Six Pack Abs Secrets Revealed

SIX PACK AB
SECRETS REVEALED
YOUR SUCCESS KIT TO

GETTING SEXY SIX PACK ABS
ARNEL RICAFRANCA B.A, C.O.R.E CERTIFIED
Copyright © 2009. All rights reserved.
No part of this book or accompanying materials may

be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or
electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic
recording, nor may it be stored in any retrieval system,
transmitted, or otherwise copied or circulated for public or
private use without prior written permission of Arnel
Ricafranca
The author and publisher make no representations or

warranties with respect to any information offered or
provided in this book regarding effectiveness, action, or
application of the protocols contained herein. The author
and publisher are not liable for any direct or indirect claim,
loss or damage resulting from use of the information
contained herein.
You should not use the information contained herein

to diagnose or treat a medical or health condition. Please
consult a physician in all matters relating to your health, and
use discretion when using any advice contained herein. The
author and publisher make no representations or warranties
with respect to any information offered or provided in this
© 2009 Arnel Ricafranca Page | 2 All Rights Reserved

www.16WeeksToSixPackAbs.com
book regarding effectiveness, action, or application of the

protocols contained herein. The author and publisher are
not liable for any direct or indirect claim, loss or damage
resulting from use of the information contained herein.
© 2009 Arnel Ricafranca PAGE | 3 All Rights Reserved

TABLE OF CONTENT
Chapter 1 What are the Requirements for

Getting Six Pack Abs.............................................................. 8
Chapter 2 How It All Started – My Story ............................................ 14
Chapter 3 Why Most People Fail With Their

Attempt to Get Six Pack Abs ............................................ 20
Chapter 4 Why Cardio Is Not The Most Effective

Way to Lose Body Fat .......................................................... 38
Chapter 5 The Type of Cardio That Can Help

You Get Six Pack Abs .......................................................... 48
Chapter 6 The Most Effective Type of Exercise

For Six Pack Abs ................................................................... 64
Chapter 7 What About Ab Exercises

Will They Work? ................................................................... 78
Chapter 8 Ab Exercises That Will Bring You

Closer To Your Goal ........................................................... 88
Chapter 9 The Top Six Pack Exercises You

Must Be Doing Regularly..................................................... 98
Chapter 10 How To Design your Own Gym

That Will Get You Results ................................................ 112
Chapter 11 How to Motivate Yourself To Stay

Consistent With Your Workout Program ....................... 124
Chapter 12 Workout Frequency How Often

Do You Need To Work The Abs?................................... 142

Chapter 13 Let’s Talk Nutrition: Your Key To A Six Pack .............. 148
Chapter 14 Must You Use a Low Carb Diet

To Get Six Pack Abs? ........................................................ 172
Chapter 15 Meal Frequency and Six Pack Abs ................................... 186
Chapter 16 Top Nutritional Strategies For Success ........................... 194
Chapter 17 Booze and Your Six Pack

What You Need To Know ................................................ 206
Chapter 18 The Importance of Going Off

Your Diet To Get Six Pack Abs ....................................... 214
Chapter 19 Six Pack Abs and Muscle Building

Do They Go Together? .................................................... 222
Chapter 20 Genetics: Can You Really Defy It? .................................. 226
Chapter 21 Sample Six Pack Ab Workout ........................................... 230
Chapter 22 Supplements For Six Pack Abs ......................................... 232
Chapter 23 Outside Factors That Prevent You

From Getting A Six Pack................................................... 240
Chapter 24 Maintaining Your Six Pack – It Does Get Easier .......... 246
Chapter 25 Monitoring Your Progress ................................................. 252
Chapter 26 The Six Pack Mindset

Do You Have What It Takes? .......................................... 258

DEDICATION
"I want to thank Sara, the love of my life for

making me who I am. This book is dedicated to
her, and to you, my readers and fans."


CHAPTER 1
WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR
GETTING SIX PACK ABS
Whether you are currently heavily involved in your

workout program or just getting started on things, there is a
very good chance that one of your primary goals is obtaining
that elusive set of abs.
Let’s face it. When you see someone walking down the
street with a set of six pack abs, you know they are
committed to their workout. There is no doubt about it,
they have been working hard in the gym and are following
some type of diet plan. If they weren’t, they wouldn’t be
sporting the midsection that they are.

Now, you want this for yourself. You want to be the

one people look at with envy – wishing that they too could
get their abs looking just as good as yours. You want to be
the person that others come to for advice when they’re
struggling on their program and don’t quite understand what
they are doing wrong. You want to be the person that others
talk about when the topic of fitness and being in top shape
is comes up.
Six pack abs do this. They, whether you want to admit

it or not, illustrate fitness perfection. Only those individuals
who have the tenacity to preserver with their training and
eating habits will develop six pack abs because they are often
one of the last things to come when working on various
body parts.

Luckily, if you approach six pack abs in the right

manner, you can make this happen for yourself. If you don’t
approach it in the right manner though, well, then you’re
going to struggle.
Six pack abs is just as much a science as it is making it

to the gym. Don’t get me wrong, what you are doing in the
gym is going to be very important, but if you aren’t using the
correct techniques you’re not going to get very far.
So, in this manual we are going to take a good look at

all the factors that will affect how well you progress with
your mission to get six pack abs. We will identify the
common mistakes people are making when trying to obtain
six pack abs, we will talk about what the most effective
techniques are for toning these muscles, and we will discuss
other factors not related to exercise that have as much as
90% of an impact on the final result (if you thought exercise
was the key to six pack abs, you are very mistaken).
Throughout all of this, you must keep in mind that

knowledge is only as good as it’s put to use. If you simply
read through this manual and gain an understanding of the
principles but don’t actually put them into action, you’re not
doing yourself much good. Action is progress. There is no
mistaking that.
So, go through the learning process, but don’t stop

there. Keep learning, keep pushing, keep progressing. That’s
what’s going to get you to the end finish line where you can
feel proud that you are now the new owner of set of six
pack abs.
Also remember that abs do not happen overnight. It’s

never going to be as easy as making a couple of small
changes to your workout, adjusting a few foods in the diet,
and poof, you’ve got abs.
You have to work hard. Everyone has to work hard,

apart from maybe the 2% genetically very lucky individuals
who are just naturally incredibly lean. This is rare though so
the sooner you can accept the fact work must be put in, the
sooner you will reach your goals.
Finally, remember that everyone will have a slightly

different path to six pack abs. Some individuals will need to
do more cardio training. Others will have to really watch
their carbohydrate intake. Others, they may do better
actually removing some cardio from their current program.
It’s best to learn your own body and what it responds

too. If you notice that something isn’t working for you,
change it.

With this though, it’s important to know when

something isn’t working or when you just haven’t given it
enough time to work. If you try a new principle out and in
three days you haven’t seen dramatic results, hold tight. You
should always give any new adjustment seven to ten days
before evaluating it, and then go from there.
Even then, you may not see miraculous changes, but

you should see a general trend towards the direction you’re
trying to go. If you aren’t, then you need to figure out what
you can do differently so you are.
So, let’s get right to it – your mission to six pack abs.

The sooner you get started, the sooner you’re going to see
the results you’re looking for.


CHAPTER 2
HOW IT ALL STARTED – MY STORY
Before diving right into all the technical details, let’s

start by discussing briefly my own story and quest for six
pack abs. As many of you already know, I am a Certified
Personal Trainer, C.O.R.E. Instructor, and Nutritional
coach. I also hold a degree in Health and Exercise Science
and have made appearances in numerous magazines, radio
stations, as well as online websites.
During my early years while I was learning about

exercise science in university, I was lean, strong, and in what
was then, the best shape of my life. My six pack was solid
and it seemed like I was just on top of my game.

After I graduated though and began my career helping

others realize their true potential with their fitness and
health goals, my own body started to slide. I no longer had
the time to commit to the gym sessions I used to do; I no
longer was preparing the types of meals I used to eat back in
college while being so lean; and I no longer was sporting
around that same six pack of abs I used to be so proud of.
This was frustrating.
As you can image, once you obtain six pack abs, you
almost ‘own’ them. Letting them slip, vanish almost (and it
can happen quickly if you’re not careful) can be quite hard
to take, particularly if you worked very hard to obtain them.
This sparked my motivation again. Like a fire inside of

me, I had that drive back – that drive to regain my six pack
abs and take my fitness to a whole new level that I had never
experienced before.
At this point, I decided to go public with my goal. I

was tired of not holding myself to my workouts and figured
that if others were following me, there would be no choice. I
would have to do it.
I came up with the notion that I would either prove to

the world that I could get my six pack abs back in sixteen
weeks or less or else I was basically making a fool of myself

as a trainer. I built my website and put it online. In front of
thousands of followers, I then made my quest for six pack
abs.
In addition to this, I also wanted to show to everyone

else out there that it is possible if you put in the work. I
wanted to help others learn from my experience and get
motivated that they too could do just the same.
I took videos of myself doing exercise, I wrote about

all the different things I was doing along the way, and I
achieved my goal – in front of everyone.
Now, I am proud to be the owner of my former six

pack abs once again and am in the best shape of my life.

If I can do this, I know you can too.
What’s the moral of the story with all of this though?

The moral is that you must be accountable. Accountable in
terms of getting your workouts in, accountable in terms of
eating the right types of foods, and accountable as in not
letting your mindset slip into one that’s not going to help
keep you on track to your goals.
Whether this means telling others about your plans

like I did, joining a group of people who are all involved
with the same goal (a fitness or workout group of sorts), or
journaling every day about your progress, do whatever it is
that will keep you accountable. Without accountability,
you’re not going to get anywhere in the game of six pack
abs. That is one thing I can promise you.
By reading through all this information, you will get an

insider’s look at the exact methods I used to obtain my body
and how it all played out.
The thing to remember here is that many people do

maintain some secrets. If they let the cat out of the bag,
what will they have left to set them apart – to set them
ahead?

Nothing. But, just this once, we’re going to reveal all

the secrets about six pack abs. Some of this stuff you might
have heard before, but other information will be brand new.
If you are just getting started into fitness, this might

seem overwhelming, but trust me, you’ll catch on quickly.
Once you know the basics, everything else will just fall
into place and pretty soon you’ll be your own walking six
pack ab encyclopedia.
So, now that you know my story, it’s time for you to
create one of your own.


CHAPTER 3
WHY MOST PEOPLE FAIL WITH THEIR ATTEMPT
TO GET SIX PACK ABS
Not surprisingly, most people will fail in their attempt

to get six pack abs. This should come as no surprise because
if you walk around your local gym, it’ll be come fairly
obvious that most people are not sporting six pack abs. So,
whether they haven’t made it any type of goal whatsoever
(highly unlikely), haven’t been using the correct techniques,
or haven’t been putting forth enough effort – whatever the
case, six pack abs are a rarity.
Let’s look at some of the bigger reasons why people

fail in their quest to a lean and toned midsection.

Short-Term Expectations
The first primary reason why people tend to fail with
their hopes in getting six pack abs is because they have such
short-term expectations that realistically, they are setting
themselves up to fail.
Think about it this way.
If you’re currently overweight, how long did it take

you to put on that weight? I’m guessing it didn’t happen
over the course of a few weeks.
So then why do you expect to lose this weight over the

course of a few weeks? If anything, it’s going to be harder to
lose the weight than it was to gain it. As much as you may
hate to hear it, your body is built to prefer to be overweight.
In ancient times when people went for days without food,

who would fare better – an overweight individual or one
who was incredibly lean, had a high amount of muscle mass,
and had a metabolism comparable to that of a Ferrari?
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that answer

out and this is why it’s much harder for you to lose body fat
than it was to gain it (again this is for most people, some
genetically lucky individuals have trouble keeping weight on,
but they are an entirely other group of people and a group
that likely won’t be reading this).
When you’re trying to get leaner, your body is going to

fight you – and fight you hard. Therefore, if you expect to
get six pack abs in two weeks time, you’re already fighting a
losing battle.
You must be realistic.
For me, I wasn’t extremely overweight when I started

my journey, so it made things easier from a time standpoint.
Plus, add to that that I was extremely diligent with my
training and diet and you’ve got yourself a powerful
combination for getting results.
If you’re in the 10-15% body fat category right now,

you can expect to get abs fairly rapidly. No, it likely won’t be
two weeks, but in a few months time, you should see good
definition if you’re doing things right.
If you’re 15-20% body fat or above, then you’ve got a

bit more work to do and should give yourself 3-6 months
before you can see visible abs.
Note that women will always have higher levels of

body fat in comparison with men (this is a requirement in
order for them to give birth), so they should not expect to
ever reach body fat levels as low as men.
Does this mean if you’re a woman you can’t get a six

pack? Certainly not. It just means that you won’t be quite as
‘shredded and cut’ as your male counterpart may be if he
chooses to get that lean.
But, the fact of the matter is most women don’t want

to get that lean anyway, thus there’s nothing to worry about.
The point of this topic is that you need to keep a level

head and not rely on short term expectations. Think long
term here. If you want to get your six pack, it’s going to take
a bit of time. Then, if you want to keep your six pack, that
will be a life-long effort (but not to worry, it does get easier
– more on that point, later).

Moving on….
Starvation Diets
Now let’s talk about what many of you have likely
tried before. Starvation diets. Sound familiar?
If so, this is a very bad thing.
The primary problem with starvation diets is that they

cause you to lose muscle mass rapidly. Your muscle mass is
your calorie burning engine. The more of it you have, the
faster you will drop the body fat.
This is yet another reason why males tend to lean up

faster than females; they have a lot more lean muscle mass
tissue.
When you starve yourself though, your body senses

the fact that not very much food is coming in and as a result,
gets rid of the most metabolically active tissue in your body
that it can while keeping you alive (theoretically, the brain is
the most metabolically active tissue, but obviously the body
cannot get rid of that).
This muscle mass loss then causes a decrease in your

metabolic rate. Bad. Next, you come off that starvation diet
and start eating normally again (or, if you’ve really been

starving yourself you may proceed to binge eat for two or

three weeks, eating much more than you otherwise would.)
Very bad.
Now, you’ve got a slow metabolism coupled with a lot

of excess calories. What do you think is going to happen in
this situation?
You’re going to gain back more body fat. Then, you’ll

proceed to go on another starvation diet to try and get rid of
the body fat you gained back and the cycle continues.
Left to go on long enough you might entirely

recomposition your body so now rather than sitting at say
150 pounds and 14% body fat, you’re sitting at 160 pounds
and 26% body fat. These two people will look entirely
different even though there is only a 10 pound difference on
the scale.
Starvation diets do not work and using one will only

prolong your road to getting a six pack.
This is an important point that you need to wrap your

mind around if you hope to achieve results.
Incorrect Ab Muscle Activation
Next, another big issue some people have is actually

activating their abdominal muscles properly. Some people,

when performing abdominal crunches, will use a whole
bunch of muscles that aren’t even the abs at all.
For instance, when doing crunches, they might pull

upwards with their arms, rather than squeezing the abs to do
the movement. Likewise, they may recruit their hip flexors
to do most of the workout, particularly on any ab exercise
that involves hanging leg raises or lying leg raises.
Due to this fact, even though they think they are

working their abs, they are not.
What’s more is that often these are the exact same

people who at the same time are spending hours slaving
away on the ab mats, thus are really wasting their time in the
gym.
In order to get effective ab activation, you need to be

really focusing in on the muscle in particular, zeroing in on
contracting and releasing the tension that drives that muscle.
When you do this, that’s when you’ll see noticeable results
with your workouts.
You should feel the muscle fibers squeeze, the tension

starting to build, and you want to hold that tension at the
top of the movement (this is always good to do for
maximum effects), and then feel the tension releasing slowly

as you lower back down to the ground.
Note though that you should never just ‘release the

tension’, the full movement should keep the abdominals
slightly tensed as it’s on the lowering phase that you’ll also
be feeling the abs contract effectively.
Also, if you avoid going to the absolute bottom of the

movement, you’ll find that you get a better workout overall.
What this essentially means is if say you are doing lying

leg raises, you will not let the legs completely drop down to
the floor. Instead, you’ll let them come almost down, and
then they will be lifted up once again to the starting position.
By working the abs in this manner, you help prevent

the abdominals from relaxing throughout the exercise, thus
they are worked continuously.
Finally, another important thing to know is that the

abdominals cannot really be separated into distinct upper
and lower abdominal muscles. While you can certainly do
exercises that will tend to target either the upper or lower
abs slightly more, the entire core will still be worked.

Improper Posture
Another reason why certain individuals will really
struggle with their quest to get abs is because they have very
poor posture. While posture doesn’t really have any direct
impact on body fat levels or anything like that, what it does
impact is the degree to which your stomach appears flat.

If you’re constantly slouched over, you’re going to find

that the lower belly starts to protrude outwards, which will
definitely make your six pack abs disappear in a hurry.
While again, the abs aren’t exactly ‘gone forever’,

practicing proper posture on an ongoing basis will make
them appear flatter all the time and eventually holding in
your stomach will become a habit.
Additionally, having proper posture will also make all

the exercise you complete in the gym more effective, as the
body will move through the range of movement better and
all the muscles that need to be stimulated will be.
Finally, you’ll also reduce your chances of becoming

injured with your workouts when you are using proper
posture, which again is definitely going to have its benefits.
If you’re constantly injured, it’s going to be pretty hard to
ever really make much progress at all with your workouts.
Lack of Direction
Another issue that’s far too frequently seen amongst
those who are not meeting their goals for getting six pack
abs is having a lack of direction.
While they may have the goal to get six pack abs, this
goal isn’t really specific and the might lack clear direction of
the path to get there.
Instead, they go into the gym and perform a variety of

different exercises, hoping something works out in the end
and they find themselves satisfied with the end result.
This is a very bad position to be in because far too

often, a lack of planning means a lack of results. You should
be doing research beforehand (such as reading the
abdominal workout strategies in this guide) and then
implementing those.
Taking a shot-gun approach to getting six pack abs is

not going to prove to be successful and you’ll likely just end
up wasting time.
Instead, zero in and focus on the goal. If you do this,

have a clear action plan and a list of well defined goals, then
you will get the results you’re hoping to achieve.
And it should be noted too that you must not let

yourself become swayed by other people. If you are on one
plan and then hear from someone else that they’ve got the
latest and greatest workout program guaranteed to get you
results, you need to stay focused.
Try your plan out. If it isn’t working, then you can go

to something else. This goes back to the point about giving

your plan time to work. Stay with a technique for at least a
couple of weeks before really assessing its effectiveness. If
you jump around too much, you’ll just wind up going in
circles, accomplishing nothing.
Definitely give other points some consideration, but

don’t let them crowd your judgment on what you are
currently doing.
Not Listening To Your Body

Another big mistake that many people often make
with their six pack ab training programs is not entirely
listening to their body. While in some cases this is not going
to be appropriate – say if you haven’t worked out all week
and your body is telling you ‘no’ (this would just be a cause
of pure laziness), in many cases, your body might actually be
telling you something very important and you should be
paying attention to it. For example, if you have been
working hard all week long and are feeling exhausted, it may
not be the best idea to push through yet another cardio
session that week.
It’s a fine line to walk on and you need to learn your

own body. In some cases it is okay to keep pushing, while in
other cases, training through fatigue might just leave you
injured, overly fatigued, and even cause your metabolism to

slow down.
This is often the case in women who are doing hour

long cardio sessions six days a week, combined with 4
sessions of hard weight training, all while being on a very
low calorie diet. This is going to be very problematic and
more than likely, is not going to produce anywhere near the
results you’re going for.
In this case, backing off your workout and giving the

body a day to rest would be a smart move.
Similarly, if you’re on a low carb diet and are

constantly starving, feeling drained, run-down, tired, on and
on it goes, it may be time to eat more carbs for a day or two.
Doing so is not going to set you back; if anything it’ll help
you progress along quicker.
The problem is some individuals get into too ridged of

a mindset and think that swaying whatsoever is going to be
disastrous. This is not the case and the sooner they can learn
this, the better off they will be.
If you’re on a smart diet program and workout plan,

all of these factors should be taken care of for you – enough
rest during the workout week as well as periodic diet breaks
to prevent drops in hormones that slow the metabolic rate.

If you aren’t on a smart plan though, then you will need to
look after this yourself.
This is yet another reason why reading information

such as this manual will really work to your advantage. The
more you can learn about the different aspects of what you
should be doing, the closer you will come to obtaining
success.
Everyone has a slightly different physiological make-

up and will tolerate levels of stress slightly differently.
Because of this, you should not attempt to place more stress
than your body can handle without recovering on it,
otherwise you will just backtrack in progress.
While one person might be able to handle three

sessions of HIIT per week, you may only be able to handle
one or two sessions. The similar principle applies for that of
weight training.
Often recovery rates are quite dependant on factors

such as age, current fitness level, how intense the diet is,
sleep quality, overall stress in your life, outside activities
(whether or not you have an active job), and so on.
When you get too many of these working against you,

you are most certainly going to feel it as far as your recovery

is concerned.
A Low Water Intake

Moving on, yet another thing that trips many people
up on their quest to a six pack is dehydration. Does this
describe your day?
Get up and down a cup of coffee (maybe you do get in

a glass or water or juice here, if you’re lucky).
Go to work, where you proceed to drink another 3-4

cups of coffee, maybe stopping for a diet coke at lunch.
Come home, have a beer with supper, then some more

soda while watching TV.
If that’s you, you are seriously dehydrated. Where’s the

water? While other liquids such as juice, milk, and decaf
coffee and teas can help to add extra water to the system,
they are not going to do so like pure water would.
Pure water is what you really want to focus on here. It

is what will help cleanse your body of toxins and help to
make you feel better overall, battling any fatigue you
experience while on the diet.
As little as 3% dehydration can have profound impacts

on your energy levels and how you feel overall, making it

absolutely vital that you are making sure you’re well
hydrated throughout the day.
Be sure you’re drinking extra water both before and

after your workout sessions, as well as throughout the rest
of the day. Drink before you feel thirsty – that is how you
can guarantee that you don’t wind up dehydrated in the long
run.
20 Minutes of Ab Work,
23 Hours and 40 Minutes Of Loose Abs
Finally, the last big issue that many people have with
getting abs is working them for twenty minutes a day and
then letting them go ‘loose’ for the rest of the day.
This point goes along with the point mentioned on

posture. If you want to maximize your abdominals and get
your six pack showing through, don’t let them go lose the
remainder of the day.
That’s not to say you need to spend the rest of the day
fiercely squeezing your abs as that would be a bit
impractical. But, you should be thinking of keeping them
tight and firm whenever you’re standing or moving around.
Doing so will increase the tension on the abs and help

them get used to not hanging out being so loose and un-
firm.
You can obviously notice the big difference with this

when you go to squeeze your abs and how much they suck
in. While again this is not going to automatically reduce the
body fat, it will have an impact on the overall appearance of
your ab muscles.
This brings us to a conclusion on why most people fail

on their question for obtaining a six pack. By making sure
you are not making any of these critical errors you will be
putting your best foot forward to getting the results that you
seek.
If you are already making these errors, then it’s time to

change your course of actions immediately. If you were
using a very low calorie diet before prior to reading this
manual, I would strongly recommend you take two weeks at
eat at around maintenance calorie intake (14-15 times your
current body weight in pounds).
This will help to bring your metabolic hormones back

to where they should be so that once you do start up on the
diet again, you’re not already working against yourself.
From there, then you should start doing things the

right way so you can put your best foot forward on the
quest to getting six pack abs.
Now, let’s move on and talk about cardio training and

getting six pack abs. Many of you are likely to be abusing
cardio at this point, so we’re going to help set the record
straight on this one.

