SIX PACKS SECRETS REVEALED....

    Six Pack Abs – The peak of Fitness 

So you want a six-pack abs to show yourself off! If you’ve tried using all the tips under the sun and all your hard-work has gone in vain, then you are not alone who is going through this situation. It becomes really difficult, especially if you need the results quickly. Fat accumulation is rather faster in the abdominal area and waist.  Some factors that aids in fat deposition is sedentary lifestyle, high fat diet and heredity.

The abdomen area has six set of muscles.  These muscles are hidden under the body fats.  The only way to reveal these muscles is to get rid of the fat around it and tone them with exercise.  This is not as simple as it seems.  Shedding fat can be quite challenging.  The body tends to lose fat equally throughout the body.  You cannot reduce the fat only from a particular area of the body.  So, it is not possible to focus only on your tummy fat and get rid of it.  This is the reason most of the abs exercises don’t give the desired results.The abs actually consists of several muscle groups. Most notable is the rectus abdominis, which starts near the middle of the sternum and runs vertically to below your navel. It is this muscle group that, when well-developed, give guys that layered "washboard" or "six-pack" look.

Beneath this muscle and out of sight is the transversus abdominis, which compresses and supports internal organs. Then there are the obliques, better known as love handles to those of us who have packed a few pounds around the middle. The external and internal obliques extend up and down your sides.

Abdominal muscles are amazingly useful when playing sports. When you're kicking a soccer ball, for example, they help you generate more power. And they assist you in weight training other muscle groups. Think of the stomach as your core. If the core is weak, then your extremities are weak. You want to be strong in the middle and work your way out.

Diet

A balanced diet is important for six pack abs.  Carbohydrates are the main source of energy and every metabolic activity needs energy, which we receive from it.  It is necessary to take the carbs in the right quantity.  However, if the Carbs are not utilized they are converted into fat.  Therefore, it is important to consume carbohydrates depending upon your physical activity.

There are two types of fats, good and bad.  Bad fats like trans-fats accumulate in the body and they are found in fried food stuff, fatty meat and most of the junk-food.  Hence, these foods should be avoided.  Another category of fats is good fats.  Our body needs good fat, as it regulates the insulin production.  Increase of insulin in the blood aids in weight gain.  Some of the richest sources of good fats are fish oil, nuts in raw form, avocado etc.

Fruits are rich in nutrients and fibre.  Always remember, fresh fruits should be preferred over tetra-pack juices.  Juice contains high level of concentrated sugar, which increases the sugar level in the blood.

Alcohol and Weight-Gain

It is a strict no-no to alcohol if you are a weight-watcher.  Almost all forms of alcohol are high in calories, beer being the highest of all.  The other reason for weight gain is that drinking increases appetite for a short term and the body will have an excess of energy due to this.  However, most of the energy remains unused and deposits as fat in the body.

Exercises for a Sculpted Six Pack Abs

                                      [Anatomy of six packs]                                                                                      

If you are aspiring for 6 pack abs, start with cardio exercise.  During Cardio exercise the body uses the glucose and sugar from the blood and tissues.  Once this stock is exhausted, the body utilizes the fats of the body as the fuel.

Always start with a light to moderate Cardio exercise, like brisk walking, jogging etc.  The intensity can be gradually increased with increase in endurance.  It could be boring if you are working out the same endurance training exercise daily.  To beat the monotony, do a combination of two or more types of exercises.

Cardiovascular exercises are fitting as they can be outdoors and in the gym.  Some of the excellent outdoor exercises are jogging, cycling, mountain climbing or biking.  You can take up any of the field sports like football or basketball, which is equally beneficial.

At the gym the best Cardio exercises are running on a treadmill, aero-biking, rowing and stepping.  Once the waistline is free of fat, you can tone up the abs muscle by doing some power stomach-crunches to get the ripped six-pack abs you always dreamed of.      

                               TOP WORKOUTS  FOR  SIX PACK ABS

1. Sit ups. Lie on the floor, feet on the floor, knees up and hands crossed on your chest. Have someone hold your feet down, or wedge them underneath something heavy. Sit all the way up, lifting your lower back off the floor along with your shoulder blades. Keep your back straight (no hunching). Lower yourself down. Repeat.
   • Once this becomes relatively easy for you (i.e. you can do a quite a bit with ease) start adding more challenges. Find an incline bench. Do weighted sit ups. Hold a weight on your chest while you do these. As these become easier, hold heavier and heavier weights.
2. 
3.  crunches. Lie on the floor (with or without a mat) with your arms in front of your chest or with your hands lightly touching your temples (never behind your head). Bend your knees. Raise your shoulders (upper torso) towards your knees, using strictly your abdominal muscles
4. It is very important to not lift your entire back off the floor, as this can cause back strain. Additionally, the extended movement does not help you develop six pack abs any faster.
5. • The most important part of the crunch is the initial flexing of your abs as you lift your shoulders off the floor. As soon as you begin lifting off the floor, exhale through your mouth, ending with a gasp once your shoulders are off the floor.
   • Pause for a second once you are at the top of the crunch and exhale the last bit of air from your diaphragm while flexing your abs. Lower back down slowly and controlled while inhaling through your nose, just until your shoulder blades touch the ground. Do not let your head touch the ground.

 leg lifts. Lie on the floor, legs straight out, hands at your sides. Lift your legs straight up (not bending your knees at all) until they're at a 90 degree angle (or close). Lower your legs and repeat without letting your legs touch the floor.

• For more of a challenge, use a parallel bar at a gym to raise yourself up using your arms as support and dangle your legs.
  • Easy: Just raise your knees to your chest. Keep your knees bent and your legs underneath your thighs.
  • Medium: Raise your legs to a horizontal position with your legs straight and outstretched. This helps firm up the lower abdomen.
  • Hard: If you're truly a monster, try doing leg lifts with a medicine ball hanging from your feet. Or, hang from a pull up bar and raise your legs in front of you all the way up to the bar, keeping your legs straight.

Jackknife   1.Lie on your back with arms and legs held just off the floor

                    2.Bring arms and legs up to meet above your stomach

                    3.Lower slowly to start keeping arms and legs straight

Long arm crunch

1.Hold arms straight out behind your head for extra leverage2.Curl shoulders off the floor keeping arms in same on

3.Hold at the top and lower slowly to start