Exercises To Help You Lose Weight Fast and Get Abs

If you are looking to get six pack abs fast you must lose the excess fat on your body. Or else your abs won’t even show! Crunches and sit ups are not enough to help you get six pack abs fast.

The best way to lose weight is through cardio routines. Here is our list of good cardio routines that you only have to do for 20 minutes per session. These are really easy, and fun, but it will give you great results when done 3 times per week.

The secret to doing cardio properly is to mix it up a little bit.  Imagine yourself doing 2-3 different types of cardio each week 3-4 times per week. That is what you will need to be doing, so here is the first kind of cardio that really works.

Exercise 1. Hill Intervals

The hill intervals can be a real killer when you do them, but they are also very effective.  Here’s how to perform this exercise.

Start at the bottom of a long hill, (preferably steeper the better you get – think San Francisco) and run all the way to the top, then walk down slowly. Without resting go with all you got, one more time up the hill… and slowly walk down.

Repeat this process for 6-12 reps.  This will give you a deep burn in your muscles, and also get your blood flowing, your heart pumping and the body will burn fat like never before.

Exercise 2. Jogging

This isn’t new, but it works.  No matter what people are saying, jogging does still burn calories, but mostly while you are running, so it has little after burn effect. Yes it has some after burn, but not as much as weight training or interval training.

You want to run about 2-3 miles each time you run, and then once a week put in a longer distance, such as 5-10 miles. I know, right… 5-10 miles? This guy is crazy.

Well, if you do run that far you will burn approximately 800-1,200 calories which mostly is fat, but also some muscle.

Exercise 3. Skipping Combined with Weight Training

When you are doing your resistance training, add 100-200 jump ropes in between sets.  So if you are supersetting push ups and squats, when you have done push-ups and squats, you would jump 100 times with the jump rope. Then do the push ups and squats again.

This will extend your workout, but get you lots of great benefits! You will increase the metabolism with the weight training and you will burn the fat with the jump rope. Perfect combination and I personally think it’s great fun!

Shed your pounds and then start doing exercises that will target your abs.  Good luck.

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Build Muscle and Lose Fat with 10 Superfoods

As we always mention on 6 Pack Abs Blog, in order for you to achieve 6 pack abs, you need to lose the excess fat on your body.  Even better though is learning to build muscle and lose fat.  Here is our list of 10 superfoods to help you build muscle and lose fat.

Keep in mind that eating protein helps the body to build and maintain and also helps fat loss as protein has a higher thermogenic effect than carbohydrates and fat.  However eating fats, the right kind that is, will also help you to lose weight.  This is because your body will hold fats if you don’t eat fats.  Fruits and vegetables are essential to the diet as they cleanse the bowels and contain valuable vitamins and minerals that are necessary to replenish your body after a workout.

Here is our list of top 10 superfoods you need to build muscle and lose fat so you can get your 6 pack abs fast.

1. Whole Eggs – Cheap and a rich source of protein at 7g/egg.  The yolk contains the most nutrients: half the protein, vitamins A/D/E and cholesterol to naturally increase your testosterone levels.  Don’t worry about cholesterol in eggs.  Dietary cholesterol isn’t bound to blood cholesterol.  If you have bad cholesterol, lower your body fat rather than throwing the yolk away.
2. A High Quality Oil – We recommended high quality oils such as black seed, hemp, pumpkin, or cold pressed coconut.  One of the best oil blends on the market is Vega’s EFA vegan oil by Sequel.  Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Contains 70% monounsaturated fats that protect against heart diseases and cancer. Add 1-2 tbsp olive oil to your salads. Buy Extra Virgin Olive Oil: it contains more polyphenols and tastes better.
3. Yogurt – Contain bacteria that improve your gastrointestinal health. Don’t buy frozen yogurt or yogurt with added sugar and fruits at the bottom.  Try to buy kefir whenever possible, and if not get plain low fat yogurt.  Mix your yogurt with natural berries.
4. Mixed Nuts -  Contain mono- & polyunsaturated fats, proteins, fiber, vitamin E, zinc, potassium, magnesium, etc. Mixed nuts are caloric dense, great if you’re a skinny guy who wants to gain weight.  Anything works: almonds, walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts. Buy natural without added salts/sugars.
5. Spinach & Broccoli – Spinach is one of the most alkaline foods. It prevents muscle & bone loss, but also cancer and heart diseases because of its high nutrient profile. Broccoli is also high in soluble fiber and low calorie, helping fat loss. Eat other cruciferous vegetables for a change: cabbage, cauliflower, etc
6. Oats – Reduce cholesterol; provide you with low-gi carbs for energy, and high in soluble fiber.
7. Tomatoes – High in lycopene, which prevents cancer.  Have pizza or pasta with tomato sauce and olive oil after strength training.
8. Oranges – Vitamin C to fight diseases, magnesium to lower blood pressure, anti-oxidant beta-carotenes, etc. Quit drinking processed orange juice which often has added sugars. Eat oranges or make your own orange juice.
9. Apples – Pectin in apples helps weight loss by increasing satiety. Apples are also the strongest antioxidant after cranberries (eat the peels). Unfortunately apples are one of the most pesticide contaminated fruits. Go organic.
10. Carrots – Their huge vitamin A content improves eye-health, especially night vision. Carrots are also rich in fiber, low calorie and taste good, even raw.
11. Tea – Contains lots of antioxidants and is a natural diuretic.  Green tea also speeds up fat loss, prevents cancer and improves blood sugar & circulation. Drink green tea in the morning instead of coffee.

