Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Six Pack Ab Models' Secrets

By Gerard Lanzona

You've seen them, they're everywhere these days. Demonstrating the latest fitness gadget on TV, on fashion spreads showing-off the new line of swimsuits, even on advertisements for the latest designer scent. Those six pack ab models. And the question on the minds of the countless masses with the soft tummies is: "How do they do it?"

These days, getting six pack abs tops the list of priorities for fitness buffs everywhere. It's not just with gym aficionados either. Flaunting a shredded midsection on the beach is an all-too-common fantasy for a majority of men (and a significant number of women)- single or married, straight or gay, prince or pauper. Countless people have tried and because of frustration, gave-up getting a six-pack abs thinking it's hopeless. If you're one of those poor souls, break out the gym bag and water bottle again- getting washboard abs worthy of shirtless strolls on the beach (or the boulevard) is really quite simple.

The fitness ab models with those glorious six-packs didn't get them by slacking-off and logging-extended hours on the boob tube of course, but their workouts aren't as grueling as most folks yearning for a shredded midsection think. A combination of cardio and muscle building exercises that target and keep-off body fat as source for energy will do the trick.

Doing exercises that keep your heart rate within your anaerobic threshold (experts call it AT) are most effective in exposing the rectus abdominus by eliminating belly fat. Keeping your heart rate at 60%-70% of your maximum heart rate somehow causes the body to source body fat for most of the energy spent.

Building muscle also increases a person's metabolism, meaning more calories burned even while inactive. The more muscles we pack on, the less calories we have to burn through exercise. Having a body like King Diomedes then, will let us expend calories even while off in dreamland fighting epic battles.

Ab models, as you already know, didn't get their physique from gorging on fatty snacks and gulping down soda. Their diet is not as strict and oppressive as one might think however. Simply substituting chips and chocolate bars for omega-3 rich nuts and fat-burning citrus fruits will help a lot in getting you closer to your goal.

Skipping meals actually induce us to gorge on the next meal and naturally, this stretches the abdominal muscles and over time will protrude and become unsightly. Also, our bodies have a tendency to slow down metabolism when we're hungry, resulting in less calories burned from body fat and extending the time it would take to get that coveted six pack.

It's ultimately better to eat 3 times a day with snacks in between to prevent ourselves from feeling deprived and simply pigging-out on the next meal. Overeating expands our stomach muscles to accommodate all the food we eat and this leads to a pot belly after a while. - 15432

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