In this article, I will be giving you the exact information to get a six-pack.
It’s easier than most people realize. This method works for sure as it has been tried and tested on my online coaching clients too.
Ideally, you should have used the tips from my previous articles to reach your ideal weight. You can find out your ideal weight here – https://gympanzie.com/how-many-calories-to-lose-1kg-per-week-calculator/
You really have no business struggling with sit-ups and talking about a six-pack if you’re 10-20 kgs overweight.
Getting a six-pack requires you to first be at your ideal weight. From there, you’ll lower your bodyfat percentage till you reach the single digits.
In bodybuilding, they call it being vascular. Men will see their six-pack once they’re at 6 to 9 percent body fat.
Women will see it when they’re at 16 to 19 percent body fat.
So how do you get there?
Calories
We all have a busy lifestyle in some way!
Some of use have college, office, school or business to visit, you probably are too busy to slave away at the gym for hours. The truth is that you really do not need to.
All you need to do is follow the tips that you learned earlier to keep your body in fat-burning mode.
You must monitor your calories very closely.
You can see the calculation below.
- To see a 2-pack – (Bodyweight in pounds X 13) calories
- To see a 4-pack – Bodyweight in pounds X 12) calories
- To see a 6-pack – (Bodyweight in pounds X 11) calories
Basically, you’re taking your weight in pounds and multiplying it by the numbers shown.
So, if you weigh 160 pounds, you should be consuming no more than 2,080 calories a day till you see your 2-pack, which is your top 2 abs muscles. Then drop your calorie intake to your current weight multiplied by 11.
Note: Make sure you go progressively. Do not start off with your bodyweight and multiply it by 10 just so you can get your six-pack faster. You’ll just end up hitting a plateau and see no progress.
Training
Now that the calorie part is taken care of, you’ll need to make sure that most of your workouts are at maximum intensity. You must be gasping and struggling as you workout. Nothing but your very best!
This will create a situation known as EPOC – excess post-exercise oxygen consumption.
Once you reach this stage, your body will be in fat-burning mode for 10 to 14 hours after your workout. The fat will just melt off.
Do full-body workouts that include exercises such as:
-
- Deadlifts
-
- Pull-ups
-
- Lunges
-
- Squats
-
- Snatches
-
- Mountain climbers
-
- Burpees
-
- Bench presses
-
- Hanging leg raises
You can see my full body workout routine here – https://gympanzie.com/fat-loss-workout-plan-at-the-gym
These are compound movements. It’s a great idea to use weights. Unlike earlier when you were just trying to shed the excess pounds, now you’re trying to burn the last and most stubborn layer of fat.
You only need to do about 20 to 30 minutes. There’s no need for 45-minute or 60-minute workouts. Short fast workouts are what matters.
Always lift as much weight as you can fast and with good form. If your form is wobbly or you’re slow, the weights are too heavy. Use lighter weights that are manageable but still challenging.
Diet
By now, you should have instilled some discipline in your eating. Here’s an important point to note. When trying to shed excess fat, as long as you’re at a caloric deficit, you’ll lose weight.
You could sneak in junk food now and then and still lose weight as long as you consume fewer calories than you expend. Most of us hear this very often…
But to get six-pack abs, your diet will be a lot less forgiving. Not all calories are made equal. You’ll need to clean up your diet as much as you can.
A bar of chocolate that has 200 calories is a lot more detrimental than 100 gms of chicken that is also 239 calories. While the numbers are almost the same, the chocolate will cause your blood sugar levels to spike.
Your body will release insulin which will lead to weight gain or at the very least, it will be much more difficult to burn off the last stubborn layer of fat on your lower abdomen that really doesn’t want to leave.
Avoid processed foods and dairy as much as you can. Stick to single-ingredient foods such as broccoli, chicken breast, etc. Your body can only take in so many calories and every calorie has to count.
You should consume most of your calories in protein and fat. This is known as a ketogenic diet. You can also see my in-depth guide and experience with the ketogenic diet here – https://gympanzie.com/keto-diet-india-review-2019-with-non-veg-diet-plan/
You must eat fat to lose fat. Add extra virgin olive oil or cold-pressed coconut oil during your food preparation. As long as there are sufficient fat and proteins in your diet and about 30 grams of carbs daily, you’ll reach your six-pack within 4 to 7 weeks.
To really speed things up, incorporate intermittent fasting into your program and have a 5 or 6-hour eating window.
Another thing to be aware of is that for each gram of carbohydrates that you consume, your body will hold on to 3 grams of water. So, if on one particular day you consume more carbs, your weight will rise the next day due to water retention.
You can solve this problem by drinking a lot more water on that day to flush out the excess water. The same applies if you eat foods high in salt.
It seems contradictory that one should drink more water to reduce water retention. But that’s how it is. That’s really all there is to it.
You do not need to spend countless hours at the gym or do thousands of sit-ups. 3 to 4 short but intense workouts a week is more than enough to get your six-pack.