Category Exercise

When you work on your arms through a dumbbell workout,  there’s a major reason behind it, and no, it has nothing to do with wanting to be able to lift objects that are absolutely heavy – although, of course, that comes as a very agreeable side-effect to having muscular arms.

Dumbbell arm exercises can give that to you.

No argument about that.

But the thing is, for most guys, arm workouts are done to look more attractive. Becoming strong is secondary. That’s because well-developed arms speak of power and strength, endurance and reliability.

Think of long haul truck drivers and lumberjacks. Don’t their muscular arms make you feel that their having physically taxing jobs is more than compensated for by gaining the kind of physique that some of them have?

Now, look at your own arms.

What comes to mind when you see them?

Well, the great news is, you don’t have to drive around cross-country hauling an 18 wheeler. Nor do you have to be like Paul Bunyan swinging your axe all around the country to get the kind of arms that you want! These dumbbell arm exercises can help you achieve your arm development goals right in your own home.

Well-developed forearms make women regard men as competent and knight-ish. It’s a no-brainer. Guys who have muscular arms can defend women more easily when she is under attack. Guys with muscular arms can help women move heavy objects around more easily. To hunt, work, provide, take care of; It’s in our human genes and more capable is more desirable without question.

Wait. Does this mean that a dumbbell workout is only good for men?

Of course not. Dumbbell exercises, in particular dumbbell arm exercises, are also important to women, because no woman in her right mind enjoys having arms that are flabby and… jiggly.

Flabby, jiggling arms are a turn-off. They make the owner of those arms look old and uncaring about how she looks. When a woman does not care about how she looks, what are the chances that other people will care?

Women who don’t have flabby arms, or “bat-wings” as they are sometimes called, are seen as more desirable by most men. The reason being that flab on the arms, jiggling this way and that, can remind men of older women that are off-limits to them in terms of romantic intimacy… you know, like their mother, or their aunts. (Let’s not go there, okay?)

Of course, nothing great happens overnight (unless you win the lotto, which is another story), so you would need to really put in some dedication into your dumbbell workout. But it will be worth it, you’ll see. More chances for men or women hooking up with hotties – can someone really be foolish enough to pass those up?

Focusing on the Arms

Why should you focus on your arms? Here are several very practical reasons:

1. Our arms are designed in such a way as to be utilitarian. They don’t just hang around like some limp appendages. Arms are used for lifting, for carrying, for moving things about, for writing, for painting, for using technology… the list can go on and on. Therefore, the stronger and more developed your arms are, the more efficient they will be in carrying out such activities.
2. When you develop your arms, say through a variety of dumbbell exercises, such as dumbbell curls, dumbbell bicep exercises, or a dumbbell hammer curl, you actually prepare your upper body or trunk to get chiseled. This is because you can’t do any serious weight lifting or even ab crunching if you have weak and undeveloped arms to begin with.
3. Doing a dumbbell workout is very, very helpful to boosting your confidence, such that you can go on to perform harder tasks related to bodybuilding. No one turns into a weightlifter overnight. You need to start with simpler, lighter things. Seated dumbbell curls, dumbbell tricep exercises, and dumbbell kickbacks, among other dumbbell exercises, can lead the way towards lifting heavier weights, once your arm muscles have gotten used to the initial lifting stages. In short, lift something not so heavy at the start, then progress on to bigger and grander things.

Doing the Dumbbell Arm Exercises

Let me go ahead and point out to you which parts of the body would benefit from certain dumbbell arm exercises:

• Dumbbell curls – these are great for developing the biceps or upper arm, the lower arm, and the upper and outer forearm. They are also beneficial to the front shoulders or deltoids, the upper shoulders, the upper back, the rear of the neck, the inner forearm, and the wrist flexors.

Example of Dumbbell Curls:

• Incline dumbbell curl – also known as the dumbbell incline curl, this exercise targets the front of the arms or the biceps. Affected muscles include the lower biceps or sides of the arms, the upper and outer forearm, the front shoulders, the inner forearm and the hand flexors. Doing this exercise repeatedly can give you a strong grip.

