One big misconception that some people have regarding getting a washboard stomach is that you should be working all these muscles separately. Because these individuals often envision the so-called ‘6-pack’, they think that you can divide this muscle up, working on it section by section.

Without a clean diet, six pack abs will never be yours. One thing you must realize is that while exercise is important, it’s only going to take you so far. No matter how many crunches or sit-up variations you perform, if you’ve got a solid layer of fat covering your stomach, your muscles are not going to be seen.

Unfortunately, this simply isn’t true.

While the abs definitely do consist of a few different muscles, all of these muscles are going to contract simultaneously, helping perform whatever movement is being asked of it. You can definitely target certain areas slightly more than others, but overall, you cannot solely isolate any one of the muscles in particular.

So, having said that, try not to do too many isolated ab exercises during your workout. While these can be nice in a sense that you’ll likely really ‘feel the burn’, they aren’t going to work as many muscle fibers as possible – which is your primary goal with any weight lifting session you perform.

The better thing to instead, is to do exercises that decrease your balance because that is what best calls your muscles into action.

Think doing ab crunches on the floor is good? Move those crunches onto an stability exercise ball.

This applies for other calisthenic exercises as well. Performing a set of push-ups? Why not move those onto an exercise ball as well? It’s the perfect opportunity to really challenge those muscles and help develop washboard abs. Simply place an exercise ball under your arms or under your feet and push-up from there. If you’re really ambitious, try both at the same time (note, use a spotter when doing this as there is a good chance you’ll roll off until you gain the skill necessary to balance).

The only time when you don’t want to decrease your stability too much, however, is when you’re lifting very heavy weights in major compound lifts (such as squats for instance). This could prove to be very dangerous because one small movement in the wrong direction due to being off balance could cause your form to go and that could lead to a severe injury.

So, keep your destabilization work to exercises that are performed with your body weight or very light weights.

By following these principles though, you can be sure that washboard abs are on their way for you.

The thing to remember is that whenever you are trying to work your core, everything works, for a certain period of time. Everything from high reps, low reps, weighted work, bodyweight work, stability ball exercises, and BOSU ball exercises – it all works until your body adapts and says, “This is easy, I’m not going to change unless you give me a new reason to adapt.”

Your ab training should be progressed from stable floor work with your body weight to a unstable surface with weighted work. Progressing to movements that will reduce your base of support as much as possible are the best ab workouts because they will call into play all the muscles within the core, especially those really deep that stable floor work can not target.

Such examples of floor ab exercises that would do this would be crunches, sit ups and leg raises. Eventually you want to do these same exercises against gravity, then a load and then on unstable surface like a stability ball. Body weight exercises like “front planks” and “side planks” should be the foundation of a core program and progressed to one arm planks in the frontal and side planes and then eventually on a stability ball or BOSU ball for further recruitment.

The best ab workouts to make your abs “pop” would be a variety of weighted movements. I’m sure you’ve skinny guys with a flat stomach but no “eye popping” abs, which is because they have not developed the actual abdominal muscle, just like every other body part. Part of getting nicely chiseled abs is going to be developing the muscles underneath the fat, and weighted ab crunches with cables or on a stability ball with a heavy dumbbell will do this best.

During all your ab workouts be sure to get a full stretch during the eccentric phase of your ab exercises. Going through an entire range of motion on the way up (if doing a crunch on the floor or ball) is not necessary, however, you should be “crunching” your upper abs onto your lower abs during each rep to maximize the burn, recruitment and full development.

The one weighted exercise you will not find in my programs is weighted side bends, as this could make you look wider in the waste, distracting from creating a lean image.

One concerning question most people have is regarding lower ab workouts, typically the most troubling spot. Yes, hip flexion (emphasis more so on lower abs) is important to perform and should be done first in the workout but the reality of the matter is that you cannot specifically separate your abs into upper and lower components. Whenever you perform any type of ab movement you should automatically be focusing on working both the upper and lower portion at the same time.

Good exercise to definitely direct a little more force into the lower area would be the progression of lying leg raises, lying leg raises on a incline and eventually hanging leg raises fully vertical. Lying leg raises on a stability pull is also an extremely challenging and advanced exercise to create razor sharp abdominals.

Finally, the last thing to consider is when you are going to perform your ab workout is training frequency. Again, generally speaking, the more the better assuming your abdominals have recovered. Whether you want to perform it at the end of your workout, before your workout, during your workout or on a day of it’s own is up to you. My ab workouts incorporate all methods depending on if you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced. Some theories of that warn you not to start with abs is because abs work as a synergistic muscle for so many of the other exercises you’ll do, if you pre-fatigue them before the start of the workout, you may not progress as much during the rest of your workout. I don’t agree with this and if you’re abs are your weakest link then they should be given first priority when you are the most fresh, the start of your workout.

Incorporating a specific ab workout is only a small part of the battle – diet, lifestyle and overall caloric expenditure through weight training and cardio are the true building blocks to creating a sexy and desired mid section.

