Your Steps to Six Pack Abs

Many of us aspire to having flat "six pack" abs (abdominal muscles), and while this is definitely achievable, it is not easy. Generally a diet and exercise plan must be followed for around three months before any meaningful results are seen.




Nutrition is a hugely important factor as if a person has well developed abdominal muscles yet is overweight the muscles will not be seen beneath the layer of fat. Nutritionists recommend eating five or six small meals a day rather than three large ones as this leads to a faster metabolic rate. It is also recommended that highly processed foods are cut out of the diet - so white bread and pasta, fizzy drinks, sugar, fast food, saturated fat and so forth. Items to include in the diet are oatmeal, unsaturated fats/oils (olive oil is very good), whole grain breads, lean meat and fish, fruit, vegetables, nuts, eggs and of course a lot of water.



It is important to establish an exercise regime, the ideal is to work out three or four times per week. A mixture of cardiovascular exercise (such as running or cycling for example), weightlifting and specific abdominal muscle exercises should be used. The cardiovascular exercise should be something enjoyable for the individual, something that they can easily fit into their lifestyle - walking to work instead of taking the bus for example. Ideally this exercise should last for half an hour or more and be taken at least twice per week.



Weight lifting is hugely important because this builds up the muscle in the body, and muscle burns calories more quickly than fat thus increasing the metabolic rate. Again, an exercise period of thirty minutes or so at least twice a week is recommended. Different exercises build different body parts, and for anyone who is unsure the there are lots of websites with the information you need on them.



As for specific abdominal muscle exercise, this should be carried out at least three times per week. There are a lot of different exercises that can be tried, the important thing is to find a few that you enjoy, that work for you, and then to switch between these.



It is advisable to vary the exercise regime every couple of weeks or so as this will improve the results. Anyone who sticks to this plan for three months or so will see a decent improvement in the definition of their six packs. It requires real effort but most people would say it is definitely worth it.



Richard has worked in the health industry for over 4 years now and loves to write about health. Richard also has a website dedicated to looking at ab workouts for women on his bodybuilding website at:

http://bodybuildingwarrior.org



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Johnstonn