Example of Incline Dumbbell Curls:

• Dumbbell hammer curl – this targets the upper-outer forearm. Muscles that are developed secondarily include the lower biceps, the front of the arms, the front of the shoulders, the upper shoulders, the upper back, the rear of the neck, the inner forearm, the hand flexors, and the outer or back forearms.

Example of Dumbbell Hammer Curls:

• Dumbbell kickbacks – these target the triceps. Perfect for ladies who want to do away with the jiggling Jell-O at the back of their arms. Also developed are the rear shoulders, the middle and outer back, the upper back, the middle back, the outer forearm, and the wrist flexors.

Example of Dumbbell Kickbacks:

With the exercise videos which are part of this article, you will find step by step directions on the best method and style for performing the dumbbell arm exercises, and these include specific instructions for chiseling your arms through dumbbell bicep exercises and dumbbell tricep exercises (aka tricep dumbbell exercises).

Conditioning the Body and the Mind With Dumbbell Arm Exercises

The good thing about doing arm workouts is that you not only condition your arms and the rest of your body, you also condition the way you think, which is actually more important.

Working out lets the mind see things from a different perspective. When you start working out, even if it’s only your arms at first, your mind will tell you to avoid eating the pig-out foods that you may have been fond of (sweets, fried foods, junk food, etc.) because it is counter-productive to what you are trying to achieve.

That’s why when you do dumbbell exercises to tone your arms, or build more muscle mass, you also learn to gradually develop an abiding fondness for exercise. That means, you won’t be backing off at the thought of doing cardio workouts, or lifting heavier weights, or even doing calisthenics because you have already experienced the benefits that come from doing something as simple as dumbbell arm exercises.

In the next article I’ll be discussing Dumbbell Back Exercises so keep on reading!

Remember, you can always go to MyFitnessNut.com (top of the page), subscribe to the My Fitness Nut Newsletter and get the full set of “follow-along” dumbbell workout videos. Included are the dumbbell arm exercises videos mentioned earlier so there’s no cost to help you get your arms in the best shape of your life.

Ready for a Complete Set of Dumbbell Workout Exercises That Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great?

Are you being shallow when you think hard about how much work you need to do to keep your body in good shape?

Well, maybe you’re not. Not from a practical point of view anyway.

Being shallow is when you spend a fortune on unnecessary plastic surgery, on body tanning and spa works, on having your hair permed or straightened or whatever, but never once paying attention to the condition of your body.

Yes, it happens.

Use a Dumbbell Workout Routine to Shape Up Your Looks

But what’s all the fuss about looking good, anyway? Why is it important for people to look good?

People don’t strive to be attractive, or to look physically fit out of a misplaced sense of narcissism. I mean, come on. Who looks at the mirror and admires himself or herself the whole day? Even if you are a great fan of “selfies,” you can’t possibly be spending all your time just admiring yourself because there are so many other things to do!

So, again, what’s behind this “need” to have a good looking body, that stems from an overall need to look fit and attractive?

Energetic and Enjoying Life

There are those who will say that beauty is simply skin-deep, and that it’s the inner you that matters.

And that’s true. After all, people age, youth fades, and the urge to just relax at the beach and drink piña coladas while watching the surf go in and out does hit sometime, late in life.

But that’s the key – “late in life.” When you are in the prime of your life, you don’t want to slink away to be tired before your time. You want to be energetic, you want to enjoy life, you want to have the benefits of being attractive anytime, anywhere.

Here are some great benefits to looking good by being physically fit:

1. You get access to higher income – I kid you not. This is a fact. According to the highly esteemed Wall Street Journal, people who are attractive can not only make interviewers regard them pleasantly, they are also the ones who get hired much quicker, and they are the ones who can produce the biggest sales.

On top of that, Daniel Hamermesh, Professor of Economics at the University of Texas in Austin, goes on to say that based on his research, “attractive people are likely to earn an average of 3% to 4% more than a person with below-average looks.”

Earning more in these tough economic times is a great incentive to embark on a “get fit, get muscular, remove flab and jiggle” program, which is what a dumbbell workout can do for you.