Carlos Larsen

If you want to get ripped this summer and get turning heads from all the guys who want to be like you and from all the girls who just WANT you i recommend getting a copy of Vince Delmonte’s Guides, No Nonsense Muscle Building & Your Six Pack Quest

The biggest area you need to focus on when trying to obtain 6 pack abs is going to be on your diet. Like it or not, the old saying that ‘abs are made in the kitchen’, is probably one of the most truthful statements in the fitness industry. If your diet isn’t in line, your stomach is going to show it.

So, what should you be doing with your diet?

First, ensure you are getting enough protein. Not only is protein going to form the key building blocks you need to build muscle tissue, but it’s also going to provide you with a better feeling of fullness than eating just carbohydrates alone would for example. Protein is more “expensive” than any other macronutrient meaning that your body will burn more calories breaking down protein compared to carbs and fats.

Next, don’t be afraid of dietary fat that comes from primarily monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats such as olive oils, fish oils, a mix of nuts, natural peanut butter and avocado. While it’s true that eating fat will increase your calories fast, as long as you keep it between 20-30% it can be one of the best things to get 6 pack abs fast. The important point here is that dietary fat helps keep your insulin level stable, which, when high enough can actually cause fat gain itself.

Furthermore, dietary fat will keep you feeling the fullest for the longest duration in time; longer than both protein or carbohydrates would. Interestingly, some diets high in fat can get you 6 pack abs fast because your body learn to metabolize fat for energy.

So, while you do need to watch it, be sure you are getting some in your diet.

Finally, when it comes to carbohydrate intake and getting 6 pack abs, you want to focus most of your carbohydrate intake around the post workout period.

Why?

The biggest reason for this is because this is when your body is going to need those carbohydrates the most and will really suck them up into the muscle tissue. When you eat them at this time, it is least likely that they will turn into body fat.

Additionally, consuming carbohydrates during this period will also help to aid with muscle recovery and repair, so that means less down time from the gym for you.

If getting 6 pack abs fast is your goal than each meal you should consist of 1-2 cups of raw vegetables to control insulin levels, improve absorption of your protein and flood your body with vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants.

So, if you are aiming to get 6 pack abs in the coming months, have a good hard look at your diet. That is the big secret that must not be overlooked if you are to succeed.

Carlos Larsen

Recommends No Nonsense Muscle Building & Your Six Pack Quest to bulk up or lean up over the next few months, but ONLY if your ready.

If so, how much?

If so, what kind?

Sick and tired of trying to bulk up but only adding more fat to your midsection?

Check out this 4 minute video lesson on how I incorporate cardio into a muscle building routine and answer all these questions.

Don’t worry, if you need to lean down, I have some great tips in this video for your routine too.

Yes, you know that but nobody shows you specifically HOW to recovery.

Typically, after almost all of my upper body workouts, I am so tight and gorged with blood I can barely take my shirt off and bring my hands to my hair while showering!

Not good, because when you have a 12 hour shift up next!

How Muscle Soreness Occurs

If you have had a similar experience than I applaud your workout intensity. If you have NOT had this experience than I have to question your workout intensity!

There are three main theories that result in muscle soreness.

Most muscle soreness occurs immediately following an activity and than has a delayed onset effect. Immediate muscle soreness is due to a buildup of metabolic by-products such as lactic acid and a lack of sufficient oxygen (ischemia).

Delayed onset muscle soreness (D.O.M.S.), which begins 24-72 hours after an activity, is not yet determined.

There are three theories which will have an impact on the degree of muscle soreness:

1. Muscle Damage.

As a result of repetitive contractions, microscopic tears occur within the muscle fibers themselves creating pain and leading to inflammation, which creates more pain.

2. Damage To The Connective Tissue.

Microscopic tears occur in the connective tissue particularly as a result of eccentric contractions, which are contractions in which the muscle lengthens rather than shortens. Downhill running and the lowering portion of the exercise is also know as negative work or eccentric work.

3. Ischemia/Spasm Cycle.

The lack of oxygen and build-up of metabolic by-products causes pain which causes the muscle to spasm. This further reduces the oxygen available, increases the metabolic by-products, and the viscous cycle continues.

Muscle soreness will occur when you push your limits, ‘out do’ yourself and expose your body to unaccustomed stress.

Combine this with either repetitive movements for extended periods of time; using jerky or explosive movements; stretching beyond normal range of motion and/or repeated eccentric contractions and OF COURSE your muscles are going to be sore.

You just kicked the crap out of them!

***To Relieve Muscle Soreness ***

To decrease muscle soreness you need to focus on the following:

1. Increase the blood flow and oxygen to the damaged area (to facilitate the breakdown of metabolic by-products, and the removal of debris, and to speed nutrients to the cells for healing).

2. Relax the muscles. Experiment with the following activities to determine which one helps reduce and relieve your soreness the quickest. Most likely it will be a combination and the sooner you do them after you train, the better.

A. Static Stretching.

Focus on slow and gradual stretching. Stretch each muscle just to where you begin to feel the stretch then hold that position until you feel the muscle let go. Do not bounce or force the muscle unless you want to create more harm than good.

B. Light Exercise.

Muscles that are not used will become stiff and take longer to become pain free. Gentle, non-stressful exercise will increase the circulation and relax your muscles.