Putting it All Together.  Eat proteins, veggies, fruits & fats every 3 hours. 2 cups water with each meal. Carbs post workout only. Junk food 10% of the time. Get stronger in the meanwhile and you’ll build muscle & lose fat.  Your body holds water if you don’t drink enough. Drinking prevents water retention, helps muscle recovery and prevents dehydration from strength training. Get in the habit of drinking 2 cups of water with each meal.

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How To Achieve A Flat Stomach

Learning how to achieve a flat stomach is not hard, as long as you know what to eat and what exercises to do. Contrary to popular belief, sit ups and crunches can only help you so far if you want to learn how to achieve a flat stomach.

The Importance of Cardio

You need to lose excess weight first, so cardio is actually the key to a flat stomach. Cardio exercises burn more calories then simple stomach exercises such as crunches or leg lifts. A good cardio workout can even burn fat on your entire body. Only when you lose the fat will your stomach and its muscles will start to show.

Start today and before you know it you will be able to achieve a flat stomach. Even if you don’t want to do cardio right away, you should change up your diet and lose excess fat. Once you start doing cardio for a while, then you can move on to do crunch exercises in order to get a flat stomach.

What are the best crunch exercises?

Working Your Upper Abs

For working your upper abs, the basic crunch is your best exercise.  You’ll want to lie on your back on an exercise mat for this exercise. Place your hands to the side of your head and bend your knees at a 90 degree angle. Lift your shoulders upwards like you were attempting to touch your chest to your knees.

Remember, your legs do not move here! This exercise should engage only your stomach muscles. Do this in sets of 3-4 with 15-30 reps per set. Give yourself some time to rest between sets.

Working Your Lower Abs

For your lower abs, the best exercise you can do is the reverse crunch. To preform a reverse crunch you lie on your back with your hands placed directly to the back of your head, bend your knees and hold your feet about 5 inches off the ground.

Slowly bring your knees toward your chest, picking your butt up off the ground slightly.  You need to concentrate on your stomach muscles.  You will be doing this exercise in sets of 3-4.  Make sure you do 15 – 30 reps each, resting 2-3 minutes between each rep.

There are other various exercises out there that can help you get a flat stomach, but these two are definitely the best.

Eating Right

Poor dieting practices and improper exercise are the fatal blow if you really want to achieve a flat stomach.  Do proper exercises and eat right so you won’t cheat yourself out of a chance to achieve a flat stomach.   Avoid junk food and fast food, and eat at least 3 square meals a day.

Don’t think that you can skimp on your exercises one day and make up for it the next.  If you’re consistent with your exercises, and flat stomach workout routines you will be able to get a flat stomach fast.

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How To Get 6 Pack Abs Fast

Who doesn’t want to get 6 pack abs fast? Learning to get 6 pack abs fast though requires you to know exactly what to do in the gym consistently until you achieve your goal. Learning exactly how to get 6 pack abs fast is easy to achieve as long as you follow the right steps.

1. Eat Right

Without a clean diet, you will never be able to get 6 pack abs fast. One thing you need to realize is that while exercise is critical, it’s only going to take you so far.

No matter how many crunches or sit-up variations you perform, if you have a solid layer of fat covering your stomach, your muscles are not going to be seen. Try and concentrate on consuming enough protein to keep your appetite under control, supplemented with healthy fats for satiety and fruits and vegetables for energy.

It’s important, however, that you are running a calorie deficit, because without reference to the food you eat, if you are consuming more than you burn off that day, you aren’t going to lose weight.

