How To Create An Effective 6 Pack Workout
Saturday, July 18th, 2009Ask anyone you know or anyone you meet out and about, what they think of the looks of a well toned body and a perfect set of 6 pack abs, and you usually will be met with an initial blank look, then the eyes glaze over, and then a small smile as the drool works its way down the chin. Yes, no doubt about it, having a good set of well developed abs is the ultimate challenge for most people that are into fitness and toning up their bodies, and that challenge can be met head-on if you have a well planned 6 pack workout that will accomplish that for you.
When you hear the expression “abs” or 6 pack abs, the speaker is referring to the sets of muscle groups that surround the abdominal area of the human body and control the motion for that part of the body. There are several groups of muscles found in this area and each group has a defined function of its own as well as working hand in hand with the other muscle groups too. One of the main muscle groups is known as the rectus abdominus, or to the man on the street as the 6 pack; the transverse abdominal muscle; and the obliques, which are made up of two working sets of opposing muscles; the external obliques and the internal obliques.
In order to have a good 6 pack workout that will play up the functions of these individual muscle groups, you must understand what they all do and how your workout can incorporate that into the exercises you choose. The transverse abdominal muscle is the workhorse of the groups and circles the area much like a belt, and helps to hold in your insides; the obliques are found on the sides of the abdomen and are both internal and external because they aid in the twisting and rotation of the body; and the rectus abdominus (6 pack) is located between the ribs and the pelvic bone and is concerned with the motion of the midsection of the body.
There are all kinds of exercises to develop firm, flat abs and usually the first ones to come to mind are the crunches. These are recommended by most fitness experts as a much safer and more effective 6 pack workout than situps because of the danger of hurting the back with situps. Then there are leg lifts, static holds (to train your core), the bicycle maneuver, and twists mainly for the obliques.
So now you have an idea of what is out there as far as exercises, but read any book or treatise on the subject of a 6 pack workout, and you will find that everyone recommends incorporating a good eating plan along with the workout regimen to get the desired results and make the entire world envious of your midsection. One works along with the other and you can’t exclude either regimen from the plan or you won’t succeed. The eating part of the plan has to be low fat and well balanced, because it is plain old fat that is masking those fabulous abs lying dormant there and that fat must be burned off; and you have to have the correct exercises to go along with the eating plan so you keep your metabolism running at a good pace. The exercises that have over time found to be the most effective in developing good abs are weightlifting and cardiovascular exercises practiced together. But studies have shown that the best results are obtained when the weightlifting is done first and then the cardiovascular. You wouldn’t think it would matter which was done first, but it does; the weightlifting goes after carbohydrates as an energy source, and when it’s time for the cardiovascular routine, your body has almost no energy reserve left, so guess what it zeroes in on to get that energy—that’s right, the fat you have stored here and there, and now the fat is getting burned.
If you want to have the most effective 6 pack workout you can possibly put together, then you must keep in mind the following items that are imperative if you want it to work for you: Eat breakfast (this is a groaner for a lot of people), Keep your metabolism steady, Eat smaller meals and eat more often, Eat more fiber, Drink more water—you can substitute tea if you want, just don’t add sugar to it. The tea is almost a pure water source, and it will boost your metabolism as well. And don’t forget the exercise routine that is focused on your middle body.
Remember, to lose a pound of fat per week, you must have a 500 calorie deficit per day; so keep that in mind when you are wanting to lose body fat and develop an effective 6 pack workout that will make your midsection the envy of the civilized world. It will take a goodly amount of effort and a lot of focus with sacrifice mixed in; but the results, when you see people swoon as they see you and your fabulous 6 pack abs, will definitely be worth the trouble.