The secret to healthy youthful looking skin lies in the food you eat, which
will keep you looking younger than your years!  Obviously avoiding nicotine
and excessive sunlight will help but dermatologist, Dr. Nicholas Perricone
says, “the wrong food choices cause inflammation down to the cellular level.
And while you can’t see it, that inflammation leads directly to wrinkling,
sagging, and premature aging.”

Here are the 5 Super Foods to eat to prevent that from happening:

1.  WILD SALMON

Astaxanthin is the pigment that makes the fish pink and powerfully
helps fight against free radicals. These are molecules that damage cell
membranes and DNA and cause skin to age.  A study found that eating
one serving every five days can prevent actinic keratoses.  Those ugly rough
patches that are precancerous.

2.  SWEET POTATOES

Beta-carotene, which makes these potatoes orange helps balance your
skins PH, combat dryness, and promotes cellular turnover, which all
results in smoother skin.

3.  TOMATOES

Lycopene, the tomatoes red pigment, is a potent antioxidant that shields skin
from sun damage, like sunscreen, but from the inside out.  To best absorb
lycopene eat tomatoes with olive oil.  This is one of my favorite sides with
lamb chops or fillet Mignon, giving you the protein, healthy fats and nutrient
dense carbs, creating a great meal following the Rapidly Ripped Eating Strategy!

4.  CITRUS FRUITS

Vitamin C is essential to building collagen, a vital component to young
looking skin, which starts breaking down in your twenties.  Bioflavonoids, which protect skin from UV rays and help prevent cell death are also found in citrus fruits.

5.  LEAFY GREENS

Lutein, which is found in spinach, kale and other greens, helps protect skin from sun-induced inflammation and wrinkles.

Bonus Tip to Prevent Wrinkles:

Stay away from white foods!  Here is another reason to avoid white breads, pasta, rice and other refined grain products – they’re quickly broken down to the ultimate white food: SUGAR!  Once in the blood stream, sugar bonds with protein and creates advanced glycation end products, which cause collagen to become inflamed and stiff, leading to wrinkles!

These five and many more anti-aging foods as well as the best fat burning foods, are all part of the Rapidly Ripped Program, which not only will help you get lean, ripped and muscular, but will also help you to continue to “improve with age!”

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

Question:  How much protein do you need and how much protein can your body efficiently handle in each meal?

Answer:  Well it really depends on a lot of variables.  However, as a general rule of thumb, for the regular exerciser who is active and working out (with both resistance training and cardio) 3-6 days a week and wants to build a muscular, ripped physique, I have always used the formula that I have read and researched throughout the years that states to go for 1 gram or protein for every pound of body weight!

So if you are 180 pounds you would consume 180 grams of protein per day and even up to 1.5 grams per pound of body weight if you want to build and add muscle to your frame.  I have used this formula for years and the results are obvious and it will work for you as well.

Now you may be thinking well that makes sense but if I am eating 5-6 small balance meals a day, how many grams of protein can my body handle most efficiently in each meal so that the protein goes toward building lean muscle and is not getting stored as body fat?

Well, the body cannot use more than about ¼ gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per meal to build lean quality muscle tissue.  In other words, a 180 pound male does not need to exceed 45 grams of protein per meal, and a 120 pound woman does not need to exceed 30 grams of protein per meal to maximize their muscle-building potential.  Keep in mind that consuming more than this per meal will not hurt your muscle building potential; it just won’t improve it.

So if you are 180 pounds and are consuming 5-6 small balanced meals per day, nicely balanced between protein and complex carbohydrates, as stated in my  nutrition and exercise e-book, Rapidly Ripped – The Ultimate Fat Burning System for Life,  your protein requirement for each meal should be around 30 grams but not more than 45 grams.  This will place you in an anabolic state and keep you in a positive nitrogen balance, allowing you to optimally utilize the protein in each meal most efficiently, so that it works on building and maintaining lean ripped muscle and not getting stored as body 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

Having won the 2004 overall Body-for Life Challenge and continuing to sustain the program while improving with age, I was excited to share some of my fitness success strategies with their employees.  The topic was one I felt passionate about and was entitled:  Keep it Up!  Life After the Challenge.   

