How to Get Six Pack Abs in 12 Months
Six pack abs not only look great, but they also are a sign of good health. No matter what the infomercials tell you, you can only get six pack abs through proper diet and exercise. That doesn't mean you have to live at the gym and eat rabbit food. You can get six pack abs in 12 months by making simple changes done on a consistent basis. Here's the best way to get six pack abs in 12 months.
Instructions
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Six Pack Abs in 12 Months
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Burn the fat. Some people have six pack abs but you can't see them because of belly fat. You can get rid of fat only by burning it through cardio activities done three to five days a week for at least 30 minutes at a time. The good news is there are tons of great fun cardio things you can do. The best ones that also help strengthen ab muscles are tennis, running and rowing. If you're not quite ready for those, walking, hiking and bike riding are also great cardio exercises.
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Tone the abs. The cardio burns the fat that covers the ab muscles, but you need to strengthen the abs to get the sculpted six pack look. Because you have several ab muscle groups (rectus abdominis -- six pack, external obliques, internal obliques and transverse), you need a variety of ab exercises to strengthen them as well keep it interesting. Let's face it--crunches get old pretty quickly. Starting out, stick with basic crunch exercises, but as soon as possible move to more challenging ab exercises such as leg lifts, planks, hollow hold and bicycles. To make it interesting, consider taking yoga or Pilates classes, which use many core muscles. Or add equipment such as a stability ball.
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Eat right. Eating right isn't just about losing fat, but also making sure your body is getting the nutrients it needs to build six pack muscles. This means a diet of lean proteins, complex carbs (for fiber), fruits and vegetables. Sugar and refined flours should be eliminated as much as possible because they are too quickly turned into fat. Healthy fats such as olive oil are fine and in fact needed as long as they are eaten in moderation.
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Tips & Warnings
Fitness shouldn't focus only on your heart, lungs and abs. Include a total body sculpt session or choose ab workouts that also work other parts of the body, such as pushups and squats. Some cardio workouts such as rowing and the elliptical trainer (with handles) build muscle as well as burn fat.
Having strong abs but a weak back can lead to back problems. So be sure to include back strengthening exercises to your ab workout such as superman, opposite arm and leg reach, and cat to camel pose (on all fours, drop belly toward the floor arching the back, then slowly push the belly up, rounding the back toward the ceiling).
