Plenty of people want to get a six pack fast. It's not that difficult, if you know what steps to take. Read on to learn how you, too, can get a rippling, sexy six pack fast.
Burn Belly Fat
Getting a six pack fast isn't just about doing abdominal exercises. Ab-toning exercises are, of course, vital to getting that six pack you're craving. But all the sit ups and crunches in the world won't give you a six pack if you've got a bulgy belly. That's because body fat hides muscle tone; burning belly fat can reveal how toned your abs are.
Burn body fat with regular aerobic activity. Running, swimming, jogging and cycling are all good ways to burn belly fat. Remember that you have to keep your heart rate elevated for at least 30 minutes before your body begins to burn stored fat; during the first 20 minutes of exercise, your body is burning energy from the food you ate that day. Perform at least 30 minutes of heart-rate-elevating exercise, at least three times a week.
Eat a Low-Fat Diet
Eating a low fat diet can help you burn body fat to reveal the muscle tone in your abs. For better muscle tone, eat plenty of protein, which helps your body build new muscle tissue.
Your body needs fat and carbohydrates for energy. The more fat you cut out of your diet, the more carbohydrates you should consume. Avoid simple carbohydrates, like sugar. Your body converts these to fat, and eating too many of them can lead to type 2 diabetes.
Eat plenty of complex carbohydrates, like whole grain breads and pasta, to give your body energy. Make sure you get an adequate number of daily calories from healthy foods. If your body is getting all the calories it needs from healthy foods, you'll have fewer cravings for unhealthy, fatty, sugary foods, and you'll be less likely to go off your diet.
Tone Your Abs with Crunches
Of course, you can't get a six pack fast, or at all, if you don't do abdominal toning exercises. Crunches tone the upper abdomen. Reverse crunches tone the lower abdomen. Bicycle crunches tone the obliques.
Perform a crunch by lying on the floor, with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Put your hands behind your head and use your abdominal muscles to pull your shoulders off of the floor, until your abs are fully contracted.
Perform a reverse crunch by lying on the floor with your legs in the air. You can put your hands on the floor next to your hips, for balance. Use your abdominal muscles to lift your pelvis off the floor, and your legs into the air.
To move on to the bicycle crunch, keep your legs in the air, with your knees bent, so that your calves are perpendicular to the floor. Put your hands behind your head, with your elbows extended on either side of your head. Squeeze your abdominal muscles to draw your left knee toward your right elbow, while extending the right leg, as if you were peddling a bicycle. Remember that you have to repeat the exercise on both sides of the abdomen for a balanced toning workout.