2. You become an inspiration to your spouse or significant other who may be a couch potato, a tub of lard, or a beanpole — Whether or not you met your partner already in that condition is not the issue here. The issue, as ever, is – are either of you satisfied with the way things stand? Unless either of you has a flabby stomach or pencil-stick legs fetish, I’d say maybe not.

3. You get to save some serious cash from disability, life, and health insurance — You can use that cash for something else, like maybe a deposit towards a new car or just as additional savings.

4. And let’s not forget our friends, the feel-good hormones and neurotransmitters — Serotonin, dopamine, adrenaline, and endorphins – can’t say enough good things about these guys that get released every time we work out. When you are working hard to get buff, you won’t need to get an artificial high from cigarettes, alcohol, or other substances because the feel-good hormones and neurotransmitter can make you feel more awesome and happier than ever before.

So, if you want to begin a total transformation and lead a healthy life, get rid of depression, stay focused, and be strong – start your dumbbell workout now.

Remember, start from little things and move up and onward. A structured dumbbell workout today, like the one we will provide you, can lead to better health and more strength in the future.

Take some time to browse the MyFitnessNut.com website and specifically the section on Dumbbells. When you subscribe to the My Fitness Nut Newsletter (form at top of home page) we’ll even give you a complete collection of 52 Dumbbell Exercises and dumbbell workout routines that you can start using and learning from right away.

Through the following set of dumbbell exercise articles, we hope to help you achieve a fit and developed body. To help you get the most out of doing your dumbbell exercise routine you will find separate sections outlining each muscle group that you’ll want to concentrate on for a total dumbbell workout.

The best way to start your dumbbell workout program is to read the articles (below) and watch the videos (above) for each section that’s related to the article you just read. When you’re certain about what to do and your ability to do it, begin your dumbbell workout routine.

• Dumbbell Arm Exercises
• Dumbbell Back Exercises
• Dumbbell Chest Exercises
• Dumbbell Leg Exercises
• Dumbbell Shoulder Exercises

Go ahead and browse through these articles so that you’ll be equipped with the knowledge to perform these dumbbell workout exercises in the most effective way possible.

Here’s to better health and a trimmer YOU!

Every year women spend upwards of 10 million+ dollars on products created to fight cellulite. New products, creams, miracle cures and other weird contraptions flood the market constantly. All fighting for a slice of the very profitable pie.

Yet, there is not a single product on the market that works effectively or shows permanent results. Slick marketing, compensated ‘testimonials’ and other tactics that prey on women’s emotions, are all used to sell these products.

Almost all the products are a waste of time or money and in most cases, both.

The truth is that cellulite is just fat. That’s it. Not accumulated toxins, poor circulation, damaged fatty tissues or any other nonsense that is so often spouted by the companies that sell anti-cellulite products.

You Banish Cellulite the Same Way You Banish Fat

Since cellulite is just normal fat, it can be eradicated just like normal fat. The same rules apply. No need for special creams or massages to get rid of cellulite. Exercise, a healthy diet and a close eye on your body fat percentage will do more for your cellulite than any cream or massage ever could.

If you were to tell certain woman that resistance training is more beneficial than cellulite creams, she’d probably think that you lost your marbles. Yet, this is the hard truth.

Fat can only be burnt off with exercise. You cannot melt fat with creams and you definitely cannot massage fat away.

If Only It Were That Easy to Banish Cellulite

Of course to lose weight, you will need to watch your diet closely and engage in cardio sessions on a frequent basis. In this article, we will take a closer look at resistance training.

Most women feel that weight training or resistance training is only for men. Again, this is fallacy. Women will benefit greatly from resistance training.

You will not get big and bulky by doing resistance training. Even men struggle to gain muscle. Resistance training will give you a lean and toned body. You will have firm thighs and a nice, perky butt. Toned muscles will give your thighs and legs a taut appearance and cellulite will be less visible.