CHAPTER 4
WHY CARDIO IS NOT
THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO LOSE BODY FAT
If you’re like about 80% of the population, when you

decide you’re going to start up on a fat loss program, the
first thing you do is head over the cardio equipment. Yes,
that’s right, you’re on a mission and that mission is to
increase your cardio time each week until those pesky layers
of fat are finally kicked out of what seems like their
permanent home on your body.

This is clearly obvious as if you ever take the time to

walk through your gym you’ll likely find all the cardio
machines jam packed. This is particularly the case if you do
this exercise in the month of January when everyone’s on
their ‘fitness kick-off’ to the New Year.
The sad thing though is that these people are making a

fatal mistake. Hours and hours done on the cardio machines
are not going to bring you closer to your goal. Cardio will
help you burn calories, that much is true, but it’s not going
to do a great deal in the way of reshaping your body,
increasing your metabolic rate, and bringing body fat levels
down significantly – at least not the type of cardio most
people are doing on their hour long bouts that they partake
in.
Let’s take a closer look at why cardio is not the most

effective way to lose body fat.
Cardio is a One-Time Calorie Burner

While certain exercises will cause your metabolism to
increase, long slower duration cardio is not one of them.
On average you might burn somewhere between 5-10

calories per minute while doing your cardio session,
depending of course on the nature of the cardio and the

intensity in which you perform it (those doing running for

example will burn almost twice as many calories per minute
as those who are walking).
So, if you go for thirty to sixty minutes, this could have

you burning about 150-600 calories. Obviously 600 calories
will definitely help you with your weight loss that day, but
the next day, it’s not overly useful.
Because of this fact, if you hope to consistently make

any kind of progress with your fat loss then, you’ll need to
be doing cardio sessions pretty much daily on an ongoing
basis. Who really has time to be spending an hour on the
cardio machine each day?
You’d be much better of spending more of your time

doing activities that actually cause the body to burn more
calories 24/7.
Cardio Can Actually Decrease Muscle Mass

Next up, cardio also has the tendency to decrease the
muscle mass tissue in the body. If you look at a marathon
runner in comparison with a sprinter, this becomes obvious.
The marathon runner has a very low amount of muscle
tissue while the sprinter is typically well defined and contains
a much higher degree of musculature.

Then, if you examine the types of training each of

these runners is doing, it should become clearly apparent
why this might be the case.
The marathon running is spending hours performing

moderate intensity cardio, which sends signals to the body
to get lighter. Clearly it would be much easier for your body
to transport itself over miles each day if it wasn’t lugging a
large degree of heavy muscle tissue, so this is just what it
tries to do. It attempts to make itself lighter, so the job then
becomes much easier. Hence you lose muscle mass.
Now, with the sprinter, they are not performing long

duration running activities and additional muscle mass will
actually help power them faster through their sprinting
activities, hence additional muscle is often actually built with
this type of cardio training (depending on the nature of the
diet, however).
This is why you often find such a discrepancy in the

body types of the two different athletes.
In addition to this, if you really assess the two different

body types, many times the sprinter is actually a lot leaner
than the marathon runner. The marathon runner may very
well be thin, but he or she is not actually as low in body fat

as the sprinter is.
This is again in correlation with the fact that fat mass

is not as dense as muscle mass, and because of this fact,
you’ll find the resting metabolic rates of sprinters much
higher than those of marathon runners.
Cardio Causes Cortisol To Increase

Moving on, another strike against longer duration,
moderate paced cardio sessions is that they tend to cause an
increase in cortisol throughout the body.
Cortisol is a hormone that is secreted by the body in

stressful situations as a coping mechanism. The problem
comes though when the body feels like it is in a state of
stress over a prolonged period of time, and releases cortisol
throughout the body on an ongoing basis. When that
occurs, that’s when you start to see issues with fat loss
popping up.
First, with high levels of cortisol circulating

throughout the body, your body is in a catabolic state (tissue
breakdown), meaning that again, you’re much more likely to
be dropping muscle mass.
Secondly, cortisol actually encourages the storage of

body fat around the abdominal region, thus you’re really
going to be working against your goal when this scenario is

at play.
Doing whatever you can to prevent high levels of

cortisol will be essential because being on a hypocalorie diet,
you’re already going to see small increases just because of
that fact.
So, that’s the second big reason why long sessions of

cardio are not going to be a smart plan for trying to get six
pack abs.
Cardio Causes Increased Feelings of Hunger

If you ask most people what the top factor they
struggle with while on a diet is they will likely tell you being
hungry. Being hungry is something that we all hate and
unfortunately, many people find that long duration cardio
sessions actually increase hunger levels past normal.
So, while you may burn off an additional 300 calories

that day because of the cardio, if that cardio makes you go
off and eat another 400 back, you’ve now just taken one step
backwards in the game of weight loss.
Again, this is not what you want.
You’d be better off going without the cardio and

working more on your diet for fat loss. That’s not to say
some cardio isn’t good, some is very productive to fat loss
and overall health, but you have to watch yourself from
crossing the line from enough to too much.
Cardio Can Cause Overuse Injuries

Another big issue with a higher amount of cardio
added into your training sessions is that it’s far more likely to
lead to overuse injuries.
Obviously if you are injured it’s going to be incredibly

difficult to do any type of workouts altogether, therefore
this is yet another big reason why you must avoid a high
volume of moderate intensity cardio.
For example, if you’re a regular runner and are out

there pounding the pavement for five hours every week, you
will most definitely develop wear and tear on the knees and
ankles over time. If this is left to go on long enough, you
could very well find yourself facing a stress fracture in the
years to come.
Overuse injuries can very easily also develop into

chronic injuries, which again will definitely make staying
active in the long term that much harder.
Numerous studies have demonstrated as well that it’s

those people who combine a proper diet with an exercise

program who maintain their weight loss over the long run
(compared with those who just use diet alone).
Therefore, it’s vital that you are able to exercise for

years to come. If you aren’t, then you will be at a very high
risk of weight regain as the years pass by.
Cardio Decreases Recovery

Finally, the last problem with a high volume of cardio
in your six pack ab program is that it’s going to impair
recovery from other exercises that are more critical when it
comes to getting six pack abs.

If you are not able to get into the gym and do exercises
that really count (weight training – more on this later), then
you’re really shorting yourself of results.
While it is higher intensity cardio that does tend to

take longer to recover from, if you work your way up to
doing enough volume of moderate intensity cardio, that’s
still going to hinder things.
Then you also have to add this to the fact that it may
become harder to schedule your cardio and lifting sessions.
Should you be doing all your moderate cardio after the

weight lifting session? Before? During a whole other session,
at which point time becomes another brutal factor to
contend with?
Basically, it just gets hard. Once you get caught up in

the viscous cardio cycle, it gets hard to get out of and you
wind up in a plateau and frustrated.
So, hopefully from these points you can now see why
long sessions of cardio are not worth your time. You are not
going to get very far from doing them and they are likely to
only make you backtrack as far as results are concerned.
You’re far better off using smart cardio methods and

then taking control over other aspects that enable fat loss to
take place, namely the diet and weight training (more to
come).
I understand that if you’ve been doing hours of cardio

each day dropping this off might feel scary, but go slowly
and start now. The sooner you stop the better off you will
be. Most people do not find they gain weight back when
reducing their cardio and often, the exact opposite happens
and they start losing weight faster because their metabolism
starts to move back to normal.
So, now that we’ve discussed moderate intensity

cardio, let’s look at the cardio that does work.

CHAPTER 5
THE TYPE OF CARDIO THAT CAN HELP
YOU GET SIX PACK ABS
So, we’ve discussed that hours of cardio each week is

not the best way to approach getting your goals. If that’s the
case, what is?
Something commonly referred to as HIIT.
HIIT stands for high intensity interval training and

make no mistake about it, will be difficult. But, no one said
getting six pack abs was easy. If you really want to reach this
goal though, this is how you should go about doing so.
With this type of cardio, instead of working at only

one pace for a whole thirty to sixty minutes, you’re going to

vary your pace as you go. This is not only going to ease
boredom, but it’s also going to greatly cut down on the total
duration of time you must spend doing your cardio sessions.
Let’s look a little further.
The Benefits of HIIT

Increased Metabolic Rate
The first major benefit of HIIT training is that you are
going to bump your metabolism up not only while doing the
workout, but also in the hours following the session.
Whereas with moderate paced cardio you might have seen
an increase of about 20-30 calories after the session was
completed, with HIIT it’s not unusual to see an increase in

150-300 calories burned additionally after it’s completed.
So, not only are you burning calories faster while

doing it, but you’re burning calories faster after while you’re
sitting at your desk in the office.
Talk about a two pronged approach to fat loss.
Lean Muscle Building

The second big benefit you’ll get when you implement
HIIT training into your program is at the very least, lean
muscle maintenance. If you were eating in a calorie surplus
(which you won’t be due to the fact that you’re dieting), you
could actually see a gain of lean muscle mass when doing
HIIT.
Since you aren’t in that surplus though, it’s more likely

that you’ll just work towards maintaining your current
muscle mass.
This proves to be useful because again, your muscle

mass is the calorie burning engine of your body. Without it,
you’re left with a very low metabolic rate which makes
further fat loss that much harder.

Dramatically Improved Fitness Level

Another benefit that HIIT offers over that of more
traditional forms of cardio training is the increase in fitness
level that’s typically seen.
While you can obtain a certain level of fitness with

moderate paced sessions, in order to really crank your
anaerobic fitness up a notch, you’re going to have to do
interval sprints at some point.
Those who are participating in performance oriented

sports will really benefit from this in particular, as it will
enable them to increase their skill level and prevent fatigue
while playing.
After doing a few weeks of HIIT, you will also likely

notice that your resting heart rate goes down, which is a
good indicator that you are in fact improving your fitness
level.
Decreased Gym Time

If you’re someone who leads a very active and busy
lifestyle, another thing you’re going to appreciate from HIIT
training is the fact that it will call for a decreased need for
total gym time.
Considering the fact that most HIIT sessions only take

20-30 minutes a couple of times a week, if you were

formerly doing moderate paced cardio sessions for an hour
five days a week, you can easily see how this would translate
into a lot more free time for you.
For every minute invested, you really cannot beat

HIIT training.
Increased Rate of Muscle Glycogen Storage

Finally, the last big benefit of HIIT is that it will cause
your body to increase its ability to store muscle glycogen.
This is due to the fact that when you perform HIIT sprints,
you’re going to decrease the muscle glycogen that is
naturally stored in the muscle tissue and is used as the
primary source of fuel for this type of exercise.
After the workout is over and you proceed to eat

carbohydrates (which is why it is essential to be eating carbs
after a session like this), then your body is going to suck
those carbohydrates up and store them in the tissues of the
body. As it does this, session after session, slowly the body
will grow capable of storing more muscle glycogen, meaning
you then have more fuel to get through any workouts you
choose to do.
Also note that another added benefit of HIIT is

increasing the muscles ability to oxidize fats as fuel during

lower intensity exercises, which can also greatly help out
with the fat burning process.
So, as you can see, there are a number of benefits to

including HIIT in your workout program. If you are of the
fitness level to be doing HIIT, it would be silly not to do
these workouts at least once a week as part of an overall fat
loss program.
How To Do HIIT
Which now brings us to what you’re likely wondering
at this point, how exactly you should go about doing HIIT
training.
As stated earlier, HIIT stands for high intensity

interval training, meaning that you’re going to be doing
intervals where you work at a very hard pace, supplemented
with intervals where you work at a much less difficult pace.
This translates to a fantastic overall workout where

you have really pushed your body to its limits and are seeing
how far you can take things.
When doing HIIT workouts, you should always be

starting with a proper warm-up. This will help get the blood
flowing to the muscle tissues and prepare them for the
higher intensity work that’s to come.
This warm-up should last for about 5-10 minutes; long

enough to warm up the body properly, but not so long that
you overly fatigue the working muscles.
After the warm-up has been completed, then you

progress to your intervals.
Now, how long you choose to do the intervals will

vary from individual and your own personal preferences.
Some people would rather do shorter intervals of

around 20-30 seconds, while others like doing minute long
intervals.
Note that if you opt for the longer intervals, you’re

going to likely be using a slightly lower total intensity level
since you will not be able to maintain the level of intensity
for a whole minute that you otherwise would if you were
just doing the 20 second intervals.
So, while you might be working at 100% maximum for

twenty seconds, you’re working at 85 or 90% maximum
when using the longer one minute intervals.
When it comes to rest, for the very high intensity

intervals (20-30 seconds), you’ll want to be utilizing rest
periods that are double or possibly even triple the time in

length.
So, for instance you would sprint for twenty seconds,

then rest for forty seconds to a minute. If you are doing
thirty second sprints, you would sprint for thirty seconds
and then rest for a minute and a half to two minutes.
If you are doing the longer interval sprints (say one

minute in length), then you might be able to get away with a
1:1 ratio, so you’d sprint for the minute and then perform
active rest for another minute. This will vary again from
individual to individual and how hard they choose to push
themselves during the interval period.
The harder you push, the longer your rest period is

going to have to be in comparison.
Finally, when considering the total number of intervals

you perform, this again will obviously depend on the length
of intervals you are doing. Generally though, anywhere from
five to fifteen intervals total is what you’re looking for,
coupled with a five minute warm up and cool down.
This should last between 20-30 minutes total,

depending on the length and number of intervals you’re
doing.
Moving on now, let’s look at how you can incorporate

your HIIT with the rest of your program.
Incorporating HIIT With The Rest of Your Training

Regime
So, now that we’ve looked at why HIIT is so much
more beneficial than many of the other forms of cardio
training that you’ve previously been doing, it’s time to assess
how you can go about adding this HIIT to the rest of your
training program.
Since you have to make sure you’re overall program

plan is well balanced and you are not risking overtraining, it
is vital that you don’t skip this step.
HIIT training is a much more intense form of cardio

than moderate paced, so if you don’t watch out, you could
wind up with injuries and stalled progress very quickly.
Considering Twice a Day Workouts

The first way you can incorporate your HIIT into your
workout program is with twice a day workouts.
This is a good solution for those who are on four day

upper/lower splits, since it will still allow you to keep your
three full days off to rest (or perform very light cardio
activities only – meant for simple relaxation purposes only).
In this scenario, you can either place your HIIT

sessions on upper body days or lower body days. The
advantage to placing them on lower body days is that while
those days will be particularly brutal, you’re legs will only be
worked very hard twice per week.
If you were to do the sprint training on upper body

days, then you have to factor in whether you will be
recovered enough after doing a lower body weight lifting
session (as in the case if you do your leg workout on
Monday/Thursday), or alternatively, whether you will be
able to perform your best during your leg workouts if you
are doing your upper body sessions first.
Most people will opt to go with doing their sprint

training on the upper body days, simply because doing a leg
workout and HIIT on the same day is very demanding, but
the choice is entirely up to you.
If you are going to do them on the same day, I would

strongly recommend trying to spread them out by at least
five or six hours and being sure you are getting in really
great nutrition between the sessions.
Ideally you would lift during the morning and then go

back and do your HIIT during the evening hours.

Off Day HIIT Sessions

Now, if you happen to be on a full body workout
splits performed three times a week, you might want to do
your HIIT on two days of the week that you have off. This
will still leave a total of two full days for recovery, which
should be enough to prevent overtraining from setting in.
Another option would obviously be doing them on

days you do your weight lifting workouts, but a full body
program is pretty demanding on the CNS, so unless you
have very good recovery abilities, this typically isn’t the best
of options.
How Much HIIT You Should Be Doing

Now, another question you might be wondering is
how many sessions of HIIT you should be doing total. Is
one or two enough? Or should you be doing more?
Again, look at your lifting program. Since both weight

lifting and sprinting will be heavily working the CNS, you
don’t want to be doing one or the other almost every day or
you will wind up seriously burnout and not feeling well.
If you were say lifting twice a week on a full day

workout program (for the really time strapped), then you
could potentially do up to three sessions of HIIT as well.

A good rule of thumb is that you want at least one full

day off for complete rest each week and one day where the
only exercise you’re doing is lower intensity.
So, look at your weight lifting and see where there is

room. Don’t think you can just double up on your workouts
though as some of you may see five days of potential
workout days at two workouts a day – that means 10 intense
exercise sessions a week. Wrong.
No more than 6 or 7 intense workout sessions should

ever be performed in a single week (keeping with the two
lower intensity/off day protocol).
Also note that those who are more strict diets will
need to do even less. Essentially food intake has an indirect
relation to exercise output. The less food you’re consuming,
the less exercise you’re going to be able to handle. The less
strict the diet, the more you can theoretically workout.
This does not mean, however, that you can

significantly start increasing your food intake if you spend
hours and hours in the gym. There is a limit where all of a
sudden exercise is no longer going to compensate for a poor
diet regardless of what you’re doing.
You ideally want to start with as little HIIT as possible

to get weight loss moving. Then, if you come across a

plateau, you can add more in if needed.
The way you should always look at it is you want to do

as little work as possible to get to your results. This is not to
say you shouldn’t expect to work for fat loss – you should,
just that you always want to start conservative so you have
somewhere to go.
If you start out doing five sessions of HIIT a week,

what are you going to do when you are no longer losing
weight? Increase that even more?
That’s likely not going to be a good idea. Instead, it’s

better to start out with one or two sessions and see how fat
loss goes.
Even when you do hit a plateau, often it’s a better idea

to adjust things on the dietary front rather than adding a lot
more exercise anyway.
The body only has so much recovery ability – period.

It comes to a point where no amount of food is going to
change this regardless of what you do.
Finally, with regards to nutrition, and this will be

talked about later on in this guide, but you want to treat your

sprint sessions just like you would a weight lifting session.

Since the body is going to be using stored muscle glycogen
to perform the workout, you want to be sure you’re eating
carbohydrates both before and after the workout session to
supply this energy.
In addition to this, just like all other workouts, a

protein source will be important so that there is a readily
available pool of amino acids for the working muscles to
draw upon after the session is completed to start the repair
process of as quickly as possible.
Finally, just like your weight lifting pre and post

workout nutrition, you’re also going to want to keep fat
intake to a minimum during this period as additional fat
intake is not going to help accomplish the goals you are
trying to accomplish at this point.
So, that concludes this portion of the book on HIIT

training. It really is a much better way to be doing your
cardio as far as fat loss is concerned.
After you begin doing it and see some of the results

that are derived from HIIT, you will no longer doubt its
effectiveness.
It will take some getting used to since you will be

pushing your comfort zone, but once you do get used to it,
you will definitely find that you’re far happier you did and
left your hour long cardio sessions of the past in the past.


CHAPTER 6
THE MOST EFFECTIVE TYPE OF EXERCISE
FOR SIX PACK ABS
Now that we’ve covered cardio training, it’s time to

look at the most effective exercise for getting six pack abs –
weight training.
Why weight training?
Weigh training is the type of exercise that is going to

help boost your metabolic rate on a daily basis by increasing
the amount of lean muscle tissue you have. Not to mention

that after you do a heavy weight lifting session, your body is
going to have to expend a higher number of calories just on
the process of repair, further increasing the fat loss benefits
you’ll see.
Weight training is also a form of exercise that is going

to entirely reshape your body. While cardio may help you
lose weight, more often than not you’ll wind up just looking
like a smaller version of your current self.
Since most of you want to completely change your

body, for you this means reshaping it so that it has a new
body composition (more lean muscle mass and less total
body fat).

