Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Beach Ready Abs

A question I hear a lot is "Tim, how did you get such amazing abs? Can I touch them?" Joking! No, what I hear is... "what are the best exercises I can do to get a 6 pack?" My answer, most the time I tell them (in a very careful, friendly manner) that they probably already have amazing abs, they're just covered by a layer of fat (see I have to be careful how I word it, as even lean people may not have a visible 6 pack, and I don't want them in any way to think they're fat). 


In this case you need to decrease your overall body fat percentage and in time you will reveal a beach ready set of abs! Of course it's always a good idea to do ab and core exercises as strength in this area helps perform other training lifts and intervals and also prevents injuries by strengthening all the stabilising muscles for every movement, especially the spine and pelvis.

So, whats the best way to get a Peter Andre 6 pack? Lose overall body fat and strengthen the ab/core muscles.








----------TRAINING----------

To lose the body fat a combination of HIIT (high intensity interval training) plus weight training is your staple workout plan. 4-5 days per week (depending on your experience level) performing an intense session of either aerobic running/cycling/swimming/rowing etc and also weight training sessions comprising of relatively heavy lift will have you burning through your fat stores and boosting your metabolism. This doesn't have to be on the same day, and it's even best if it's not, as long as on 4-5 days per week you are performing a HIIT session.

----------DIET-----------

This must be combined with a clean, healthy diet. Restricting as much as possible refined sugars, unhealthy fats (vegetable oils, fried foods, fast food) and carefully restricting your carbohydrate intake, along with eating plenty of quality protein with each meal, will see you with ample energy throughout the day along with the vital protein needed for recovery and muscle building. Healthy fats found in most nuts, fish and avacados etc are also vital for proper functioning of many of the bodies systems, so don't think all fats are bad... the right fats are essential!

OK we've discussed HIIT and touched on diet (msg me to discuss in more detail) now we can talk about ab exercises so that when you do lose that stubborn layer of fat you will reveal abs you'd only ever dreamed about.

----------AB EXERCISES---------

2-3 times per week include 2-4 ab exercises at the end or in the middle of your other weights sessions. I usually do them at the end or during my recoveries of other upper or lower body exercises. My favorites revolve mostly around medicine ball throws/twists, full sit-ups and plank holds.

Here's a sample of a session I might do:

Full sit-ups with a twist - 2 x 40reps with 1 minute recovery.
Med ball v twists - 2 x 60, 1 min recovery.
Med ball throws to a partner - 2 x 20, 1 min recovery.
Plank hold - 2 x 90 seconds, 3 min recovery.

Image: V-twist with a medicine ball.



Of course feel free to create your own session. This is just one of many that I have done recently. 

Stick with a plan similar to this and in no time you'll be looking like these guys:


Haha, just kidding... you won't need the fence!

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