Good Example of Resistance Training Exercises to Banish Cellulite

Examples of resistance training are squats, lunges, dead-lifts, snatches, leg presses, etc. You may wish to focus more on resistance training for the lower body to increase the lean muscle mass in your lower body. Most women are prone to storing fat in the lower body and cellulite most frequently occurs on the thighs and butt.

When you engage in resistance training, your body composition will change. While your body fat decreases, your lean muscle will increase. So, even though the numbers on the weighing scale don’t change, the appearance of your body will. Your weight may be the same but you will look smaller and more toned. That’s because muscle is denser than fat.

The more lean muscle you have, the more calories you will burn on a daily basis. That means the chances of your body storing fat are much lower. Since cellulite is just stored fat, you will not see it returning anytime soon, unless you start slacking on your diet and training of course.

Two resistance training programs that will give you a good workout for both your upper and that all important lower body are Dumbbell workouts and the Kettlebell workouts. Both provide resistance where you can start out low and work your way up as you see, and get fit.

Resistance training is one of the key components to banish cellulite so start now by making it a part of your daily workouts and you will see and feel the difference in a matter of weeks.

The thighs are a very cellulite prone area. The majority of women who have cellulite often have it on their thighs and buttocks.

There are 2 reasons for this. Firstly, the skin inn these areas are much thinner than in other parts of the body. Secondly, women tend to store fat on the thighs, hips and butt.

With men, it’s mostly the belly.

Since cellulite is nothing more than fat, the same rules of fat loss apply to cellulite too. The problem here is that you cannot spot reduce. What that means is that you can’t specifically reduce fat in one spot. In this example, it’s the thighs.

Your Body Chooses How and When it Burns Cellulite

Your body will choose to burn fat in a way that only it understands. Usually the places where you gain weight last will be the first to lose the weight. So, if after gaining fat on your thighs, legs and buttocks and finally your face starts getting rounder – that means when you embark on your exercise program, the first place you will lose fat in will be your face. This is the reason why you may see people lose weight on their face and still have some way to go with the rest of their body.

Cellulite Removal Takes Patience

In this case, you will need to have patience before you can remove the cellulite from your thighs. Once your body starts burning fat in all the different places, it will slowly start burning off the cellulite on your thighs.

You need to persist until this happens. If you give up too early, you may have lost weight on your face and arms but the cellulite on your thighs will still be intact.

Watch your diet closely too. Avoid fattening foods especially those high in carbs. Avoid white flour products, sugary foods and any food that has a high GI. Avoid blood sugar spikes and you will minimize your chances of gaining fat.

Good Exercises for Burning Cellulite on Your Thighs

The exercises most perfected for losing weight will be a combination of cardio and weight training together. Your cardio should focus on your lower body. Running, spinning, stair climbing, skipping are awesome forms of cardio.

Kettlebell exercises provide an excellent workout to burn body fat. You want to perform them at high intensity. You should be panting and sweating profusely. It will not be fun however, 20 to 30 minutes of hard cardio with the Kettlebell 4 to 5 times a week will make you a fat burning machine.

Your metabolic rate will go up and you will be burning fat round the clock. Your thighs, butt and calves will be lean and toned. Your body will be the envy of other women. You do not have to worry about looking like a bodybuilder because that is generally very hard to make happen. Men themselves struggle to gain muscle mass.

What you will get is a body that is lean and taut with cellulite appearance being minimal to non-existent.

Dead-lifts, lunges, squats, leg presses are all excellent exercises to tone the legs and reduce cellulite appearance. If you wish, you may even join a kickboxing class. All the kicks and squats will tone your body and improve your stamina.

The possibilities are endless. As long as you are exercising regularly, eating well and staying the course, you will burn off the cellulite on your thighs slowly but surely. Keep on keeping on. That’s the key to success.

Why Do My Abs Not Bulge Like a Bodybuilder’s Abs?

If you’re asking this question, then you probably already can see your abs and they are not as prominent as you want them to be. If you still can’t see your abs, you have no business worrying about this and should be busier getting your fat percentage down to 10 percent or below.

There are two kinds of looks that guys go for. The lean six pack look that Brad Pitt had in the movie Fight Club or the hard, bulging abs that professional bodybuilders have.

