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By: Obi Obadike
Everybody wants to know what is the secret to obtaining washboard abs. Well I am here to tell you that there is no secret but you do have to incorporate many different things to get to a point where those abs will start to appear out of hibernation. I’ve been very blessed to have been told by many important people in the fitness industry that I have some of the best abs in the world. So I am going to share with you my top ten tips on how you can get that washboard abs you’ve always wanted.
It is important to incorporate a weekly weight-training and cardio training in your routine which allow you to burn calories throughout the day and will help you reduce your body-fat to get that abs to pop out. There are so many varieties of cardiovascular exercises you can do such as sprinting, cycling, swimming, climbing the stairs, treadmill, elliptical, etc. All of these exercises work your abs indirectly while training.
Make sure to follow a balanced diet incorporating high protein and a moderate to low carbs and fat consumption diet. Your diet is one of the most integral parts of getting your body-fat low to allow your abs to appear. If you are following a bad diet it will be hard for that abs to appear unless you have a naturally fast metabolism or you have superior genetics.
Always change up your abs routine try not to stick to the same routine every week. The abs routine that I typically like to do are old fashioned sit-ups, hanging leg raises and medicine ball crunches. Your abs routine will adapt to change as opposed to regular routine. Hanging leg raises are great as they work the internal obliques, external obliques and the rectus abdominus. I typically will pick about six to 7 different abs exercises that I will rotate every week and change up.
Stay away from sugary, high-starch and salty foods. Also avoid foods that are high in fat and high in carbs. All of these things can contribute to a high amount of fat gain which will prevent that abs from appearing. It’s ok to consume sugar, salt or starch just make sure it is within moderation.
Understand the truths and myths about abs and this will allow you to train smarter. Abs are not indicative of how many sit-ups or crunches you can do, they are indicative of how lean you are. There is no such thing as spot reduction when it comes to training your abs. For a male to able to see his abs he has to be roughly at a body fat of 10 to 12 percent and under. For a female to see her abs she needs to be roughly 12 to 14 percent and under. If you can get your body-fat to those levels your abs should come out of hibernation. Remember we all have abs unfortunately some of us have to work harder than the next person to attain those abs. 1000 sit-ups a day isn’t going to make your abs just magically pop out. Getting your body-fat levels very low will allow your abs to appear.
Drinking cold water allows you to burn calories. If you’re completely hydrated your optimum fat burning rate will be at its highest. To optimize speeding up your metabolism it is essential to drink at 6 to 8 glasses of water a day. If you drink 8 full glasses of cold water per day you will burn 70 calories per day. That comes out to 2100 calories a month and it takes 3500 calories to equal a pound meaning you would lose 6 pounds every 10 months just from drinking water.
If you don’t believe you can get your abs to appear then it won’t happen. The mind is much more powerful than the physical part of the body. If you believe you can do it you will do everything necessary in your power to attain that goal. Your belief in yourself on top of a sensible diet and training plan will help you attain you fitness goals. If that goal is to get washboards abs then it will happen for you provided you do the work that is necessary to attain them.
It’s ok to have a cheat meal while eating healthy throughout the week. I would advise one cheat meal a week and use the cheat meal as a reward for eating healthy 6 days a week. Believe it or not the cheat meal will actually help increase your metabolism and it won’t really hurt you if you consume a cheat meal. Consuming one cheat meal a week will not affect your goal of obtaining washboards I can promise you that.
When training your abs make sure you are feeling the exercise. If you don’t feel the muscle contraction you probably aren’t doing the exercise right. It is important to truly feel the muscle working when you are training and applying shock to it. If you don’t feel the burn your technique is either off or you aren’t putting enough intensity in the exercise. The more you can feel the exercise the better you are completely optimizing what you are doing.
Remember that although it is important to train hard and be consistent you still have to rest your body. Some people think that the more time you spend in the gym the better your body will become. Well that is not true as that can be very counterproductive if you are in the gym too long. That would honestly put you in the category of overtraining. Your body builds muscle when it’s resting not when you are tearing down your muscles while training. Giving yourself two to three days rest after a hard week of training is a very good thing to help you attain your goal of washboard abs.
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