Archive for the ‘Abs’ Category

In Part 1 of Tips for Getting Ripped Six Pack Abs! I gave the 10 overall keys to getting ripped six pack abs which focused mainly on the exercises and mental game. In part 2 of Tips for Getting Six Pack Abs we focused on the other half of the ripped abs success equation -Proper Nutrition.

In this final article of the getting Ripped Six Pack Abs series, I will cover 4 more nutrition tips that will help you etch out those six pack abs.

A smart nutrition strategy is essential for getting those washboard abs!

4. Think More Fiber

“As an appetite suppressant, fiber is hard to beat” says Stephen P. Cullo, PH. D., president of the Institute for Health and Weight Sciences.

To reap its rewards, start or include fiber- rich foods in each meal.  Your best bets are, salads, vegetables, such as broccoli, asparagus, peas, brussel sprouts or mixed vegetables, as well as whole grain cereals, oatmeal or bran flakes.

Fiber will help keep you full longer and when you feel full you won’t over eat which will help you lose body fat.

5. Eating the Right Amount of Food

Keep your portions small for optimal utilization, assimilation and digestion. This will help ensure that no excess calories are getting stored as body fat!

Look at each plate of food and divide the plate into thirds. Fill the first third with a protein source roughly the size of your palm, the second third with a complex carbohydrate source no bigger than your fist and the third part with either a salad or some vegetables.

A sample fat burning meal may be 6 ounces of grilled chicken breast, 4-6 ounce boiled yam and spinach with some garlic and virgin olive oil for some essential fats.

Scientific studies have shown that the right fats or the essential fats, such as olive oil, actually increase the metabolism of stored body fat and decrease fat production in the body!

6.Eat on Schedule

Eat 5-6 small meals each day spaced out every two and a half to three hours. The way to maintain a high, fat burning metabolism is to feed it energy in small increments throughout the day. Eating this way will turn you into a fat burning machine which is necessary for achieving, maintaining and seeing those six pack abs!

As a general rule of thumb; eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper, while keeping your other two to three small meals around 200-250 calories.

Most studies show that overweight/fat people skip breakfast and lunch and consume upward of 75 percent of their calories in the evening.

This is not ideal when you are looking to obtain shredded six pack abs, since metabolism slows down at night making it more likely for you to store those excess calories as body fat!

7. Drink Plenty of Water

Keep hydrated for best fat loss results! Drink at least 6-10 glasses of water at day or at least one glass with each of your six meals and upward of a gallon for heavy exercisers. Water helps you feel full longer, producing less cravings and staying hydrated allows your liver to do what it does best…metabolize fat!

By Charles Damiano
Nutrition and Fitness Expert
Bestselling author of “Rapidly Ripped”
The Ultimate Fat Burning System for Life!
Body-for-Life 2004 Grand Master Champion Winner

In Part 1 of Tips for Getting Ripped Six Pack Abs! I gave the 10 overall keys to getting ripped six pack abs which focused mainly on the exercises and mental game. In part 2 of Tips for Getting Six Pack Abs we will focus on the other half of the ripped abs success equation -Proper Nutrition.

Learning how, what and when to eat is crucial if you want to sculpt a ripped physique with striated six pack abs! You can strengthen your midsection with constant exercising, but if you consume the wrong foods, in the wrong amounts and at the wrong times, you will never see results. A smart nutrition strategy is essential!

Here are some key eating strategies to get and keep you eating right in your quest for six pack abs:

1. Calories Count

Keep your calorie intake below your calorie expenditure. As a general rule of thumb, keep caloric intake around 2000 calories per day or about 10 calories for every pound of body weight you carry, but never less than 1200 calories a day, for optimal fat loss.

2. Cycle Your Total Calories Daily

Each day do your best to vary your caloric intake from 1200 on one day to 1800 the next, then back down to 1400 the third day and then you can jump back to 2000 on day four, for best fat loss results.

You get the picture! This will keep you body guessing, never feeling deprived into thinking it is in a starvation state, where it is programmed to hoard body fat instead of releasing body fat more efficiently.

This will help get you into a fat burning mode instead of a fat storing mode, which in turn will help get your body fat down and moving towards 10% so you can begin seeing your chiseled six pack!

3. Think Protein First

When planning each meal always make sure that the majority of the calories in your meal, around 40-5o percent, come from lean protein. Good sources of quality protein include: chicken, turkey, beef, fish, eggs, low fat cottage cheese and milk.

Scientific studies show that protein helps stabilize blood sugar levels when it’s consumed with carbs which contributes to a sort of ‘time-released’ energy as opposed to spikes up and down. Whey protein in particular has been shown to help stimulate the release of appetite-suppressant hormones, causing you to eat less!