The difference between the two is the amount of work involved. If your diet is fantastic and your workouts great, you will attain a six pack that is lean and flat just like Brad Pitt’s. No problem at all. Most guys are able to achieve this if they stay the course.

However, to achieve the bulging look, you will have to give special attention to your abs workouts and your training must be targeted. It is best to only start targeted training once you already have a lean six pack. There is no point hitting your abs hard if you can’t even see them because of the layer of fat on your belly.

When Lean Six Pack Abs Are Not Enough

Targeted training involves working the abs with weights. You will need to do sit ups with weight plates, hanging leg raises with ankle weights, cable pull downs, medicine ball drills for the abs, etc. There are many exercises designed to hit the abs and hit them hard.

You will also need to consume adequate amounts of protein so that you will be at a slight calorie surplus. Yes, you may put on a teeny bit of weight but that’s ok. Hopefully, it will be lean muscle.

The goal of bulging abs involves bodybuilding. It is no longer about shredding the fat off and getting a lean look. Bodybuilding is a whole different game. You will need to work abs on specific days. You will need to keep an eye on your sets and reps. Of course; your nutritional intake will play a huge role.

Protein Shakes Can Compliment Your Muscle Building Goals

You may wish to invest in protein shakes and muscle building supplements to speed things up a little. The protein will help you repair and rebuild your muscles when consumed in regards to your workout schedule. Creatine can make your abs look more full and defined but some people question its use while others praise it.

We must also be aware that the bodybuilding scene is rife with steroid use and many builders also use human growth hormones (HGH) to get results that a normal person will just never see if they are not on steroids. So, it would be wise not to compare yourself with these guys.

I’d never advocate steroids under any circumstances. Some people may say that steroids can be taken safely in the right doses. My answer to this hot topic is that if it is not found naturally, it does not belong in your body.

You can build a great body naturally and have beautiful abs if you work out right and eat right. Just remember that as great as getting a ripped six pack of abs is, your overall health is what matters in the end.

Learn More about Fitness Nutrition and Developing Bulging Six Pack Abs

To help you create the six-pack abs that you’d be proud to show off, get a free subscription to the My Fitness Nut Newsletter at http://MyFitnessNut.com and receive a full body workout video series to help get you into shape fast. Get yours now while we’re still giving them away.

Having six pack abs is the dream of many a guy…

Alas, the ability to take off the shirt and wow the girls is a fantasy is a dream come true.

Every year millions of dollars are spent on eBooks, paperbacks, gym memberships, weird ab contraptions sold on the late night infomercials, etc. The goal is the elusive six pack abs that so many want but so few achieve.

What You Need To Do For Six Pack Abs

The answer is simple. You need to watch what you eat, work out often and maintain a calorie deficit. It is that simple! So why do so many people fail?

Execution is the answer my friend, execution. The difficulty is executing the simple concepts stated above. It requires immense determination, dedication, patience and the ability to sacrifice small pleasures in life for the greater goal.

The first and most important step is to get your nutrition under control. Your diet needs to be clean and wholesome. This is so difficult to achieve that most guys never get past this step.

For Six Pack Abs Gaining Control over Your Diet is Top Priority

It’s not easy to give up the habit of eating whatever you desire and maintain an ever watchful eye over every morsel you place in your mouth. People with six packs watch their diets with an eagle eye and they do it religiously. No exceptions and no slip ups. Your diet is everything.

So, you will need to do the research and find out what are the foods you should avoid. The sodas, chocolates, pizzas, fried chicken wings, etc. Even reading this may be painful but it is a sacrifice that you must make. All is not lost. You may consume all these foods once a week on your cheat day.

The strange thing is that many people slowly develop an aversion to most of this unhealthy food once they start eating clean.

For Six Pack Abs Gaining Control over Your Exercise Routine is Second Priority

The next part of your plan will be to get your workouts right. You should be exercising no less than 4 times a week. 5 would be great. You’ll need to alternate between cardio workouts and resistance training or do a workout routine that is a combination of both; think kettlebells.

