Six Pack Abs Workout Tips

Your High Powered Ab Workout

Your ab workout should start with core training. Whereas abdominal crunches only work your muscles in a single direction, core training involves the stabilizer muscles in both your back and abdominal area. Crunches can’t touch most of those secret stabilizers.

A good core training program works on lots of different muscle groups: upper back, lower back, the butt muscles, hips, inner and outer thighs, and hamstrings. A well-rounded program can even go a long way toward helping you get rid of lingering or recurring back pain.

It targets muscles all up and down your abs and your back. With stronger muscles to help support the entire length of your spine and placing serious emphasis on posture, your body won’t have to work as hard to maintain its proper alignment.

In any ab workout, the proper form is essential. Make a point of keeping your ab muscles tight and your back as straight as possible. If, at any point, you feel your back starting to arch or if you experience any spinal discomfort (usually in the lumbar area), stop and rest awhile.

You can always resume your exercise routine later. Don’t over-extend yourself in terms of either range of motion or if you are bone weary. That is precisely when injuries are most likely to occur.

Remember that the purpose is to strengthen your body’s core and that’s not possible if you cheat on the form. If you have access to a full-length mirror, try to arrange a way to exercise in front of it so you can keep an eye on your form moment-to-moment. There’s a reason ballet studios have wall-to-wall mirrors.

Time to Burn Fat

If you really want to, you can start to burn fat in a couple of days. Want to know how? You’ve got to get yourself into the fat burning mode. That process is called ketosis. Some people can tell if their bodies have started burning fat by how they feel or by the change in the odor of their urine.

It’s as easy as a pregnancy test or the way diabetics used to test for sugar levels. If you want to know for sure, get some paper strips you can wave in the urine stream. A package of the strips can be purchased from your neighborhood pharmacy for about $15. They will turn colors if a significant amount of the byproduct of fat burning is present.

Helping your body kick into the fat burning mode is also a relatively simple process. Cut back your caloric intake to somewhere between 1200-1500 calories. Severely restrict sweets and other high sugar carbohydrates and food with a high glycemic index.

Cut back on starchy foods (including vegetables such as potatoes and lima beans), virtually all grains (bread, crackers, pasta), and restrict significant protein intake to a couple of times per day. Protein servings should be about the size of a deck of cards.

It will only take about two or three days, if you exercise enough self-discipline. Here’s the really good news: once your body kicks into gear to burn fat, the fat your body is using will add to your energy levels and help keep your spirits up.