Studies have demonstrated that adding whey protein to a midday snack or beverage provides stable energy and can help control food intake at the next meal. Protein also has the highest ‘thermogenic effect’ of any food. This means our metabolism gets a boost when we eat protein and as a result we burn more calories.

In summary, protein helps build muscle, requires more energy to digest-increasing calorie burn, and gives you a harder more defined look to you physique. It keeps you feeling full longer as well as keeping your insulin levels in check, which will keep fat burning enzymes turned on!

Wow! What a power food PROTEIN is for helping you get your body fat down in preparation for the unveiling of those six pack abs!

In part 3 of Tips for Getting Six Pack Abs, I will give you a few more key nutrition tips for getting ripped six pack abs! We will cover the importance of fiber, eating the right amount of food in each meal, eating at the right times and a few other Nutrition pearls of wisdom.

So check in next week for part 3 and for the complete program order now….
Rapidly Ripped, The Ultimate Fat Burning System for Life!

By Charles Damiano
Nutrition and Fitness Expert
Bestselling author of “Rapidly Ripped”
The Ultimate Fat Burning System for Life!
Body-for-Life 2004 Grand Master Champion Winner

Do you want to sculpt a tapered, razor-sharp set of six pack abs?

Well I can tell you this much; hundreds of sit-up, leg lifts and crunches done a few times a week, are not going to do it!  If you want a ripped six pack of abs, that tapered v-shape and a strong core you are after, you are going to have to learn a few things.

Before jumping right into abdominal training which I cover on the Rapidly Ripped DVD, understand this: you can crunch, twist and flex your stomach muscles all day long, but if you are not following a proper eating strategy and are not eating the right foods, you will not see great results!

As I explain in detail in Rapidly Ripped, Ultimate Fat Burning System for Life, you will never see the fruit of your efforts, your six pack abs, unless you’re eating the right foods, in the right amounts, at the right times and keeping your calorie intake below your calorie expenditure so that you place you metabolism in a fat burning mode.

This will help get you body fat percentage down to 10% or under and only then, will you truly see those razor sharp abs!

With that said, also keep in mind that the right resistance training, cardio training and choosing the best abdominal exercises that work synergistically also play a significant role in achieving those shredded six pack abs!

It takes mental toughness as well as physical exertion to develop incredibly ripped abdominal muscles, a tapered waist and tight obliques. Below are a few points that go above and beyond exercising.

10 Keys to Ripped Six Pack Abs:

1. Discipline Yourself

The midsection is one area that must be trained hard on a regular basis and can be done anywhere at any time. You can do sitting isometrics at your desk by squeezing and tensing your abs, leg lifts in bed, pull in your stomach like a vacuum when ever you get a chance etc.

Since you can work them with or without weights, at home or in the gym, there is no excuse not working your abs.

2. Break a Sweat!

Building and maintaining muscle mass through full body resistance training workouts is only part of the formula for a wash board stomach!

You must sweat and burn away the excess fat through performing HIIT cardio training workouts on an elliptical trainer, doing running drills, jumping rope, biking etc.

3. Have Patience

Unlike arms, shoulders, chest and other major muscle groups, the abs take a lot of continual effort before you start to see results.  You will strengthen your stomach with exercises from the first rep, but to see the deep cuts takes time.

Keep in mind that all men and women have abs but those that show them don’t have any fat covering them.  It can very well take a few months to see that ripped six pack, but do not get discouraged easily.

It is worth the time and effort!

4. Focus on your Posture

Maintaining proper posture is crucial for good ab development and do lots of upper and lower back exercises for good muscular balance.

5. Little Things Add Up

The abdominal exercises and routine you will be performing on the Rapidly Ripped DVD are not all there is.

Aside from the basic abdominal exercises, hold your waistline tight whenever you think about it. Take deep breaths, hold the air in momentarily and when you exhale contract the abs, when getting off a coach or chair do not use your arms to push off but instead get up using your abs.

Think and work abs anywhere at anytime and remember every little bit helps in getting great abs!

6. Be Realistic

Unless you are in your 20’s, have great genetics, and eat perfectly all the time you are not going to match the abs seen on fitness models and bodybuilders.  Strive to get the best abs you can within your limits.

7. Feel the Burn

Do not rush through repetitions simply to complete a set quickly. It is not how many reps you do but how you do each rep that is important.

Each repetition should be slow, exhaling on the exertion and you should concentrate on your abs as you feel your abdominal and/or obliques tighten.  Focus on maintaining perfect form thought out each movement.

8. Do Supersets

Abs are the best muscle to work this way because you have so many exercising options to choose from.  Whenever you train the rest of your body, simply add an abdominal set between each exercise.  This way you’ll be hitting your abs all the time.

