Everybody wants to have great abs. If it was an easy task, no one would try so hard to get them. A unique combination of events and circumstances lead to the famous six-pack.
As mentioned in my book 15 Minutes to Fitness, in the “Dr. Ben’s Ab Secret” chapter, the exercises that are necessary for the development of visible ab definition are fairly simple. Some folks like to make it very complicated by designing a wide variety of abdominal exercises for some particular “special” ab program.
Facts About Abs
- Abdominal muscles are among the simplest to develop.
- They serve as protectors of our internal organs so they respond very quickly.
- They are also pretty simple in function.
- They simply round, flex or bend the spine forward.
- Therefore, if your spine is NOT rounded during an ab exercise, you are simply NOT working them effectively or safely.
The exercises are the easy part of the formula. Many folks have decent abdominal muscle tone but many of these people will never see those muscles since a layer of fat hides the visual effect of the six pack separation. Therefore, probably the most elusive component of the ab secret is reduced body fat.
The 5-Week Metabolic Makeover provides the basic requirement for most to reduce body fat. That secret is to count carbs. Carbohydrates stimulate the production of insulin, the powerful fat storing hormone that helped the human species survive the lack of consistent food availability for thousands of years but unfortunately has made us fatter and fatter for the past 60 years.
Lastly and realistically, the elastic tone of the skin is an important requirement for six pack demonstration. That is the reason that great abs are more of a reality among younger folks and many women that have not had children. These are not absolute deal breakers in the six pack quest but they do make it more difficult.
The real ab secret is to do a few very simple and healthy exercises, not thousands of reps and sets on a daily basis, cut carbs in your diet and strive for a healthy, toned mid-section. Your 5-Week Metabolic Makeover will put you well on your way towards better, stronger abs.
Looking for previous weeks of the 5-Week Metabolic Makeover? Here’s Week 1, Week 2, and Week 3!
Keep up the good work and for more info, order Dr. Ben’s “15 minutes” to Fitness” from Total Gym!
