How to Get Ripped Abs 

Getting ripped abs doesn't have to be hard - it just takes knowhow.

So for most of us, getting ripped abs isn’t exactly easy. It does take a lot of work. But if you think the answer is doing a bunch of abs exercises day after day, then you are pretty far off base.  The problem might well be that you are doing TOO MUCH – of the wrong things.

In fact, it might be said that getting six pack abs is 2/3 lifestyle choices and 1/3 exercise.  Why is this the case?  Because you can do all the abs exercises you want for month after month, and still not see a six pack.  Of course, you might well have already tried this and failed.

So why don’t abs exercises work, and since they don’t seem effective, why do so many otherwise reasonable personal trainers and self-proclaimed fitness experts  recommend them?

The answer lies partly in a lack of research and partly in the fact that abs operate differently from most other muscles in the body.  The main difference is that they tend to get covered over is a layer of fat that totally hides them.

Burning off this fat is the real key to getting ripped abs and getting toned.

But how do you burn that fat?   Is the answer in running, elliptical trainers, and other aerobic exercise?  Surely these all must burn calories and by extension burn fat, right?

Strangely enough, while they most certainly burn calories, recent studies have shown that they are all but ineffective in reducing abdominal fat.   Why? Because when you run, your appetite increases, you eat more, and you end up doing as much harm as good.

Surprisingly, even lifting weights isn’t as effective in reducing fat as once believed.  The reason is that, metabolically, muscle simply isn’t a huge player.  Compared to the brain, G/I organs, and liver, muscle burns a small fraction of your overall caloric intake.   So adding muscle helps, but likely not enough to get a six pack.

No, to get ripped abs, you need to change your diet.  The best plans I have used so far are all low carb plans.  And recent studies bear this out.  Eating low carb has now been around for decades, far too long to call it a fad.  And the studies are piling up, showing it helps to reduce fat, improve blood lipids, and keep off fat over the long run.

So to get a six pack, you have to cut the carbs, especially if you want to build muscle and get totally ripped.