Like any exercise or diet program that you follow for a prescribed number of weeks, after it is over, the real question becomes, what’s next?  So now that you lost some weight, gained some lean muscle mass, got in better shape, fit into those jeans you always wanted to squeeze into, now what? How do you maintain the results or better yet, continue to improve with age?  How do you stay motivated to keep it up and how do you keep it going for Life?

Although I gave a 60 minute presentation on this topic, I’ll give you the short version.  Basically, you have only three choices to make after you finish a Challenge or any exercise program.

1.  You could revert back to your “before” shape.
2.  You could maintain your accomplishments or results or
3.  You drive forward with new goals and continue to improve!

Unfortunately, some revert to slowly eating their way back to their “before” status. If this is allowed to happen, then Body-for-LIFE is reduced to nothing more than just another “diet”.

In order to make Body-for-LIFE a lasting and successful lifestyle, you must commit to the 80/20  rule. In other words, it’s what you do “right” most of the time, for a period of time that matters most. Straying from the Program occasionally won’t make a major difference in your overall level of fitness. However, straying from the Program most of the time will surely result in negative impacts on your health and fitness.  So, which 80/20 rule do you follow?  Do you do the “right” things 80% of the time or the “wrong” things 80% of the time?

This brings me to my new program Rapidly Ripped-The Ultimate Fat Burning System for Life!  I would hope you realize that the Rapidly Ripped Program is more than just an eight week program, it’s a lifestyle!  It is simply marketed as an eight week program to help kick start you moving in the right direction to achieving your goals.  Don’t get me wrong you will achieve outstanding results in eight weeks; you will lose body fat, get lean and muscular and feel great, but then what?

There is no better approach to nutrition, training, and health then thinking of fitness as a way of life, a lifestyle!  Programs and goals are just stepping stones; the Rapidly Ripped lifestyle program is a continuous journey of self-improvement and self-discovery!  So enjoy it, have fun with it, live it, love it and learn it…

If the only plans you make were to complete the eight week program to getting lean and ripped or for looking good for your beach vacation in 30 days, what is going to keep you going after that?  Even 5, 10 or 20 year goals have an ending point.  What than?  That’s were VISION comes into play.  A vision is the big picture of what you want for your body and your health, but unlike a goal, a vision has no end point.  You do not arrive there or get it, you live it!

My vision is to be a health and fitness role model to my family, kids and friends, and inspire thousands of people to achieve there health and fitness goals with my fitness success story as I continue to “improve with age”!

Vision, the never-ending pursuit of new goals and personal improvement will be the driving forces that inspire, motivate, and energize you for the rest of your life!

What’s your vision?

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 our final installment I will discuss what the right amount and the right combinations of food should be in each meal following the Rapidly Ripped Eating Strategy – to turn you into a fat burning machine!

The great thing about the Rapidly Ripped Eating Strategy is how simple it is to create a balanced Rapidly Ripped Meal.  And the other great thing is we do not count calories or weigh food but instead pay attention to portions and the right combinations of food.

So what is the right portion and right combinations to follow on the Rapidly Ripped Eating Program?

Here is how simple it is to create a Rapidly Ripped Meal:

1. First off look at your plate and divide it into thirds.  Then…
2. Choose a portion of lean protein the size of your Palm, such as chicken breast, lean ground turkey meat, lean red meat or fish.
3. Choose a portion of complex carbohydrate the size of your clenched fist, such as sweet potato, yam, brown rice or whole wheat pasta.
4. Add a portion of vegetables to at least 2 of your meals each day, such as broccoli, spinach, asparagus, brosal sprouts, zucchini, lettuce, tomato etc.
5. Consume one table spoon of unsaturated fat daily or three portions of salmon each week.  Examples are avocados, nuts and seeds, olive oil, natural almond, sunflower or cashew butter, flax seed oil etc.

