Completing the longest time in the plank position (male) at an incredible time of 8 hours 15 minutes and 15 seconds.

Believe it or not, there is no need for fancy gadgets or hours of boring crunches and sit-ups. There's definitely a LOT of value directly training your abs, and we'll get into specific exercises in no time.

BUT, if you have a little flab in your abdomen, all the stomach exercises in the world won't give you a six-pack!

If you want to lose that belly fat, you will need to eat less.

It’s that Simple.

Now, I’m not suggesting that you suddenly cut your calories in half or starve yourself for long periods.

Some people have had a lot of success with intermittent fasting, but I don’t like being on an empty stomach for more than a few hours at a time.

Instead of torturing myself with hours and hours of fasting, I just try to pay attention to how full I am while I eat and stop my food while I'm still a little hungry.

Here is good rule thumb:

This is a simplification, of course. Volumes have been written on what to eat for maximum fat loss.

But let's simplify it for now: eat less than usual.

Timing is Everything

People like fat loss expert Tom Venuto have gone into great detail about the benefits of nutritional microcycles.

This approach describes how you can lose fat while maintaining or gaining muscle by changing your calorie intake throughout each day and week.

In this sense, what I have found extremely useful is meal times.

I try to eat a little less during the day while I'm not active.

Besides that, I try to do my workouts on an empty stomach, without having eaten for at least 4 hours.

I keep my biggest meal for about an hour after my workout when my body is begging for some food.

By exercising on an empty stomach, your metabolism burns body fat instead of food.

But Won’t I Lose Muscle Mass?

Some experts have said that exercising on an empty stomach will make you lose muscle mass.

This could be the case for some people, based on my experience, as long as I am doing a few resistance training sessions per week, I don't lose lean body mass.

But I lose fat. Try it yourself.

And this leads us to our next step:

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a kind of general phrase for performing periods of intense exertion followed by short breaks, over and over again.

(As with any change in exercise habits, you should always consult your doctor before beginning any new exercise routine)

HIIT, HGH, and Fat Loss

To burn off that stomach fat and reveal the six-pack abs below, we'll target our HIIT intervals for maximum release of human growth hormone (HGH) for fat burning.

Don't worry, you won't inject anything!

Pushing yourself at a rate you can't hold for more than 30-60 seconds releases HGH into your blood.

Her face flushes, her lungs open and she breathes heavily. HGH causes fat stores to be released into the bloodstream, where they eventually burn off with steady-state cardiovascular exercise and elevated metabolism after training.

HIIT/Cardio Routine:

For HIIT, don't push it too hard at first, especially if you're not in the best shape, to begin with.

To get started, try a 1: 2 ratio, which means 1 minute of intense activity (skipping rope running, running, exercise bike, treadmill, etc.) followed by around 2 minutes of active rest (walking, jumping rope, etc.)

And if that's too difficult, increase your rest times.

You will have a better shape slowly.

If you're already in good shape, try a 1: 1 ratio and move toward shorter rest periods.

Variety

I recommend changing the time of your intervals every month or so, to keep your body guessing.

Try a 1:2 speed/walk ratio for more explosive speed, or try a 2:1 ratio for one more approach to burning fat.

I like to change my exercises too.

One day I could jump rope, another day I could run on a track.

Another day I could HIIT on an exercise bike.

I could even bite the bullet and join a local pool for some swim intervals (intense!)

Changing things regularly will help you avoid overuse injuries like splints and knee problems.

And now, here is the only piece of equipment that you ABSOLUTELY MUST HAVE if you really want to get six-pack abs:

Eating right and exercising to burn fat is the biggest part of what needs to happen for you to have a six-pack.

However, it is still important to do some exercises that target the abdominal muscles directly.

Why?

First of all, having a strong core will prevent injury to the lower back.

And as for your quest to become Joe or Jane Six-Pack, these exercises will tone and strengthen all of your major abdominal muscles without the risk of damaging your spine that may come from sit-ups and crunches.

Incorporate the following exercises into your resistance training workouts a few times per week:

Plank

This exercise is great for training the external and internal abdominal muscles and developing core stability.

Also, the plank helps train your body to keep your abs flexed without having to bend your spine forward.

This way, you don't have to strain to show your abs to that cute girl walking on the beach! You will have a six-pack throughout the day.

Work to hold for 2 minutes.

If 2 minutes is easy, try placing your arms (slightly harder) or feet (much harder) on a stability ball.

Side Plank

This exercise trains the Transverse Abdominal (AT), the deepest abdominal muscles that help stabilize the spine.

TA, when activated, tightens the thoracolumbar fascia (TF), the band of connective tissue that wraps around the muscles of the lower back.

The TF acts as a kind of weight stabilizing belt, supporting and preventing serious spinal injuries while lifting.

Studies have shown that people who have trouble activating often tend to injure their backs while lifting things.

Then learn this exercise. You will avoid injury, be able to lift more, and lower back pain.

And to top it off, doing the abdominal vacuum (and you can do it anywhere, queuing at the store, at a stoplight, etc.) will shrink your waist!

Here are some tips:

Summary of 3 Steps to Six Pack Abs:-

Eat less 

Do HIIT/Cardio workouts as described above to burn fat. Also, include resistance training so that you don’t lose muscle mass. 

Do planks, side planks, and abdominal vacuum exercises to tighten up your abdominal muscles and prevent injury.

Good luck with your six-pack!

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