2. Perform a Selection of Exercises

Next if you want to get 6 abs fast, you need to ensure you change up the exercises you perform on a constant basis. While it’s fine if you have some that you often like to stick with as you feel it when you do them, try and alternate between at least some from week to week.

The main reason for the reason being because your abdominal muscles adapt to modify really fast. As quickly as they are finished changing, you’re going to stop seeing results – this is the truth about six pack abs. By keeping them guessing as to what’s coming, you keep the results coming too.

Don’t make the error of doing the same boring workout, day in, day out.

3. Get Your Cardiovascular In Line

Finally to get 6 pack abs fast, you must perform cardiovascular correctly. All you actually need is some quality sessions of cardiovascular work a week. What’s high quality? Sprint sessions. Skipping. Hill running.

Anything your body is not efficient at. These are going to be much more intense than plodding along at a moderate pace while you studied the fitness magazine of the week, but trust me, you will get results a thousand times faster.

Crank that power up for twenty to 40 seconds and then back it down again for another minute. Repeat this process eight to 10 times and you could have a workout that will help you shed that fat in no time.

So, next time you are admiring your physique in the mirror and are still craving a better mid-section, take these 3 factors under account and you’ll be able to get 6 pack abs fast.

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Want Six Pack Abs? Avoid These First

Want six pack abs? There are many factors responsible for abdominal fat like processed food, refined sugar, lack of exercise etc. But the following two invisible factors are mainly responsible for abdominal fat deposits: Stress and alcohol. Get rid of these in your life and you will get six pack abs fast.

Want Six Pack Abs? Get Rid of Stress

First, if you want six pack abs, get rid of as much stress in your life as possible. Stress has become part of the daily grind. Job pressures, financial insecurity, relationship problems, traffic and pollution all take a heavy toll of our mental well being. All these factors combined with continuous negative thinking lead to a pressure-cooker environment of the mind. Stress builds up and aging becomes accelerated. The efficiency of the body’s various fat burning organs becomes very low.

Stress is the main cause of stored toxins in the body. These toxins impair the normal functioning of the various fat burning and excretory organs like thyroid gland, lever, kidney etc. This results in the body not being able to cope up with even normal pressures exerted at various levels due to heavy work or faulty diet and the net result is obesity and weight gain. Accumulated stress and anxiety from daily stress full modern living releases a hormone known as cortisol.

Research indicates that cortisol is the hormone responsible for preferential deposition of fat in the abdominal area. So if you want a sexy six pack, getting rid of stress is very important. Your breath has a vital connection with your mind. By concentrating on your breath you can control your wandering mind and bring it to the present moment. Various breathing techniques, meditation, yoga, and detoxifying have the power to expel toxins and stress out of your mind and body and make you more centered.

Want Six Pack Abs? Stop Drinking Alcohol

Secondly, alcohol consumption leads to abdominal fat. If you want to get six pack abs fast, you must stop drinking. Stanford university school of medicine has reported a link between drinking alcohol and abdominal fat. Recent findings report that alcohol drinkers have at least twice the hip-waist ratios as compared to non-alcoholics. Alcohol also seems to make the body burn less fat and favours fat storage and subsequent weight gain.

The main problem with alcohol drinking is that the stomach walls directly absorb alcohol. Since it never reaches intestine, the intestine doesn’t give “full” signal to the brain. This causes the person to eat more. It has been observed that you tend to eat at least 400 calories more when you are drunk. So, to reduce abdominal fat you need to reduce alcohol consumption or at least reduce fat consumption whenever you drink.

Spot reduction of abdominal fat is very difficult because fat melts evenly throughout the body. So therefore if you want to reduce abdominal fat you must work to reduce fat all over the body. Alcohol also seems to make the body burn less fat and favors fat storage which then leads to weight gain. Additionally, doing crunches regularly will help you a great deal in overcoming excess abdominal fat.

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Lose Body Fat Fast and Get Six Pack Abs

Many people want to lose body fat because they want to have six-pack abs. Actually, they want to lose body fat specifically on their bellies so their abs become visible. The only real way to reduce abdominal fat is to lose overall body fat. So if you’re wondering what do you have to get your body fat percentage down to before your abdominal muscles will show? The answer is, it depends. More specifically, it depends on your gender and genes.

Women naturally have a higher body fat percentage than men. A woman doesn’t need to lose as much body fat as a man does to make her her abs visible. Even worse for guys is the fact that men tend to store a higher percentage of their total body fat around their bellies. So a male has to push his body fat percentage way down before his abs pop into view.

