3 most important things for getting ripped abs faster
Let’s be honest, almost every man out there (and some women too!) want to have ripped abs. A lot of us want it fast… But very few get real results. And that shouldn’t be surprising – getting little % of body fat is hard.
And here is the reason why – our body needs fat to survive. That’s right, scientists said that anywhere lower than 2% of body fat and you will be dead. 2-5% body fat is absolutely vital for your physical and physiological health. Anywhere lower than 12-14% becomes a battle with your own body, because it goes against natural survival instinct. To get really “ripped” abs you need 7-8% of body fat. But don’t worry – it’s attainable and reasonably healthy.
So the first things first.
1) Balanced diet.
What a surprise, right? But it’s the most over-looked thing out there. Without great, balanced meals (~5-6 a day), you’re not going to achieve great abs, simple as that. You might get some results, but if you truly want to be ripped, this should be your main concern.
A lot of people neglect it and think that they will just “work through” their unbalanced diet. Wrong. You might do hours of cardio, hours of abs workouts and still get unimpressive results. Why? Because your abs will not be fully visible, as long as there is fat in your abdomen area. And the fat from this area goes away the last, unfortunately. Especially the one from lower abs.
We will not discuss how a proper diet should look like, since it’s a subject for a whole book. Please go and find good books about dieting yourself. Make sure the author has a lot of authority in this niche and he achieved results that you are after. There are a lot of scientists and doctors who talk about fitness and bodybuilding and they’ve never hold a dumbbell in their hands. Avoid these guys at all costs.
2) Cardio.
Not surprisingly, cardio is high on the list. It comes right after balanced diet. And reason is simple – intense cardio session will boost your metabolism on as long as 6-8 hours after a workout. That’s fantastic for fat burn! If you will feel hungry more often and faster – that’s a great sign, you are on the right track. And of course intense cardio burns quite a lot of calories during the workout.
How much cardio should you really do? If you train 3 times a week, three 20-30 minute cardio sessions are enough to elevate your metabolism to high level. It’s better to do the cardio on a separate day, but if it’s not possible time wise, do it right after your weight-lifting session.
A stationary bike and treadmill is a great choice for most athletes. If you are advanced athlete, you should try jumping rope, boxing bag and combined superset routines where you go from one exercise to another. From example from jumping rope to abs, from abs to push-ups, then back again, without rest. The point of high-intensity cardio is to have constant pressure, it shouldn’t vary, and your heart rate should stay on the similar level all the way through. So don’t do jumping rope for 10 minutes and then lie on the floor for 5 minutes and do it again. If you can’t handle the exercise for at least 20 minutes, choose something easier.
3) Use fat burners.
If you are not very patient, this will be a great idea, since getting ripped abs is a very long process. It will not happen in a month. Or even 3 (unless you’re in a terrific shape already). Fat burners help to destroy fats and prevent additional fats from storing in your body. And of course they boost metabolism level as well as the energy.
As with protein powders, choosing a proper fat burner can be tedious experience. Stick with the best performers like Scorch (Reveal The Steel) from MAN, OxyElite Pro from USPlabs and Animal Cuts from Universal.
By following advice above you will achieve ripped abs much faster than most people. These are 3 key “ingredients” for shedding fat fast without the loss of health or sanity.