This type of process is very unlikely to happen with

cardio training, but much more likely with a solid weight
lifting program.
Therefore, when it comes to your gym sessions, weight

training is what you should most be looking into.
Designing a Weight Lifting Program

For Maximum Six Pack Ab Definition
When it comes to designing a weight lifting program
that is going to help you achieve maximum ab definition,
there are a number of different set-ups you can use. Which
one you choose will depend on your current skill level, how
much time you have available to commit, what type of
equipment you are able to use, and your own individual
recovery rates.
First, let’s look at the traditional four day split.
The four day split workout program is a workout

program where you will perform upper body movements on
two days out of the week, followed by lower body
movements on the other two.
The primary benefit to this is that it allows you to

spend a bit more time on each section of the body, but also
still allows for enough rest during the week. Performing
weight training exercises daily would be a very bad plan as

you’d soon wind up overtrained and would more than likely
experience very high levels of fatigue because of this.
Instead, you want to get into the gym 3-4 days each
week, put in a good, solid effort, and then allow your body
some time to relax and repair itself so that when you go
back in the next time, you’re stronger.
It is this breakdown-repair process that essentially

causes you to make progress with your program, so without
that in place, you’re definitely going to be faltering.
Now, going back to the upper/lower, 4 day split, it will

be performed in a set-up such as this:
Monday – Upper body workout
Tuesday – Lower body workout
Wednesday – Off or cardio training
Thursday – Upper body workout
Friday – Lower body workout
Saturday and Sunday – Off or cardio
What you will want to do is choose 2-3 ‘bigger’ weight

lifting movements to start the day’s workout off, and then

follow that with another 2-3 more isolated exercises that are
going to zero in and target one body part in particular.
It is the big movements though that are going to really

deliver the results, as they are going to utilize a number of
muscles at once, both increasing the calorie burn while
you’re doing them, as well as increase the amount of calories
you need to expend to recover from them.
Here are the exercise classifications (note that varieties

of any given exercise can and should be used).
‘Big’ Upper Body Movements

Bench Press
Incline Press
Shoulder Press
Bent Over Row
Horizontal Row
Pull-Ups
Lat Pull-Down
Dips
‘Big’ Lower Body Movements

Squat
Deadlift (stiff legged and Romanian)
Step Ups
Leg Press
‘Isolated’ Upper Body Movements

Bicep Curl
Incline Curls
Tricep Rope Push-Downs
Tricep Kickbacks/Extensions
Side Lateral Raises
Front Lateral Raises
‘Isolated Lower Body Movements’

Calf Raises
Leg Extensions
Hamstring Curls
Most people will choose to do 3-4 sets of the bigger

exercises, lifting a heavier weight that allows them to fatigue

within the 6-8 rep range. Then, for the isolated exercises,
they’ll decrease the total number of sets to 2-3, and move
the rep range up a bit higher to around 8-12 reps per set
total (note that the weight will correspondingly be
decreased).
SEE SIX PACK ABS FORMULA? JUST INSERT

RIGHT IN??
Fitting Cardio In With Your Weight Training Program
Now, once you’ve chosen the workout you are going

to use, next comes planning for your cardio training.
As touched upon in the cardio section, you want to do

as little cardio training as you can to start seeing fat loss
results. The reason behind this is because then if you notice
your fat loss starting to slow, you have something you can
change around to get it going again.
First you need to make the decision whether you will

do higher intensity cardio, or if you will stick with moderate
paced cardio.
Hopefully you realized in the cardio section that higher

intensity cardio is the way to go, so unless you are either
going to use a very strict diet (in which case the intensity
from the weight training is going to be enough for you to

worry about) or you are not at the conditioning level yet to
be able to do higher intensity cardio, this should be the form
that you choose.
Ideally you will do your high intensity cardio 1-2 times

week, being sure you allow one full day off each week to
rest.
Implement this cardio into the program in one of the

manners described in the cardio section (after lower body
days, after upper body days, in an entirely separate session
altogether, etc), and then you’re set to go.
Remember that you should constantly be monitoring

how you are doing with the volume of exercise you have in
the workout program.
If at any point you are starting to find that your

strength levels are seriously going down or you are
becoming ill quite frequently (a low immune system is one
of the signs of overtraining), the this is a very good signal
that it’s time to back off the exercise slightly.
Either reduce back on the number of days you’re

doing, reduce back on the total volume of exercise
performed, or in some cases, if the situation is severe
enough, you may need to take a full week off training

entirely to allow your body to recovery maximally.
Being sure you are tracking this is vital to your success

because overtraining will slow down your progress as far as
reaching maximum levels of strength is concerned, but more

importantly, it’s going to cause the body to release more

cortisol, which encourages fat accumulation in the stomach
area as mention previously.
Too much training is probably one of the biggest

issues many people face when trying to get six pack abs as
they always get stuck in the mindset that if some is good,
more is better.
More is not better. Smarter is better, more is just

more. You really must know when you’re crossing that line
into overtraining.
Won’t Weight Training Make Me Heavier?

One question that some of you might be having right
now is whether or not weight training is actually going to
cause you to become heavier. After all, if your goal is to get
a six pack, shouldn’t you be focused on losing weight?
The important thing to keep in mind here is that losing

weight and losing fat are two entirely different things. If you
are losing fat, you’re doing great. If you’re losing weight,
you’re going to find yourself with a slowed metabolism and
a much softer appearance.
In some cases, especially if you’re just starting with

your workout program, you might actually see the scale go
up first even though there is a strong possibility that your

pant size is actually dropping.
What’s going on?
What’s happening is you’re losing fat mass, while

gaining muscle mass. Since muscle is over twice as dense as
fat, you look smaller, but could theoretically weigh more.
This is one big reason why scales are not a good way to
judge progress.
A much better indicator is total body fat percentages,

however often the handheld scales you purchase are highly
swayed by such factors as hydration status, time of the day,
previous exercise performed, along with a whole other host
of factors.
One option may be getting a DEXA performed or

going for underwater weighing at your local university, but
usually these options are not available for most people, so
again you run into problems.
Therefore, the best way to judge progress is simply

going to be by looking in the mirror. If you look like you’re
getting leaner and your pants are fitting smaller, you’re on
the mark.

Moving away from worrying so much what that scale

weight says is critical because you’ll only play a psychological
game with yourself that’s likely to hold you back in the long
run.
Weight Training and Six Pack Abs –

Looking Into The Future
Finally, it cannot be stressed enough that weight
training is going to be the way to maintain your six pack
after you achieve it into the future. The number one reason
why people gain weight as they get older is not directly
because their body’s metabolism slows down. It’s because
they lose muscle mass due to inactivity which causes the
metabolism to slow down.
Therefore, the key way they can go about preventing

this weight gain is simply to continue to stimulate their

muscle mass, hence they will continue to maintain their
higher metabolic rate.
For you, this means more food and less weight gain.
Sound like a good deal? You bet it is, which is why if you
only have a limited time span to exercise, weight training
needs to be your exercise of choice.
Your weight lifting program is going not only help

maintain the muscle tone in the abdominal region, but it’s
also going to help keep the muscle definition all over the
rest of your body as well.
Most people notice that as they get older they do start

to become ‘softer’, which is the direct result of not having as
much muscle tone any longer.
Once you’ve developed the amount of muscle mass

you’re looking for and have reached a level of leanness
you’re satisfied with, all it’s really going to take is 30 minutes,
2-3 times a week to maintain your body, provided you are
also following a sound diet at the same time.
Most people should be able to find this amount of

time during their day, so there really isn’t an excuse for
losing your fitness level over the long-term.
In addition to this, other good news is that if you do

fall off the bandwagon for a while, it’s going to be easier to
get back to your previous level of fitness if you jump back
on and get going. Obtaining certain goals is always hardest
the first time around, so take comfort in knowing this fact.
So, hopefully now you can see that weight training is

the real ticket to six pack abs. It’s far more superior than
cardio as far as long term results are concerned and will help
entirely change your body.
If you are looking for a body make-over, weight

training is your vehicle to get you there.

CHAPTER 7
WHAT ABOUT AB EXERCISES – WILL THEY WORK?
Now we’ve come to the point where actual ab

exercises need to be discussed. At some point or another
you’ve more than likely been shown certain ab exercises that
are aimed to help you get a six pack or have seen various
infomercials, magazine articles, TV shows, or something of
the like that have talked about them.
But, do ab exercises really get you closer to your goal

of six pack abs? That’s what we need to discuss.
The Cause Behind Six Pack Abs

Before even getting into what type of ab exercises you
should be doing, the first thing that needs to get cleared up
is the role that actual ab exercises play with you getting a six
pack.
That role can pretty much be described in one simple

word. None.
Abdominal exercise, while still very beneficial (we’ll get

to that in a second), are not going to really do much in terms
of getting you a six pack.
The reason for this being that no matter how many

hours of your life you spend crunching away on the ab mats,

no matter how many sit-ups you perform per session, and
no matter how many creative ab movements you can think
up, unless your body fat level is low enough, you are not
going to be able to see your abs.
To illustrate this point, think back to a time you saw a

five or six year old boy running around the playground. Did
he have a set of six pack abs? Chances are good he did.
Think he spends hours each day doing ab exercises?

Definitely not. The reason he has a set of six pack abs is
because he hasn’t accumulated all the layers of body fat
covering them yet. He’s lean and his abs are showing.
We are all born with six pack abs, it’s just some of us
put them into hiding through years of overeating and under-
moving.
Once this balance is tilted in the opposite direction

and enough time is given, the abs will begin to show once
again.
Why Ab Training Is Important

Now, while specific abdominal exercises aren’t really
going to do a whole lot in terms of getting your six pack abs
to show through, this does not mean doing abdominal
exercises on a regular basis is not important.
There are a number of reasons why they should be

incorporated into any six pack abdominal program which we
will now take a look at.
Decreased Injury Risk

One of the biggest reasons why you should be
including ab work in your regular workout program is due to
the decreased risk of injuries you will experience when you
do.
Every day you are faced with a variety of movements,

many of which often involve a lot of twisting and turning of
the body. All it takes is one wrong move and you could wind
up in a great deal of pain, making it important that your core
is nicely developed and can prevent the spinal column from
suffering from an injury when this twisting happens.
When the core muscles are strong, they will be able to

effectively offset some of the forces that are placed upon
them from various directions, thus the tendons and
ligaments surrounding the vertebra will not feel such a direct
force.
Since chronic back problems often start from issues

such as these, doing what you can to help the body handle it
is a very smart move.
Greater Performance on Your Other Lifts

A second reason why you should be including
abdominal exercises in your workout program on a regular
basis is because they will help increase the performance you
show on the rest of your lifts.
The abdominal muscles are going to work as helper

muscles for almost every movement you do, from squats,
bench press, lunges, bicep curls, shoulder presses – you
name it, the abs are likely working to at least some degree.
If the core is weak, you are not going to be able to lift

as much weight as the muscles under tension (the chest on
the bench press for example) are going to have to

compensate for this weakened core and help increase

balancing abilities as well.
This will take away from the force they are able to
output for the actual lift itself, so you aren’t going to get the
same type of results on your weight training program as you
would if you had a stronger core.
Better Control Over Your Stomach When Not

Exercising
Now, another aspect that having strong abs helps out
with is maintaining control over the stomach itself. If you
were to look down at your stomach right now, what does it
look like?
Chances are it’s rather lose, probably soft to the touch

(unless you are already very lean), and the lower abs may be
protruding outwards slightly.
If I’m right, you’re in a very relaxed position right

now. Ideally you want the stomach muscles to always be
maintaining some type of muscle tone for a couple of
reasons.
First, this is what will also help them appear leaner

(since they are not going to be as loose and soft as they are
right now), and second, because sucking in your stomach
and tensing those ab muscles also dramatically improves
your posture.
Since when you straighten up and use correct posture

your whole entire abdominal region tends to look better, not
to mention you project much more confidence to others,
this is a very important benefit.
Back problems can also come from too much time

spent using incorrect posture, so here again, utilizing the
right spinal pattern is critical.
The more often you work on squeezing and tensing

the stomach muscles, the better you will be at maintaining
this position until it becomes so natural you do it almost
automatically.

Increased Sports Performance

Finally, the last reason why you should be including
abdominal training as part of your overall workout program
is because of spots performance. If you’re someone who is
participating in any type of organized sport activity, either
competitively or just recreationally, having a strong core is
almost always going to help with performance levels.
Sports in particular are going to subject you to those

tension forces we were mentioning earlier, so you will
definitely be someone who is at an increased risk of injury if
you are playing frequently.
If it happens to be a contact sport (such as hockey or

football) then the risk for injuries increases tenfold.
By doing core training, you safeguard yourself for this

as well as increase your ability to move and twist
comfortably, depending on what the particular movement
pattern you’re trying to get into calls for (different sports
will vary on this factor).
So, as you can clearly see, doing ab exercises is

definitely worth your while. In addition to all of the factors
listed above, another thing that ab exercises can potentially
do as well is help to reshape the ab muscles, slightly altering

their appearance.
For example, if you don’t mind having a slightly wider

waist, doing weighted abdominal crunches can help make
the muscles larger, which could potentially mean you don’t
have to get down to quite as low of body fat levels in order
to see definition.
Now there are limits to this – obviously no matter

how big your abs get, there is a point where body fat levels
will still be too much and overtake them, hiding definition,
but if you’re right around the 12-13%, this can be a factor
that can help.
Obviously building larger ab muscles does change the

way your waist looks though, so many women will shy away
from weighted exercises entirely.
So, this brings us to a close on the topic of why you

should be doing abdominal exercises with your weight
training program.
You definitely don’t want to be spending hours on ab

exercises as it’s true, there are far better ways to utilize your
time. Spending about 10-15 minutes on ab training 2-3 times
a week should be sufficient enough to get the ball rolling
and get the benefits talked about above.
As you’re about to learn, it’s not so much a matter of

quantity when it comes to ab training, it’s a matter of quality.
If you’re doing the exercises properly, you aren’t going

to need to do numerous sets and reps because they will be
stimulating the muscles enough in the right manner.
Many people are not doing their abdominal exercises

correctly though hence problems do start to present
themselves. So with that, we’ll move on and discuss what
you should and shouldn’t be doing.


CHAPTER 8
AB EXERCISES THAT WILL BRING YOU
CLOSER TO YOUR GOAL
When it comes to finding abdominal exercises to

round out your workout program, the options are almost
limitless. There are so many different pieces of equipment
out there today that are all meant to help work the abs,
making it very easy to add variety and intensity to any
abdominal program.
When it comes to choosing between all the different

variations available, keeping some factors in mind will help
ensure that you are making the right choices and maximizing
what you get from your abdominal workouts.

Here are the main principles you want to follow.
Decrease Your Base of Support

First up, one of the most effective ways to make
whatever ab exercise you happen to be doing harder is to
decrease your base of support. For example, if you’re
performing a traditional plank exercise with both feet firmly
planted on the floor, try doing this movement while lifting
one leg off of the floor.
This decreases the total surface area that is supporting

your body, increasing the difficulty of the movement.
Likewise, if you’re performing V-Sits, rather than

performing them on the floor which will give you a very
good base of support, try performing them on something
that will reduce your overall stability.
For example, try holding a V-sit off of a box or

aerobics step. Since you don’t have as much ‘ground’ to
work with (material under your body) the abs will be called
into play to a greater extent.
Increase Your Range of Motion

Moving on, another thing you want to look for when
trying to choose your abdominal workouts is that they are
encompassing as large of a range of motion as possible. By
using a larger range of motion, you will call a higher number
of muscle fibers into play as you execute the movement.
This concept also applies to your regular weight lifting

exercises as well. For example, take the bicep curl. What do
you think you’re going to benefit from more: doing a curl
and only going halfway down the body, or doing the full curl
and extending the wrist all the way down to the thigh and
back up again.
Obviously the curl where you move through the entire

range of motion will be more beneficial. The same thing
applies to the abs.
Many ab exercises (crunches for example) are actually

utilizing a small range of motion, thus aren’t really all that
effective.
To increase the effectiveness of these movements,

place your back over a ball and extending down further and
then crunch back up. This will increase the range of
movement and thus work the abs harder.
Likewise, if you’re say doing leg raises while laying on

your back, be sure you are going all the way up and down
with your movement, rather than shorting yourself and only
going from 90 to 45 degrees.
On every abdominal exercise you do, ask yourself if

you can go any further. If you can, then this is a good
indication you could be getting more out of the workout.

Add Instability
Moving on, the next way to increase the effectiveness
of your abdominal exercises is to add some instability to the
workout. This is done by again decreasing your base of
support, or doing movements you would normally do on the
floor, on the exercise ball instead.
The exercise ball is really a great piece of equipment to

have around to include throughout your entire workout
program so it’s definitely something to strongly consider
investing in.
You can perform not only crunches on an exercise

ball, but you can also doing movements such as leg raises,
prone ball roll-outs, back extensions, ‘clocks’, and the plank
on the ball to name just a few.
The exercise options with a ball are really limitless if

you get creative so it will really help you continually
stimulate the abdominal muscles, furthering the gains you
see because of it.
Other ways to decrease the stability as you go about

your workout is by doing movements on a bosu ball. Due to
the fact that this will throw you off balance, it will thus call
the abdominals into play, making them work harder to

maintain your body position.
Squats are the typical exercise done on these, but you

can also simply stand and try and hold one leg up off the
floor.
An exercise as simple as that can actually be highly

effective at activating the abdominal muscles, proving just
how simple it can be to get a great abdominal workout in if
you know some basic concepts to use while putting together
your workout program.
Use Different Angles

Moving on, another way you can increase the intensity
of your abdominal workouts and see faster results is by
being sure you are working the abs from a variety of
different angles on a regular basis.
Ideally you should be changing out at least one

exercise from your workout on a regular basis and swapping
it for something else. By doing so, you will almost guarantee
you’re working from a few different angles and that the abs
don’t ever get too comfortable with your routine.
For example, if you’re always doing crunches on the

floor, consider doing cable crossovers where you actually
pull the cable across the body using the abdominal muscles.
Most people will do these while working their chest,

but by altering your angles and positioning slightly, you can
transform them into a great ab workout.
In a similar manner, if you’re usually always doing

straight abdominal crunches on a mat, consider doing side
crunches or doing some type of bicycle movement.
While it’s still going to be a fairly similar manner, it is

going to hit the muscles slightly differently, increasing their
total stimulation.
The main point to get across here is that small tweaks

to your usual ab exercises can make a big difference. So,
don’t be afraid to experiment every so often. Your body will
tell you what’s working and what isn’t, so as long as you can
focus on continually getting those abs contracting, you know
you’re on the right track.
Use A Variety of Equipment

Along with changing the angle at which you’re hitting
your abs, you should also be altering the types of equipment
you’re using as well. While you have to watch out for ‘ab
gimmicks’ such as those ab stimulation devices, and other
products that basically state you have to do little or no work
but will see big results’, there are many other effective

abdominal devices out there that do work.
Such examples of these devices include abdominal

exercise balls, ab rollers (that you place both hands on while
you roll out), bosu balls, medicine balls (which are used to
create dynamic abdominal workouts), and resistance tubing
bands.
All of these pieces of equipment will hit one or more

of the above points – targeting the abs from different angles,
helping reducing instability, increasing your range of motion,
or decreasing your base of support.
Most of them are also very cheap to purchase and can

easily be used at home, making them a convenient solution
for those who are trying to get in shape without going to a
gym or expending a lot of money.
Perform the Movement Slower

Finally, the last requirement to know for creating an
effective abdominal workout that takes your six pack to the
next level and helps improve the overall conditioning level
of your core is doing the movements more slowly.
Think about the last time you saw someone doing

hanging leg raises. Were they whipping their legs up and
down as fast as humanly possible? If so, they sure as heck
weren’t working their abs effectively.
Unfortunately, when it comes to the vast majority of

the abdominal exercises out there, it is incredibly easy to
cheat on them if you get enough momentum going and in
some instances, you won’t even be working the ab muscles
at all.
You can get a good indication if you’re cheating on

your ab workout if you wake up the next morning and your
hip flexors are sore (the tiny muscles that are right between
your upper thigh and hip bone).
These muscles are typically not worked all that much

in everyday life, but they are the muscles that are most often
stimulated when someone is cheating on an ab exercise, thus
if they are sore, you know what you’re doing, or not doing
(that ab exercise properly).
The hip flexor test is a good way to gauge how well

you are performing your ab exercises. On some exercise it is
normal for them to be worked slightly (lying leg raises for
instance), but even still, they shouldn’t be called into play so
much that they are extremely sore the next day.
If they are, something is wrong there.

Doing whatever ab exercise you are currently working

on a bit slower is one way to ensure that you’re using the abs
to help you move through the movement, and also to feel
the contraction more itself as well.
Always focus on your breathing when doing your ab

exercises as well, as this will naturally help you to slow down
as you progress throughout them. In most cases, it’s actually
a good idea to do the lowering portion of the ab exercise
slightly slower than the initial lifting portion, as that’s when
you’re really going to feel the contraction.
Whatever you do, do not let yourself just ‘fall’ back

down on the lower portion, as that shorts yourself out of
half the exercise – and half the benefits.
That downward phase is just as important as the

upward phase, so don’t lose sight over this.
Should I include an actual list of ab exercises in this

section now? Pictures going here? At the end? …. Six pack
ab blue print is supposed to be the next chapter… but if this
is included under resistance training section?

CHAPTER 9
THE TOP SIX PACK EXERCISES
YOU MUST BE DOING REGULARLY
Now, while you should have a pretty clear indication

on how to set up your workouts at this point, we’re still
going to discuss right now some of the top ab exercises that
you should be doing on a regular basis that will really deliver
results.
While these are not the only exercises you should be

doing – as mentioned previously, incorporating in a variety
is essential, the following exercise are going to be the ones
that offer maximum stimulation and are good to use as
mainstays in any ab workout program.
Using one or two of these exercises along with another

1-2 of your own personal choice in any given workout is a
great place to start.
As you progress along your six pack ab training, you’ll

also likely find that many of the following exercises can be
expanded on to make them slightly more difficult and up the
intensity in which the abdominals are worked.
Also do remember that you can add weight to many ab

exercises and this can be a good thing, but it’s going to

depend on your overall goals. If you’re a woman who is
primarily concerned about aesthetics, then doing weighted
ab work may not be something you will want to touch.
That is perfectly fine however as there are plenty of

other exercises that you can do instead to further work the
ab muscles.
So, let’s get down to the top ab exercises you should

be doing.
The Plank
The first exercise which should be included as part of
your abdominal training program is referred to as the plank.
Basically, if you’re looking for an exercise that is going to
stimulate the abdominals as much as possible, while also
working the spinal column muscles as well as the upper
body, this exercise is it.
You can also increase the effectiveness of the plank

exercise in a number of ways.
First, you could place either your feet or your hands up

on a stability ball, which will really get those deep abdominal
tissues working maximally as they try and stabilize the body.

Another way to up the challenge of this exercise is by

lifting one leg or even better, one leg and the opposite arm
off the floor while you maintain the proper position.
This goes back to the abdominal principle of

decreasing your base of support. One hand and one foot are
always going to be better than two feet and two hands.
To further push that position, try moving the leg out

to the side slightly. This will throw the whole body of
course, causing the abdominals to really come into play.
Finally, a third way to increase the difficulty while also

getting a bit of a back workout as well is to position a 2-5
pound dumbbell in front of one hand. Then, once you’re in
the position comfortably, pick up that dumbbell with one
hand and perform a few rows (note it will be a short range
of motion, but will call the abdominal muscles into play to a
larger extent).
So, with all the different variations on this exercise

(you can also do side planks as well to work the oblique
muscles a bit more), be sure you are not overlooking it.
Ideally you would work your way up to holding the position
for one full minute before adding the more advanced
options.