3. Massage.

Good old fashioned massage acts much like light exercise or gentle stretching by increasing your circulation and coaxing the muscles to relax. The differences are that with massage you need do nothing other than simply enjoy, and the massage therapist can locate and work with those areas of your musculature most in need of attention.

4. Cold.

Cold water or ice breaks the pain/ischemia/spasm cycle by increasing the circulation and interfering with pain signals. Ice is also an excellent anti-inflammatory agent and will greatly speed healing. I run my muscles under cold water for 3-10 minutes after a workout.

5. Alternating Hot and Cold.

Since the thought of hot often seems more soothing it is included here, but in combination with cold. Hot water will relax muscles and increase circulation but will also increase inflammation and swelling within muscle fibers.

Therefore it is important to alternate with cold and end with cold. This can take the form of a sauna and swim, a whirlpool and cold plunge, a hot and cold shower or a hot bath and ice.

After 3-10 minutes of cold, run the hot shower on your legs for 1 minute. And than repeat a few times.

6. Movement In The Pool.

Water supports your muscles and makes them easier to use. If you are extremely sore it will be easier for you to use your muscles in the pool either walking, stretching, or gently swimming.

I trust that is more than enough to speed your recovery and return to battle!

What motivates you to work out?

Why in the world do you bother lifting weights? Why would any person bother with going to a gym?

If you said anything to extent of “improve my blood pressure,” “relieve stress,” or “set a good example,” I’m not buying it. I call these logical motivators. There is nothing wrong with those motivators and I agree those are excellent side benefits but let’s get real.  I asked you to be frank with me. You don’t hit the gym multiple hours a week to improve your health profile.

You work out for emotional and irrational reasons.

You work out so you can attract an attractive person.  Let’s face it, sexy people date sexy people. This requires you to have a physique that looks good in clothes and even better naked.

I think every man knows that to some degree, “bigger is better” in the hunt for improving your body for physical attraction.   And make no mistake about it, the underlying message of every media message is “the better you look” the more action you get from the ladies… plain and simple.

Guess why this message is spread and not logical reasons?  Because emotional reasons tug on your heart string and your heart string is attached to your wallet.

I am all for getting you to discover your irrational motivators if the side effect is consistent action.

It’s true…the combination of well-proportioned muscle mass and minimal body fat is a sign of reproductive fitness and shows that you have more testosterone than the other guy (even if you don’t).  I don’t care how many “art of attraction” books you’ve read – if she’s looking for an adrenaline rush ride in a sports car and you look like a beaten down Pinto, then it doesn’t matter what you do or say, she’s not going to be interested.

Admitting That Looking Good Naked Is Your Motivator Is Not The Point Of This Message………
If we took a survey I am confident that looking good naked and hooking up is the most irrational and emotional desire that someone has for working out.  I know people work out for other reasons but I would declare this the winner.  Bare minimum, you want the most attractive lady at your work or school to think of you as the “go-to-guy” when she needs someone to help her move her furniture.

What Is An Irrational and Emotional Motivator?
Here are some examples:
* Not having girls notice you while you walk through the club, but grab you.
* Having girls tell their girlfriends, “Insert your name here… show my girlfriends your abs!”
*Hooking up with different girls every night of the week.
*Arms that rip the sleeves of your shirts and a chest that makes your top button pop off.
*“OMG…you’re so hot!”
*Intimidating guys to move out of the way when you walk by.
*Having others secretly jealous of what you have.
*Never having someone disagree with your point of view out of fear.

Logical Motivators For Working Out

* Improve your health.
* Less stress.
* Good role model.
* Balanced lifestyle.
* Clothes fit better.
* More energy.

You see the difference?  Guess which individual gets better results?  The person motivated by irrational motivators or logical motivators?  The secret to achieve a first rate body is to figure out the true WHY – which is always an irrational and emotional reason.

Here’s how to figure out your irrational want:

1. Ask yourself, “Why do I work out?”  If you said, “To feel better…” then ask the same question to your answer.

2. Ask yourself, “Why do I want to feel better?”  If you said, “To be more productive at work…” then ask the same question to your answer.

3. Ask yourself again, “Why do I want to be more productive…” So that I can get a promotion and earn a bigger salary.  Continue the pattern…
4. “Why do I want to get a bigger salary?”  So that I can provide for my child’s education so they can have a future.

Notice how your reason for working out went from a very logical to emotional reason the more you asked why? The more honest you are with yourself, the faster you’ll get to your true reason why you work out.

Your why will be the difference between success and failure.  This is a topic rarely discussed in the bodybuilding world and can create unstoppable motivation by uncovering the truth about yourself. There is no right or wrong answer.  I only ask that you be honest with yourself.  Now it’s your turn.

I want you to ask yourself, “Why do I really work out?” until you discover your irrational and emotional want. You might be very surprised to discover the real reason and what you really want.  This exercise might take you a few minutes.

If you’re comfortable with sharing, in one sentence, state the emotional and irrational why behind your motivation for working out.    What do you really want?  I would love to hear your comments.