Your workouts must be intense and leave you panting and sweating profusely. Even your resistance training must have very short rest periods to create an oxygen deficit. This will cause an afterburn effect where your body burns calories for hours after your workout.

You will want to include compound movements such as pull-ups, deadlifts, squats, bench presses, renegade rows and other compound lifts. Working out with kettlebells is an excellent way to lose weight. Your core will be engaged and it will be a hard yet rewarding workout.

Cardio sessions need to be high intensity too. A 20 minute hardcore session will beat a slow 60 minute jog any day. Keep thinking intensity, intensity and more intensity.

It will be painful. You may feel like giving up. The whole six pack goal may not seem worth the effort. If you feel like this, then you know you are doing things right. Just pick yourself up and keep going.

Watch videos on YouTube and the ones found here at http://MyFitnessNut.com to motivate yourself. The six pack abs you want is already there and it’s waiting for you to develop and shoe them off. You just need to go through the hard yards to attain it. Rest assured if you keep on keeping on, you will get there.

The number one mistake thousands of guys make when trying to get ripped abs is assuming that doing countless reps of crunches or other ab exercises is going to get them ripped. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Most of the ab exercises such as sit-ups, crunches and even leg raises tend to be isolation exercises. That means these exercises will tone and work the abs and only the abs. But that is a good thing right?

I’m afraid not. I’m assuming your body fat percentage is above 10 percent. If it was 10 percent or lower, you wouldn’t need to read this article. You would already have ripped abs.

Compound Exercises Burn Fat to Expose Ripped Abs Faster

In order to see your abs, you need a low body fat percentage. The best exercises to burn off the fat are compound exercises and NOT isolation exercises. Knowing the difference is key.

A bicep curl is an isolation exercise because it only works the bicep. A barbell deadlift is a compound exercise; you will work your legs, thighs, hamstrings, lower back and even your forearms. Your core muscles are not spared either. So, when 1 single exercise recruits so many muscle groups, you can bet that is a lot of work done.

Your body will burn more calories and that means more fat is burned. You may research online the different compound exercises that you can do. I’ll list a few that you can start on immediately.

• Deadlifts
• Renegade Rows
• Snatches
• Pull-ups
• Squats
• Bench Presses
• Mountain Climbers
• Kettlebell Training
• Dumbbell Training

These are some of the top exercises I’d strongly recommend learning. When doing them, you need to aim for a weight that will allow you to do about 10 to 12 reps. Combine the different exercises and do 3 sets in total.

Keep you rest time between exercises and sets minimal. I’d suggest a 15 to 20 seconds rest between exercises and a 2 minute rest between sets. Your goal is to complete the workout as fast as possible while maintaining good form for each exercise.

Intensity in Your Workout is Crucial to Reveal Ripped Abs

This will ensure intensity in your workout which is so crucial in burning fats. Keep your workout to about 20 – 45 minutes depending on the exercises you choose and the shape you are in. Record your workout and the duration in a journal. Try and improve your timing each time you work out. Once you can’t improve it further, add more weight and start all over again.

You will want to change up your routine every moth or six weeks. This will keep your body guessing and you will not hit a plateau. Mix up your resistance training with cardio and work different major muscle groups on different days.

On days where you are not working with weights, go for a run or swim. Cycling, skipping and rowing are other excellent forms of cardio. The 2 most effective ones are running and skipping. They will give your body a heart pounding workout that will elevate your metabolic rate and cause an oxygen deficit. This translates to optimum fat burning. Even 30 minutes of hard cardio can make your body burn fat for hours.

You want to get the maximum benefit from your workouts. This will speed up the duration it takes to get ripped. You will be more motivated when you start seeing results. So, follow the tips above closely and you will have won half the battle.

Learn More about Fitness Nutrition and How To Reveal Ripped Abs

To help you create the six-pack abs that you’d like to call yours, get a free subscription to the My Fitness Nut Newsletter at http://MyFitnessNut.com and receive a full body workout video series to help get you into shape fast. Get yours now while we’re still giving them away.

