Workouts
Can you really get ripped abs in a month? Yes you can. Here are two ways to achieve it
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Abs workouts
Can you really get a six-pack in a month? Yes, if you use a sensible exercise and nutrition plan, says Chris Walton, the director of personal training at London’s Embody Fitness and specialist in body transformations. Here’s his advice.
How quickly you can reveal your six-pack depends largely on how committed you are – and how prepared you are to ignore the standard advice. The NHS, for example, advises dropping no more than 1kg a week for healthy weight loss. Not only is that based on poor assumptions, it’s also totally unambitious. First, it assumes exercise isn’t part of the plan. Why? Because the second assumption is that weight loss is achieved by restricting calories. That’s in spite of mounting evidence suggesting losing weight isn’t as simple as a calories in/out equation.
Besides, getting a six-pack is not about losing weight – it’s about burning fat. And losing 1kg-plus of fat per week isn’t just possible, it’s the real way to reveal your abs. At Embody Fitness, we routinely see clients lose 10kg of fat in eight weeks. This is done through portion control and by using diet to regulate the hormones controlling blood sugar and appetite. We also train our clients in a way that stimulates muscle growth, as well as creating a “metabolic disturbance” that keeps their metabolism – the body’s fat-burning mechanism – high for up to 36 hours after training (see below).
In fact, you can eat more thanks to the metabolism change that comes from building new muscle tissue. This will support further lean tissue growth as well as ensuring the body doesn’t feel “starved” and hold on to fat.
A lot of people go carb-free when trying to lose fat. This is a mistake – the body reacts badly to a low-carb diet after two or three weeks. First, your thyroid slows production of the cells responsible for metabolism, and second, there’s an increase in production of the hormone cortisol. As well as storing fat around the belly, this breaks down muscle tissue and causes insulin resistance, which all spells bad news for fat loss.
So, yes, it’s totally possible to see your abs in four weeks. If you’re overweight it’ll take longer, but the immediate changes should be dramatic enough to keep you going until a six-pack starts taking shape.
Metabolism Disturbers
Start your workouts with supersets that put your body in fat-burning mode for 36 hours.
1A Deadlift Works the back of the lower body.
1B Bench press Works the front of the upper body.
2A Squat Works the front of the lower body.
2B Chin-up Works the back of the lower body.
Read on for a workout from the experts at Men’s Fitness – plus tips for great abs in four weeks.
Resistance Workout for Getting Abs in Four Weeks
Tacking on a few sit-ups to the end of your workout isn’t going to cut you a washboard stomach, and neither is doing endless sets of crunches. What you really need is added resistance to exhaust your abs fully, so you grow new muscle and give your six-pack definition. Follow this workout to get the type of abs you only ever thought were possible in movies. Also, make sure to follow the tips on the following page.
Wobble cushion plank
Activate the deep core muscles and place tension in the abs with this move that targets the core and abs.
Sets 3 Time 20-60 seconds
Hold your body in a straight line from head to heels. Brace your abs to control the wobble.
Cable woodchop
This move targets your abs along the rotational plane, as well as your shoulders.
Sets 2 Reps 10 each side
Keep a slight bend in your elbows, but lock them in place to avoid using your arms to move the weight. Pivot on the ball of your inside foot as you twist.
One-arm cable cross crunch
This targets your abs and obliques (side abs), which provide support for your abs.
Sets 2 Reps 10 each side
Medicine ball leg drop
Hit your lower abs to support the crunches and work your abs from a new angle.
Sets 2 Reps 10
Start with your legs in the air and don’t let your heels touch down between reps. Keep your legs almost straight throughout the move.
Side plank star
Raising your leg and arm creates tension in your obliques and works your core.
Sets 4 Reps 10-30 seconds
Start with your body in a straight line from neck to ankles. Without sagging at the hips, raise your top arm and leg simultaneously. Swap sides with each set.
Medicine ball side throw
A high-tempo move that requires co-ordination under pressure and targets the abs and upper back.
Sets 2 Reps 10 each side
Rotate all the way through and release the ball to a partner. Engage your abs throughout to power the move.
4 Tips for Getting Ripped Abs in Four Weeks
As well as performing the preceding workout, make sure to follow these four simple, but essential, bits of advice.
Add a High-Intensity Cardio Session to the End of Tour Workouts
A common misconception when it comes to building a six-pack is that it takes hours and hours of cardio time to burn off the excess fat found in the mid-section. In fact a quick ten-minute hit of HIIT (high-intensity interval training) can burn 150-250 calories quite easily and you only have to do it for a short period at the end of a workout, sparing you the mental anguish of a full hour’s cardio after strength training.
Try some of these quick cardio workouts on for size:
Row at full intensity for two minutes, followed by two minutes at 50% intensity and repeat for 12 minutes.
Cycle with a high level of resistance for ten minutes.
Jog or run at a high pace for ten minutes.
Sprint for 30 seconds, then walk for 30 seconds, repeating for ten minutes.
Over a period of four weeks this disciplined routine could help you cut 1-2% body fat, making a big difference for those on the brink of a fully visible six-pack.
Replace One Carbohydrate-Heavy Meal with Some Form of Low-Density Carb Each Day
As much as all the gym work is important, six-packs are achieved through nutrition more than anything. By replacing just one dense source of carbs such as bread or pasta from one meal everyday you could be cutting as many as 300 calories from your diet. Try replacing them with extra vegetables or lower-density carbs like wholemeal pasta and you’ll start shedding fat quicker. Over a period of four weeks, just following this one tip could help you lose up to 1.5kg.
Train your Calves, Forearms and Abs together
This does sound like a random grouping of muscles to be training together, but there is a method to the madness. Naturally most guys at the gym want to go for the big boy lifts – benching, squatting etc – but when you’re planning to include an abs workout too, they tire you out to the point where you probably won’t want to bother. To remedy this, why not try one session a week for your calves, abs and forearms? Training all these body parts together will make sure that you’re attacking them with full intensity. It’s not necessary to dedicate a whole workout to just abs, so adding these smaller muscle groups to the workout will ensure that you don’t get too tired and get a good workout for your six-pack.
Drink a Litre of Water When You Wake Up
When you’re putting on muscle or shedding fat, keeping hydrated is integral. You’re never more dehydrated than when you wake up in the morning so if you immediately hydrate yourself you’ll kick-start your body’s metabolism much quicker, potentially getting an extra hour or so of optimal metabolic function going each day.
Naturally it’s wise to keep this up throughout the day. A well-hydrated individual will always have noticeably less body fat than a chronically dehydrated person.
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Coach Staff
10 Feb 2016
This content is from the experts at Men's Fitness magazine.
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