It has to be one of the most common questions asked in and around gyms, via DM’s in IG, pretty much everywhere. I am going to give you the truth, I am going to answer so that you don’t ever need to ask or wonder again.
The thing is though, the answer probably isn’t what most expect and certainly what most of you reading want to hear, but I am going to give you the truth of the matter.
I am also going to tell you what WON’T work.
Often people want you to tell them what they want to hear, for example something along the lines of –
“Do 50 sit-ups per day and you will get washboard abs”
Or
“Attend an abs class three times per week”
But, in reality that would be the wrong advice for some who has a lot of body fat to lose. Here is the basic outline of why that doesn’t give you the outcome you want… Your abs are a muscle, muscles sit underneath a layer of body fat. Someone who is extremely lean (has low body fat) will have more prevalent abs and so their goal might be to improve definition of their abs. In this case, training the abs as a muscle ala doing sit-ups and the rest WILL help.
However, if you are reading, chances are, you don’t have a low body fat percentage and you cannot already see any definition of your abs so this isn’t the most effective way to go about getting them. You cannot see them currently because of the later of fat covering them. Therefore, goal number one should be to lose this layer over the top or at least most of it.
How do we do that you ask?
Well, it isn’t from doing sit-ups. Unfortunately it is pretty much impossible to spot reduce fat from a specific area on the body which basically means just because you do sit-ups doesn’t mean the energy will be taken from the area around the belly, it will generally be taken from pretty much anywhere (keeping it simple here). The overall goal in that case should be to work toward losing overall body fat.
How do we do that?
We do this by creating a calorie deficit, a calorie deficit simply explained is expending more calories than we intake through movement and exercise and of course achieving this through managing your food intake and our activity levels.
The thing is, there are no real hidden secrets about this, if the goal is fat loss then this is the main principle and so until you have exhausted this to a point of plateau you don’t need to try anything more drastic.
Long-term goal require long-term changes. Big goals require big changes.
You see, fat loss is simple. The method itself and the principles are simple, I am not saying it is easy to achieve and implement into your life however I am saying it is simple. There is no need to complicate a simple process. Spend the time on working out how you will implement and how you will implement long-term.
Once you get to the point where you are lean enough to see your abs, if you really do want to improve their definition and depth etc, then yes training them like any other muscle to grow is important, but until then focus on the bigger outcome. Focus on achieving overall fat loss.
You do this by creating that calorie deficit, increasing the amount you move, the amount you exercise. Focus your exercise on compound movements that incorporate large muscle groups.
So please stop looking for quick fixes like herbal teas or coffees or fat loss pills. Don’t skip the process of losing overall body fat and just home in on one area, work hard to achieve the overall goal and if you do that, in time you will see the belly fat decrease. It isn’t going to happen overnight and for some it won’t happen after a week or a month, it takes time. It requires a lifestyle change.
Ask yourself…
Are you really prepared to do the work required to get the result you say you want?
If you want more advice and support from me, please click the link below and I will support you every single weekday, all it will cost you is 2-4 minutes in the morning…