Prone Ball Roll-Outs

Another great exercise to really stimulate the
abdominal muscles deep within the core are prone ball roll-
outs.
This exercise is different from other traditional

abdominal exercises you might have done because of the
fact that you will be stomach down when performing it. This
exercise does have a tendency to work the hip flexors to a
slight extent however, so you’ll really want to watch when
performing it that you are fully focused on contracting those
abdominal muscles. That is what will really help ensure that
you’re stimulating them maximally and aren’t ‘cheating’
yourself out of results.
To increase the difficulty of this exercise, basically

your best bet is to just try and perform it using one leg to
pull the ball inwards, rather than both legs. This will reduce
the surface area of the body with which you have to stabilize
yourself with, working along the same principle as the one
arm plank position.
Also note that if you get extremely advanced at this

movement, you may be able to place your hands up on two
smaller exercise balls (5-10 pound weighted balls work good
for this), while having the feet up on a regular sized exercise
ball. This will also work many of the muscles in the upper
body in addition to the core as they work to keep you
balanced.
The Bicycle
Another exercise that most people are already familiar
with and may even be doing is the bicycle. When done right,
this movement is great because it will help stimulate the
muscle fibers over a larger range of motion (the up portion,
and then twisting to both sides). Compare this to your
standard crunch where you are just moving in the upwards
direction and you can clearly see why it would be more
beneficial.

Many people do have the tendency to cheat on this

movement however, so it’s really important you’re using
proper form. If you aren’t, you’ll be working the hip flexors
more than anything else.
This exercise in particular is also one that you want to

focus on doing a bit more slowly, as that’s another factor
that impacts how well it works the muscle tissues you’re
trying to target.
Some people will choose to hold a weighted plate

while doing this movement, but I would really warn you
against doing so. You must be absolutely sure you are
performing the exercise using proper form first, as the
additional weight is just going to increase the chances of you
relying on those hip flexors.
For some people, they also find that it helps to think

of placing their tongue on the roof of their mouth while
doing the movement to help ensure they aren’t using their
back and arms to lift throughout the movement. As strange
as that may sound, it can definitely help so give that a try
next time you’re doing them.
Medicine Ball Twists

Along with the bicycle, another exercise that will
definitely help to work the oblique muscles and really help
to promote a strong core are medicine ball twists. For this
exercise, essentially you are to do it with a partner, twisting
from side to side while passing off a medicine ball.
Because of the dynamic nature of these movements,

you will work the core in a much different way than if you
had been doing abdominal crunches for example, increasing
the results you’ll see.
That’s not to say abdominal crunches are not

worthwhile – they still are, just that if you add other varieties
of movements, you enhance the results you are going to
obtain.
To increase the intensity of this exercise, you can just

increase the weight used with the medicine ball, thus
increasing the resistance level that’s experienced.
Yet another way you can also increase the demands

this exercise places upon you is by sitting or kneeling on an
exercise ball, thereby decreasing your total base of support.
In doing so, you will definitely stimulate the ab tissues deep
within your core, enhancing the workout entirely.
Do note though that you will need to build up to being

able to do this since it is much more intense and isn’t
something that you’re likely to be able to start off with
initially.
Also be sure when you’re doing this exercise that you

switch and do it to the other side as well so you get a good
balanced workout. If you were constantly only twisting to
one side of the body, those muscles are going to become

stronger and this could lead to spinal issues down the road.
Push-Ups On An Exercise Ball

Another good exercise to include in your abdominal
workout program is push-ups on an exercise ball. This
movement is going to really target the arms as well as deep
within the core tissue, as the abs are needed to maintain
stability of the body.
Before doing this exercise you will need to make sure

you can successfully complete regular push-ups however, so
be sure you work on that first.
You can do many different variations on the push-up

movement as well – it doesn’t just have to be standard push-
ups. You can place your hands in a triangular position to
mimic tricep push-ups or, if you are looking to decrease the
intensity of the exercise slightly, consider placing the feet
rather than the hands on the ball.
It will still work your abs to some extent (more so than

traditional push-ups), but right away you will notice there is
a big difference in the difficulty level.
Sit-Up With A Twist

Another similar exercise to the bicycle that will
enhance the stimulation on the abdominal muscles are sit-

ups with a twist. For this exercise, the big difference is the
legs are placed on the floor and do not move throughout the
exercise as they would if you were doing bicycle crunches.
What you really want to focus on when doing this

exercises is being sure you are moving slowly throughout the
movement, which will call the muscles into play to a greater
extent.
In addition to this, be sure you are trying to twist as far

as possible to the side after you perform the sit up, as the
greater the range of motion you utilize, the better this
workout becomes.
Some individuals will also choose to hold a weighted

plate while doing this movement, just be aware that doing so
will increase your reliance on the hip flexor muscles, thus
potentially decreasing the amount you’re truly working the
abdominals.
If you want to force yourself to increase the range of

motion on this exercise, another technique that you can use
is to place an object on one side of you so that you must
twist and pick it up, moving it to the other side before you
lower again to complete that rep.

Whatever technique you use to perform this exercise

though, just be sure that you’re trying to maintain the
tension on your abs throughout the entire time rather than
using momentum to get you up and perform the twisting
action.
Hanging Leg Raises PROOFED UP TO HERE!

Hanging leg raises are another exercise that when done
properly will work the entire six pack area.
Your best bet when doing this movement is to try and

hang somewhere where you won’t be resting against a wall.
When you have that wall behind you, it can be all too
tempting to push the body off using the wall, using that
action to force the legs up and perform the leg raise.
With this movement, some people will strap weights

to their ankles (or alternatively use one of those ankle weight
wraps), however this may not be the best decision. Unless
you are really good at focusing in on just contracting the abs
for the movement, this will more than likely cause you to
just work the legs and hip flexors, taking much of the
tension completely off the abdominals.
Save the weights for another exercise and instead, just

focus on using proper form for this one.

Decline Abdominal Crunch

Finally, the last abdominal exercise that’s worthwhile
for you to be performing on a regular basis is a decline
abdominal crunch. This movement forces you to increase
your range of motion over and above what you would use if
you were doing a regular crunch, therefore you’ll see greater
benefits from it.
Most people do choose to hold a weighted plate over

their chest while performing this exercise, which is definitely
fine.
This will increase the resistance with which you are

going to work against, increasing the intensity.
For those who are primarily concerned with keeping

their waist very slender however may choose to not use a
weight for the simple fact that doing so could potentially
increase the size of the actual muscle tissues slightly.
Note though that actually getting bigger muscles will

depend on diet as well, so you’re far less likely to see
increases in the size of the muscle tissues if you’re eating a
lower calorie diet.
So, this brings us to a close of the top abdominal

exercises you should include on a regular basis. Doing one
or two of these each workout will guarantee you set out on

the right foot, giving it your best shot at getting a six pack as
far as the specific abdominal training you are doing is
concerned.
Always do remember though that the actual ab

exercises you are doing are only a very small part of the big
puzzle. Even if you are doing the best abdominal exercises
possible, if you are not following a sound diet and are not
using a good overall weight lifting program, results are going
to elude you.


CHAPTER 10
HOW TO DESIGN YOUR OWN GYM
THAT WILL GET YOU RESULTS
Now, as you probably can guess from the information

we’ve gone over already in this guide, one of the most
critical aspects of any six pack ab training program is going
to be consistency. If you are not going to the gym, if you are
not doing your workouts, if you are not following the
program plan you have in place, you aren’t going to be
getting closer to seeing a six pack.
Adherence needs to the be the top priority for you

because even someone who is on a mediocre training
program who actually goes to the gym will see better results
than someone who has a perfect workout program designed,

yet never does it.
You need to work to get results. It’s that simple. If you

fall to believe many of those ‘ab traps’ out there that state
you can get abs in only a few minutes a day (many of those
electronic devices are making this claim), you will be sorry.
So, getting back on the topic of adherence, for some

of you, one way to actually boost your adherence is to build
your own home gym so it’s conveniently located only steps
away.
Some people need that gym atmosphere to motivate

them, while for others, it’s getting to the gym and back that
poses the biggest struggle. If this describes you, a home gym

might just be the perfect option to keep you right on track.
When it comes to designing that home gym, however,

there are many ways you can go about doing this and a lot
will depend upon your budget and space availability.
Someone who is building a gym in their spare

bedroom is going to have a lot less space capability
compared with someone who has an entire basement to
utilize.
So, this is one thing to keep in mind. Price is the

second biggest factor that’s going to impact what you’re able
to do with a home gym.
Since many of the larger pieces of fitness equipment

are going to run you $500 upwards, if you’re looking to only
spend a few hundred dollars, you’ll definitely be avoiding
those options.
First, let’s look at home cardio equipment.
Home Cardio Options

Getting in some cardio is going to be important, not
only for helping you get closer to seeing six pack abs, but
also for general health sake. Maintaining a healthy heart is
going to be vital in the long run for good health, so this is

something you must not overlook.
For the individuals out there on a higher priced

budget, treadmills, elliptical trainers, and bikes are generally
good options. I’d place running/walking and using the
elliptical slightly higher than biking in terms of overall
results that can be seen, but again if you absolutely hate
running or using an elliptical but love biking, well then the
choice is obvious what you should get.
Adherence always takes top priority. Period.
Far too many people wind up purchasing cardio

machines only for them to become expensive clothes
hangers, which is something you need to avoid.
If you’re going to purchase a more top of the line

model of treadmill or elliptical trainer (or spend any more

than $1000 for that matter), then you likely should also look
into getting a warranty to protect your investment.
Treadmills especially, if you plan to do a decent

amount of running on them will suffer from wear and tear
over time, and this will have to be dealt with. Not only can
parts get fairly pricey, but paying for the service technician
doesn’t exactly come cheap either.
Having that back up warranty will be in your best

interests and give you a peace of mind.
If you’re just planning on walking on the treadmill and

are the only one using it, you may not need to consider the
warranty quite as much; less damage will be done while
walking compared with running, so it’s not quite as vital.
If you aren’t looking to spend as much on cardio

equipment, don’t despair, there are still options.
Skipping for one is a terrific way to blast fat and can

very easily be used for HIIT interval training (skip for the
interval, walk around the house for the rest period).
Skipping is also comparable in terms of calorie burn with
running, making it very effective for fat loss.

Moving on, another option is running up and down

your staircase (or if you live in an apartment, up and down
the staircase outside of your door). Again this is totally
workable with HIIT sprints, and can be used for more
moderate paced cardio – you simply walk up the stairs rather
than run. Either way you look at it though, stair running is
going to provide a really terrific glute workout on top of
cardiovascular benefits, making it a cardio option that will
deliver.
Not into stairs or skipping? Finding a box that you can

step up and down on is yet another way to get that heart rate
up and get in a workout. Some people will do fine using
aerobic steps for this while others will need to crank it up a
notch and use a much higher step or bench to get better
benefits.
This will largely depend upon what kind of

cardiovascular shape you are already in, so that’s what you
need to assess beforehand.
Finally, there is always running and walking outside for

those who would purchase a treadmill, yet cannot afford it.
Some individuals may be limited with this by climate or the
particular neighborhood they live in, but for many people
it’s an option that is always there.
Remember, some exercise is always going to be better

than none, so even if it’s just you getting out and going for a
walk for ten to fifteen minutes when you can, it will still add
up and help in the end.
Moving on, let’s now talk about strength equipment.
Strength Training Options

Since strength training is probably the most important
part of your workout program, it’s one that you must not
overlook. Again the same principles apply to your strength
equipment as did to your cardio equipment, in fact, likely
even more so.
Strength equipment – or at least the larger home gyms,

are going to take up a good amount of space, and can often
be much higher priced than cardio equipment.
Luckily, you definitely do not need to purchase a

whole home gym if you don’t want to. While you can,
there’s nothing wrong with doing so if you have the funds
available and the budget, it just will not be a necessity.
The first piece of equipment that I would recommend

that everyone does try and purchase, if at all possible, is a set
of dumbbells that range in weights. There are those
dumbbell sets out there that allow you to easily adjust them
to suite your own needs. Usually with these dumbbell sets

you will get 2.5 pound plates, 5 pound plates, and then 7.5
pound plates.
This makes it easy to upgrade when needed (since then

you only need to purchase a few more plates, rather than
having to buy a whole new set of dumbbells).
Now, to step that up a notch, if you still have funds

available, then I would look into a barbell along with some
heavier weighted plates (10 pounds, 25 pounds, etc).
This would then enable you to do such exercise as

deadlifts, rows, barbell shoulder presses, and so on. Having
a higher weight range such as this will be important as you
progress, and also for most males as they are naturally
stronger and 15 pound weights are just not going to be
nearly challenging enough.
After that, then if you’re still looking to purchase some

of the heavier forms of weight lifting equipment, then the
next best options will be a bench press and a squat rack.
That will then enable you to perform pretty much all the
major lifts and create a very effective home workout.
One thing that does deserve mention is that I would

advise against purchasing a smith machine. Basically, this is
one machine you don’t really want to use because it will

force the body into an unnatural movement pattern – one in
which it’s quite likely you could become injured using.
These machines may seem nice since they provide an

easy way to workout without a spotter, but many of the
newer models of squat racks will also have safety hooks you
can use if you are feeling like you may not be able to
complete the lift.
For those of you who are not looking to spend quite

that much money, then you move into other options that
can help you still get in a great workout without having to
spend as much on equipment.
The dumbbell recommendation stated earlier is

relatively cost effective, so that should be one thing to
strongly consider (before the remainder of the equipment
recommended).
After that, then rubber tubing bands are a good option

for those looking to create a dynamic workout and are not
quite as concerned with maximum strength development.
Rubber tubing is easy to transport around and will take

up minimal space, so it’s a great option for those that don’t
have a lot of room or those who are traveling quite
frequently. You can simply toss the tubing into your suitcase
and you’re pretty much ready to go as far as workout gear is
concerned.
Exercises such a bicep curls, tricep kickbacks, squats,

deadlifts, pectoral flyes, reverse flyes, and shoulder presses
can all be performed using simple tubing.
After tubing, then you have the various pieces of

exercise equipment such as exercise balls, medicine balls
(weighted), ab rollers, and bosu balls. These are most often
used to work the core muscles, but in some cases you can
perform some exercises that will work additional body parts
as well.
Having a good mat to stretch on after your workout is

over is also a good thing to have – many people leave out
the stretching component of their workout program which
is a big mistake. You want to be including stretching
frequently since this is what will help reduce your risk of
injuries, increase the range of motion you’re able to
effectively work over throughout the rest of the exercises
you perform, as well as help reduce the soreness that you
experience right after a workout is completed.
Finally, it shouldn’t need to be mentioned but just in

case, most importantly you will want to invest in a good pair

of cushioned running shoes. Many people who are working
out in their basements will basically be on direct cement,
which can get very hard on the joints over time. Having that
additional support system under your feet is important.
If you do suffer from knee or back pain, you may also

want to additionally look into purchasing some type of mat
to put down around the entire area you plan to workout, just
to further help prevent any pain from arising.
Often it’s not an injury that’s just going to ‘hit’, but

rather, day after day of all the pounding that goes on will
add up over time until it’s strong enough that your joints
finally start to experience pain as a result.
Taking preventative measures then will help ensure the

pain doesn’t start in the first place.
So, that ends our discussion on designing a home gym

that will help you meet your goals. Most important is that
you are comfortable using the home gym so that you find
yourself doing your workouts regularly.
If you are unsure how to perform any of the exercises

you need to be doing using dumbbells, weight machines, or
with any of the other equipment you choose to buy, make
sure you book a session with a personal trainer who will

show you how first.
This can be done at a regular gym and then you simply

will transport your workout to your own house after
learning the basic movements.
Not using correct form when doing an exercise is one

of the top reasons why people get injured, so be sure you’re
taking the time to learn how to do things properly right
from the start.
If you don’t, you will regret it – guaranteed.

CHAPTER 11
HOW TO MOTIVATE YOURSELF TO STAY
CONSISTENT
WITH YOUR WORKOUT PROGRAM
Now that we’ve discussed how you can go about

setting up your home gym, it’s time to discuss how you can
go about motivating yourself to stay consistent with your
gym workouts.
Different people will have different reasons for

wanting to work out. Most of you reading this book
probably place getting a six pack fairly close to the top
reason since this is after all, why you’re here.

In addition to this, you may also have improving

overall health, increasing your energy levels, boosting the
amount of physical strength you possess, decreasing risk of
injuries as you get older, enhancing your metabolic rate, and
the list goes on as goals you are looking to achieve.
Whatever your reason, first and foremost it’s

important to identify it. What every one of you should be
doing is getting out a piece of paper and writing down what
your top goals are.
Keep in mind that ideally you will want to have some

aesthetic goals as well as some more long-term health
benefit related goals. Studies have demonstrated that those
individuals who do have more health related goals are more
likely to stick with their workout program over the long run
due to the fact that they aren’t going to just lose interest
once they have obtained a certain weight loss or built a
certain amount of muscle.
Furthermore, individuals who actually train themselves

to enjoy the process of exercise – who thoroughly feel very
good when their body is moving, are typically the individuals
who become lifelong exercise enthusiasts. This only makes
sense though because we as humans are typically not likely
to want to do something we hate.
So, making sure that whatever mode of exercise you

choose is something you enjoy is important.
Now, going back to your goals. What you need to do

is use the SMART goal setting principle here. This will
dramatically increase the chances that you do make it to
your goal and know exactly when you do.
Here is what the SMART principle is all about.
“S” – specific
First, you must be sure you’re goal is specific. Don’t
tell me you want to lose weight. Tell me how much weight you
want to lose. Do you want to lose 5 pounds? 10 pounds? 40
pounds? Be as specific as possible. Better yet would be to
state how many pounds of body fat you want to lose,

because losing weight and losing body fat can be incredibly

different things.
Likewise, if you’re looking to get stronger, state exactly

how. Do you want to add 20 pounds to your bench press?
Do you want to be able to squat twice your weight? Do you
want to increase all lifts you have right now by 30%? Don’t
generalize.
“M”- measurable
Next up is measurable. You want to be able to
measure your goal so you know where you stand towards its
progress. If you can’t measure your goal, how do you know
when you’ve obtained it?
In some cases the goal isn’t going to be directly

measurable. For instance, the goal of having more energy
isn’t something you can really measure. In this case though
you can still get a general sense of whether improvements
are being made.
If you do have these goals, try and set a few as well

that you can measure directly. Having the combination of
both will be helpful.

“A” – attainable
Moving on, the next thing you need to be sure you
have covered is that your goal is in fact attainable.
Nothing will be more discouraging than if you set a

goal where you have an extremely low chance of ever
actually attaining it. Goals need to be at least somewhat
attainable, otherwise you’re already fighting a losing battle.
For instance, if you have a job where you are working

60 hours a week, have two kids, as well as host of other
obligations, would you make the goal of running a
marathon? This just wouldn’t be a good idea because in
order to train for such an event you need a lot of free time
(at least a couple of solid consecutive hours on weekends for
your long run).
Not to mention that marathon training will definitely

leave you feeling drained, so if you need plenty of energy to
get through everything else in ‘life’, you’re going to struggle.
There is no way around this fact.
Your goal needs to be something that you could

obtain given your current lifestyle, capabilities, and training
status.

“R” – realistic.
Next up we have goals that are realistic. Just like you
want your goal to be attainable, you also want it to be
realistic. Some people have the tendency to set goals that are
too far-fetched and aren’t even realistic.
For instance, if you’re currently a 5’10” male who

weighs in at 130 pounds, don’t set a goal to compete in a
bodybuilding competition at the year. Keep in mind here
that the body can only build so much muscle at once, so
trying to push for more when it’s basically physiologically
impossible is just going to defeat your efforts.
Likewise, if you have 60 pounds to lose, don’t expect

to do this in a month. You’d be surprised at just how many
people, despite it taking years to get to the weight they are
at, then think that they can lose it all in a few months time.
Being realistic will help you stay sane and ensure you
are approaching your training with the proper mindset that
is needed for success.
“T” – timeline.
Finally, the last thing that needs to be in place in order
for a goal to be SMART is for it to have a timeline.