The answer is that if you’re determined… It takes as long as required. Many men or women who wish to get a six pack always ask this question. How long will it take?

They want results fast. We live in a world of microwaves and text messages. Everything is fast and almost instant. So, it’s only normal to expect to see your six pack abs after 2 weeks of slow jogging.

But this will never ever happen unless you are already at 10 percent body fat and most people are way above that number.

Your body will burn off your excess fat slowly but surely and even then you will need to be doing the right workouts consistently and consuming a proper healthy diet.

You Can Calculate When Your Six Pack Abs Reveal Themselves…

But Not How Long It Will Take

Your body can only lose about 1 percent of your body weight per week. So, if you are 150 lbs., you can expect to lose about 1.5 lbs. per week if you are creating a daily calorie deficit of about 500 calories per day. So, if you need to lose 15 lbs. to reach a body fat percentage of 10 percent, that will take you about 10 weeks… or maybe even 3 months if your body plateaus and stops showing results for a week or two.

This happens even to the best athletes. The body decides to just stop burning the fat for some reason only it knows. You will then have to change up your workouts or your diet or go from intense cardio to long, slow cardio.

Sometimes the nervous system is under immense stress due to hard workouts constantly. The stress on your body puts it in shock and it goes into preservation mode. It holds on to whatever fat it can and you see no results on the scale.

Many people, who experience this, take a few days rest from training, or switch to lower intensity training. Basically, take things down a notch so that the body can recover and go back into fat burning mode.

So, it does take time. Nobody can give you an exact date when you will see your six pack abs. You will just have to stay the course till you reach your goal. You must be happy with small results over a longer period as long as you are seeing results, and the pounds on the scale are dropping, you will see your six pack abs.

You will need to calculate your daily calorie requirement for maintenance and the figure you need to be at to create a calorie deficit. You will also need to measure your body fat percentage. This is an important number to know because if you’re a man, you will need to get your body fat to a percentage of 10 or below. Women should aim for a body fat percentage below 20 percent. It may be difficult but it is definitely attainable.

Once you reach this level, your abs will be revealed and all the hard work will have paid off. It takes time but the best things in life usually do. That’s what makes it such an accomplishment and you will be one of the 2 percent who do have a six pack; definitely something to be proud of.

Learn More about Fitness Nutrition and Getting Six-Pack Abs

To help you create the six-pack abs that you’d be proud to call yours, get a free subscription to the My Fitness Nut Newsletter at http://MyFitnessNut.com and receive a full body workout video series to help get you into shape fast. Get yours now while we’re still giving them away.

There is a saying in bodybuilding, “Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym.” That basically means, that you will only see your abs if you watch what you eat. Is it true? Definitely! It is gospel!

You can give your best at the gym and train till your heart feels like it’s going to explode or your muscles are about to burst but if your diet is not good, all your efforts will be in vain and you will never ever see a six pack. You will be fit but you just will not have a six pack.

Why?

Because for a guy to see his six pack abs, his body fat percentage should be around 10 percent or below. Even the genetically blessed guys will have to be around 11 to 12 percent. So, every calorie you eat counts.

Stick with Six Days for Six Pack Abs

Your diet needs to be clean and healthy. You may have one cheat day a week where you go berserk and moderately stuff yourself with your favorite foods. In fact, it is highly recommended that you have 1 cheat day a week. This will motivate you, make you happier and it will boost your metabolism so that your body does not go into starvation mode.

You will want to eat single ingredient foods on the other 6 days. That means you will want to avoid processed foods such as pizza, pasta, etc. A single ingredient food would be chicken breast, broccoli, fruits, etc. It sounds cliché but it is these foods that will give you the six pack. You need the right proportion of protein, carbs and fats and they must be derived from healthy sources.

Foods That Turn Your Six Pack Abs into One Pack Abs

There are some foods that are cardinal sins to consume. Eating these will just about guarantee that you never have six pack abs. Not only do they pile on the calories but some are not even good for your body.