Your genes affect the way locations where fat is stored on your body. For some blessed people, any excess body fat is stored evenly around their body. But for most of us, it seems that every ounce of extra fat goes right to their belly or butt. This means that two people whose abs are clearly visible may have body fat percentages that differ a good bit.

There aren’t any good tests around that will tell you exactly what percentage you would need to achieve yourself to have six-pack abs. The best you can do is look at your body fat percentage as a range. If you want your abs to be obvious, you’ll need to hit a body fat percentage somewhere in the following ranges:

Men: To make your entire 6-pack of abdominal muscles visible, you’ll need to get your body fat percentage down to less than 11%. If you get it down below 8%, you will definitely have a visible 6 pack.

Women: For your abs to be clearly visible, you have to get your body fat level down to something less than 17%. Taking it below 14% would be better still. These are higher numbers than the guys have to hit, but remember that you naturally have a higher percentage of body fat, so your job is just as tough as for men do.

Getting down to the necessary body fat percentage won’t be easy, but it isn’t impossible. Depending on whose results you use, the average American male has a body fat percentage of between 17 and 26% while the average American female is carrying somewhere between 22 and 36%.

If you want to achieve these low body fat percentages, make sure you pick a solid program and stick with it.

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How to Prevent Holiday Weight Gain

Jennifer Nicole Lee is a fitness expert and author who was Miss Bikini America in 2005 and Miss Muscle and Fitness.

“This is the sticky time where your good habits will be put to the test, and your taste buds will be teased!  I call it the “Tough Times” for passionate fitness lovers such as myself.  Between Thanksgiving and Super Bowl Sunday, we as Americans will indulge in food and drink like no other time of year. And the results?  Well maybe we won’t feel it just after that one sip of eggnog, but we will end up paying for it over the long haul.

While those endless appetizers, huge portions of desserts, and endless glasses of cocktails may taste heavenly, for the average person, that equals gaining fat and weighing more on the scale. And the amount of extra “tinsel” around the waistline may vary for some. And don’t be fooled even by one pound as it may seem little, but this extra weight accumulates and may later contribute to obesity. And obesity sadly enough affects about 1/3 of Americans.

Achieving the utter impossible, staying slim and trim during the holidays, is not about denying yourself the rights to a small portion of what you love. And it’s not about having to live with flavorless, boring food.  My advice is simple, such as cooking with healthy, fresh ingredients, watching your portion control and choosing quality over quantity.  Don’t worry, just follow my 3 tricks to staying slim and trim during the holidays, and YOU WILL eat like a queen or king and stay slim and trim!

1. PAY ATTENTION!

Pay attention! This is the calling card that I tell my sons every day! Pay attention to details! And the same philosophy pertains to us adults too! I don’t want you to feel that you can’t enjoy your holiday meals, but you have to pay attention. Just because it’s the holidays, and it’s time to get joyful and gather together, it doesn’t mean that it’s a free for all showdown of food and gluttony.

Paying attention means being smart and becoming a “Concoction Queen!” I want you to focus on choosing healthier and fresher ingredients over packaged foods. I choose fresh local farmers market vegetables to prepare my warm casseroles with, instead of canned. And go for the color! The more colorful your plates, the more vitamin and antioxidant packed they are. So eat the rainbow this season, and you will keep your immunity on an all time high!

Instead of a lot of creams, half and half, and butter, use fresh veggies topped with a touch of low fat cheese and low sodium bread crumbs. You will find that you re able to enjoy the fresh sweet taste of nature without all the sugar, carbs, and empty calories. I substitute sugar free orange preserves instead of sugar in most of my fruit glazes, thus slicing the calories in half. And I also suggest olive oil in sautéing and roasting instead of butter. Not only are you adding flavor, but also antioxidants and good for you fats.

And you don’t have to have a ton of fat and salt in a recipe for it to be a crowd pleaser. When preparing a health-conscious holiday meal, try incorporating like-minded concepts and choose nutritious recipes. In my www.FitnessModelProgram.com you have a ton of recipes that you can even use for a large holiday gathering, but just up the ingredients by 2 if you have a party larger than 4 people.

Another general rule of thumb is to make a list of missing ingredients from the pantry including quality olive oil, sea salt, peppercorns, low-sodium chicken stock, balsamic vinegar, dried fruits and nuts – which add nourishing flavor to any meal. With these and more of the basics on hand, you’ll avoid resorting to boxed mashed potatoes or canned cranberry jelly.

2. Control Thyself! Also Known As Portion Control

Others say you can indulge as long as you practice moderation.