This is a big one and something we are all guilty of at

one point or another. How many times have you said you’d
do something by a certain date only to find that date come
and go?
It happens extremely frequently and is something that

all of us do struggle with to some extent.
What you want to do is set a realistic time frame for

yourself and then stick to it. This way, you have something
to monitor your progress against. If you notice you only
have a few weeks left to get to your goal, you might just find
yourself working harder.
Obviously you have to have the mental capabilities to

actually hold yourself to that timeline, but having a firm date
in mind definitely will help.
For this reason, setting a goal with someone else (even

if they aren’t the same goals – each of you has a goal to
reach by the same date) can really help with adherence to
that timeline.
So, there you have the basic concept of SMART goal

setting. The more often you set goals for yourself using this
guideline the better you will get at it and the more natural it
will come to you.
It should also be mentioned that your goal should be

re-adjusted on a regular basis. Ideally you want to set a few
short-term goals that will help you get closer to your long-
term goal.
This way, you will not only get a good feeling when
you see yourself reach your short-term goal, but then you
can set another short-term goal to get you one step further.
This enables you to stay more accurate with regards to the
various aspects of your goals since you will be on a shorter
time line and will be able to gauge your own individual
capabilities.
After you have set your goals, be sure they are

somewhere that you will see them frequently, as simply
reminding yourself of what you’re working towards will help
you keep pushing onwards.
Now, let’s move on and discuss some of the other

things you can do to keep yourself motivated on the path to
maintaining your workout program.
Join a Group
First up, one great way to stay motivated on the path
to results is to join a group that is dedicated towards a
similar goal that you’re working towards. Various groups to

consider include running groups, yoga groups, fitness

groups who meet up regularly for weekend active pursuits,
or even recreational sports teams.
By surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals

you are more likely to keep yourself active and spend more
of your down time active.
Since every little bit of activity you do will all add up

and help at the end of the day, this really can make quite a
bit difference in the grand scheme of things. Rather than
spending your Saturday lounging around watching movies all
day, if you get out and go rock climbing with a group of
fitness minded friends for instance, you’ll burn hundreds of
calories more than you would have and be one step closer to
reaching your fitness goals.
Find Pictures
Another great technique for motivating yourself
towards your end goal of six pack abs is to find pictures of
what you wish to look like. Once you’ve found these
pictures, place them somewhere that you will see them on a
regular basis – whether it’s in your dresser mirror, on your
fridge, or in the drawer where you keep your workout
clothing. Wherever it is, make sure you see it at least once a
day.
Simply having that imagine in mind will help push

yourself harder in the gym and your results will improve.
Take Pictures
On the flip side, another thing that works for many
people is actually taking pictures of themselves rather than
looking at other people.
The reason this works well because it then allows you

to see the type of progress you’ve made so far on your path
to getting fit.
If you’ve lose 10 pounds over time, you may not really

notice all that much by looking in the mirror right now, but
when you look back at a picture of you before and a picture
of you now, the difference can be quite remarkable.
By keeping these progress pictures around you, you

help demonstrate to yourself that you can accomplish your
goal when you work hard.
That’s very often enough to keep people pushing

along the pathway to great results.
In some cases, you might even come across

before/after contests that you can enter, which will then
really help drive you further towards your goal. It’s amazing

what a prize can do for many people when it comes to

getting out of bed 45 minutes earlier to squeeze in a quick
workout.
Get a Body Fat Test Done

While many of you might be using the bathroom scale
to measure progress, this is not the best of options. The
bathroom scale does not indicate all that well the type of
weight you’re losing – or in some cases, that you are actually
gaining muscle mass.
It can be extremely discouraging to step on the

bathroom scale only to see it’s higher than before, but if this
is due primarily to a gain in lean muscle mass, this is actually
a very good thing.
By getting a body fat test done though, you are able to

monitor this value much more accurately and will know
exactly what’s going on with your body as a result of your
training and dieting efforts.
Place a Bet
Another way to boost your motivational levels is to
place a friendly bet with someone. Since many of you out
there probably have a good competitive nature about
yourself, this additional challenge can bring out the best in

you and help you stick with the training that needs to get
done.
This bet can be for money, or better yet, bet

something like a weekend away, a meal out (can be either a
reward meal or a healthier option), a night at the movies;
whatever it is you want. Agree to do something with your
workout partner where the loser pays.
Even if you don’t have the money to spend on such a

thing, a fun bet can sometimes also get the job done. It’s just
that competitive nature that some people crave that will get
them more motivated with their workouts.
Be sure if you are going to use this point though that

you are very specific about what the bet is and what the
requirements are.
Any misconceptions can pose to be big problems, so

set every detail that you can – the specifics of the goal, the
date to be accomplished, what the winner gets, etc.
Plan Ahead
Another thing that can help to keep your motivation
levels higher is to always be thinking and planning ahead.
For some people, it’s when they don’t plan and life

gets busy that they lose motivation. They realize how much
they still have to get done in their day and their workout is
the first thing to go.
Or, they wind up out for a longer time than they had
anticipated and don’t have any healthy snacks on hand.
Hence, they are at that drive-thru window the minute their
stomach starts to rumble.
By planning ahead you give yourself the confidence

that you are equipped to stay on the plan. When you have
confidence in your abilities to achieve your goals and know
that you can carry through, motivation is naturally higher
due to your own internal positive self-talk.
If you find yourself constantly failing to make it to

your workouts, how motivated do you think you’re going to
be to even keep trying?
Not very motivated. It’s kind of like the cycle that just
keeps going. If you are on the positive end of the cycle and
are hitting your workouts on time all the time, you likely will
keep doing so.
Likewise, if you’re on the negative side of things and

are constantly missing your workouts, chances are you’re not
going to get started.
The hardest part is that initial hump. Once you get

over that, motivation will come more naturally and it’ll
become more habit to do what you need to do.
Use a Reward System

Moving on, another thing you can do is implement a
solid reward system.
Different people will use different types of rewards.

For some people, they need a daily reward of some type.
This could come as adding a check mark next to the
calendar indicating that you did complete your workout that
day. 10 check-marks and you get to buy yourself a new CD
to workout to.
Others may not need a daily reward, but would rather

set a reward stating that if they accomplish one certain goal
by a certain date, they get that prize.
Whatever keeps you focused – that’s what you should

use.
One thing that is interesting to note with this though is

that studies have actually demonstrated that when it comes
to money rewards, they can sometimes work opposite to
what you’re intending.

For example, if you used to enjoy working out simply

because it made you feel good, but now you are giving
yourself $5.00 after every workout completed (to be put into
a fund for a larger rewards – a vacation away, a new car, etc),
you might just find yourself not liking your workout nearly
as much.
It seems when people are paid for something they

formerly enjoyed without pay, in some cases they become
disinterested.
That isn’t to say you shouldn’t ever use any type of

material reward – you can, but maybe avoid that direct
money reward type of feeling to your system.
Another aspect of this that should be mentioned is the

punishment end of the reward system. Again, punishment
can have various effects on different individuals, so it is
something you really need to think hard about before using.
First off, you have to actually be able to implement the

punishment. How many times have you told yourself that if
you didn’t do something, you were going to do this to
yourself (take away your nightly TV show, not allow yourself
to get your manicure that month, etc)? Then, when the
situation came to life and you didn’t do what you intended,

that punishment just kind of fell by the wayside?
Many of us do this because we as humans don’t like to

self-administer punishment. That’s a basic quality of life and
something that’s true regardless of who you are. Some
people do have the self-control to dish punishments, but
many of us don’t.
So, just keep that in mind. Focusing on rewards is

typically much better than focusing on punishments. Plus, it
put a much more positive tone to the whole fitness/wellness
approach, which is always a good thing.
A positive mindset can go a long way.
Make Sure You’re Comfortable

Finally, the last thing you can do to promote healthy
motivational levels is ensuring you are completely
comfortable with both your program and working out in
general.
While obviously exercise itself can make the body feel

slightly uncomfortable at certain times – this is unavoidable
and if you only ever stayed in your comfort zone you likely
wouldn’t see that great of results, taking control over factors
you can influence that impact comfort levels will be
important.
For example, make sure your workout clothes make

you feel comfortable. Don’t wear something too tight if it
makes you not want to go to the gym. Also, be sure your
running shoes are fitting well and are supportive.
When even one thing such as this is off, it can be an

excuse you will use to get out of your workout.
The fewer excuses you have available to you, the better

off you’ll be.
If you’re a woman who is slightly tentative about

working out with some of the stronger males who tend to
dominate the free weight section of the gym, consider
joining a women’s only gym.
It’s a simple way to take care of a problem that may

keep you out of the gym altogether.
Likewise, if you struggle to drive to the gym each day,

put some thought into creating your own home gym as we
discussed above.
You want maximum comfort while doing your

workouts because it will definitely promote better adherence
rates.
So, that wraps up our discussion on how to motivate

yourself to maintain your workout program.
Keep in mind that every person will have their own

technique that makes them ‘tick’ – essentially that keeps
them coming back for more.
What motivates one person may do absolutely nothing

for another person. It’s up to you to try a variety of different
methods and see what works best for you. When you do you
will be rewarded by having a constant effort in the gym
which translates over to results.
Keep in mind too that motivational levels and what

serves to motivate you will change as you progress along.
For example, while before you might have been

motivated to fit into a certain dress size, once you’ve
achieved that, you’re no longer going to be motivated by
that any longer.
Now, maybe you want to focus on increasing your

strength. Your motivational techniques should vary
depending on your goal as they both will fit hand in hand
together.

CHAPTER 12
WORKOUT FREQUENCY
HOW OFTEN DO YOU NEED TO WORK THE ABS?
Moving on, now that we’ve covered the types of

workouts and ab exercises that will get you your results, now
let’s talk about frequency – how often should you be
working out in order to get the best results.
Many people believe that in order to really target the

abs, you should aim to be working them close to every day.
They’ve heard that the abs are more of an ‘endurance’
muscle, and as such, can take training every single day as a
way to get better results.
But how true is this really? Are your abs much more

different than any other muscle in the body?
While it is true that the abs are going to be working at

various times throughout the day – essentially any
movement you make the abs will be working to a slight
extent, it is not true that they are should be trained in a
much different manner than your other muscles.
Essentially, just like your other muscles, the abs will

require an overloading stimulus that creates tiny muscle tears
in the tissue itself, after which they have to build themselves
back up stronger than before.
If you go into the gym and nail them hard day after
day after day, when are they growing back stronger?
They aren’t.
Now, if you aren’t really applying much of an

overloading stimulus to the abs (say you are just performing
basic crunches that doesn’t really pose much of a challenge
to your body), then, you aren’t going to need this recovery
time in there. You’d be fine working the abs every day.
But, if that’s the case, well, you aren’t really going to be

doing much for your abs in the first place anyway. Without
that overloading stimulus, you aren’t going to see many

benefits in terms of increased core-abdominal strength –

and that is of course, why you are doing your ab workouts,
correct? (since we already established seeing your abs is more
of a function of body fat levels than anything).
So, now that we’ve established that working your abs

every single workout is not a good idea, what is?
Ideally, you want to be working the abs approximately

two to three times each week.
Note that since you are going to be working your abs

with all the exercises you perform in your workout since
they will act as stabilizers, this further reduces just how
much you have to work them while doing your abdominal
sessions in particular.

The most important thing when doing your abdominal

workouts is going to be on really focusing on form, since
form is what determines how effectively you target the ab
muscles, and correspondingly, the degree of results you
obtain.
Someone working their abs using 100% correct form

once a week is going to get far superior results compared
with someone working their abs with improper form 4 days
a week.
Sequence of Ab Training Sessions

After you’ve gotten it figured out how many days total
you’re going to spend training the abs, then the next thing
you have to consider is the sequence you are going to use to
do these sessions – or more importantly, must you have one
day of rest in between each abdominal training session you
do?
That is the question some people wonder.
Let’s say you’re scheduled to do your ab workouts on

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, then something comes up
and you don’t get a chance to do Wednesday’s ab workout.
Then what? Do you just skip it and wait until Friday?

Or, can you do the ab workout on Thursday instead?
In this situation, even though it will mean working the

abs less that week, you’re probably better off just waiting
until Friday to do them.
Again, just like any other muscle group, the abs do

need time to rest after they have been worked, therefore
working them Thursday and then again on Friday would
deny them enough time to rest and recover.
Now, if you weren’t really doing overly intensive

abdominal exercises in the first place, then you might be
able to get away with doing a workout on both days, but
again you need to then question whether those exercises are
doing much in the first place anyway?
If your goal is strength, you should be working at an

intensity level that is going to promote stronger abs that will
require that 48 hours of rest.
If your goal was strictly to reveal your abs and not so

much about strength, then the ab workouts aren’t going to
play that much of a critical role as was already discussed
anyway, and you’re just as well off spending more time on
the day off focused on cardio or proper weight lifting
exercises.
Even if you are only getting in two core workouts a

week, that should be plenty to notice improvements in the

fitness level and get you where you want to be.
It’s only those who have very good recovery abilities

who will work legs (for example) three times week, and they
do fine with that amount of volume, therefore the abs will as
well.
As long as you are making the time you do spend

doing abs count, that’s what will be most important.

CHAPTER 13
LET’S TALK NUTRITION: YOUR KEY TO A SIX PACK
Now we come to the issue that is probably the most

important one throughout this entire manual – nutrition.
Nutrition is basically going to make or break your six

pack ab program. Without proper nutrition in place, results
will elude you.
If proper nutrition is in place, you may not even have

to have absolutely perfect workouts – the nutrition will do
the work for you.
While exercise is definitely a big part of the game, you

cannot exercise your way to a six pack. You can however,
eat your way to a six pack, or rather, in most cases, eat

yourself away from a six pack.
Your diet should be your primary focus.
When it comes to nutrition, the most important thing

you will want to factor in is how many calories you are
consuming. If you are eating too many calories, regardless of
where those calories are coming from, you are not going to
lose weight.
This fact is very simple and something that you

absolutely must accept if you are to succeed with fat loss.
One major mistake many people often make is falling

for the belief that how much of what they eat isn’t going to
matter so long as they are eating healthy foods.
This is very wrong.
How much you eat is definitely going to determine

how successful you are at weight loss because if the body
has more calories coming in than it can expend in any given
day, it will be storing body fat.
Like it or not this is a basic law of physics that you

simply cannot defy. If you take in more calories than your
body burns on a daily basis, you gain weight. If you take in
fewer, you lose weight. If you take in the same amount, you
maintain your body weight.
In the past, you have been taking in more calories than

the body burned over the course of the day, hence you did
not see weight loss happening. Now, you need to reverse
that.
The Self-Reporting Bias

When discussing total calorie intake, we often come
across something that really impacts a lot of people - that
being the self-reporting bias of information.
Essentially, unless you have been carefully monitoring

your calorie intake for a period of time, there’s a high chance
that you are going to overestimate exactly how many calories
you’re burning during your workouts or underestimate

exactly how much food you are really eating.
This is often the case when someone is claiming that

they have been eating X amount of calories (a relatively, but
not extremely low number – one in which you would expect
to see weight loss happening), and yet, they aren’t losing
weight at all.
The probability is high that they are mistaken about

exactly how many calories they are taking in and they are
eating far more than what they think.
This makes a difference.
To combat this problem, what you really must take the

time to do for a few weeks is measure out all your food.
Annoying? – Yes.
Necessary? You betcha.
By doing so, you will help first gain an understanding

of what a proper portion looks like. If you think that the
pasta restaurant meal you get is a typical one serving of
grains, you are highly misled.
Most people are now realizing that restaurant meals

are incredibly calorie dense with huge portions, but even

still, they underestimate portions of every day foods.
That morning bowl of cereal – how many servings of

grains are you actually eating? Most people consume an easy
2-3 in that meal alone.
That bagel you had for lunch – there’s another 3-4.
Rice with dinner – another 2-4.
It adds up quickly and when you’re trying to watch

your weight it really does work against you. Measuring will
help you sort this out quickly.

Usually all it takes is a week or two of measuring some

of the common foods where it’s easy to underestimate to get
back on track again.
Is Calorie Counting Necessary?

Which brings us to the next question many of you
have – is calorie counting really necessary to get results?
In a word – yes. Almost any successful diet program

will have some form of built in calorie counting. Weight
Watcher’s uses the ‘Points’ system, Jenny Craig uses small
pre-prepared meals that will have calorie values already
worked into them, low carb diets eliminate an entire group
of foods, therefore automatically you’re restricted with food
choices and it’s easier to lose weight.
While just going by ‘hunger’ can work for a very select

group of people, in most cases it won’t.
Realize that we as humans eat for a number of reasons

other than hunger – not too mention that many things can
stimulate hunger.
TV commercials showing others eating delicious

foods, smells that you encounter as you walk past the
bakery, the hands on your clock indicating it’s lunch time
(time to eat!), even colors can stimulate you to eat (ever
wonder why many fast food restaurants utilize the colors

red, orange, and yellow?).
We are constantly bombarded with cues that

encourage us to eat, which is a big reason why many of us
are overweight today.
If you just rely on eating when you’re hunger, chances

are you will still be overeating. Some people tend to error on
the side of not eating enough, but they are rare and most
likely, aren’t the ones reading this book.
Getting back to the point, at the start, calorie counting

is a very good idea. I’d say a necessity.
After you’ve been doing it for a month or so though,

you should find you have a general idea of what you need to
be eating and you won’t have to be a walking human
calculator anymore.
This becomes even easier if you typically eat similar

meals throughout the day – say you have 4 different lunches
you alternate between, all around the same calorie value.
By having these meal plans already made, it pretty

much takes the thinking out of it.

If you are off by 50-100 calories on any given day,

that’s not going to be the end of the world. It’s daily 200
calorie surpluses that you more have to worry about.
Some variability is expected just because this is bound

to happen in ‘real life’ (since we aren’t lab rats fed a 100%
controlled diet).
So, don’t think you will have to count calories for the
rest of your life if you want to maintain your fitness and
body fat levels. As time goes on, it will come naturally and
you’ll just have a better sense of how many calories are in
many of the foods you are eating.
If you find yourself regaining some of the weight you

lost while on the plan, then you simply need to start tracking
again just to get yourself back on track.
It’s all about habits. Eating is a largely habitual process

for humans and right now, unfortunately, your habits are
not helping you.
It’s our job to work on changing that now. After you

have your calorie intake figured out, then you can start
looking at the individual macronutrients (protein, carbs, and
fats) to make sure things are in line on that respect).

Setting Up Calorie Intake

So, now that you understand just how important it is
to be hitting your targeted calorie intake, now we go about
setting up this calorie intake so it’s maximized to get you
results.
This is a bit of a touchy subject because too few

calories and you’ll wind up with a slowed metabolism and
won’t see the results you’re looking for.
On the flip side, too many calories and as we just

discussed, you aren’t going to be getting weight loss in the
first place.
It’s a fine line that you need to walk on – and get just
right.
As an easy to use guide, for most individuals, the will

do very well on an intake of about 10-13 multiplied by their
body weight in pounds taken daily.
So, if you weigh 150 pounds, that would mean you

would be eating somewhere between 1500 and 1950 calories
each day.
Active individuals (those who have an active job rather

than a desk job), would do best at the higher end of things,

while those who are more sedentary (not counting planned

exercise) would do better at the lower end.
Starting somewhere near the middle and then adjusting

depending on results is typically the best way to do things.
Keep in mind that there are some individuals who just

have very stubborn metabolisms who will have to go lower
than that 10X BW figure, going into the 8-9 range, but this
should never be started with.
If you find that you are currently eating around 8-9 X

BW in calories each day (and you know you are counting
accurately) and still aren’t losing weight, then there is a very
good chance that you might already have a slowed
metabolism and need to get some things checked out.
If you’ve been dieting for a longer period of time, it’s

not unusual to see this happening, and if that’s the situation
you are in, you likely will need to do a full diet break, eating
at maintenance for 10-14 days, while being sure you are
eating at least 150 grams of carbohydrates each day (since
carbohydrates have the biggest impact on metabolic rate,
this is one that you really need to be focusing on when
trying to ‘fix’ a damaged metabolism).

Getting back to your desired calorie intake, if you start

out in the middle ground – say 1700 calories and aren’t
losing weight, then you would decrease by 10% a week until
you are.
If you are losing weight too fast, then you would

increase by 10%. It is important too that you constantly
monitor your progress as you go about the diet since as you
do lose weight, your maintenance requirements will lower
slightly.
While this may not make much of a difference over 10

pounds, if you lose 30 pounds and are not adjusting your
calorie intake to accommodate, you’ll likely cancel out the
calorie deficit you’re creating, thus weight loss will stop.
Meeting Your Protein Requirements

Now, after you’ve figured out how many calories you
should be taking in on a daily basis and are actually then
making an effort to hit that calorie target, your next step
needs to be looking at your current protein needs.
Protein is going to be the single most important

nutrient when it comes to getting a set of six pack abs
because it is what will help protect your lean body mass.
Your lean body mass is essentially what ‘revs’ your

metabolism, helping to keep it going strong and you losing

weight.
When your metabolism slows, that is when you’re

going to experience the negative side effects such as
decreased fat loss, decreased energy levels, coldness, dry
skin, and many other health side effects.
The general recommendation for active individuals is

to consume one gram of protein per pound of body weight
each day. Bear in mind though that this is the amount for
those who are eating at a maintenance calorie intake or
above.
Essentially, they are providing enough energy to meet

all the daily functions that must be completed, hence they
are only going to be using dietary protein for bodily
functions that are meant to use dietary protein (repair and
rebuilding of muscle tissues, maintenance of the immune
system, the development of a variety of hormones in the
body, etc).
When you are on a fat loss diet however, you are not
consuming as many calories each day as your body would
ideally like (since you are not eating a maintenance calorie
intake), therefore, there is a chance that your body might

turn to incoming dietary protein for energy purposes.
This occurs through a process in the body called

gluconeogensis, which is a technical term you don’t really
need to worry about – just basically know that when you are
not eating enough calories, the body can and will break
down dietary protein and convert it to glucose to meet its
needs.
Obviously it will also be breaking down and using

stored body fat as well, but it’s not going to solely rely on
that source alone – protein will be used as well.
Therefore, this is going to leave less incoming protein

available to the body for repairing and rebuilding the muscle
tissues, which could lead to a loss of muscle mass over time.
In order to prevent this then, your protein needs will

actually go up while you are dieting, providing additional
amino acids over and above what is required for basic
muscle maintenance purposes.
If the body then turns to these for energy, you’ve got

some to spare. This is also why the common thought
process that protein needs are higher when trying to build
muscle is actually incorrect.

If anything, protein needs are lower when building

muscle since you have more incoming calories (but even
still, should not go below 1 grams per pound, ideally).
When dieting, it would be a smart move to bring your

protein intake up slightly, closer to the 1.2-1.5 grams per
pound of body weight target.
This will help to safeguard you against a slowed

metabolism.
Plus, in addition to decreasing muscle mass loss,

protein also is the macronutrient that will boost your
metabolism the most (up to 25% after eating it) as well as
help keep you feeling satisfied and not hungry the longest.
Since hunger is a big reason people cave on a diet,

having the higher protein intake makes it much easier to
stick with and get results.
So, protein is vital. Calories are most important, but

protein comes in a very close second place.
Carbohydrate Intakes
Moving on, next we come to your carbohydrate intake.
This will be discussed much more thoroughly in the next
chapter, but know this for right now. If you hope to

maintain intense levels of exercise, you are going to need to

consume carbohydrates. There is no way around this.
The body has a limited storage for carbohydrates in

the muscle tissues (referred to as muscle glycogen).
When that is depleted, high intensity exercise will not

be able to be performed. The body can perform lower
intensity exercise by using fat as a fuel substrate, but high
intensity exercise requires carbohydrate. This is due to the
different energy pathways the different forms of exercise
take.
You may not require carbs every single day (again, see
the next chapter for more details), but at some point during
the week, you must eat carbs.
Factoring in Dietary Fat

Finally, we come to dietary fat intake. Dietary fat is a
nutrient that was previously shunned by the dietary crowd,
who claimed that an ultra low fat diet was the best way to
get results quickly.
Now, however, thoughts are changing on that.
The truth is that dietary fat does contain over double

the amount of calories per gram of nutrient (compared with

protein and carbohydrates), but dietary fat also has many

beneficial properties that make it important to include in
your diet.
First, dietary fat also helps for satiety purposes. Studies

have demonstrated that a meal that contains 7-9 grams of fat
tends to ‘stick to your ribs’ a lot better than a meal that does
not. Dietary fat really slows the gastric emptying process,
which is one big reason we do not recommend you eat it
around the workout period (when slow digestion is the
opposite of what you’re going for).
Secondly, unsaturated sources of dietary fat as well as

essential amino acids also provide numerous health benefits
such as maintaining healthy skin and hair, helping to
improve insulin sensitivity, decreasing a number of diseases,
improving the cholesterol profile, and so on.
It doesn’t take a whole lot of dietary fat to accomplish

this goal, but it does take some.
I would recommend not bringing your diet any lower

than 15% of the total calories coming from dietary fat, and
then in that, making sure you are getting 3-6 grams of
essential fatty acids as well (often taken in the form of fish
oil).

