Go ahead, count them. Credit: Petr Holmar

The eight pack is the highest echelon of abdominal development. Some say genetics afford you only a four or six pack, but because I am of the “can” mentality I strongly believe it can be attained by everyone. First thing that we must all understand is that:

Ab workouts do not burn fat!

You lose fat with proper nutrition and cardio. If you are looking for ab definition, clean up your diet and increase your cardiovascular activity and productivity. If you have a layer of fat over your abs, you won’t be able to see them regardless of how many crunches you do! Repetitive abdominal exercise will give your abs strength and endurance, but probably will not result in Magazine Abs.

Here are some key principles that must be followed if you want that washboard stomach:

1. Daily exercise is superior to workouts three times a week. Five 5-minute sessions a day is better than one 25 minute session 3 days a week. Try doing your abs on an empty stomach (once you wake up and right before you go to sleep being prime times). Also a great tip, do your ab work between each exercise of your regular program. Important: When working the abs, suck your stomach in (imagine pulling your navel towards your back) and concentrate on feeling your stomach muscles being worked. It is very easy to use bad form and end up working the hips.
2. Eat more and less. Eat smaller portions more often, starting with breakfast. Bottom line is if you want the most impressive abs you stay on top of what you are eating. Your metabolism speeds up when you eat but slows down when you aren’t. In other words, you will metabolize food faster if you eat 6 times daily than 3 times daily. So eat more. Eat at least 15-20% below your calorie maintenance level. Protein shakes mixed with fruits and bananas can be counted as a meal and can help you to ensure that the calories you intake are muscle building proteins. Very important: You cannot get away with eating simple carbs with lots of sugar like cakes and donuts more than once a week. Complex carbs like veggies, brown rice, whole grain pasta and bread are infinitely better than candy bars. I believe in moderation, but some people binge and thwart their progress. So avoid those starches, sweets, fats. Also, avoid drinking carbonated beverages like soda and beer as they are fattening and will ruin your abs. Drink a LOT of water, 8 cups a day minimum. But don’t drink for 45 minutes before or after meals.
3. Lower your overall body fat with cardio. For your abs to be visible, you cannot be 30% body fat. Cater your cardio to get you to 10-15% body fat minimum. Mixed with the traditional ab exercises to build definition of the abdominals. I highly recommend jumping rope with your abs tightened. Localizing fat loss is difficult but losing body fat overall will help everything become more defined.
4. Sets waste time. Focus on doing more exercises in your regimen than repeating sets. Only repeat sets when you cannot reach a high number. The fine cuts you want come from the “burns” that result from the last reps you squeeze out when the muscles feel too tired to do more. When you feel as though you cannot do a full rep, keep going with short range “burns”, to give deep cuts. Like anything though don’t overdue it, be weary of overextending and cramping our muscles. To specialize, as said above try some abdominal work at the beginning, middle and the end of regular workouts. Or do one abdominal exercise between each of your normal movements. To speed up results, do abs with a wide strip of flannel around the waist; cover it with rubber reducing pants or a wide belt made of inner tube. Sweat off the fat!
5. Weights aren’t necessary. It cuts down the amount of reps you do and adds discomfort. Yes it increases ab strength but do you want magnificent abs or the sit-up record? Weighted side bends, for instance thicken the waist. If you want to look like a wide diesel block, then do it, but if you want the illustrious V shape that the media focuses on keep it simple, with knee to elbow twisting crunches and others mentioned below.
6. Just Do it! Do the exercises. As you change your diet and implement your rigorous cardio routine, it’s vital to build the muscles of the abs. There are 3 main abdominal regions that should be worked:
• Upper Abs Basic crunch, Swiss ball crunch, Decline crunch, Bench crunch, Cable crunch
• Lower Abs Reverse crunch, Hip up, Reverse Decline crunch, Hanging Leg Raises, Swiss ball leg lift,
• Obliques Side crunch, Cross crunch, Swiss ball side crunch, Decline twist, Twisting Cable crunch, twisting hanging knee ups

I’ve written this guide not simply based on research I’ve done, but more importantly on my own personal experience. I’m not only a writer, but a fitness enthusiast who has benefited from the advice set forth in this article.

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