat cells faster is a good thing as it helps you increase energy levels and access that stored bodyfat more easily.

3. FAT LOSS – Doing ALL training (my Metabolic Surge fat loss program to be precise) wearing an 85 lb weight vest

This technique resulted in one of THE toughest training programs I’ve ever done. Basically, I took an 85 lb weight vest (the X-Vest, if you’re familiar with it) and wore it for each and every workout on my Metabolic Surge program (including cardio…non-impact training like incline treadmill walking, elliptical and stair machine).

 

I’m going to be doing a detailed review of it in an upcoming newsletter as well.

The idea here was to dramatically increase caloric expenditure by increasing my bodyweight with the vest. Studies have shown the weighted vest to be a very effective way to increase metabolism and calorie-burning so this one wasn’t “out there” in terms of theory. It’s already been well-proven. What it WAS far out in was how HARD it was to do!

 

And let me tell you, it was VERY brutal.



The Verdict:

This was a VERY effective technique for increasing the rate of fat loss. The increase in bodyweight (adding 85 lbs to myself) dramatically increased my metabolism each and every workout, even beyond the high levels I normally noticed on the Metabolic Surge program.

But I would NEVER do it again (at least as I did it this time). Wearing the vest combined with this challenging of a training program was VERY tough on the body, especially while eating low-calorie. By the time I finished, I was TRASHED. In fact, I was unable to even perform the last 2 sessions of the program.

If I were to do it again, here’s what I would change: eat more while on the program to help with recovery, wear the vest every other workout instead of every workout, and reduce the number of sets done in those vest workouts. I’d keep the heavy weight on because I actually enjoyed that part of it! But even a more modest weight load in the vest would yield good results.

Overall, it’s an excellent technique and definitely worth trying out if you have access to a weight vest.

 

4. MUSCLE AND STRENGTH – Total body workouts, 6 days a week, two times a day.

You may have heard me mention this program before…when it comes to unconventional training for muscle growth, this about as good as it gets! Basically, for 3 weeks, I performed total-body workouts twice a day, 6 days a week.

But here’s the catch…I was on vacation from work at the time and was pretty much doing nothing but eating, sleeping and training. I was actually able to recover enough to make it work and make AMAZING progress. Also, I only did this type of training for 3 weeks before backing off.

I realize this goes TOTALLY contrary to what the vast majority of trainers and authorities in the field recommend, but let me tell you, your body has TREMEMDOUS adaptive potential when you give it the proper stimulus AND the proper tools for optimum recovery.



The Verdict:

I gained a tremendous amount of muscle and strength from this program that, according to conventional wisdom, should have left me smaller and weaker and totally overtrained.

The key with how I did it was in accounting for recovery. I wasn’t doing anything strenuous outside of training, I was getting plenty of sleep and quality food AND I was varying the TYPE of training I was doing for the muscles between partials, negatives and full-range, normal training.

Also, each total body workout was done with an eye on training volume – not too many sets each time. The high frequency of the workouts was what kept the momentum going.

After 3 weeks of this, I backed off somewhat on the workouts for the next 3 weeks (only working each bodypart ONCE per day). In total, after 6 weeks, I had gained about 20 lbs of bodyweight, much of it lean mass.

 

——————————

[Note: If you're interested in seeing the exact mechanics of this program, I have it posted in detail on my membership site Powerful Training Secrets (just fyi, it IS a paid site...dirt cheap to sign up, mind you, but paid

Membership

In the members area, I've written out the exact program (sets, reps, techniques, etc.) that I used when I was training like this. It's not a program I recommend lightly but it was VERY effective and can work well for you IF you've got the time and the energy.

And if you like unique training info (like the things you're reading in this article!), definitely check out Powerful Training Secrets.

As I mentioned above, the membership price is just dirt cheap for what I offer when you sign up - not only a library of great, new exercises and programs (with more being added constantly) but a PILE of other bonuses (like ebooks, coupons and webinars) that add up in value to more than the price of the membership itself!]

 

——————————–

5. MUSCLE AND STRENGTH – Hybrid Training – combining cables, bands and free weights to adapt to the strength curves of exercises.