If you do this, you’ll be right on target for your total

fat intake.
Remember that you can take fat higher too. For some
people, they simply do not feel good eating a diet higher in
carbohydrates. Since there really is a limit to how much
protein you should be eating (there is never any reason to
eat more than 2 grams per pound – 1.5 grams is typically the
max you should use), you have to fill the remainder of your
calories with something.
That’s when dietary fat gets bumped up.
As long as the fat is coming from healthy sources and

total calories are still kept in check, dietary fat levels as high
as 30-50% of your total intake are fine. It all depends on
what you feel best on and what accommodates to your food
preferences.
Alcohol
While it isn’t really a nutrient per say, it’s still
important to address alcohol. Most of you likely enjoy a beer
or a glass of wine from time to time.
Must you give this up to get a six pack?
Not necessarily, but you definitely should consider

cutting back. Alcohol does contain 7 calories per gram, so

it’s higher than carbs or protein but lower than dietary fat,
but the more important thing is that alcohol literally stops
the fat oxidation (burning) process.
Essentially, if you’re currently burning body fat and

then have a drink, your body is automatically going to switch
over from burning fat and start oxidizing that alcohol.
Since alcohol is a toxin, the body places a high priority

on removing it and will stop everything until it’s been
cleared from the system.
In addition to this, since most people’s judgment is

impacted from drinking alcohol, you might find it’s much
harder to make wise food decisions, thus you’ll end up really
packing in a calorie punch.
You’ll have the alcohol calories and then on top of

that you’ll also have the food calories you eat all contributing
to your daily total.
Once in a while this may not be that much of an issue,

but done on a weekly basis, it’s certainly going to impede
your progress.
Also keep in mind that alcohol is a diuretic, therefore

it’s going to cause dehydration, which impacts energy levels

as well as the metabolic rate.
The more dehydrated you get, the more your

metabolism is going to slow, and the fewer calories you will
burn that day.
So, overall, alcohol is something you do want to

moderate as much as possible while on a quest to get six
pack abs.
Planning Your Diet

So, when it comes now to actually planning out your
diet, you will take a series of steps.
Step 1.
First, you will figure out how many calories you should
be eating each day.
This is done by multiplying your body by that

bodyweight factor of between 10-13 (depending on how
active you currently are).
Step 2.
Next, you are to figure out how much protein you
should be eating each day. Ideally, you would have a protein
consumption of somewhere between 1.2-1.5 grams per

pound of body weight each day.
Once you have that raw gram number, then you are to
multiply this by 4 (calories per gram of protein) and subtract
that from your total calorie intake.
This then tells you how many calories from protein

you should be eating and secondly, how many calories you
now have left to divide up between carbohydrates and
dietary fat.
Step 3.
The third step in figuring out your diet is to then
determine carb and fat content. This will be discussed more
in the next chapter, but know that, as stated above, you want
to keep fat at least 15% of your total calorie intake and carbs
should not go below 105 grams per day, unless you are
specifically using a Ketogenic diet (more later on that).
Remember there are 9 calories per gram of fat and 4

calories per gram of carbs.
So, if you take your total calorie intake and multiply

that by 0.15, that gives you how many calories you should be
eating minimum from fat each day. Divide that number by 9
and you get the total number of fat grams.

Likewise, you know that you need at least 105 grams

of carbs each day, so multiply 105 by 4 (420) and that gives
you how many calories from carbs out of your daily total
you must have at minimum.
After all of these steps are completed, then it comes

time to do some research and figure out what foods are
going to help get you to your daily total.
Obviously for the sake of health and making weight

loss easier (better hunger control, increased energy levels,
etc), you will want to choose foods that come from the most
natural sources as possible.
So, for example, on the protein front you would select

foods such as egg whites, chicken breasts, fish, lean cuts of
red meat, low-fat cheese products, whey protein powder,
and possibly some soy products if you are vegetarian or
prefer this type of protein.
Most of these are solid sources of protein that will not

contain a whole lot of additional carbs or fat, which is just
what you’re looking for when aiming for a set of six pack
abs.
Moving on, next for your carbohydrate sources focus

on foods such as vegetables, fruits, unsweetened oatmeal,
brown rice, quinoa, whole grain breads, sweet potatoes, as

well as other whole grain cereals.
On to dietary fat, you want the focus of your sources

to be on unsaturated and essential fatty acids, choosing
foods such as fatty fish, flax seeds and flaxseed oil,
avocados, olive oil, peanut butter, and other nuts.
As long as you’re sticking to these foods, you’ll find

that hunger is much more controllable and your energy
levels stay on a much more even keel throughout the day.
Always aim to try and have a protein with each meal,

and then depending on the carb and fat ratios of your diet,
one of those or both in combination.
Apart from the pre/post workout period, you always

want to aim to have at least one vegetable with each meal
you eat as these are low in calories, high in fiber, and will
definitely make dieting much easier. When it comes to
vegetables in general, most often you can pretty much eat as
many as you want without limitation provided you are not
putting on calorie dense sauces or other condiments.
Finally, it’s worth mentioning that right before and

after your workout you should be avoiding dietary fat
altogether as it’s at this time you want the digestion process
to actually speed up, helping those nutrients get into the

muscle tissues where they are needed.
Having dietary fat at this time is only going to slow

that entire process down; therefore, it’s something to be
avoided.
So, that now concludes this discussion on a diet for

getting six pack abs. The leaner you get, the more you’re
likely going to have to reduce your calories to keep things
moving.
Realize that this is a normal dieting process and

something everyone does experience. But with that (and
more details will be provided later in the guide), you are
going to have to start incorporating periods of higher calorie
eating in when you are eating such a low calorie diet because
if you don’t, that metabolism will definitely slow down
significantly and further fat loss will become increasingly
harder.
We will discuss more of these advanced diet concepts

shortly.
Always remember too that just like workout

adherence, dietary adherence is critical. Even if you hear that
one certain diet is the latest and greatest for fat loss, if it’s
literally impossible for you to follow, you aren’t going to get

results.
You’d do far better on a more moderate approach that

you could actually manage. Results might be slower, but at
least you’d be getting results.
That is what will count the most at the end of the day.
Many people forget this and bounce around from diet to
diet, each time wondering where they went wrong when
they don’t experience the weight loss they were hoping for –
or were promised by the particular diet in question.
Now we’re going to move on and talk a little about

one category of diets that you’ve likely heard about before
and perhaps even tried – low carb diets.
While low-fat diets were the rage of the ‘90’s, it seems

that low-carb diets are the thing to do right now.
We’re going to look at why these diets can be effective,

but also, whether or not they are a requirement for top level
results.
Understanding how low carb diets work is going to be

important for you to make a sound decision of whether or
not they are for you.

CHAPTER 14
MUST YOU USE A LOW CARB DIET
TO GET SIX PACK ABS?
When digging deeper into the diet issue of getting a six

pack abs, one thing that many people start to ask themselves
about is whether the low carb diet approach is going to be
far more superior to getting results compared with other
more moderate carb approaches.
You’ve likely heard someone talking about a low carb

diet at some point or another, either claiming that it was one

of the best things they have ever done or else saying that it
made them miserable and that they just couldn’t stick with
it.
The thing to really understand about low carb diets is

that they work great for some people but are a complete
disaster for others. Determining whether or not a low carb
diet is going to be right for you then is one of the most
important things you need to get straight first before even
beginning.
So, first off, let’s look at this.
What you want to do is imagine yourself in a few

situations. In the first situation, you have just eaten a very
high carb meal, for example, a huge plate of pasta with
marinara sauce and a slice of garlic bread.
Now, after eating this meal do you feel highly

energized? Or, do you feel bloated, tired, and sluggish?
If you felt the former, a lower carb diet is something

that could work very well for you. This means your body
doesn’t handle carbohydrates as well as others do, therefore
limiting the amount of carbohydrates in the diet could
potentially help you feel much more energetic as well as help
make the process of dieting a lot easier for you to handle.
If you were someone who felt energized after eating

the higher carb meal, chances are you will crash hard on a
low carb diet. You will feel fatigued, lack strength, and be all
around irritable and unhappy. In that situation, you’re better
to adopt a diet that isn’t quite as low carb in nature, as that’s
what will keep you much happier in the long run.
What many people don’t realize is that there isn’t really

anything especially ‘magical’ about low carb diets that cause
you to burn fat faster. Yes, they will rely on burning fat as
fuel more than non-low carb diets will (since you will not be
burning off carbohydrates as energy), but you will also be
consuming more dietary fat on a lower carb diet, thus at the
end of the day it tends to balance out.

If you take in the same amount of total calories on a

low carb diet and on a moderate carb diet (assuming protein
intake stays constant), at the end of the day both individuals
will lose generally the same amount of weight.
It’s more that there are certain aspects of low carb

diets that do tend to make it easier for a dieter to stick with,
which we’ll describe below.
But, if you’re someone who does poorly on low carb

to start with, these same factors are actually probably going
to be much more likely to just hinder you, thus you’re just
shooting yourself in the foot by trying to use one.
Benefits of a Low Carb Diet

So, let’s first start by addressing the benefits you’ll get
when you use a low carb diet.
Hunger Control
First off, probably the biggest benefit people get when
starting a low carb diet is the hunger control they
experience.
One of the large drivers of hunger in the human body

is insulin, which is the hormone that takes sugar out of the
blood after carbohydrates are eaten and either stores them in
the muscle tissues or transforms them to body fat (if muscle
glycogen levels are full).
After the glucose has been removed from the blood,

it’s then that you typically experience low blood sugar levels
and hunger strikes again, which drives you to eat more
carbohydrates.
Since low carb diets tend to control blood sugars very

well due to the fact you’re not eating very many
carbohydrates in the first place, this means that you won’t
get nearly the same insulin response as you would on a more
moderate carbohydrate diet, helping to really control hunger
levels.
Since being on a lower calorie diet naturally leads to

feelings of hunger, being on a low carbohydrate diet makes
this much more tolerable.
Limited Food Selection

Next up, another benefit of low carb diets is the fact
that since food selection is pretty limited, it’s also going to
be easier in terms of managing food intake.
The less food you have to choose from, typically the

less you’ll want to eat. Obviously you have to be sticking
with the diet for this to apply, but provided you are, it’s
definitely going to work in your favor.
Since many people do crave carbohydrate dense foods

and these are the ones they can easily overeat in, just by
nature of removal it makes this diet quite successful for
many people.
This can also be a downfall of the diet though if you

are someone who does prefer to have a wide variety of food
on a regular basis.
If you get bored eating the same meals over and over
again, you might have trouble sticking with the diet
altogether, which then won’t do you much good anyway.
Steady Energy Levels

Finally, the last benefit that many people find while on
a lower carb diet is that they have steadier energy levels.
Basically, since you aren’t getting those fluctuations in blood
sugar levels which have a big impact on energy levels as well,
you’ll be on a more even keel throughout the entire day.
There does come a point in every low carb diet though

where muscle glycogen stores are depleted and when that
happens, extreme fatigue does set in, so when on a lower
carb diet, you need to be taking certain measures to make
sure you aren’t letting your muscle glycogen levels get to
very low levels.

This is either accomplished with small amounts of

carbs each day or through weekly carb-up periods.
Also, another thing to keep in mind is that many

people do feel very tired when first starting a lower carb diet
and this is due to their body adapting to the diet.
After about two weeks these feelings of fatigue

typically subside and you’ll find you are feeling much better
overall.
So, now that we’ve discussed the benefits, let’s talk

about the drawbacks.
Limited Exercise Performance

First off, as you might have guessed from reading the
above, one of the big side effects you might notice when on
a low carb diet is limitations as far as exercise is concerned.
While before you might have been able to perform

workouts that lasted longer than one hour in duration, now
if you try and do so you find yourself heavily fatigued and
wanting to quit after just 45 minutes.
When you go on a low carbohydrate diet, you are

definitely going to have to be making some alterations to
your workout program to help ensure that you’re not

overdoing things.
Furthermore, you will have to make sure you really

reduce back on the amount of higher intensity cardio work
you do if you’re also doing a four day weight training
program since that could be too much for the body to
handle.
You should still definitely be able to lift heavy as you

would have if you weren’t on a lower carb diet, it’s just that
total volume will need to be adjusted downwards.
Because of this fact, diet and exercise really go

together when using a low carb approach, thus it’s important
you don’t overlook this factor.
Doing so would certainly set you up to experience

problems – problems that will only cause frustration, fatigue,
and a lack of progress.
For many people, having to cut back on the total

amount of time they spend working out won’t be all that big
of a deal, it becomes more of a problem if you are say an
athlete who has to also complete additional practice sessions
or games regularly.
In that case you may not have as much control over

the total volume of exercise you’re doing, thus you should

potentially consider a different diet approach.
Meal Planning Musts

Moving on, another big thing with low carb diets is
that they will require more detailed meal planning,
particularly around the workout period.
The rest of your meals you might actually find easier to

plan since you’ll just be filling your plate with protein, a
small amount of healthy fat, along with fibrous vegetables,
but before and after the workout you will need to be more
meticulous about counting your carbohydrates to make sure
you’re getting enough to support your exercise.
For individuals who choose not to eat carbs around

the workout period, they will then need to do a large
weekend ‘carb-up’ if they hope to maintain muscle glycogen
levels appropriate to support their training.
Finally, since low carb diets will be higher in dietary fat

due to the need to still maintain a high enough calorie intake
to prevent metabolic slow-down, you’ll have to really be
careful of portion sizes.
Since dietary fats do contain over twice the amount of

calories per gram as carbohydrates or fat, if you aren’t being
careful about how much you’re eating, it would be very easy

to overeat and find yourself gaining weight rather than
losing it.
Risk of Nutrient Deficiencies

Finally, the last issue with low carb diets that’s
important to discuss is nutrient deficiencies.
Now, with a well planned out low carb diet where you
are not restricting the amounts of fruits and vegetables you
are eating, nutrient deficiencies shouldn’t be a bit deal.
With those people who use extremely low carb diets

though (Ketogenic diets) where carbohydrate intake has be
less than 5% of total calories consumed, it can be far easier
to start seeing nutrient deficiencies rising.
If you are on a good multi-vitamin and mineral

support you can certainly help offset this issue, but even
still, you might wind up short in dietary fiber and the B-
vitamins (which are typically found in whole grain foods).
Over the shorter term, if you are using that vitamin

supplement and still eating vegetables, you may not have all
that much to worry about.
But, in the long-term, done for years on end, low

carbohydrate diets probably aren’t your best plan.
At the very least you should moderate your low carb

plan so you’re getting in 100 grams a day, filling those grams
with plenty of fruits and vegetables.
This will also keep you out of ketosis, which does tend
to be a naturally catabolic process in the body and also gives
you poor smelling breath (a byproduct of low carb diets that
many people do complain about).
So, there you have some of the cons of the low

carbohydrate diet. Overall you have to weigh the benefits
versus the cons and see if it’s going to be enough for you to
consider such an approach.
Ketogenic Diets
It is also important to mention a bit more about the
Ketogenic diet. Essentially this is the extreme low carb diet
that is so low that the body has to switch over to burning
ketones as fuel, rather than carbohydrates.
In this sense, you are burning fat as fuel and keeping

insulin levels in the body extremely controlled.
When in ketosis, many people do report a complete

lack of hunger entirely, as well as commonly state that they

have an endless supply of energy. This is again individual

though; some people report the opposite.
The macronutrient split for Kegotenic diets (and there

isn’t any room for flexibility here) is 30% protein, 65% fat,
and 5% carbohydrates. Protein intake should be at about
0.9-1 gram per pound of body weight, which for most
people equates to about that 30% of total calorie intake
number assuming a fat loss diet (assuming an intake of
around 12 times body weight in pounds).
This will help to prevent lean body mass as well as

help ensure you have enough protein for other necessary
functions in the body.
Then, in addition to the daily diet, you can either do

that weekly carb-up where we talked about earlier,
consuming somewhere in the range of 4-5 grams of
carbohydrates per pound of body weight the first day, and 2-
3 grams of carbohydrates per pound of bodyweight the
second day (note fat intake is dropped significantly on these
days to around 20-30 grams so calories don’t go enormously
high – they will still be higher than diet days, however).
Or, if you don’t want to do the weekly carb-up, then

the next way you can approach the diet is to take in a smaller

amount of carbohydrates (typically 25-50 grams) both

before and after your training.
Ketogenic diets are definitely a diet that does require a

bit more planning in terms of exact meal composition, but
some people do really enjoy them.
They are by no means necessary though in order to

lose fat.
You could have a diet that was 15% protein, 15% fat,
and 70% carbohydrates and still lose fat fine provided total
calorie intake was in check and you were getting at least 1
gram of protein per pound of body weight.
So, this wraps up the talk on low carb diets. If you

want to consider them, that’s fine, just be sure you
understand how to set them up and fuel the exercise you
choose to do.
Low carb diets done for a long period of time with

intense exercise will really impact how you feel unless they’re
done properly, so this point really cannot be stressed
enough.


CHAPTER 15
MEAL FREQUENCY AND SIX PACK ABS
The next thing to look at when creating your diet

designed to get six pack abs is the meal frequency that you
use. If you’re like most people, at some point or another
you’ve heard or read the information that the more
frequently you eat, the faster your metabolism will be.
Unfortunately, that isn’t entirely accurate.

Here’s why.
Any time you eat a meal, it’s true that your metabolism
is going to go up. How much it goes up depends upon two
things.
First, the macronutrient composition of the meal will

be the primary determining factor of metabolic increases.
If you were to say eat 100 calories of straight

carbohydrate rich foods, you would see your metabolism go
up by about 4%. That is, for every 100 calories of
carbohydrates you eat, you will only ‘net’ about 96 of those
since 4 calories are burned off just digesting that food.
Now, if you were to eat those same 100 calories only

coming from pure fat, you would get a metabolic boost of
about 2%. This means, you only burn 2 calories out of 100
that you eat digesting. Not quite ideal as far as fat loss is
concerned.
But, if you were to eat 100 calories of pure protein,

now you’re getting a metabolic boost of 25%. So, for every
100 calories you eat of protein, you only net 75.
That is an incredibly effective way to boost your

metabolism so you can eat more calories while stilling losing

weight.
Don’t think this means you should go on an all-protein

diet, however. There are limits to what’s smart and safe to
consume, but if you want to get that metabolism running
faster, eating a higher protein diet is one very good way to
achieve this.
The second factor that’s going to determine how

much your metabolism increases after you eat food is how
much food you eat, period. Think your metabolism is going
to be boosted the same amount if you eat a 200 calorie meal
compared to a 600 calorie meal? I definitely don’t think so.
The more food you give the body to digest, the more
calories it’s going to have to burn through the process of
digestion.
Therefore, the more metabolic increases you see.
To put this all into perspective, let’s say you have two
individuals who are both eating 1800 calories a day on their
fat loss plan.
Individual A is eating 6 meals comprised of 300

calories each. Individual B is eating 3 meals comprised of
600 calories each.

Both individuals are eating the same amount of total

protein, carbohydrates, and dietary fat grams.
Who speeds their metabolism the most?
The answer is that they are both the same. Individual

A will speed up their metabolism more frequently
throughout the day (by eating more frequently) but the
amount they speed it up will be half that of what individual
B does after each of their meals (since they are half the size).
So, once everything is said and done, both individuals

are pretty much on par for metabolic increases.
Where meal frequency does come into play though is

with dietary adherence.

If you’re someone who finds they start thinking about

food when going to long without it, or the thought that
you’re going to end up starving after your breakfast and
need food before noon, then it might be better to split your
meals up into smaller meals that are served more frequently
throughout the day.
Then, in that example, you would have a mid-morning

snack before lunch hits, helping to ease the anxiety you
might have been feeling with regards to that.
Likewise, people who deal with blood sugar level

fluctuations throughout the day may also want to consider
spreading out their meals more frequently. Because you’ll be
getting less of a ‘hit’ of carbohydrates with the smaller meal,
you won’t see insulin increase as much, which could solve
many problems for you (mid-afternoon slump, anyone?).
On the flip side of the equation, some individuals find

that having frequent meals literally makes them ‘clock-
watchers’ and they find themselves always watching the
clock for their next meal.
These types of people sometimes feel like they’ve

become chained to their diet program because they spend so
much time preparing and eating their many meals during the

day.
This then causes them to eventually just get fed up

altogether and throw in the towel, which obviously isn’t
going to promote a good degree of weight loss.
So, the most important thing really is just about

finding out what you prefer.
It’s not going to make that big of a difference whether

you eat three meals each day, four meals, five meals, six
meals – whatever you want. This is assuming of course, that
all of these meals equate to the same calorie intake.
Obviously if you have 3 meals at 400 calories each

compared with 6 meals at 400 calories each, you will lose a
great deal more weight because your calorie intake is half as
much.
This is why it’s important to first figure out your

desired calorie intake and then second, determine how many
meals you will eat out of those calories.
That is what will help you come up with the best meal
plan for you.
So, keep these points in mind when thinking about

meal frequency. Don’t let yourself be so quick to believe
that eating ten meals a day is going to skyrocket your

metabolic rate so fast you’re literally incinerating body fat
faster than you can keep up with.


