Secret of the Six Pack

Kelly Gonzalez
Busy Bodies
Health and Fitness
Published Date: July 23, 2008
Deadline: July 18, 2008

Secret of the Six-pack

As a personal trainer, I receive many fitness questions. One of the most common questions is “How do I get six-pack abs?” Defined abdominals and a tight mid-section is an attribute that many people desire for their physique.
So why is the six-pack so sought after? For one it is an immediate attention getter at the beach, but I believe it is because it is an area that exercisers focus on and train the most, but see the least results, and this can be frustrating and discouraging.
When asked the infamous ab question I like to ask the person what they are currently doing in order to achieve their goal of a ripped mid-section. Often times, they tell me they do a ton of sit-ups everyday, but still have no results. Surprised? Don’t be. Sit-ups and crunches alone will not lead to your desired results. Your rectus abdominis is your “six pack” muscle, but to truly train your core to become more functional, whittle your waist-line, and have optimal definition you must also work your internal and external oblique’s (your sides) and the transversus abdominis (the deep abdominal muscle that helps support your spine). Therefore, a variety of abdominal exercises are necessary.

The basic crunch mainly targets the upper portion of your rectus abdominis. To do this lie on the ground with both knees bent at a 90 degree angle, lift your shoulders off the ground about 2-4 inches, lift for 2 seconds, squeeze at the top of the contraction and lower down slowly for 4 seconds keeping continuous tension in your abs.
To target the lower abdominals leg raises can be done either by lying on your back or using a hanging bar to hold yourself upright. Lift your legs either straight or with your knees bent (easier on the lower back) being sure to pull up with your abs-not using momentum and lower down with control.

The oblique’s are sometimes ignored, but need to be trained, because they act like a corset tightening around our spine and allow for greater rotational power, which is beneficial in sports and also everyday twisting movements. The Russian twist is a great exercise to strengthen the oblique’s. With your knees bent and feet on the ground in a 90 degree angle lean back with a straight spine until feel tension in your abs then twist your torso from side to side with control.

Not only is exercise variety important when training the abdominals, but also focus your form and doing the exercise with control. Never use momentum to do an exercise-you want to avoid injury to the lower back while recruiting more muscle fibers in the abs to gain greater strength and hypertrophy. Be sure to always progress as you become stronger. All muscles including abs need progressive overload in order to improve. Include more repetitions, resistance or try more difficult exercises as you become capable.

By training your abs you are stronger in every movement, you are preventing injury, and improving your health, but when it comes to visibly seeing the six pack protrude with cut lines, well, that’s a matter of nutrition. The real secret of a six-pack is having low levels of body fat that allow for the muscles to be visible. Everyone has abs, but not everyone has low enough levels of body fat for them to be seen. A healthy diet that consists of lean protein, complex carbohydrates, plenty of water, and a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables will promote a healthy metabolism so your body burns fat around the clock. Aim to eat foods in their natural form. Try to limit your intake of processed foods that come from a can or have an everlasting shelf life. Even though processed foods are abundant in our society our bodies are not designed to eat them and hence our metabolism slows.

How often do you see a person with ripped abs who is not lean everywhere else? Never. That’s because there is no such thing as spot reduction. You cannot demand to lose fat in certain areas and keep it in others. Where you store fat is based on your genetics. Some people naturally store more fat around their mid-section than others making it more difficult for them to have abdominal definition.

Including daily cardio activity such as running, walking, biking, or swimming for at least 30 minutes 3-5 days per week will tap into fat stores and help burn excess body fat. Strength training 1-3 days per week will also assist in loss of body fat, because the more muscle you have-the more cells with energy powerhouses called mitochondria you have that increase resting metabolic rate and speeds your metabolism even while sleeping.

I guess the bottom line is that there is no “secret” to six-pack abs. Instead, it takes into account many fitness components that aim for a lean and fit physique. These components are no secret- balanced diet that promotes a speedy metabolism, cardiovascular activity for fat loss, strength training to increase your muscle to fat ratio and raise your resting metabolic rate, and a variety of abdominal exercises to strengthen your entire core. Do these sound familiar? Some secrets are too good to be kept.