So there you have it!  Eating the right food, in the right portion sizes and in the right combination, which means making sure you include protein and complex carbohydrates in each meal.   This not only reduces your cravings, but helps feed your muscles by providing both the amino acids from proteins together with carbohydrates, which help shunt the protein into the cells to helps build quality muscle.

Scientific studies and research have confirmed that combining and balancing protein and carbs in each meal stabilizes blood sugar and insulin and tended to decrease body fat, cholesterol and offers you greater feelings of energy and lower level of fatigue.  In another scientific study it was also shown that  people who eat a balance of protein and carbs have better digestion and absorption of nutrients and a higher thermogenic or fat-burning effect from each meal.  And in addition, studies show that meals balanced in protein, carbs and essential fats help you control your appetite and experience less food cravings.  What more can you ask for from an eating plan?

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

Eating six small balanced meals per day trains your brain that it is “never really hungry” due to the constant stretch on the upper stomach that comes with this kind of regular eating.  See when your upper stomach gets stretched your stomach feels full and it then sends a signal to your brain that you are full and you feel satisfied.  The appetite satisfaction that you get from the protein rich meals balanced with good Carbs on the Rapidly Ripped Eating program, last about 2-1/2 – 3 hours!  In addition, since you are eating every 3 hours on the Rapidly Ripped Eating program, you basically don’t have time to develop those deep hunger cravings that messes up just about any eating plan and just when your stomach is beginning to growl and feeling hungry it is time for your next meal.

With this type of eating strategy you are training your brain that there is no time to really ever feel hungry.  Your brain and body are cared for and its nutrient needs are being met.  This is why the six meal eating strategy you will learn in the complete Rapidly Ripped Fat Burning System for Life severely decreases and in some cases eliminates food cravings!

When you follow a DIET you are depriving yourself of food and starving your body but on the Rapidly Ripped Eating plan you are feeding and nourishing your body every 3 hours, six times a day so when do you have time to feel hungry and when do you fit in cheating?  Constantly stretching your stomach TRICKS your brain into feeling full most of the time.  When you begin the program you will be amazed that you are never really hungry and you feel like you are always eating.  You may even feel like you want to skip a meal because you are always satisfied and may even feel full-but Don’t!  Remember, skipping meals will only begin to slow down your metabolism and place you back into a fat storing mode tricking your body into thinking it is approaching famine or starvation mode and will hold onto the FAT!

Eating six meals a day creates a “metabolic environment” that supports your energy and muscle metabolism, while helping you burn bodyfat.  Study after scientific study has shown this to be so and a recent published report in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition cites that people who ate six times a day had a faster metabolism rate than those who ate just three meals daily.  The study showed eating meals frequently throughout the day every 3 hours, like we promote on the Rapidly Ripped Eating Strategy, allows you to burn fat more efficiently!

In part 3, I will discuss what the right amount and the right combinations of food should be in each meal – to turn you into a fat burning machine!

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

If you are still eating according to the old school, traditional “three meals per day” and have a tendency to gain weight, all your body sees is that it is starving between meals and is a formula for metabolic disaster!

Let’s take a look at the traditional meal schedule and why following this eating strategy will keep you from losing fat and in a fat storing mode instead of a fat burning one:

7 a.m. Breakfast
(next you have 5 hours between breakfast and lunch)
Noon Lunch
(next you have 7 hours between lunch and dinner)
7 p.m. Dinner
(now you have 12 hours between dinner and your next  breakfast!)

Anyone with weight issues is usually metabolically inefficient and reads this eating schedule as “Oh my God, I am starving between most of my meals and I am getting NO FOOD for 12 hours!  HOLD ONTO THE FAT!  We may need it for survival, especially since we do not know when we will be getting another meal after the 12 hour fast!”

This is a bad signal for your body to get, so the TRICK is to create an internal environment of nutrients in your body that gives it the “GREEN LIGHT” to let go of the FAT and keep your metabolism revved up as it is meant to be!  Now when your brain and muscle cells are fed good nutrients, consisting mostly of PROTEIN and some “good” CARBS in each meal, and you are eating frequently 5-6 meals throughout the day, you are giving your body a signal that you are not STARVING and able to survive without holding on to the FAT!