CHAPTER 16
TOP NUTRITIONAL STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS
Now that you’ve learned the basics of dieting to get six

pack abs, let’s go over some of the top strategies for success.
The more often you can incorporate these points into your
plan, chances are, the better weight loss you will experience.
Plan Ahead
First off, if there is one thing you could do right now
that will make your success rate skyrocket through the roof
it’s planning ahead. A lack of planning is a surefire way to
fail. Basically, planning is vital.
Now, you don’t need to become a planning machine,

scheduling every single meal a week in advance and being
sure you never detour from that.
Instead, you need to plan most of your meals, or at the

very least plan a ‘base’ diet that you will eat each day that
allows for a couple of extra hundred free calories for wiggle
room where you can choose other foods to add to make the
diet more interesting.
One big issue many people face on their diet is that

they haven’t planned out what they eat and because of this,

they wind up in a situation where their stomach is growling

and they are without food.
This leads them to turn to the closest food option for

substance, which more often than not is not going to supply
the nutrition they should be getting.
If they had planned ahead though they would already

have some type of snack with them that they could then eat
to tide them over until they were home again and could have
a better meal that’s going to help them reach their goals
better.
Planning ahead basically encompasses two different

aspects.
First, there’s planning ahead so you have a good idea

in mind what meals you are going to be preparing
throughout the week and have proper groceries on hand.
The second type of planning is more ‘emergency

situation’ planning, where you plan for times when you
aren’t prepared and have small snacks on hand.
Always being sure to carry something with you,

whether it’s a pop-top can of tuna, trail mix, some nuts, or a
protein shake will help get you out of a bind when you find

yourself facing one.
So, don’t plan to fail. Plan to succeed.
Have Pre-Chopped Vegetables on Hand

Along with the planning aspect just discussed, to take
this one step further, if I could specify one thing you would
plan, it would be to always have pre-chopped vegetables on
hand. Vegetables are virtually calorie-free and can be eaten
in great volumes to make the process of dieting a lot easier
on you.
Individuals who have a higher consumption of

vegetables on their diet typically show a higher success rate
due to this fact. They report feeling less hungry, have better
blood sugar levels, don’t get ill as frequently, and are leaner

than their non-veggie eating counterparts.
If you aren’t getting at least six servings of vegetables a

day, that is the first thing that needs to change with your
diet.
A single serving really is not all that big and is easily

manageable by almost everyone – there should be no
excuses with this.
Some people may prefer to have frozen vegetables on

hand instead if they find this makes it easier for them.
Whatever the case, fresh or frozen, a good section of your
fridge/freezer should be dedicated towards vegetables.
If you find yourself growing bored with vegetables

rather quickly, then be sure you take advantage of all the
different seasonal varieties that you’ll find throughout the
year. Being sure to get plenty of variety will not only keep
that boredom under control, but it will also help increase the
nutritional content of your diet as well.
Eat Slower
Moving on, another technique that tends to increase
the adherence you show to your diet is eating slower during
your meals. Many people get into the habit of eating far too
quickly and this causes them to over-consume in calories.
Before they know it they are facing a weight gain and

wondering why.
If you are sure you count calories during the day and
don’t ever find yourself going over your limit, then that is
fine and you likely don’t need to concern yourself with this
factor quite as much since you’re regulating calorie intake
anyway.
If you are one of those people who prefers not to

count calories though, then you’re really going to want to
monitor your eating speed.
Putting your fork down between bites or taking a

twenty minute break before going back in for seconds are
both strategies that will definitely help decrease the total
amount you eat over the course of the day.
Drink More Water

It’s really amazing how many people in our society are
in a constant state of dehydration. Because of this, they find
themselves feeling tired and hungry.
There’s a very good chance that at one point or

another you have actually mistaken hunger for thirst and
have eaten as a result. If you would have just downed a glass
of water, you would have been fine.
You should always be drinking water before the point

of getting thirsty to ensure that you’re not getting
dehydrated in the first place.
If you were to aim to drink one glass of water before

each meal you eat, then supplement this throughout the day
with teas, calorie free water seltzers, and milk, you’d be
doing a lot for preventing dehydration from becoming an
issue.
Just watch your intake of any calorie-containing

beverages when trying to hydrate yourself because many
studies have demonstrated that most people do not

compensate for calories that are consumed in liquid form,

therefore even if you have a big bottle of juice containing
300 calories, you’re not likely to eat 300 fewer calories over
the course of the day.
Vary Your Protein Source

Now let’s talk protein for a second. As discussed
above, including more protein on your diet on a regular
basis is one very good way to significantly increase the rate
of fat loss you achieve. Protein rich foods not only keep you
feeling satisfied for a longer period of time, but they also
boost your metabolic rate up to 25%.
As far as the dieter is concerned, this is a very good

thing. Considering the fact that fat contains twice as many
calories per gram as protein does and carbs only spark your
appetite so you want to eat more, a diet rich in protein is
definitely going to help put you in line to your six pack.
It is important though to be sure you’re varying your

protein intake on a regular basis. Try and avoid sticking with
just egg whites, just chicken, just fish, and so on.
The problem with doing so is two-fold.
First, you could wind up becoming short in one

particular amino acid if you do this. Since you need a full
complement of amino acids in order for all the body’s

functions to properly be carried out, you don’t want to risk
this.
Secondly, since you will likely have a higher intake of

protein on a fat loss diet, it’s more likely that you’re going to
become tired of eating the same source over and over again,
which could leave you craving non-protein foods (like that
box of cereal sitting in your pantry).
Keep more variety of protein in your diet so you aren’t

as tempted to cheat. This, along with a good variety of
vegetables as we just discussed, should give you plenty of
meal options to prevent you from becoming bored.
Invest In A Good Protein Powder

With more on protein is this point. Having a good
quality, great tasting protein powder on hand at all times is
definitely going to go a long way towards helping you reach
your protein intake goals as we just mentioned.
While it is always a better idea to eat whole foods

whenever you can since these do typically break down
slower in the body and will provide higher satiety effects
than a protein would, when you are stuck with no food on
hand and you need some protein, this powder will really

help you out.
Further, protein powders are ideal for right around

your workouts since they are absorbed quickly, providing
your body with the amino acids they need at that exact
instant.
Lastly, don’t forget that you can bake with protein

powders as well, making this a great option for those who
are a bit more creative in the kitchen.
Combined with a couple of egg whites, some

sweetener, and baking powder, you can make a great protein
pancake with one scoop of protein powder.
Likewise, you can add protein powder to oatmeal,

sugar free Jell-O, cottage cheese or yogurt, or even sprinkle
it on top of your morning bowl of cereal for a protein kick
when you need it.
When looking for a protein powder, make sure you’re

looking for one that has very little carbohydrates or fat
added to it so it’s pure protein calories you are getting.
Utilize Spices
Another way to really liven up your meals and make
sticking with your diet that much easier is by adding spices

to the mix.
Many spices actually offer positive health benefits as

well, so being sure to use these often is a very smart move.
One thing you will want to watch though is how much

sodium the spices you’re looking at contain, as too much
sodium can lead to bloating and water weight gain, not to
mention hypertension if that is a concern of yours.
More and more often you can find low-sodium or

even sodium-free spices available at your local grocery store
however, so cutting the salt shouldn’t be a problem.
Never Let Yourself Starve

Another habit you’ll also want to get into so you help
prevent overeating from taking place is never letting yourself
get too hungry before eating. Some people figure that they
can save on calories by skipping meals, but this often ends
up backfiring in a big way when their appetite comes back
with a vengeance and causes them to really overconsume
when they finally do give in and eat.
If you just eat more frequently throughout the day,

keeping the meals and snacks you do eat slightly lower in
calories, you can help keep your hunger and energy levels on
a much more even keel, helping to prevent yourself from
entering this starvation-binging trap.
On a scale from one to ten, one being completely

famished and ten being Thanksgiving dinner full, you would
be best advised to keep your hunger levels between the 3-7
level.
Always walk away from the table wanting a little more

since by the time the digestion process takes place, it’s highly
likely that you will then be fully satisfied.
Also keep in mind that if you are on a lower carb,

higher fat diet, fat does take a little longer to ‘register’ in the
body in terms of satiety, so if you have a snack of almonds
for example, don’t expect to instantly be satisfied. The
satisfaction will more likely occur about 30-60 minutes later
once the fat is digested and enters the bloodstream.
Takings this factor into consideration will help ensure

that you don’t end up overeating when on a diet that does
contain a higher percentage of total calories from fat.
So, be sure you keep all of these points in mind when

trying to be sure you succeed on your diet. Finding out what
works best for you and then applying these techniques over
and over again will help you be sure you do put your best
foot forward.

CHAPTER 17
BOOZE AND YOUR SIX PACK
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
One question that a lot of people have when trying to

obtain their six pack is whether they are going to have to
give up their nightly beer, or their weekend out at the bar.
They want to know if drinking is going to be a limiting

factor in them obtaining that six pack.

The answer to this question isn’t quite a direct yes or

no, but deserves an explanation so you can fully understand
the impacts of alcohol on the body and body fat levels.
There are a number of things to look at here.
Calorie Content of Alcohol

First, it’s important to consider the calorie content of
the alcohol you are drinking, and yes, alcohol calories will
certainly count in your daily totals.
If you drink away 600 calories by the end of the night

(which as you’re about to learn, isn’t all that difficult), you
are left with only having a daily calorie allotment for nutrient
rich foods of 600-1200 depending on your particular calorie
intake level you’re trying to reach for fat loss.
That’s not a lot of food. This is one of the biggest

reasons why people gain weight when they are drinking – it’s
because like other liquid calories, they don’t compensate for
them by eating fewer calories from food.
When that happens, they are faced with too high of a

calorie intake for fat loss to happen and they aren’t reaching
their goals anytime soon.
Also, since alcohol does have inhibitory effects on

judgment, you’re more likely to also eat foods that are much
higher in calories than if you were sober, intensifying the
problem.
Now, alcohol itself only contains seven calories per

gram. This is less than dietary fat contains, but more than
protein or carbohydrates contain.
The bigger issue though comes with what you’re

mixing your alcohol with.
If you’re someone who likes hard liquor and soda,

unless you’re mixing with diet, you might as well add
another 100 or 150 calories per drink (depending on how
much soda is added).
Even worse is if you prefer the cocktail types of

beverages including coolers, margaritas, other frozen
beverages, long island iced teas, and so on.
These can easily pack in 250-600 calories per serving,

adding up very quickly and really packing on the pounds.
So, if you do decide you are going to have the odd

drink, the very first thing you need to be doing right off the
bat is counting the calories in the alcohol you consume and
make sure that it doesn’t put you too far over your calorie

limit.
If you fail to do this and are drinking on a regular

basis, six pack abs are not going to be something you’re
showing off any time soon.
Alcohol Impacts On The Body

While it’s not directly related to alcohol’s effects on six
pack abs, it’s also important to keep in mind too that alcohol
is going to have a very negative impact on many of systems
in the body, which could turn into a full-fledged disease or
disorder.
If you start suffering from one of these conditions, all

of sudden you’re going to be faced with a lot more to worry

about than sticking with a diet or workout program,

therefore your goal of getting six pack abs will no longer be
the top priority.
It should be stated that no matter how important

getting a six pack may seem to you, staying healthy is always
a top priority.
Some of the long term effects of alcohol on the body

include:
• bladder, kidney, and liver damage
• bone deterioration and osteoporosis
• brain disease, central nervous system damage, and

stokes
• deterioration of the testicles and adrenal glands
• diabetes (type 2 or non-insulin dependent)
• disease of the muscles of the heart
• impaired immune response
• impaired memory and balance
• increased risk of death from all causes

• malnutrition
• nonviral hepatitis
• severe psychological depression
• skin rashes and sores
• ulcers and inflammation of the stomach and

intestines
So, as you can see there are a very large number of

negative health consequences to alcohol consumption. Not
only is it going to set you back as far as maintaining a lower
calorie diet, but it’s also going to have all of these potential
impacts on the body.
Alcohol’s Effects on the Metabolism

Finally, the last thing to look at is how alcohol is going
to impact the metabolism of the body.
Basically, when you consume alcohol, it then becomes

the body’s primary concern and everything else will be put
on pause until the incoming alcohol is dealt with.
So, let’s say you were currently burning off body fat,
using it as fuel. Then you have a drink.

Now, your body switches from burning off that body

fat and immediately starts metabolizing the alcohol to try
and use it up and get it out of the system.
Body fat loss stops.
So, as you can see, as soon as you start drinking, fat

loss is no longer a priority for your body, which will
definitely be a limiting factor in you getting the results you’re
looking for.
So, keep these points in mind when thinking about

whether or not consuming alcohol will be a wise move for
you.
One or two drinks every now and then probably isn’t

going to make or break your results, but if we’re talking one
drink every night or almost every weekend out drinking
regularly, that’s going to a problem when it comes to getting
results, not to mention an issue as far as overall health is
concerned.


CHAPTER 18
THE IMPORTANCE OF GOING OFF YOUR DIET
TO GET SIX PACK ABS
Now, one thing that’s not talked about enough in the

dieting world that deserves much more mention than it gets
due to the fact that it’s probably one of the biggest reasons
why people do not get six pack abs is going off your diet to
get better results.
Confused?
That makes you and a whole bunch of other people.

One big mistake that far too many people on diets make is
sticking too closely to a strict diet for too long of a period of
time.

They think that by being perfect on their diet for

months and months on end, they are basically doing the
absolute best thing they could be doing to keep weight loss
moving.
Until they realize that they aren’t losing weight any

longer and wonder what they are doing wrong – but wait,
they aren’t doing anything wrong! They are following their
diet exactly.
What’s going on here?
What’s going on is that when you stay on a very low

calorie diet for a long period of time, the body has certain
mechanisms built in that will really begin to fight you.
Essentially, the body now senses that it’s starving and

is going to do whatever it can to try and stop you from
continuing on.
Hunger levels shoot through the roof. You start

feeling tired, cranky, and irritable. Weight loss stops.
These are all very good signals that your metabolism

has now slowed down and you are exhibiting the classic
signs of needing a diet break or a reefed.

The Anatomy of a Refeed

What the term reefed essentially means is that you are
taking the time to reefed your body with a higher calorie
intake so it gets a better sense that it can speed up once
again – you are not trying to starve it.
When you do this, hunger levels go down, you start

having signs of more energy, and you just feel generally
much more like yourself.

The best part is that when you then begin your diet
once again, fat loss starts happening. Your metabolism is no
longer ‘stuck’ on a slow speed.
I don’t need to tell you how good of a thing this is.
One thing that’s very important to keep in mind with

this reefed process though is that all of these events are very
closely related to carbohydrate intake alone. So, if you’ve
been on a low carbohydrate diet for a long period of time,
chances are you’re going to notice these symptoms much
worse than someone who is using a more moderate
carbohydrate approach.
Furthermore, the lower your calorie intake has been

on that diet, again, the more severe the effects and the larger
that reefed is going to have to be.
Most people will do fine with a two-three day reefed

period where they are eating slightly above maintenance
values (say body weight times a factor of 16-17 in calories
per day), bringing their carbohydrates up to around 200
grams a day.
This should help restore muscle glycogen levels as

well, helping to reduce some of the signs of fatigue during
your workouts that you might be experiencing.
Do this for 2-3 days and see how you feel. If you
follow this protocol and make sure you are doing this every
3-4 weeks on a diet if you are already fairly lean (every 6-8
weeks if you’re not as lean), you can be sure to keep that
metabolism humming along much better.
The Anatomy of a Diet Break

Sometimes though a reefed is not enough. 2-3 days is
simply not going to undo all the damage that has gone on
with the metabolism and you’re going to need to do more
than that.
In that case, a full diet break is in order. This is where,

for a period of 2-3 weeks, you bring your calorie intake up
to maintenance (bw multiplied by 15 for most people), being
sure to get at least 100 grams of carbohydrates per day in
addition to those that are eaten around training.
By doing this, you will help to make sure the thyroid

hormones are operating more effectively too, which can be a
big issue with chronic dieters who have been under-eating
for too long.
If you fail to use this diet break though and just keep
going on as is, you are going to continue to struggle with
weight loss and won’t make the progress you could be

making.
Being sure to monitor how long you have been on

your diet and implementing diet breaks when appropriate
will be essential if you want to experience continued weight
loss.
Most people, if doing the refeeds, will not need to

worry as much about diet breaks since they will be keeping
their metabolism healthier in the first place, but even still,
after 5-6 months on any diet even with refeeds, a 2 week
diet break isn’t a bad idea.
It will provide a lot of psychological relief as well.

Dieting, that constant food restriction, does tend to wear on
us after a while, so giving your mind a break and allowing
for a bit more eating freedom every once in a while is a
smart move. Plus, it will help ensure that your relationship
with foods stays healthier, which is something else that you
definitely do need to be concerned with because many
intense dieters do start showing distorted eating behaviors
after a long enough time on a very strict diet.
They simply forget what ‘normal’ eating is without

these diet breaks and in some cases, it can really mess them
up long term (this is especially the case with dieters who

start to rely on powders or pre-made meals for their weight

loss, which is never recommended as a sound approach).
So, learn to recognize the signs of needing a diet break

or reefed and start implementing them in appropriately. It
really is the best thing you can do for ongoing results.


CHAPTER 19
SIX PACK ABS AND MUSCLE BUILDING
DO THEY GO TOGETHER?
Another really big issue that comes up quite frequently

among people who are trying to get a six pack is whether
you can effectively build muscle while working on your abs.
To answer this question, there are a few very

important things to consider.
First, you need to keep in mind that building muscle

and fat loss are two completely opposite processes in the
body. In order to build muscle, you will require a surplus of
calories, essentially taking in more than you are burning off
each day.
It’s these excess calories that are then going to be used

to help assimilate new muscle tissue, causing you to grow
larger and stronger.
For fat loss on the other hand, you need to consume

fewer calories than you take in on a daily basis because this
is what will cause the body to turn to its body fat stores for
fuel, essentially causing fat loss to take place.
As you can see, being above your maintenance intake

is opposite of being below, therefore gaining muscle and

losing fat at the same time is pretty much physiologically
impossible unless you are very new to working out (in which
case, it will sometimes happen for the first little bit while
starting a workout and diet program).
So then the next question you have to ask yourself is

whether you are looking to see your abs or build your abs.
If you want to actually get the muscles bigger, then by

all means, you can definitely obtain that while working to
build muscle since that’s the whole point.
But, if you’ve already got a decent amount of body fat

covering your abs right now and are working to build
muscle, don’t expect your six pack to start showing anytime
soon because you’re basically working towards an opposite

goal at this point.
Some individuals figure they can try and build muscle

without gaining any fat at all, but again, that’s a very rare
occurrence. Even if you do everything right, expect a small
amount of fat gain when you build muscle. This is normal
and natural. Obviously you shouldn’t be gaining pounds of
fat along with your muscle, but aiming for a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio
in terms of muscle mass to fat mass gained is a good place
to be.
If you are so adamant about not gaining any body fat

at all, often you’ll find that you are moving so slowly in
terms of gaining muscle that you’re not really making any
progress at all.
It’s these individuals – the ones who are so scared of

even a tiny amount of fat gain, that just wind up spinning
their wheels and not seeing any real changes.
You’re far better off to just focus on building the

muscle first, accepting that you will gain a small amount of
body fat, and then focusing on losing body fat second after
you’ve obtained the degree of muscle mass you’re going for.
Cycling it this way – periods of building muscle with

periods of losing fat is the surefire strategy to actually seeing

good results with your program and not winding up
frustrated and throwing in the towel.
Obviously if you’re perfectly happy at the level of

muscle you’re already carrying and are lean, then you will
just be maintaining, or potentially making very small tweaks
in your body in either direction.
Maintenance is typically easier for most people to do

provided they are good at keeping a constant check system
on themselves and taking action when they find themselves
moving too far in one direction.
So, hopefully the question of whether you can build

muscle while losing fat is now answered and you understand
why you should not try and build muscle while getting a six
pack at the same time.
If you are incredibly lean starting out, then chances are

you can focus on building muscle and even with the fat you
do gain, you’ll still see your six pack (since you do have to
gain enough fat in order for the abs to start ‘hiding’). But for
the individual who is already carrying around an extra layer,
they will absolutely need to focus on fat loss first if they
want to obtain that six pack.

CHAPTER 20
GENETICS: CAN YOU REALLY DEFY IT?
Have you ever heard someone say, “I just have really

bad genetics”? If so, you aren’t alone. Many people utter
these words as their excuse to why they can’t get a six pack.
But, how much of a six pack is genetic? And if you do

really have bad genetics, is this something you can
overcome?
Let’s look at this a bit more closely.

Metabolic Rate and Genetics

First off is your metabolic rate. While most people will
fall into a pretty close range in terms of their metabolic rate
(which is based on the amount of lean body mass you have),
some people do go to a more extreme end.
You have individuals who have a very fast metabolism,

and then you have individuals who have a much slower
metabolism where the problems do tend to come in.
There are definitely ways you can go about increasing

the metabolism through diet and exercise, but if you actually

do have a genetically slow metabolism (known and clinically
tested to be hypothyroid), then it will be a bit harder for you
to get the kind of fat loss you’re looking for to see your six
pack abs.
Keep in mind though that it’s just a small handful of

people who actually do have medical issues with their
thyroid, so don’t be so quick to blame this for your lack of
ab definition.
Ab Structure and Genetics

Moving on, another thing that genetics will impact is
your ab structure. If you’ve ever looked at two people with
clearly defined six packs, there’s a good chance that you’ve
been able to spot mild differences between them.
Some people have quite large ‘splits’ between their abs

– essentially the dividing line is more spaced out than other
individuals.
Likewise, some people have very large upper ab

muscles while others have smaller upper abs. Some
individuals tend to have evenly sized ab muscles while other
people have abs that range in size across their stomach.
There is a lot of variation with the actual appearance

of your abs and while you can definitely build the muscles
bigger through weighted ab work, there is a limit to how
much you can actually change that appearance.
So, keep that in mind. Sometimes people do try and

set goals or have a specific image in mind for what they
want their abs to look like and it’s actually not really going to
be obtainable for them.
If they keep forcing onwards with their goal, they are

likely to wind up only disappointed and upset that they
aren’t seeing the results they were going for.
Being realistic with your six pack ab goals will be vital

to help ensure that you are going to be capable of getting
what you want.
Finally, remember that while genetics might set the

absolute limit you can obtain with your abs that does not
mean you cannot put forth a very good effort and still get
fantastic results. You may not get cover-model abs, but even
seeing a slight amount of definition will make you feel a lot
better about yourself and speak volumes in terms of your
dedication and commitment to a good workout and exercise
program.

