Now, there is a lot of talk about whether you can make your 6 pack become an 8 pack and if that’s true whether or not you’re better off having 8 pack abs. Those might be legitimate questions but my only question is this- Why the heck does it matter? 6 packs look just as great as 8 packs. The bottom line is most people just want a flat, toned stomach. We all have abdominal muscles that can be built to show through if we do what it takes. There are a lot of gismos out there that will promise flat abs, but in reality you don’t need any of them. There are some simple things you can do at home to get 8 pack abs, or 6 pack abs, whatever floats your boat. Here are 8 tips to help:
- If you have some extra belly fat you’re going to have to lose it to get 8 pack abs to show throw. But don’t just focus on stomach exercises. There is no such thing as spot reduction when talking about weight loss. Don’t get caught thinking that if you do crunches, twists, and sit-ups all day that the fat around your abs is going to disappear. It won’t unless you implement a comprehensive exercise routine. Work your whole body and DO SOME CARDIO! So many studies have proved that doing cardio between 30 minutes and an hour will burn a lot of fat.
- Realize it will take some time to get results. Unfortunately for men, the abdominals are one of the first places for fat to accumulate and one the last places to lose it. If it took five or ten years to lose your nice abs, it might take six months to a year to get them back. There are no quick fixes when it comes to 6 or 8 pack abs, despite what those Saturday morning infomercials tell us.
- Focus on quality over quantity. It’s better to do 10-15 really good crunches than to do 50 really crappy ones. There are a ton of different movements, lifts, and twists that target your abs, but if you just know how to do a good crunch all of these different exercises will come much more naturally and be much more effective. For a good crunch lay on your back with your knees bent and heels about 1 to 2 feet from your butt. Cross your arms and place your hands on your shoulders. Now, you’ll notice a small space between your lower back and the floor. Close this space by flexing your stomach, and once it is closed lift your upper body toward the ceiling, NOT toward your knees. Go up about 30 degrees and SLOWLY lower your upper body back down, keeping that space between your spine and floor closed. There you have it.
- Want a great 8 pack abs workout? Check out Cathy Fredrick’s Core Max exercise video. It will kick your butt. Then, if that’s not enough for you, try P90X Ab Ripper X. These are the best two abs workouts that I have come across.
- Your abdominal muscles respond best to high resistance, low repetition exercises. If you’re doing more than 40-50 crunches at a time, increase your resistance and decrease your reps. You can do this by holding a dumbbell or free weight above or against your chest, or by extending your arms straight above your head while crunching.
- Buy a Swiss ball and convert your abs 8 pack routine to a Swiss ball routine. The Swiss ball will add range of motion that will enable full flexion and extension, increasing the resistance to your workouts. A very good source of information and demos for this is ridgelinefitness.com.
- Evaluate and change your diet. More simply put, eat less and eat better. This is one of the more important things on how to get 8 pack abs. Change the carbs you eat to low glycemic index carbs and make your proteins more lean. A great principle my wife loves and uses a lot for our meals is make half of your plate fruits and/or vegetables. Simple changes to your diet can make a big difference in the long run. But don’t think that just by exercising your stomach you’ll make it flat. You’ll actually make the muscles bigger, stronger, and more defined with the stomach exercises. But with a healthy diet and frequent aerobic exercise those great abs will show through.
- Straighten up. Literally. Work on your posture. So many of us slouch while we sit and walk around. Just straightening your posture could make you look like you’ve lost a couple of pounds and tightened up your mid-section. This may sound stupid, but nevertheless, it’s true.