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

* * *

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

* * *

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.

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Ever wondered what the best lower abs exercises were? Many have. Most miss one thing, though: abs exercises don’t define the lower abdominals.

Surprised? Let me introduce you to Dexter Jackson, a famous bodybuilder:

Here’s the kicker: Dexter doesn’t train his abs.

In The Pre-Contest Bible (published in 2004), Larry Pepe interviewed 33 top bodybuilders about their pre-contest training and nutritional strategies. That’s where Dexter Jackson reveals he does no lower abs exercises.

What’s his secret? Does he uses the best lower abs exercises?

No, he doesn’t. To define the lower abs, you must be very lean. Dexter lifts weights, does cardio, eats less, eats plenty of protein, and probably uses steroids and other chemicals (I recommend you don’t) to do so. He gets very lean, and his lower abs show. Voilà.

So what should you do? Read:

1. The Big Picture of Getting Six Pack Abs.
2. The Crash Course On Dieting.

Or just get my six pack abs training program.

Note that although Dexter Jackson doesn’t train his lower abs, most bodybuilders do. I used him to illustrate that getting a six pack (or eight pack) is possible—even without lower abs exercises—when you do the right things. I still recommend you train your abs for strength and definition.

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

* * *

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

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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

* * *

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.

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

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“What’s the Best Time of Day to Exercise?”

“When should I train?”

Those are questions I get often. Researchers from John Moores University, in Liverpool, England, reviewed the scientific literature and found that 6 PM is the best time of day to exercise(1).

It has to do with circadian rhythms, your “biological clock”. According to Wikipedia, a circadian rhythm is a roughly-24-hour cycle in your biochemical, physiological or behavioral processes(2). Simply put, your body functions cycle through the day.

Core body temperature peaks at 6 PM, and so do strength and sport performance. Studies found that leg, arm, and back muscles as well as swimming, cycling, football, tennis, and badminton performance top at 6 PM.

Coaches agree that it changes greatly among people, however. Try training at different times of day to discover which works best for you.

Here’s the relevant excerpt from the review mentioned above:

Many aspects of exercise performance display circadian rhythms closely synchronized with the rhythm in core body temperature. These include peak force of leg and back muscles [6], arm muscles [7], anaerobic power output, and performance in broad and vertical jumps [8]. The self-chosen work-rate, which is the level at which individuals pace more sustained efforts, also exhibits a circadian variation—one that mirrors the body temperature curve. Peak performance was found to occur at 18:00 hours, the same timing observed for muscle strength and flexibility (see Fig. 1) . Although these variables comprise components of performance rather than outcomes in competition, performance in simulated contests or time trials corroborates the existence of circadian rhythms; this applies to swimming [9,10], cycling [11], football skills [12], tennis skills [13], and badminton [14].

Sources:

1. Reilly T, Waterhouse J, Edwards B. Jet lag and air travel: implications for performance. Clin Sports Med. 2005 Apr;24(2):367-80, xii. Review.

2. Wikipedia. Circadian rhythm. Page viewed July 29, 2008.

So, when is your best time of day to exercise? Comment below to answer. Mine is 6 PM.

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A reader asked:

I don’t have a big stomach but I don’t have the abs that I want. The biggest problem is, I think, I don’t want to stay away from all the snacks and sodas. Do you know a way around this?

I wrote back:

What matters is the total quantity of food (calories) you eat, not really what you eat (read tip number 3 of the Free Nutrition Revolution Preview). So, in theory, if you ate less of whatever you’re eating, you’d lose fat, belly fat, and your abs would show.

The problem is snacks and sodas contain a lot of calories for their size. They don’t make you feel full, and keep you eating more. Thus you pile the calories and can’t lose fat.

I can suggest two things:

1. Eat more protein-rich foods (as suggested in The Crash Course On Dieting). Those are meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, and nuts (mainly). These foods will keep you full, so you’re less likely to snack.
2. Eat more vegetables. Vegetables contain very calories and use up a lot of space. Again, they’ll keep you full and keep you away from snacks.

Do you think this’ll work for you? Comment to answer.

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To get strong and defined abdominals, you must do cardio, abdominal exercises, and eat well (read The Big Picture of Getting Six Pack Abs).

As we’ve seen in Abdominal Exercises Progression, you need to ramp up the difficulty of your exercises to get visible abdominals that look powerful. Hard exercises work out your abs intensely, and make them grow into a six pack.

When does it ends? The harder the better, but, in my experience, three exercises work best. And yes, they’re hard.

Before you try them, I repeat: they’re not for beginners. Do not attempt them unless you’ve been training your abs for at least three months.

The quality of the intro is not-so-good (sorry bout this), but it’s better for the exercises. It’s been viewed 40,000 times since I posted it in March.

As I said, you should train to improve, and aim to do these exercises. My Six Pack Abs Exercises course reveals exactly how to begin with easy exercises (crunches and easier ones) and progress step-by-step to the three you’ve just seen.

Click here to now to find out how to get six pack abs

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A reader wrote:

Hi,

Every thing goes fine for a period of 10 days. Then things get laisy and all the rithim goes. How to be consistent for a longer period of time. Hope u will be able to help.

Thanx, bye, take care

Here’s my answer:

This one is though.

Just yesterday I watched a couple of videos by Eben Pagan who suggests a pretty good trick: make it “inevitable” (that you train consistently).

Think of the conditions that need to be around you so that you cannot possibly miss a workout. Then make those environmental conditions happen.

Eben give the example of the “accountability partner” (a friend, say), who shows up at your place daily to jog with you. If you don’t go with him, you pay him $100.

So, what are the conditions that need to be around YOU so that you cannot possibly miss a workout? Write two down, and make them happen right now.

Watch Eben at 4:20 of this video:

and at the start of this one:

Good luck.

CJ

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When people ask me:

1. “What are exercises for the lower abs?”
2. “Can you suggest exercises for the side abs?”

… my answer is always ExRx’s Directory of Waist Exercises.

They’ve got over 20 exercises that target the Rectus Abdominis (upper, middle, and lower abs) and the Obliques (side abs). All with animated pictures, all with detailed descriptions, all free.

Try the Lying Twist.

Have fun.

-CJ

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No, it’s not 7. This popular answer assumes that more is better. As we’ve seen in Abdominal Exercises Progression, it’s not:

This “volume-based approach” (doing more of what you can already do) is flawed. What got you results at first was doing something new–something you weren’t doing before. Now that you can do crunches and sit-ups easily, to define your abdominals more you need to go up a level and do something harder–something you weren’t doing before.

Since you will increase the difficulty (not the amount) of the abs exercises you do, your abs will need time between workouts to recover. How much time?

That depends on your level. In my six pack abs program, I recommend beginners train 3x per week and advanced users train 2x per week.

BEGINNER = 3X PER WEEK
ADVANCED = 2X PER WEEK

Can you guess why advanced users need more time to recover between workouts? They do because they train harder, since they (should) perform the hardest exercises.

One last thing: make sure you space your workouts by at least one day. Beginners could work out Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, while advanced users could do so Monday and Thurday, for instance.

Comments are welcome.

-CJ

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