Have you ever wondered how those really “ripped” body builders or fitness models get so ripped?  Well speaking from experience and competing in numerous bodybuilding and fitness contests throughout the years, I can tell you the TRICK is eating around the clock, every 3 hours and sometimes even as many as 6-8 small meals throughout the day and evening hours too.  Sometimes waking up at 1-2 am and having a protein shake or a bowl of cottage cheese then at 5 a.m. for another protein shake or a few hard boiled eggs whites.  What happens when you eat this way is your body becomes tricked into thinking that it does not need to hold onto ANY FAT!  So the constant intake of the right foods, in the right combinations as I discuss in my e-book, Rapidly Ripped – The Ultimate Fat Burning System for Life, is one of the critical strategies to the process of releasing FAT and getting your body into a fat burning mode!  This is why the very low calorie/starvation diets don’t work and slow down your ability to lose fat much sooner than you like.  And by the way, since you are depriving yourself and eating less as opposed to eating more often, they are a miserable experience as well.

In part 2, I will discuss how eating 5-6 meals a day trains your brain to never feel hungry again, eliminate food cravings, why never to skip meals and what the right amount of food in each meal should be – to turn you into a fat burning machine!

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

There are a number or benefits that come with being in top condition and owning and sporting a ripped, chiseled physique or shapely, toned figure.  There of course are the obvious ones like increased levels of energy, confidence, higher self-esteem, strength, improved athletic performance, etc.

But anyone who has labored long and hard to sculpt, shape and tone their muscles has experienced one truly awe inspiring and outstanding benefit-

Going shirtless or sporting your favorite bikini with a sense of pride and confidence!

With the summer approaching most men and women are forced to reveal their bodies regardless of the shape they are in and an overwhelming majority are out of shape.  Generally those in this category are carrying excess fat around their belly, love handles, hips, thighs, butt and chest.

All eyes male and female take notice of the select few; the elite, those who refuse to accept mediocrity:

• That truly rare breed of man with the V-tapered back, strong shoulders, sculpted arms, and rock hard chiseled abs

• That diamond in the rough vixen with shapely legs, hips and butt

Being admired, gazed at and checked out under such circumstances is a privilege earned.

And why not?  Looks do count in today’s society.  What do most people do for big events in their lives – job interviews, auditions, re-unions and marriages?  They are usually interested in losing weight and getting into great shape.

Whether you like it or not, how you look influences and impacts those doing the viewing.  Great faces and good looks are born but great bodies and superior health are made!  There are no excuses for being obese or out of shape.

We are a product of the lifestyle we live and we have the power to take control of our life and not let circumstances control us.  It all begins with deciding to take action on the right healthy lifestyle choices.

With the Rapidly Ripped Complete Fat Burning System for Life, we outline the most effective yet simple eating and nutrition strategies. We structure time- saving cardio programs and a fat burning resistance training routine to help get you ripped.

This summer you will stride with pride under the sun as you sport your new physique or figure!

The Rapidly Ripped Fat Burning workout DVD is a 55 minute full body, circuit training workout designed to work all the major muscles on your body, working from larger muscle groups to smaller.  It focuses on exercises that shape your hips, thighs and butt; sculpt a powerful chest and V- tapered back and chisel broad strong shoulders and arms.

If six pack washboard abs is what you’re after, the Rapidly Ripped Abdominal Routine will surely make your abs shine!

The program uses dumbbells and your own body weight as resistance and can be performed in the privacy of your own home!  We put together the most effective fat burning exercises that will help get you to your goal.  And you still have a few months before summer to get yourself into beach body shape.

You will be surprised how fast you can transform your body once you get into the right mind-set, and are armed with the right nutrition and exercise information you will learn from the program.

I had one client who lost 21 pounds in the first 8 weeks and I am certain you will see similar results on the program, when you apply the proven fitness and nutrition strategies that are outlined.   And once you do, you will not only improve your body but your life as well!

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 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

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