How to get a Six-Pack in Time for Spring Break

Spring break’s coming up, and that means no school, warm weather, and shirtless people! Do you want to take your spring break to the next level? Try showing everyone how fit you really are with a six-pack! Ah yes, a six-pack: something most want but few actually have.

If you’re like me, you’ve tried over and over again to get those little guys to show, but no matter how much you fast and exercise, it just doesn’t seem to help. However, all hope is not lost. The following guidelines may be exactly what you need to be beach-ready for Spring Break!

In order for you abdominal muscles to show, you need to remove the layer of fat sitting on top of them. Everyone has abs, else you wouldn’t be able to stand right now. The key is to coax them into revealing themselves to the rest of the world.

Credits flickr/Melanie-m

The biggest mistake people make in trying to get a six-pack is that they focus on the exercise and ignore the diet.

The equation for a six-pack is 70% diet and 30% exercise. Some people even go so far as to say that it is an 80%-20% relationship.

Since diet is the biggest part of the equation, let’s start with that first AND keep it simple. I know I’ve given up many times before all because of the complex mumbo-jumbo that people tell you you’re supposed to eat, and when. Keeping it simple is the key to success.

Things you should eat:

Fruits: Such as apples, blueberries, and bananas. However stay away from “heavy” fruits such as mangos and pineapples.

Lean Protein: Lots and lots of lean proteins, such as chicken and fish. Just look at the nutrition label and make sure they are relatively low in fats (especially saturated fats), while high in grams of protein.

Veggies: Eat tons and tons of veggies – period. Try to make these not only the majority of your meals, but the majority of  your snacks as well.

Warning: Stay away from carbs. If you only consume limited carbs, you  will lose a ton of weight. Absolutely zero carbs after 4 or 5 in the afternoon is essential, since you’re usually not very active after this time of day.

No Sweets: Just stay away, don’t do it – no no no no no. When I say “sweets” I really mean just empty sugars like soda and candy bars.

Water: Drink a ton of water. More than eight glasses a day if possible. Also, drinking a big glass of water before a meal will help cut down on your appetite so you don’t find yourself getting carried away at the dinner table.

Breakfast should be your biggest meal of the day, and as the day goes on, each subsequent meal should get smaller and smaller. Preferably you should consume about 6 “meals” a day, so you can keep your metabolism going and your body well-fed.

If you can keep a strict diet, you will lose the layer of fat on your stomach. Now, you’re also going to want strong ab muscles so they will look and feel more defined on your body, which will ultimately help you reach your goal faster.

In the department of exercising, here’s what you want to do:

Strength Training: You want your ab muscles to grow, and just like any of you other muscles, this is done through strength training – low reps, heavy weights. Put a dumbbell or any other form of weight behind your head and keep it there as you sit up (preferably at an incline). You can also put weight on your back while doing planks. Anything that you do that works your abs, just make sure there is added weight – the more the better so long as you can do at least a couple sets of 6-8 reps.

Cardio: Getting your heart rate up is essential in order to shed those pounds. However, gone is the day where running for an hour on a treadmill is considered the right thing to do. DO NOT DO THIS. That last sentence may have you leaping for joy, and I know I certainly was. What you need to do is HIIT.

HIIT, or high intensity interval training, is all about getting your heart rate up and slowing it down again repeatedly. The idea behind this is, that by raising your heart rate to over 85% its max, your EPOC levels rise substantially, which directly results in a greater amount of calories burned both during the workout and after you have finished.

HIIT raises your EPOC levels to about 14%, while long-distance running only does about 7% in the same amount of time. Therefor, you only have to do HIIT for 30 minutes in order to equal 1 hour of distance running. Pretty cool right? On top of that, the level of which HIIT raises your EPOC level is enough to where it will cause your body to burn weight all day long. Are you sitting at your desk doing nothing? Nope, you are actually losing calories.

You want to know if HIIT actually works? Well, go look at an Olympic sprinter. Pretty cut, huh? Now go look at an Olympic marathoner. There’s your proof. The sprinter utilizes HIIT training while the marathoner runs long distances, keeping his muscles from getting big due to all the running he does.

The way to do HIIT is as follows:

Step 1. 5 minute warm up jog

Step 2. 30 second sprint (maximum effort), followed by a 30 second jog. (This can be toned down to 30sec/1min rest for beginners or increased to something as insane as 20sec/10sec rest for those really trying to push themselves).

Step 3. Do Step 2 6-10 times.

Step 4. 5 minute cool down jog

You will know if you’re doing it right because you will feel like puking. If you don’t feel terrible, you need to lessen your rest time.

Once you are done, you will also want to consume a huge breakfast, since this type of training completely drains your body of nutrients. Seriously, go and pig out (but keep it healthy!).

Also as a side note: you should do your cardio in the morning before you eat, since it is believed this will target the fat in you body and help to get rid of it faster. If you opt to do HIIT, only perform it 2-3 times a week since it really will drain you. I actually fell asleep in my linguistics class last Thursday after performing one of theses HIIT sessions.

Another thing to keep in mind: you should eat at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight when doing these exercises in order to maintain your muscle mass. So if you weigh 150 pounds, you should consume 150 grams of protein throughout the day.

Well there you have it; the route to a six-pack. Just work at it. Within no time, if you’re diligent and keep to the diet and exercise plan, you’ll walk around all day with your shirt off, touching your six hard-earned trophies. Until then, good luck and see you at the beach!