CHAPTER 21
SAMPLE SIX PACK AB WORKOUT


CHAPTER 22
SUPPLEMENTS FOR SIX PACK ABS
Moving on, now we come to supplements that are

designed to help you get six pack abs. If you’ve had the
opportunity to walk into any supplement store before you
likely already know just how overwhelming it can be when it
comes to trying to choose which fat burners you should be
using along with which other supplements will aid in your
quest to get six pack abs.
Getting a firmer grasp and understanding over what

works and what doesn’t will be vital so you aren’t spending
money on products that aren’t really going to do a whole lot
for you.

Here are the supplements that are worth your money.
Fish Oil
First off is fish oil. The only people who don’t need to
supplement with fish oil are those who are consuming fatty
fish on a very regular basis or are eating flax or flaxseed oil
numerous times each day.
Getting your required 3-6 grams of essential fatty acids

each day is not only going to really promote overall better
health, but it’s also going to help your efforts to get six pack
abs because it will increase your insulin sensitivity, meaning
you handle carbohydrates better after eating them.
Furthermore, essential fatty acids can also help with

nutrient partitioning, which means being sure the calories
you eat go towards your muscle cells rather than the fat cells.
Protein Powder
As mention, you should aim to get the majority of you
protein from whole foods. But, for those of you who are
rushed for time, a good protein powder supplement is a
must.
Having a concentrate on hand for around your

workouts and a casein on hand for when you’re taking it
during the day will help prepare you for times you really
need it.
A Multi-Vitamin
Since you are going to be on a reduced calorie intake
while trying to obtain six pack abs, it’s important to be sure
you’re meeting your vitamin and mineral needs. A good
multi-vitamin will help you accomplish this, so that’s
another supplement you will want to look into.
Now we come to all the other supplements out there –

ones that are targeted towards maximum fat loss. Sometimes
you’ll come across individual ingredients in supplemental
form, and more commonly you’ll come across supplement
‘stacks’, which is a number of ingredients all combined in
one pill (most commercial ‘fat burners’ fall under this

category).
The thing to keep in mind is often you will pay more

for these stack products and they contain a number of
ingredients that you don’t really need. So, if price is a
concern, many times you’re better off just purchasing the
individual ingredient itself, since that’s what will be helping
you out the most anyway.
These are the ingredients you might want to consider.
Caffeine
Some studies have demonstrated that caffeine does
help increase the rate of fat oxidation in the body as well as
boosts the amount of energy you have to workout with.
Since how many calories you burn during a workout is

tied in with the intensity, it only makes sense this would
help.
Caffeine also helps reduce hunger in some people, so

that’s another added benefit many enjoy.
Hoodia
Moving on, another supplement many people do find
helps them with hunger levels is hoodia gordonii. This is a
plant that was used by African hunters to help reduce

hunger on their hunting expeditions so they could stay out

longer on their trips.
Now, dieters are making use of it and finding it really

does reduce hunger levels dramatically. One thing to keep in
mind with this though is that if you are noticing its effects
quite strongly, it will be critical that you do force yourself to
eat the food on your diet.
While eating fewer calories is good, you can go too far

with this (see the diet section of this guide if you missed
that).
Ephedra
Ephedra has received a great deal of controversy due
to some ill-advised people using it and suffering severe
consequences with its use.
Most commonly it is paired with caffeine (200 mg per

6 mp of ephedra), which tends to produce better effects
than just taking the ephedra alone.
Ephedra is a nervous system stimulant so it’s going to

boost the metabolic rate, increase energy levels, increase
alertness, and decrease hunger.
Do note though that it is very, very important that you

start off on a low dose on this and do not go over the

recommended dose. Some people do react negatively to this
so you need to see how you feel.
Furthermore, if you have any type of heart issues at all,

this supplement should not be taken.
Also, be sure you do see your doctor before starting

this supplement to ensure it is safe for you to be taking if
you choose to do so. Many of the reported negative cases
associated with its use were in people who shouldn’t have
been taking it in the first place or were taking a dose that
was much higher than recommended.
This is not a supplement you want to mess around with.
Yohimbe
Finally, the last supplement you may want to give
some thought to is yohimbe. Note that yohimbe should
never ever be taken with ephedra though.
Yohimbe acts as a vasodilator in the body, therefore

increasing blood flow to all of the tissues. This then helps
with fat mobilization, especially of stubborn fat, so can be
beneficial when you’re getting down to those few last
pounds that just do not want to move.

So, keep these supplements in mind. It is very

important to always remember though that no supplement is
ever going to make you ‘burn fat’. You burn the fat through
hard work; the supplement only makes the work easier for
you (reducing your hunger levels so you can stick with the
diet easier, boosting energy so you don’t skip workouts, etc).
If you take a fat loss supplement and then sit on the

couch and proceed to eat way too much food, don’t think
you’re miraculously going to lose body fat.
It doesn’t work that way and any supplement company

who claims it does is blatantly lying to you.
Your best bet would probably be to start off using the

first three supplements above, combined with a proper diet
and exercise program. See what kind of results you’re getting
and then potentially decide to include one of the others on
the list.
Supplements should always supplement a good diet and

exercise program – that’s why they’re named the way they
are.


CHAPTER 23
OUTSIDE FACTORS THAT PREVENT YOU
FROM GETTING A SIX PACK
Now it’s time to look at some of the outside factors

that might come into play, preventing you from getting the
six pack you’re going for. While diet and exercise are going
to play the biggest role in the progress you make towards
your six pack, there are some lifestyle factors that can take
you to that next step as far as muscle definition is
concerned, or do the opposite and hold you back.
Here are some you need to know.
Sleep
Sleep is a big issue because when you are low on sleep,

the body tends to secrete a higher amount of cortisol, which

as we already saw, will encourage body fat accumulation in
the stomach area.
Secondly, when you are low on sleep, the chances are

also higher than you’re going to crave carbohydrate rich
foods, making it harder than ever before to stick with your
diet.
You’ve probably experienced this after going to work

one day on not enough sleep – you couldn’t reach for that
box of donuts fast enough.
This is your body sensing fatigue and looking for the

next best thing to sleep for energy – fast releasing simple
carbohydrates. When you’re continually not getting enough
sleep in your day, you’ll virtually be on a continual cycle of
binging on high carb foods to try and get the energy you’re
missing.
Stress
Like sleep, high levels of stress also cause the secretion
of cortisol levels in the body, so that’s another issue that will
cause ongoing problems.
Obviously there are some factors you cannot control –

if you have a high stressful job, you can’t go quitting that
just to decrease the stress you experience. But what you can
do is take measures that will help decrease your stress levels
over time so it’s more manageable.
Little things such as learning to say no to obligations

that you don’t really need to be doing, performing more
stress reducing activities such as yoga or meditation, or even
doing an activity that you really thoroughly enjoy can help
bring stress levels down and help reduce this cortisol
response in the body.
Further, with the issue of stress itself, this does tend to

be very hard on the body when it’s ongoing and long-term.
Many disease states have been linked to stress levels so
looking after this is an important thing both in the short
term and over the long run.

If you are highly stressed out all the time you are going
to feel more overrun, have difficulty recovering from your
workout sessions, and will not have as much energy for the
workouts themselves.
Stress is a big aspect of many people’s lives and

unfortunately we aren’t currently doing enough to try and
control it, bringing levels back down to a more normal
range.
Getting this under control is one of the top things you

can do with your overall ‘lifestyle’ in order to promote better
health and get closer to reaching your six pack.
Your Daily Interactions

Another thing that will definitely impact the results
you get is who you are in contact with on a regular basis.
Have a good look at the people you hang around with. Are
they involved in health and fitness? Do they frequently look
for active pursuits to take part in and watch the foods they
are eating?
If not, they might be having a negative influence on

you. If your closest group of friends is much more
interested in sitting in front of the TV most nights snacking
on high calorie items, chances are you will join them.

While you can deny yourself of the food they are

eating for so long, at one point or another it’s fairly likely
you will indulge as well.
Now, I’m not saying you should go ‘dumping’ anyone

who isn’t doing a lot of exercise, simply that you should try
and be around people who are more often. Find a healthy
balance between two groups of people.
As long as you’re able to maintain that and not let

those more inactive friends impact you, you should be fine.
There does come a point in some people’s lives where they
do need to evaluate which people are toxic and consider
spending a lot less time with them.
This is more the case though when the individual in

question is really not supporting their own personal goals
and actually trying to hinder their progress.
That’s a bigger issue - when they talk negatively about

your exercise or eating habits and one you will need to
address if you ever come across it.
An Erratic Lifestyle
Finally, the last factor that can have an impact on the
results you get is if you have a very erratic lifestyle.

If you’re the type of person who ‘fly’s by the seat of

his or her pants’ and never really knows what’s happening
one day after the next, you’re likely going to struggle a bit
more when it comes to sticking with your workouts and diet
program.
Individuals in this situation tend to be more sporadic

with their efforts and since getting a six pack is highly
dependent on being consistent with your workouts and diet
program, you can clearly see how this will hinder your
results.
Obviously if you enjoy a more non-routine lifestyle

that’s not something you’re just going to get up and change,
but really making an intense effort to be sure you are setting
aside a regular time for your workouts and at least planning
a couple of the meals out of your day will go a long ways
towards helping you see better progress.
So, keep these points in mind. The more you can

surround yourself with like-minded people and include
positive habits in your day that promote getting a six pack,
the greater chance you stand of getting that six pack you
want so badly.

CHAPTER 24
MAINTAINING YOUR SIX PACK – IT DOES GET
EASIER
Now, one issue that many people overlook with the

process of getting abs entirely is what happens after you
obtain your goal.
So many people are all too focused with just getting

there – and with good reason; that needs to be the priority.

But, keeping in mind what you’ll need to do after

getting your six pack is also important unless you want them
to be a one-time occurrence that doesn’t stick with you for
the long run.
Dietary Changes
First up are dietary changes. Since you are no longer
looking to lose body fat, you can increase your calorie intake
slightly so you are more on par with maintenance levels.
Some people will choose to increase their daily calorie

intake while others will choose to keep on a more strict diet
during the week but then relax a bit more on the weekends
and allow for dietary freedom.

Whatever method you choose should work but you do

need to constantly be monitoring where you’re sitting.

Those that are most successful with maintaining their

six pack are those who start taking action immediately if
they see themselves gaining weight back.
The absolute worst thing you can do is let yourself

slide for too long, adopt some really bad habits, and really
set yourself back far.
Instead, keep constant checks on yourself. If you gain

a pound or two, cut back for the next week or two.
Keeping a 3 pound weight range in either direction will

help ensure that you are staying where you need to be. 3
pounds shouldn’t overly effect the appearance of your abs,
so if you abide by this you should always be seeing that six
pack.
The one exception to this is if you are purposely

aiming to gain more muscle mass, then obviously you would
want to see the scale moving up – just make sure it’s doing
so slowly so you’re getting more muscle gain and less fat
gain.
Exercise Adjustments
Next you have exercise adjustments after getting your
six pack abs. Again, since you aren’t going to need that large
calorie deficit, you can choose to cut back on the amount of
cardio you’re doing if you wish.
Keep in mind though that if you add more food and

cut back on cardio, that may be a bit too much at once and
you could find yourself gaining weight.
Always make small adjustments at a time and see how

you do.
That will help insure you don’t gain back unwanted

weight and wind up in a situation you’re not comfortable
with.
You should, however, be maintaining your weight

lifting program as that’s what will keep the metabolism
higher in the long run and help you maintain the current
muscle you have, which keeps you burning calories 24/7.

If you want to cut back on volume, you can do that –

by up to ½, but be sure that intensity is still there.
One thing you should keep in mind though is that if

you have been using a lower carbohydrate approach to your
diet, you can expect to see some weight gain coming on
initially after moving to a more mixed approach.
This will mostly be due to water weight gain and

stored muscle glycogen, so try not to get overly worried
about that if it does happen.
As your body adapts to the more maintenance-like

intake with a moderate level of carbohydrates, you should
see this water weight drop once again and you’ll return to
where you left off after the diet was finished.
So, keep these points in mind after you are sporting

your new six pack. Typically, if you do watch yourself and
take action the minute you see yourself falling by the
wayside, you will definitely have an easier time maintaining
that six pack than you did originally getting it.
It’s just learning your body and knowing when you’ve

gone too far and exactly what to do to get things back in
order once again.

CHAPTER 25
MONITORING YOUR PROGRESS
No six pack ab book would be complete without some

type of talk about the best way to go about measuring your
progress.
When you see progress, you typically get motivated

and it is this higher level of motivation that’s going to help
drive you to keep going on your plan, pushing you further
and further towards success.
When progress stops, that’s when people typically get

antsy and their dedication to the program starts to fall short.
Understanding the best ways to go about monitoring

your progress then will be important.
Scales
As mentioned briefly before, your body weight can be
impacted by a number of factors, therefore using the scale as
a single gauge of progress is not a very good plan. You step
on the scale on day, see a five pound weight gain, and you’re
devastated. Little did you take into consideration the fact
that you just happened to eat a stir fry that was doused in
soy sauce for lunch the previous day as well as ½ cup of
salsa on top of your can of tuna before bed.
Both of these are very high in sodium and will cause

water retention. Does that mean you have gained back the
fat you lost? Definitely not.
Keeping all the factors that can affect the scale in mind
will help you put this into perspective. It’s important to
weigh yourself regularly to spot trends with the scale – if it’s
constantly creeping upwards you know action needs to be
taken asap, but weighing yourself daily and obsessing over
that number is going to do no one any good.
Body Fat Scales

Much better is to have a body fat reading taken. This is
a little less practical though since they are not quite as readily

available as weight scales are. Body fat readings though are

highly more effective because it will allow you to see what
portion of the weight loss you experienced was muscle and
what portion was fat.
In an ideal world all you would be losing is body fat

(unfortunately we are not in an ideal world though and this
is highly unlikely).
Therefore, at the very least you are looking to

minimize the amount of muscle mass loss you experience so
you can keep that metabolic rate revved.
If you are going to look into getting a body fat test

done, I would recommend using underwater weighing
(typically available at your local university), or else having a
DEXO or ‘Bod Pod’ test taken. This is where they use a
scanning system to determine which proportion of your
body is fat mass and what proportion is lean mass.
Try and stay away from those hand held devices that
measure body fat levels as they are notoriously off base and
aren’t really going to give you all that great of an indication
what’s going on.
They too are heavily swayed by such things as water

weight, recent exercise sessions, incoming food or fluid
intake, time of the month, etc. It’s not unusual to see them
fluctuate by as much as 5% between readings, which
obviously is nowhere near accurate assuming you are taking
them within a week’s time span.
A final option as far as body fat measurements go is

calipers. This is a handheld device that is used to ‘pinch’
certain areas of the body in order to determine how much
body fat you currently have.
This can be a decent way to measure body fat, but you

want to make sure that you’re getting the same person to do
it each time (since different techniques can impact the
reading), and you’ll also want to be sure that you take the
arrived at percentage as a guideline, indicating movement
upwards or downwards to show progress rather than a
direct determinant of body weight.
It’s key to do this because of the fact that while this

measurements are a little more accurate than the hand held
devices, they still don’t really take into full account the
interval amount of body fat you have (subcutaneous fat is
measured and then plugged into an equation meant to
represent body fat levels).
Since this can vary from person to person, again, use

this as a rough estimate. If you see the number going down,

good, if it’s going up, then you might need to reconsider
your workout and diet program.
The Mirror
Finally the last way you can measure your body fat is
by simply looking in the mirror. This isn’t going to give you
a number per say, but you can generally see in the mirror
how you’re body is looking and will be able to tell if you’re
gaining body fat mass.
Obviously water weight and bloat will still affect this,

but again, looking for trends over the long-term can
definitely make the picture more clear for you.
So, keep these measurement techniques in mind. Use

them both while you are working towards getting a set of six
pack abs as well as while you are trying to maintain your six
pack.
By tracking your progress properly, you will stand a

much better chance of getting a clear sense where you stand
and will be much less likely to lose your motivation with
your workout program.


CHAPTER 26
THE SIX PACK MINDSET
DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES?
To wrap up this guide on the six pack we come to the

six pack mindset. There are those who have a six pack
mindset, and those that clearly do not.
If you don’t, you’re going to have to work really hard

to get yourself there – both getting into that mindset, as well
as getting real about your workout and diet program.
So what is the six pack mindset?
• Determination.

• Dedication.
• Commitment.
• Compromise.
• Organization.
• Self-Control.
• Self-Monitoring.
• Intensity.
• Persistence.
All are words that have been used to describe

individuals who are successful in their attempt to get six
pack abs.
To reach this fitness goal, you really do have to have a

certain type of work ethnic. If you don’t, chances are you’re
really going to struggle. Getting six pack abs doesn’t come
easy for most people and the sooner you can accept this and
understand that you are going to have to put in the time and
work, the closer you’ll be to actually reaching that goal.
Individuals who think they can just flip a switch and in

a matter of weeks they’ll be sporting a six pack are highly

mistaken. Unless it’s the case that you’re already incredibly
lean to start with, it’s going to take some time to diet down
to a level where the six pack muscles begin to show through
and you see the results you’re looking for.
While as you progress through your program and form

habits that are more conducive to getting a six pack it will
become easier for you to stick with it (since good habits
definitely go a long way towards your maintaining good
results), it’s getting those habits developed in the first place
where most people struggle.

You’ve got to push yourself through those first few

weeks to really bust that initial plateau. It’s the hardest part.
As you’ve likely heard most people say when

describing a habit they have formed, the first two weeks
were the hardest. After they cross that barrier, it becomes a
lot easier and they often find that they are almost ‘carried
on’ by the habits they have formed.
If you can get yourself to this spot, that’s exactly where

you want to be.
So, find it within yourself – prepare yourself

psychologically for a bit of a battle, and then attack. Attack
hard with sheer determination that you will get through the
first two weeks.
After that, you’ve past the hump and things will feel
more natural. Once you develop the ‘six pack mindset’,
you’re going to be right on track to your own set of six pack
abs.

ARNEL BIO
Arnel Ricafranca, B.A, C.O.R.E Certified is a world
renowned fitness professional. He lives with his wife Sara in
New Jersey with his beloved cats, Roxy and Marley and a
miniture Yorkie called Buster.
He is the founder of one of the biggest six pack ab

membership sites on the internet.
Arnel Ricafranca has been featured in several

magazines, television, and radio stations. He is also one of
the biggest youtube fitness celebrities online with over 40
million video views, growing by over 2 million views per
month. He has the rare distinction of having more
subscribers than Oprah Winfrey.

Arnel wants to cut through the hype, lies, and

deceptions in the weight loss and fitness industry. His goal is
to clear the myths and help you get the six pack abs you
deserve.
You have in your hands, the real truth about getting

six pack abs.
Attention media: If you would like to interview Arnel,

please contact arnel by using the contact form on
www.16WeeksToSixPackAbs.com.

Six Pack Abs Secrets Revealed

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Six Pack Abs Secrets Revealed

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SIX PACK AB

YOUR SUCCESS KIT TO

Copyright © 2009. All rights reserved.

No part of this book or accompanying materials may

The author and publisher make no representations or

You should not use the information contained herein

© 2009 Arnel Ricafranca Page | 2 All Rights Reserved

book regarding effectiveness, action, or application of the

© 2009 Arnel Ricafranca PAGE | 3 All Rights Reserved

Chapter 1 What are the Requirements for

Chapter 2 How It All Started – My Story ............................................ 14

Chapter 3 Why Most People Fail With Their

Chapter 4 Why Cardio Is Not The Most Effective

Chapter 5 The Type of Cardio That Can Help

Chapter 6 The Most Effective Type of Exercise

Chapter 7 What About Ab Exercises

Chapter 8 Ab Exercises That Will Bring You

Chapter 9 The Top Six Pack Exercises You

Chapter 10 How To Design your Own Gym

Chapter 11 How to Motivate Yourself To Stay

Chapter 12 Workout Frequency How Often

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Chapter 14 Must You Use a Low Carb Diet

Chapter 15 Meal Frequency and Six Pack Abs ................................... 186

Chapter 16 Top Nutritional Strategies For Success ........................... 194

Chapter 17 Booze and Your Six Pack

Chapter 18 The Importance of Going Off

Chapter 19 Six Pack Abs and Muscle Building

Chapter 20 Genetics: Can You Really Defy It? .................................. 226

Chapter 21 Sample Six Pack Ab Workout ........................................... 230

Chapter 22 Supplements For Six Pack Abs ......................................... 232

Chapter 23 Outside Factors That Prevent You

Chapter 25 Monitoring Your Progress ................................................. 252

Chapter 26 The Six Pack Mindset

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"I want to thank Sara, the love of my life for

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Whether you are currently heavily involved in your

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Now, you want this for yourself. You want to be the

Six pack abs do this. They, whether you want to admit

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Luckily, if you approach six pack abs in the right

Six pack abs is just as much a science as it is making it

So, in this manual we are going to take a good look at

Throughout all of this, you must keep in mind that

So, go through the learning process, but don’t stop

Also remember that abs do not happen overnight. It’s

You have to work hard. Everyone has to work hard,

Finally, remember that everyone will have a slightly

It’s best to learn your own body and what it responds

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With this though, it’s important to know when

Even then, you may not see miraculous changes, but

So, let’s get right to it – your mission to six pack abs.

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Before diving right into all the technical details, let’s

During my early years while I was learning about

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After I graduated though and began my career helping

This was frustrating.