Avoid white flour products. Bread, pastries, cakes, etc. Avoid white rice too. These foods have a high glycemic index. What that means is that these foods will trigger an insulin response in your body. When your insulin levels spike, that is not good for fat loss. You want to maintain a steady insulin level in your body.

Avoid sodas including the diet sodas which contain aspartame. Many people have reported on the ill effects of aspartame. Nothing is proven yet but let’s err on the side of caution and just avoid them. Drink water. It is your best friend. Your body needs water to metabolize fats.

Avoid dairy products and milk. There are 2 groups of people. One who think dairy is good and the other who think it’s bad. My suggestion, stick with the water. Always.

Ice cream, candy, popcorn, pizza, pasta, peanuts, pancakes, junk food, etc. are all foods that must be kept at bay. The fact of the matter is this. You already know the foods to avoid. Deep down you know. It’s the sacrifices that make the process so difficult.

Maintain your determination and discipline with your diet and the elusive six pack will be yours in no time at all. You are what you eat.

Learn More about Fitness Nutrition and Getting Six-Pack Abs

To help you create the six-pack abs that you’d like to call yours, get a free subscription to the My Fitness Nut Newsletter at http://MyFitnessNut.com and receive a full body workout video series to help get you into shape fast. Get yours now while we’re still giving them away.

Do I Need Protein Shakes and Supplements To Get Six Pack Abs?

The muscle magazines and supplement manufacturers will have you believing that by taking the latest supplements, you will become a fat burning machine with bulging biceps, pulsating pectorals and tree trunk thighs and fully defined six pack abs. Words like ‘breakthrough discovery’, ‘scientific formula’, ‘serum’, etc. are used to hype up their claims.

So the big question is if you need to buy these costly supplements? No. That’s it. A simple no.

Six pack abs are not defined by supplements or hype. They can only be achieved with hard work, correct nutrition, determination, discipline and patience. Yes, this sounds boring when compared to the supplements’ sales pitch. It’s so boring that you know it’s true.

If you have watched documentaries of farmers or laborers in Africa slogging it out in the heat, you will notice that many of them are ripped. They have the ‘onion skin’ look. They look ripped and have abs. They are not on supplements. So how did they get abs?

Body fat percentage. That’s how. These farmers are on a diet that is low in carbs and most of them do not eat the processed junk food that we normally do. Their manual labor burns off their calories and fat stores.

Since, they have such a low body fat percentage, their six pack abs show in all their full glory. This is what you need to aim for. To bring your body fat percentage to 10 percent or below. Once you do that, by diet and exercise you will be ripped too.

Good Diet and Workouts for Six Pack Ab Success

While on your six pack abs quest, your diet will have to be clean. All your calories will need to come from wholesome, healthy foods. Your protein sources will come from tuna, chicken breast, turkey meat, etc. Your carbs will come from vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, asparagus, etc. Your fats will come from sources such as olive oil, peanut butter, etc.

You will want to avoid sodas, junk food, white bread, white rice and other foods with a high GI index.

Protein Shakes Helpful but Not Necessary to Build Six Pack Abs

While protein shakes are not necessary, if you can afford them, they will make things convenient. For example, if you need to eat some protein and you do not have the time or energy to steam or cook a chicken breast, then making a quick protein shake will deliver the same amount of protein.

They are just a quick substitute for a normal meal. These shakes are a means to an end and not an end itself. The ads will have you believing that the shakes and serums will burn your fat off and put on slabs of muscle on your body. That is not true.

Only hard training and a proper diet can give you the abs you want. The shakes are just there to make life a little simpler. There is no shake that can give you benefits that normal food can’t. The only difference is that protein powders and other supplements are more expensive.

My advice would be to get your diet and training spot on. Once you are going with the flow, then you may take your time and consider if these supplements are really necessary. Most often, your results from good training and nutrition will be so good that you will not even think about forking out money on supplements.

Learn More about Fitness and Getting Those Six Pack Abs You Really Want

To help you create the six-pack abs that you would like to call your own, get a free subscription to the My Fitness Nut Newsletter at http://MyFitnessNut.com and receive a full body workout video series to help get you into shape fast. Get yours now while we’re still giving them away.