Adapting to the strength curve of an exercise is not a new concept – some do it through machines designed for the job…some do it by working on partial movements.

But literally COMBINING two different forms of resistance into one exercise? THIS is not something you see every day. And, strictly speaking, even the concept of combining two different forms of resistance itself isn’t new – band training is a TREMENDOUSLY effective way to increase bench press, squats and deadlifts. Powerflifters do this all the time.

The idea I had was to not only ADD another form of resistance but also change the DIRECTION that secondary form of resistance was coming from.

This idea first occured to me when I was doing dumbell presses. I thought to myself, “hmmm…I’m getting great tension at the bottom of the exercise…I wonder if there’s a way that I can increase the tension at the top, too?”

So I went over to the cable cross-over machine and set the two handles on the low pulleys. I set the bench in the very center then reached over and grabbed the one pulley handle, then reached over and grabbed the other. After sitting back up on the bench, I then leaned forward and picked up the dumbells.

What followed was one of THE most eye-opening sets of bench press I had EVER done…

Picture this…when you’re doing a dumbell bench press, you get maximum tension at the bottom of the exercise. But as you press up to the top, the leverage changes and you lose most of that tension. By the time you’re at the top of the exercise, you’ve lost pretty much all of it unless you’re actively squeezing the muscles.

Now picture this…when you’re doing a flat bench cable flye exercise (which is same as dumbell flyes but with cables), you get practically NO tension at the bottom, but, as you bring your hands together above, you get MAXIMUM tension at the top, with the cables pulling directly out to the sides.

Got those two exercises visualized in your head? Good. Now mash them together…

Imagine the cable handles AND dumbells in your hands AT THE SAME TIME.

This time, when you do the press, you’re going to get maximum tension from the dumbells at the bottom and almost no tension from the cables.

But, as you press up and lose tension in the dumbell press, the CABLE tension starts kicking in. By the time you’ve hit the top, the cables are at MAXIMUM tension.

The result? A dumbell bench press where your pecs get NO BREAK WHATSOEVER. The tension is just INCREDIBLE. I would say that one of these sets is worth THREE normal sets.

When I did this exercise for the very first time (and naturally, because it felt so good, I did too many sets!), I couldn’t bring my arms across my body without them starting to shake.

And, of course, I couldn’t stop there. I went ahead and came up with exercises like this for the ENTIRE body.

The Verdict:

A definite winner! This training technique has tremendous potential for increasing strength and muscle mass fast. I train with this technique regularly and, let me tell you, I KNOW there’s a difference in how these exercises affect muscle growth and strength compared to standard exercises.

If you’re interested in checking out a bicep exercise using this technique, check out this article:

Cable-Barbell Curls – “Hybrid Training” For Incredible Biceps!

Cable-Barbell Curls



And if you’re interested in learning more about the rest of these “Hybrid” exercises I mentioned, check out my book “Hybrid Training.”

Fat Loss



It has ALL the exercises I’ve come up with using this technique, covering the ENTIRE body. This is POWERFUL stuff.

CONCLUSION:

These five things I mentioned are only scratching the surface of ALL the unconventional things I’ve done in the past 17 years.

If nothing else, I hope you take away from this information a whole new appreciation for learning and experimentation! Besides the physical results you get from pushing your body to the limits, it turns loose the creativity within you and makes training fun!

Robert asked:


Burn fat build muscle are the twin goals that keep dedicated bodybuilders focused. The major purpose of doing strenuous gym work in the first place is to improve the condition of the body, and reducing the amount of fat you are carrying, and improving your muscle bulk and tone are important parts of this. You still need to understand the theories behind this to effectively burn fat and build muscle.

Tip 1

Don’t overlook cardio. It is a vital part of the twin goal of burn fat build muscle. When you develop a regular lifting routine, you will probably end up with an increased food intake. This is helpful in maintaining a strong and muscular body, but if your goals are to achieve health and definition as well, you need to do cardio to get rid of excess carbs and fat. You can do this by simple running or skipping.

