Mistake #1: You focus on abs training only

To get six pack abs, you need to develop your abs (using abs exercises) and you need to lose stomach fat. Abs exercises won’t help you lose stomach fat. To lose stomach fat, you need to expend more energy than you eat. To expend more energy than you eat, do interval training and lift weights.

Mistake #2: You perform only easy abs exercises

Can you do more than 20 sit-ups in a row? If you can, it’s time you either upgrade your sit-ups, or pick harder exercises. Bodybuilders and exercise scientists have known for a long time that the best repetition range to build muscle (including abdominal muscles) is 8-12. In other words, if you can do more than 12 repetitions of your favorite abs exercise, it’s too easy. Upgrade it.

Mistake #3: You pause between repetitions

When you work out your abs, do you pause between repetitions? Since many abs exercises are done on the floor, rookies often rest their upper back and head on the ground between each repetition. This relaxes their abs, and basically defeats the whole purpose of training them. When you work out your abs, do not rest your upper back and head on the floor between repetitions. That will force your abs to stay tight throughout the exercise, and will help them grow into a six pack.

Get The Full Version of The Six Pack Abs Workouts

Related posts:

1. How to Use the Free $20 Beginner Six Pack Abs Program
2. Top 2 Tricks to Spice Up Your Cardio (and Get a Six Pack Fast)
3. Can You Get a Six Pack Eating Snacks and Sodas?

Today’s post is by reader Jean-Paul Labonte, from Seychelle Islands. He does a great job at introducing himself, so here goes:

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My name is Jean-Paul Labonte I’m 17 years old. I have dedicated most of my free time to working out my abs and other muscles. I started working out at the age of 14 since I was obese, I have managed to lose 25 kg [edit: 55 lbs (1 kg = 2.2 lbs) -CJ] and I now have my desired body but I’m always looking for improvements. I live in Seychelles a small group of islands in the Indian Ocean which is well known for its sandy beaches and beauty.

Many beginners and many of you want to get ripped abs in the fastest way possible. You have probably tried many exercises such as sit ups, crunches and spent endless time on abs machine in the gym. They might be working for you, but are you getting results as fast as you want? I have discovered a way to speed up the development of your abs, but it’s not for the faint hearted, you need a lot of motivation and have a strong will. I noticed big results and changes only after the first week!

Not everybody will be lucky enough to do this exercise routine if you don’t live in a hilly or mountainous area.

It all started when I was referred to do some intense cardio to shed off the layer of fat on my belly. I did not have time to displace and get to the tracks. I live in rather mountainous area with roads winding up hill. I was not discouraged by this factor. I started off at the base of the mountain equipped with a good pair of trainers, iPod in my ears (I find music great for motivation). I started off, the first five minutes were hard and enduring, my breath and heart rate got up, I could feel the burn. I could keep on going thanks to the music. It took me around 30 minutes to reach a plateau where I walked for 10 minutes to catch my breath. Then straight after I ran back down hill, which was just as effective as running up hill. I did this intense routine everyday for a week. I noticed huge results, I lost about 5 kg and my upper abs were sticking out, they were very visible. After a month of doing this routine and some hardcore crunches my abs were ripped.

Requirements:

• A good breathing technique
• A good pair of trainers
• Music for motivation

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Jean-Paul is the living proof that training smarter—not longer—pays off. Put simply, running uphill doubles the fat you burn because you’re moving forward and up at the same time.

P.S. Want to share your story, like Jean-Paul? Drop me a line at Carl@sixpackabsexercises.com and you could be the next guest poster.

Related posts:

1. Interval Training or Long, Slow Cardio? It doesn’t matter
2. Letter From Your Belly Fat
3. Interval Training: the Specifics

A hilarious letter from your belly fat, copied with permission from Craig Ballantyne. -CJ

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How’s it goin’! This is a letter from your ol’ pal, Belly Fat. We had a great run this summer, didn’t we? Lots of good times, great food, and plain ol’ sitting around eating too much.

Well, I’m thinking about sticking around another year if you don’t mind. But you might need to get a bigger pair of pants, as I was thinking about expanding my place down here.

So do me a favor, avoid that interval training you were thinking of doing. The last time you did that stuff, I nearly had to look for a new place to live. I felt like the Wicked Witch of the West in the land of Oz. Did you hear me yelling, “Help me, I’m melting!”?

Instead, stick to that slow cardio stuff. Sure I get a little sweaty, and the ol’ brain up there thinks it’s doing “a real fat burning workout“, but it’s never enough to melt me outta here.

Another thing, keep listening to those experts who say strength training doesn’t burn body fat. Since research shows they’re wrong, if you added strength training to your program, you’d practically need to throw me a going away party!

After each one of those superset workouts you tried last January it felt like someone lit a match under our collective butt. I was burning up down here!

But boy oh boy, I sure was glad you gave that up and went back to just lifting utensils and not dumbells. Otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to celebrate another summer together this year.

Sometimes I wonder, what did you ever do in college without me, your trusted belly fat? Back then, you were probably one of those people that couldn’t wait to get to the beach to show off your body, unlike these days.

Nope, stay in the shade and keep the cover-up clothes on, that’s the way to go now. Besides, its a lot closer to the cold beer and the BBQ when you’re sitting in the shade avoiding all the fun down on the beach.

Well, it sure was good catching up with you. I’m sure we’ll be in touch more often, as long as you stay away from that Turbulence Training workout routine.

Brings a tear to my eye whenever I even think about that workout program and all the belly fat it’s burned. Heck, it’s fried more fat than a short order cook at a roadside truckstop.

