What does it take to have visible abs? Simplest explanation is your body fat percentage needs to be below 10%, how pronounced your six pack is depends on the muscular development. We all have a six pack, the problem is that it is buried under our stored layer of fat. Nature has designed us to have a fuel tank in case fuel/food is not available immediately, this has served us well over thousands of years and has allowed our species to survive.
As our species has advanced through the centuries, food became more and more available. Advances in farming and refrigeration have allowed us access to food whenever we feel like eating. The need for fat storage to be used as energy for hunting and gathering is no longer necessary. As a result we eat a lot and eat often. Our bodies have not adjusted to this new way of living. Remember it took thousands of years to get here so when we think fat loss we need to think back to our hunter and gatherer programming.
There are lots of diets out there, fads come and go. One thing I have learned is that no matter what diet you choose you will always need to consider the calories as the number one priority. Basically it’s the old CALORIES IN CALORIES OUT. No matter what anyone tells you, when it comes to fat loss, having less calories per day then burning is the ONLY way to loose fat. As we also want to keep or build muscle while losing fat there needs to be a caloric deficit but also high protein intake.
Step 1: To achieve a six pack abs we need to bring our body fat percentage below 10%, this is very hard to do and that is why only a very small percentage of population have a visible six pack. Good news is if you can achieve a six pack you will stand out. There are a lot of big guys with big muscles around, but if you look closer there are very few that have a body fat % below 10%. So if you get below the magic 10% you will look ripped. Now who wants to be a skinny guy with noodle arms, we want to be muscular! We want people to say, that dude is athletic. So step 1 is deciding you want to be in that elite six pack club. Now set a goal to bring your bf below 10%
Step 2: Set a Plan with realistic mile stones, for example 2lbs/1kg weight loss per week (This is what my goal was on the way to a six pack). Or check your body fat and set let’s say 0.5% per week or 1% per month. The bigger you are the more weight and BF% you will drop to start with. The closer you get to your goal the slower your progress will get.
Step 3: Diet! This is the most important aspect of six pack abs. Those infomercials that say, do this machine and you will get a six pack are a load of bull. Only by going under 10% will you see a six pack. So as we are building/keeping muscle our diet needs to be high in protein, meat and fish of any kind. Sugar needs to be completely cut, this is your biggest enemy. Soft drinks, cookies and any sugary treats are not to be consumed, same goes for alcoholic drinks. Next on the list are products with flour such as pasta and bread. Followed by starchy foods such as rice and potatoes. So what you need to eat is meat/fish, vegetables and salads. If you must put in carbs make healthy choices, no junk such as French fries, just a boiled potato or a bowl of brown rice. In the start you will find it very hard and you will get cravings like crazy, even headaches as your body craves sugar, studies have shown that sugar can be as addictive as cocaine. This will pass if you stick to it, 3-4 weeks is what I find it takes for my body to adjust to the low carb high protein diet. After that the cravings subside and will see the weight drop which will provide further motivation. There are lots of diets out there such as the Keto diet which I have tried but found it a bit too restrictive. I prefer to have lots of meat and veggies with the occasional fruits, nuts, carbs or even sweets. You will fall off the wagon at some point, if you screw up a meal or two a week you can recover. Just don't make it a pattern, but if you screw a day or two per week you are really sabotaging yourself and you need to reassess your goals. You need a strong focus, discipline and the sheer will to plough ahead, no matter what obstacles you hit on the way. I recommend you get the Fitness Pall App which is free and log in all your meals. This will keep you accountable and on track. I have found this app extremely useful. It's a pain at first but as you input your meals it becomes quick and easy over time. More on the diet in the diet plan.
Step 4: Weight Training. You need to get into a gym, do body weight exercises at home or get a dumbbell set. So you need to dedicate 45min 4-5 days per week to weight training, this is non-negotiable. You cannot build a muscular physique without resistance training. There should be no excuse. Usually there is the old I have no time, that is bs. Wake up an hour earlier and bam! You have more time. Exercises should be performed with maximum intensity and focus. No looking at the phone at all! Go to the Muscle Gain Program for exercise advice.