Tip 2

One often overlooked method to help you burn fat/build muscle is to occasionally lift different amounts of weight. The fundamental principle is still to lift the largest weight possible without inducing strain, but an occasional lessening of the weight can have a different kind of benefit. If you lift lighter weights weekly you will be exercising different parts of the muscle. Doing a lot of reps with less weight will burn off a lot of fat, and give your muscles a better tone and appearance.

Tip 3

One of the most effective ways to burn fat – build muscle simultaneously is to make use of circuit training. You won’t find this at every health and fitness establishment, but take advantage of it if you do have access. If you have a running track, and weight lifting equipment in the center, you can keep switching from one to the other. Start by running, and then move in to the center and lift weights, and keep repeating the routine. You will find this extremely exhausting, but it will help you burn fat/build muscle together, and if used properly, will get you into the best condition possible.

Tip 4

It is incredible how often this last tip is overlooked even by people who are deadly serious about bodybuilding. Take care over the make up of your daily food intake, and you will see a dramatic improvement in your results. Taking in less fat will give you less to burn off, and increased protein will help muscles repair and build following work. Burn fat + Build muscle = less work, and I’m sure you would like faster progress with less strain!

Working out effectively will always produce better results than blindly lifting weights, so take on board the advice in this article and burn fat and build muscle. Check out the links below for some more great tips, and good luck!



Does The Truth About Abs Program Really Work?

Robert Kamau asked:


How can a beginner aspiring body builder teen shake off some weight by changing fat into muscle in the shortest time? You need to transform that body and abdominal fat into pure muscle by using the natural methods. Otherwise using body building enhancement drugs and supplements will only make you regret after the side effects kick in.

To change unwanted body fat into muscle is one of the easiest thing if you have access to some of the secrets to bodybuilding that most don’t.

Most beginners in bodybuilding move too fast than their bodies and end up altering their body’s metabolism.

Unfortunately our metabolism has a way of hitting back at us if we tried to fool it. Usually this comes when people reach a plateau where they neither gain nor lose any more fat. They just stagnate and stop.

Others actually reverse their gains and add up more weight and fat than they started out with in the first place.

You need to take care therefore. Learn how your own metabolism works and work with it. Don’t try to cheat it. That’s what supplements and enhancement drugs do to you.

Heck, some even have side effects that cause depression like we have seen cases of several WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) wrestlers.

Allow me to share with you one of the most respected programs made by a fellow bodybuilder after years of experimenting.

The ‘Burn the fat, Feed the Muscle’ by Tom Venturo is a very popular program available as an ebook that has step-to-step guide to effective weight loss, body fat conversion to muscle and important secrets to body building.

Tom has been an instructor for 25 years and has tested the exact same program that he recommends to you.

Why should you trust my word? Actually don’t. Let him Tom say why you should, him. He is not talking about things in the air. No.

This guy has a BSc. In Exercise Science, is a certified fitness instructor with several institutions, is accredited to at least a dozen American professional fitness associations, has won 2nd place in Mr. Natural America and North America besides many other accomplishments.

I don’t know about you but this guy sound like the kind of guy I would take advice on body building from, especially if you are a beginner or just hit the flat fat plateau.



Here’s Five Training Mistakes You Can Correct Now!

Tom Ladow asked:


not muscle

When we go on a diet, we sometimes forget to take into account if we burn the muscles along with the fat out of our bodies. This method is wrong because we should shed off a few pounds without losing the muscles and strength we need to function normally.

In order to burn fat and not muscle, we can start by eating fruits and vegetables instead of the usual bread, pasta and rice. However, we shouldn’t completely eliminate carbohydrate-rich foods in our diet because they are still good sources of energy. The reason why fruits and vegetables should be consumed more is that the body uses them to function so they don’t get stuck in the body and turn into fat. As for the carbs, we could still eat them as long as they are in small portions.

Don’t just drink water. Drink eight to ten glasses of clean, purified water. There are different kinds of water nowadays- alkaline, purified, filtered, purified and mineral. They all have varied health benefits but in the end, they help us burn fat and not muscle. Water also keeps us hydrated and energized that we won’t even feel the need of caffeinated drinks like sodas and other carbonated drinks, which are large sources of calories, in our systems.