And yes, ladies, SIZE does matter! As in serving sizes! Don’t sabotage yourself by eating that extra serving. Instead have a few bites and savor it! And if you can also aim at leaving some food on your plate, you will be saving both time in the gym and also saving a few extra calories from winding up on the scale.

Use my “JNL Holiday Plate” Equation to say slim and also to not hurt the chef’s feelings: With respect to the almost endless string of seasonal parties and gatherings you will attend, follow this trick: At dinner parties and brunch buffets, fill half your plate with vegetables and the remaining quarters with protein and a whole grain carbohydrate. By taking lunch and nutritious snacks to work, you avoid gorging on catered meals and boxed sweets frequently passed around most offices. It’s also important to eat a small, healthy snack before heading out to a party; attending one on an empty stomach will often lead to overeating. Don’t allow that “super hunger” trigger to cause you to go overboard at the buffets. And leave food on your plate! It’s almost rude to eat it all, because in some cultures an empty plate signals that the host did not prepare enough food, and that you want more. So by leaving a few bites left, this signals that you are full, and the chef did prepare adequate food. (I learned this in China!)

3. Always Pick Quality Over Quantity

Eating during the holidays is not a “Who can Unbuckle Their Pants First” Competition! With so many choices at the dinner table or office potluck, it’s hard to resist spooning a bit of everything onto your plate. Then, we often swallow bites of food that we don’t savor, plus didn’t even want in the first place!

Instead eat things that look really good to you, but if they don’t taste as good as you thought, don’t finish it. This is not the time to be part of the clean plate club.

Cheers to your health and happiness,
Jennifer Nicole Lee”

Check out Jen before and after her Fitness Model Program.

CLICK HERE to learn more about how you can develop Jennifer’s stunning physique too!

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How To Build Six Pack Abs Fast

Learning how to build six pack abs fast is simple as long as you understand these few principals. Very few people actually know how to build six pack abs fast correctly.

Keep in mind though that even after you have mastered these three principals to build six pack abs, if you really want to get your abdominals to show, you must diet and include aerobic exercise in your routine. Exercise without maintaining a diet rich in protein to enhance muscle development, is like having a car without an engine; you will get absolutely nowhere.

You can work your abs daily in the gym. We suggest that you only work your abs three times a week instead to build six pack abs. This is because your abdominal muscles are responsible for stabilizing your torso, they are the secondary muscles involved in many different exercises. And even though you do not specifically train your abs, they work to some degree in every one of your sessions anyway.

1. Air Blocking

Did you know that the abs cannot fully contract with air retained in the lungs. So if you are holding your breath while performing crunches for instance, you will never attain a full muscle contraction. If you really want to learn how to build six pack abs properly you got to exhale upon exertion through every rep and remember that once the air in your lungs is gone, the abs are fully contract.

Note: While the abs may have initiated the movement at the outset, at some point the hip flexors took over to pull the torso into a full sitting position. If you exhale when you initiate the movement and stop when the air in your lungs is gone, then you are relying upon the contraction within the abdominal muscles to begin and complete the movement as opposed to relying on the hip flexors and gravity.

2. Recovery

Unlike other muscles in your body that may take a few minutes to fully recover after a set, your abs recover within seconds. Because the recovery time is so short, your abdominal muscles respond best to continuous movement. Your abdominal routine should therefore consist of moving from one exercise to the next until complete exhaustion. Those people that claim to workout their abs for any more than five minutes are taking too much rest in between sets.

Tip: Try continuously moving from one exercise to the next without more than a few seconds of rest in between each set to really hit the abdominals.

3. Focus On The Lower Abs First

Lastly, work the lower abdominal region first. I prefer to begin with something like reverse crunches or leg lifts because the moment that you tighten the lower abs, all of the abdominal muscles immediately tighten to stabilize the rest of your body in preparation to execute the movement.

So, as you are concentrating on the lower abdominal region, you are secondarily working the upper abdominals as well as the obliques. Do a lower abdominal exercise until you literally cannot perform one more rep, then move immediately into a torso twist movement to hit the obliques; work them to exhaustion and then finish up with crunches to target the upper abdominal region.

If you worked your lower abdominal region until exhaustion, then do not be alarmed when you cannot perform too many trunk twists or crunches. Remember that the amount of rest that you take in between sets should be just that amount of time that it takes you to change positions to begin the next exercise. Continuous movement is key to training abs.

Don’t fixate on the number of crunches that you can perform. Instead, concentrate on exhaling on exertion and contracting the abdominals to initiate and complete the movement. In fact, don’t even count the reps – simply execute the movements in succession until you literally cannot force another rep.

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