So again, if you want to keep your dear old belly around for another year and another summer, do NOT use Turbulence Training – otherwise, its all over pal, and you’ll never see me again.

Belly Fat says, “Don’t use this”

==> Turbulence Training Blowtorches Bodyfat

Your friend and spare tire,

Belly Fat

P.S. – Seriously!

Don’t go near that Turbulence Training program unless you want to see me, Thunder Thighs, Manboobs, Jigg Lee Arm Fat, and Luv Handles pack our bags and hit the highway.

It will be a sad farewell, and you’d be stuck with ripped abs, gorgeous glutes, and toned arms, and you know how much attention those guys get from the opposite sex. Who needs it, I say.

P.P.S. – Don’t do what this guy and gal did.

They used Turbulence Training and look what happened to their belly fat. Now please go get me some more comfort food…

“Hi Craig – First, I LOVE your program. In just under two weeks, I have already started seeing definition – that has been my goal for as long as I have been working out (a LONG time). Keep up the GREAT work, and thanks!”
Susan Siceloff

“I lost 14 pounds this month and the weight is just falling off me. My wife says I now look like when we first met and I still have more to go. I can fit into my old jeans again which is a big deal for me. I just cut back on starches and bread and do your routine 2-3 times a week. I never thought in a million years that just 10-20 minutes of weight training followed by some cardio would get me such steady results. I even cheat a bit on the weekends.”
Billy Williams

==> Turbulence Training Blowtorches Bodyfat

Related posts:

1. Interview with Craig Ballantyne

Hi guys,

Today’s guest post is by Lisa McMahon, Los Angeles, CA, USA, who’s telling us why women like men with washboard abs. Enjoy.

-CJ

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If men would just put themselves in our position it would be obvious why we like men with washboard abs. Guys like sexy girls with great bodies who look after their appearance and are careful of what they eat and drink.

But for some reason many men don’t seem to realize that we girls like to see a guy with a sexy body and well kept appearance, someone who looks after themselves and if they have washboard abs, well that’s just a big bonus.

Women just want the same things that men want, they want someone who is attractive and takes care of himself and his appearance, a guy who works on his body and takes the time and effort to develop his physique and a great set of washboard abs is a very desirable and rare creature as far as most women are concerned.

So take it from me, women want to see more guys who take the trouble to tone up and develop sexy washboard abs. That really work for us girls, so come on guys take the time, make the effort.

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Female readers, do you prefer guys with washboard abs? Tell us by commenting below.

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Quick update: check out my new abs video on how to get six pack abs.

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No related posts.

As summer is unfolding I get more and more questions on fat loss. To help me answer them it is my pleasure to interview Craig Ballantyne today. Craig’s known for developing short and effective workouts into a program called Turbulence Training—and he says they burn belly fat especially well.

1. Hi Craig. Thanks for joining us. Introduce yourself: who are you, and what do you do?

I’m a Men’s Health magazine fitness advisor, creator of Turbulence Training, and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. I’ve been helping men and women lose fat in short workouts, using interval training and resistance training – exactly the opposite approach of what most generic trainers recommend.

2. You recommend a mix of interval training and full body workouts for fat loss and overall fitness. What makes this type of training superior to others?

Aside from it being research proven to burn more belly fat, and to help people gain muscle and lose fat at the same time, a program of resistance training and interval training helps busy men and women get in and out of the gym faster than ever.

In fact, you don’t even have to train at a gym. If you have dumbells and a bench, you can do the workouts in the comfort of your own home. Plus, you’re done in only 45 minutes, 3 times per week.

3. Can you give us an example of a workout based on your approach?

The Turbulence Training workouts always start with a general bodyweight warm-up, which is much better than wasting your time on the treadmill to start.

Your readers can get a sample of one of my most popular Turbulence Training workouts at www.TurbulenceTraining.com

4. This blog is about helping people get six pack abs. In one of your YouTube videos [edit: video below], you quickly mention that interval training is especially good at reducing belly fat. Is interval training really better than continuous cardio in that regard?

A study I first came across in the fall of 2006 compared 20 minutes of interval training against 40 minutes of slow cardio training. This was a 15 week study, and the subjects were all women.

Surprising, but true. The authors concluded that interval training can actually spot reduce belly fat. Just another reason intervals are superior for busy men and women.

5. Would you advise people who want six pack abs to do more interval training than others?

No matter what the goal, I recommend 4 interval workouts per week maximum. Interval training is efficient, and you can get a lot of results from not a lot of work. I don’t want people to do too much interval training, because that could lead to overuse injuries, which is one of the biggest problems with slow boring cardio.

[edit: in my experience, four interval workouts a week is a lot. The maximum I would recommend is two intense interval workouts per week.]

6. Thanks for your insights Craig. Any closing comments?

I know that your readers are skeptical, but I also know that they will be pleasantly surprised by the results they can get in a short amount of time.

I challenge them to give Turbulence Training a shot… and free up time in their lives while getting more fat burning results.

Browsing Craig’s videos on YouTube I stumbled upon this one, where Craig demonstrate his favorite ab exercises:

I endorse Craig’s approach to fat loss and conditioning fully. As we’ve seen in The Big Picture of Getting Six Pack Abs, lifting weights is an important component of any fat loss program, and Craig’s workouts are designed especially for fat loss. To read more, check out Craig’s Turbulence Training.

Related posts:

1. Letter From Your Belly Fat
2. Interval Training for Superior Fat Loss
3. The Big Picture of Getting Six Pack Abs