Resistance training helps build endurance and resilience of the body. This training involves weight lifting on top of your normal workout. Add resistance training to your normal workout. These two are a great combination because the workout is for burning fat, while the resistance training is for building muscles.

Shawn Lebrun asked:


Resistance training is the best long-term tool for losing fat and building muscle.

The more lean muscle tissue you have, the more calories you burn at rest and on the move. The more muscle tissue you possess, the more energy your body will require to maintain that muscle.

It gets that needed energy from burning and utilizing calories. And again, the more calories you burn, the more likely fat loss to occur.

Muscle is a very metabolically active tissue. It takes a lot of work for your body to maintain it. Fat, on the other hand, takes no work to maintain. It just sits there, lumped together like, well, fat.

This is an important concept in weight loss because the more lean muscle tissue you can build, the more calories that will be burned off, without you having to do any extra work. Your muscle will burn off more calories 24/7 than if you didn’t have that extra lean muscle.

This makes the case for why weight training, also known as resistance training, is so important to include in any weight loss program. Simply because if you can add a couple pounds of lean muscle to your frame, you’re going to burn off more calories, even while sleeping, than if you didn’t have that extra muscle.

The more calories you burn off at rest, the more likely that the calories burned off during exercise will create a calorie deficit in your body. A calorie deficit is a must for weight loss to occur.

Remember how weight gain occurs from consuming more calories than your body burns off during the day. Since there is no deficit of calories, your body does not have to dip into stored body fat to get energy. In fact, due to the surplus, it stores the extra calories as body fat.

If you create a calorie deficit, meaning, your body has used all of the energy from calories it has received from food and it still needs more (like to support muscle tissue) it is going to go after your fat stores to get that energy.

Fat is a highly condensed form of energy. So, when your body starts taking fat from fat stores to use as energy, that is how weight loss occurs.

Weight training may benefit any weight loss program, possibly more than any other component.

Weight training can be a future investment for permanent weight loss and weight maintenance because as you continue to lose stored body fat and gain lean muscle, your muscle will continue to aid in the calorie burning process.

As there becomes less stored body fat to use as energy, the muscle tissue will start to directly utilize the calories you consume on a daily basis.

Since there is now more muscle tissue than there is fat to utilize calories, chances of storing any excess calories as body fat is greatly reduced.

Resistance training may offer the most benefit of all to women past the age of menopause. It can help prevent or reverse the effects of osteoporosis by strengthening and maintaining bone density often lost by diet alone. So how much resistance training is necessary for long-term weight loss to be successful and to increase your lean muscle and strength? Not as much as you would probably think.

In fact, any more weight/resistance training than 2 to 3 hours a week may be counterproductive.

The best results I have witnessed while in the personal training field come from 3 sessions a week with weights, less than an hour each session.

Most people like the Monday, Wednesday, Friday approach to weight training. This leaves Tuesday and Thursday for cardio, which should be done separately from weight training.

Keep your weight training routine simple. It is more productive to focus effectively on a few tasks (exercises) than it is to work out with less intensity on many different ones.

On each set, try to progressively add a little more weight each time. Keep records of your weight lifts so you can try to outdo (progress) each and every workout!

Again, for the many weight loss and weight management benefits of weight training to occur, you do not have to stay for hours in the gym.

Give yourself 2 hours a week to do some form of resistance training.

If you cannot make it to a gym, invest in a pair of weight-adjustable dumbbells purchased from a nearby department store that you can use at home.

In fact, for less than the cost of a 3 month gym membership, you could probably purchase a great home gym set up with a couple pairs of dumbbells and maybe a bench and mat.

If that is even not within budget, simply lift what you have around the house, like water jugs (full, of course) or soup cans, or rocks from the garden.

Resistance is resistance and having your body progressively lift heavier weight will force it to become stronger and adapt to this demand placed upon it.

When you force your body to adapt to this resistance, it does so by creating new muscle tissue growth to handle the weight.

With this new tissue growth comes a new need for energy to maintain this muscle tissue. That is when stored fat is used and burned off.

That’s why weight training is the best tool for losing fat and building muscle.



Get Six Pack Abs Fast!