Step 5: Cardio. If you want to drop the fat faster you need to burn more energy. Remember energy in energy out. When I find myself stagnating in the fat loss I add a bit of cardio. So I do my 45min intense weight session and follow up with a 15min cardio session. Yes only 15min which is enough, I hate jogging like an idiot for an hour, I do H.I.I.T training "High Intensity Interval Training" this will get your heart rate going up and down. HIIT burns more calories and some research suggests that the body continues to burn calories after the exercise has ended.
Step 6: Reward yourself. It's an awesome feeling to see your body transform, you see more and more definition, more muscles starting to show. I like to take pictures so I can see the progress, it's hard to see dramatic differences day to day but if you take a photo every week or month you will be able to see the positive changes. Treat yourself to some nice new clothes, take a trip, get a cool new haircut. You have worked hard and you deserve some sort of reward.
Step 7: Negative Influences. Unfortunately we live in a society that is full of selfish jealous assholes. We all have negative people around us, they often criticise others because they themselves have insecurities and it makes them feel better when they put you down. So don't be surprised if those closest to you start to make negative comments about what you are doing. Sometimes the people closest to you will try to tear you down, you have to realise what you are about to do will make a lot of people around you feel uncomfortable. Why? What you are doing is positive right? Wrong, by you making dramatic positive changes in your life you start to shine a light onto those around you. They don't want to look at you and say "Hey if he can do it so can I". That is the hard road, it's much easier to tear you down then to build themselves up. It forces the negative Nancies to look at their own lives and bodies. They prefer to feel superior to you and don't like the fact that you have found strength. What can we do about those people? Well it's very hard but you have cut them off. It's harder if it's a family member or a spouse. My best friend criticised me behind my back, ruined relationships with my girlfriends, always treated me as if he was better, although it was obvious to me that he was jealous over many facets of my life. I cut him off completely and have never looked back. So that was a friend you say, but what about a family member? Well my father was always putting me down just like my friend and at one point I also had to cut him off. It was very hard and has remained so, but it is the only way you will achieve your goals and find happiness. Once I cut the negativity incredible things started happening, I found love and created a family of my own, I achieved my fitness goals along with a six pack, I reached tremendous heights in the sport of basketball, I built a successful business and have created financial comfort. So if you want success then you too must make the hard choices.
So my friends this is the six pack program in the simplest possible way I could explain it. Goal, planning, dedication, work, reward, success. In that order.
Why listen to me? From what I now see there are more gurus and YouTube stars then you can poke a stick at. But most of these guys have a life that revolves around their physique. So they are a bodybuilder, personal trainer, nutritionist, yoga teacher etc... While their advice works in their universe it does not work in the real world. I'm just "Everyman", I'm like you. I work lots, I change nappies, I cook and clean, I look after my family. In other words I'm a bloody busy man. Yet in this busy life, I make time to train and have cleaned up my diet to achieve a muscular ripped physique. All this at the age of 42.
I'm sure if you took the time to read the six pack program you want to know what my training is. Well I do 45min of weights 5 days per week, some weeks I do 15min of HIIT cardio if I want to speed up the fat loss or if I plateau. Sometimes I surf if the conditions align with my busy schedule, probably around one time per week. Diet is high protein and veggies with no sugar and minimal carbs. I have been doing Intermittent Fasting and for me it really is life changing. I only eat between 1-9pm which is an 8 hour window. I control my calories to create a caloric deficit. I tried this diet as I like to experiment and it has had surprising benefits. I'm always sceptical but I have noticed my focus in the morning before I eat at 1pm has been awesome, it has really helped me in my business. I'm a lot more switched on. Weight training surprisingly has not suffered, I have very good strength and have continued to gain muscle and increase weight lifted. So, weights, bit of cardio, high protein low carb diet, intermittent fasting. This is what has worked for me and due to the unexpected benefits I think I will continue this eating pattern forever.