9. Eat Right

When looking at your plate make sure it is equally divided into thirds with a quality protein, complex carbohydrate and the third part some salad with oil and vinegar or some vegetables.

Always think protein first in each meal, such as chicken, fish or lean beef with the amount no larger than you palm, and a complex carb, such as brown rice, sweet potato or yams, no larger than your fist.

Also try to keep fats not more than 25-30 percent of your total calories. To see those ripped six pack abs you will have to lose excess body fat and get your body fat percentage to 10% or under!

10. Have Some Fun

Sculpting, etching and maintaining abs is hard work, but don’t make it a chore.  You should be excited when you lose your first inch off your waist even before you start to see or feel your stomach muscles.

Take your time and as you continue to reduce your body fat you will begin to see your stomach muscles more and more. Keep in mind that you want your best six pack abs and the flattest midsection ever for LIFE, and not just for 8 weeks!

By Charles Damiano
Nutrition and Fitness Expert
Bestselling author of “Rapidly Ripped”
The Ultimate Fat Burning System for Life!
Body-for-Life 2004 Grand Master Champion Winner

The world’s most effective dieters are competitive bodybuilders.  Here are few proven bodybuilding methods to burn fat while retaining lean muscle!

1.  CUT CALORIES

Keep daily calories right at your caloric break even point or daily calorie burn.  Your caloric break even point is the number of calories needed to maintain your current body weight.  Competitive bodybuilders stay right at their caloric break-even point and then engage in high-intensity weight training and cardio to create a slight energy deficit.

BONUS TIP:  Keep a food Journal
For a week, record every bit of food you eat and include the type of food, how it was cooked, what was added, and exact amounts.  Keep track of your calories per meal and total calories for the day.  Write a sentence or two about how you feel after every meal in terms of energy, alertness, hunger etc.  Once you’ve established how many calories you’re eating each day, slash this amount by 10-15% to accelerate fat loss.

2.  ALTER FOOD SELECTION

It matters very much which foods you select to fill your calorie allotment.  Certain foods -those loaded with sugar- have a terrible effect on insulin.  However, eating protein has a positive effect on insulin while refined carbohydrates have  a detrimental effect. Sugar is the number one enemy of insulin control.  Be aware of insulin and choose you foods wisely.

BONUS TIP:  More Protein, Less “Bad” Cards
Try to eat about 1 gram of protein daily per pound of body weight.  So if you are a 180 male  and are eating six small meals a day,  each meal should contain around 30 grams of protein.  Also make sure you eat nutrient dense carbohydrates, brown rice, oatmeal, yams, vegetable etc., and limit the nutrient sparse carbs, orange juice, white bread, sugar, all processed foods etc., to avoid disrupting your insulin stores.  And be sure to include a protein source (chicken, turkey, fish, lean beef, eggs, cottage cheese etc.) and complex carb source in each meal, as suggested in the Rapidly Ripped Program.

3.  EAT OFTEN

Eat small portions often.  This multi-meal eating strategy is an irreplaceable cornerstone component of a bodybuilder’s fat slashing strategy, as explained in the Rapidly Ripped Program. For best results, spread out the consumption of your daily caloric allotment.  If your daily allotment is 2700 calories, it is better to ingest six small 450 calorie meals instead of the traditional three big 900 calorie meals.  Small frequent meals consumed every 3 hours are less daunting on your digestive system, are digested more efficiently, more nutrients get absorbed more efficiently by your body, and keeps you in a positive nitrogen balance, the ultimate anabolic state, for maintaining lean ripped muscle.

BONUS TIP:  Fit in 5-6 small meals per day

Eating frequently keeps your insulin levels consistent, thereby giving you better energy and helps you with your appetite control and fat loss. Plan for a pre- and post-workout snacks-like Myoplex Shakes, Bars or other balanced protein /carb, healthy snacks- to give you energy to work out and replenish your glycogen stores.

4.  WEIGHT TRAINING AND HIIT CARDIO ARE NOT OPTIONAL

A competitive bodybuilder runs, jogs, does elliptical work or does other types of cardio workouts.  They also lift weights, eat light, and eat often,eliminate alcohol, sugar and refined carbs and generally avoid foods that spike insulin levels.  As a result of this ultra-active lifestyle and the consistent repeated exercise combined with small, precise frequent eating, the bodybuilder develops a lightning fast metabolism and becomes a fat-burning machine!

BONUS TIP:  Fat-Burning Workouts and Eating Strategies

Order the Rapidly Ripped Program for the ultimate fat burning workout and eating strategies.

By Charles Damiano
Nutrition and Fitness Expert
Bestselling author of “Rapidly Ripped” –
The Ultimate Fat Burning System for Life!
Body-for-Life 2004 Grand Master Champion Winner