As the saying goes, abs are actually built in the kitchen. While most of us concentrate on the fitness aspect of body transformations by hiring a personal trainer, learning more ab exercises to work our core muscles (such as endless leg raises, mountain climbers, and planks), and going to the gym more days a week, we may be focusing our efforts in the wrong place.
Getting six-pack abs is more about diet than anything else.
Diet and Workout to get abs
Abdominal muscles, also known as “abs,” are made up of four major muscle groups that work together to cover your internal organs around your midsection, also known as your core.
Internal and external muscles stabilize your midsection, maintain internal pressure, and allow for proper movement such as sitting up, twisting, and turning.
When most people talk about getting “abs,” they’re referring to the rectus abdominis, which is the main visible muscle group across your stomach that, when contracted, gives the appearance of a six-pack.
Contrary to popular belief, abs are typically the result of lean body composition rather than genetics or your workout regimen – though both can certainly help!
Because we are all born with a rectus abdominis, everyone has abs beneath their belly fat.
It is not possible to lose belly fat alone; a comprehensive approach is required.
Strength training your abs will undoubtedly help to build and sharpen the muscles, but the key to having visible abs is lowering overall body fat through proper diet (caloric intake) and exercise (caloric expenditure).
In other words, losing body fat is the quickest way to get abs. And the best way to lose fat is to optimize your nutrition!
What to eat to get abs
Because achieving a six-pack is heavily reliant on fat loss, a healthy diet is the most important factor in your success.
Losing fat usually necessitates a weight-loss diet or a calorie reduction. When you cut calories, your body is forced to rely on stored energy, which is usually in the form of body fat. So, the more body fat you can lose, the longer and more consistently you can cut calories.
How long it takes to see abs and at what calorie level varies from person to person but is mostly determined by your starting body composition and workouts.
Learn your calorie goals first to master your perfect diet for fat loss. Then determine which nutritious foods you enjoy that will assist you in meeting your nutrition goals.
What exercises should I do to get abs?
Any exercise that promotes calorie burn will help you achieve your fat loss goals. However, certain types of exercise, particularly strength training and core exercises, can help you strengthen and define your abs.
It is not necessary to devote all of your time to crunches and ab workouts to see results. Focus on a full-body approach to training, similar to your diet, and find movements you enjoy to help build strength and burn calories to support your fat loss goals.
How to get abs: 10 science-backed tips
1. Set macro goals
Calorie restriction determines how much weight you can lose, but macronutrient intake influences the type of weight you lose – ie more body fat!
All of your calories come from macronutrients (protein, fat, and carbohydrates), and learning your macrobalance is one of the most efficient ways to control calories and balance your nutrition.
Improved body composition, energy levels, mood, and appetite control are all associated with the right macro-based diets. That is, they not only help with fat loss but may also make the process of reducing calories feel a little easier.
We can assume that higher protein intakes and a moderate to low carbohydrate approach work well for the majority of people.
2. Track macros
Once you’ve determined your nutrition goals, the next logical step is to determine what that looks like in food.
Tracking everything you eat and drink in a macro-friendly app is the most convenient way to ensure you are consistently sticking to your goals and showing you exactly where you are falling off track.
Especially for foods that lack a nutrition label, such as most whole foods and restaurant meals.
You’re probably flying blind if you’re not tracking your intake.
3. Meal Prep
There is no better way to regain complete control of your nutrition than to begin meal-prepping. Meal prep, when done correctly, can be a game changer.
Especially if you eat out frequently. Because the restaurant isn’t weighing your portion or paying attention to how much oil it add to your cooked chicken, any nutritional precision is out of the window.
4. Avoid alcohol and sugar
Calories from added sugar and alcohol not only add up quickly, but they also have little nutritional value and have been linked to increased belly fat. Furthermore, both alcohol and sugar can lead to poor food choices due to decreased inhibitions and increased sugar cravings, making it difficult to stick to a healthy diet. When consumed in excess, alcohol disrupts your metabolism and ability to burn fat efficiently.
5. Track calorie burn
The majority of your success is determined by nutrition, but the calorie model still works both ways, and learning how to increase your fat-burning potential is part of the equation.
However, this does not imply that you must work out like a maniac or twice a day to see results. The key is to plan your calorie burn and look for ways to increase movement or fat burning throughout the day.
This includes choosing time-efficient workouts such as high-intensity training, strength training to build muscle that burns calories all day, or simply being more active in general by taking the stairs, sitting less, and walking more.
6. Strength training
Strength training is essential for developing any muscle, including your abs. It’s also a great way to increase your calorie burn because muscle is metabolic and burns calories all day long, unlike fatty tissue, which does not.
Furthermore, strength training will help you maintain your current lean mass (and possibly gain muscle) so you can keep your metabolism strong and achieve the “shredded look” you set out to achieve in the first place.
Compound lifts that require a strong core, such as squats, deadlifts, snatches, cleans, and overhead presses, are the best strength training workouts for your abs.
Traditional ab workouts such as sit-ups, bear crawls, planks, v-ups, toes-to-bar, and scissor kicks can also be added.
7. Consistency is the key
The right mindset is another critical component of any transformation. If you have trouble finding and maintaining motivation, or if you aren’t enjoying the process, you will struggle to stick with it long-term. And you won’t see results if you don’t stick with it.
The key is to develop discipline. Willpower is fleeting, but well-designed routines and systems can help you stay on track even when motivation wanes.
Routines, also known as “healthy habits,” are the foundation for lasting change. And the more seamlessly you can incorporate these changes into your lifestyle, the easier it will be to maintain them.
8. Take rest
Sleep deprivation can undermine your good intentions by interfering with your mood, appetite, cravings, and willpower. When you’re tired, it’s much more difficult to eat healthily and have the energy to exercise.
Furthermore, some studies link increased belly fat storage with poor sleep, implying that a lack of sleep may cause increased fat storage.
9. Manage your stress
Similar to how fatigue can impair willpower, stress can cause you to overeat, give in to cravings, and potentially store more belly fat.
Cortisol, a catabolic hormone released by your body in response to stress, increases appetite and promotes muscle breakdown for more immediate energy.
This is useful in a true fight-or-flight situation. Excess nutrients released from your stress response may be stored as abdominal fat when immediate energy is not required, such as in the case of chronic stress.
10. Trust the process
No matter what the internet promises, a 30-day crash diet or sticking to old habits that got you where you are today will not get you the body of your dreams.
A good set of abs will not appear overnight. A lean, strong set of abs is the result of weeks, months, or even years of proper training, nutrition, and lifestyle principles that we must incorporate into our philosophy.
You are not required to adhere to your objectives 100% of the time. Forget the all-or-nothing mentality and instead strive to get it right the majority of the time by emphasizing consistency.