What’s the number one goal of most of my clients? Lose weight,
especially around the middle. Ladies want a tighter tummy. Guys seek a flatter
stomach and the sought-after six pack. So how do you get those fitness magazine
abs?
I’m going to let you in on a secret - one I normally share only
with my paying clients. Skip the sit-ups. Don’t waste your time doing cardio.
You can eat whatever you want. Heck, go back for seconds. There’s just one
simple trick: drink three ounces of lemon juice with ALL of your meals. It’s
that easy.
You see, lemon juice
is highly acidic. The citric acid cuts through bodyfat like a hot knife
through butter, melting away fat from your midsection. It works like magic.
Russian bodybuilders have been using this trick for years, getting their abs super
cut before competition. That’s it. Isn’t the sour taste a small price to pay
for getting that sexy six-pack?
Now, here’s the
bitter truth…
If you think for a second that lemon juice is going to help
define your abs, I’ve got some ocean-front property in Atlanta to sell you. It
amazes me how gullible some people are, looking for an easy solution. Let’s get
this straight. There is no quick fix. No miracle pill. No magical fat-burning
wrap. No miraculous Seven-Minute Workout that’s going to deliver amazing
results. Get those silly notions out of your head.
The quick fix solution is foolish for any exercise
program, but it’s especially true of abdominals. You could eat unhealthy
and still gain muscle. You cannot, however, eat poorly, and get chiseled abs. Just
ain’t gonna happen. The only way you’re going to do that is – in order - through
diet, cardio and blasting those abs in the gym. It’s a three-tiered approach.
Leave out one and it’s going to be that much harder for those abs to surface.
Despite the lemon juice lie, it is true that you don’t need to
do a lot of sit-ups. I do them sparingly. My ab routine consists of a lot more
rotational moves with a cable, resistance band or medicine ball. Those
exercises are far more functional and you’ll burn more than double the
calories, leading to a leaner body and trimmer waistline. (I’ll tell you why I
avoid sit-ups in an upcoming blog.)
Like sit-ups, long distance cardio is over-rated. You don’t
need to do more than 20-30 minutes per day of traditional cardio. But that
should include some intervals, not just slow, steady state. I haven’t done
traditional cardio (treadmill, bike) all summer, but I do have a couple of
workouts per week that are strictly conditioning with sprints and circuit-based
training. With those, I keep my heart rate elevated and that style of training
(HIIT: High Intensity Interval Training) will lead to EPOC – Excess
Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption. If you’re reaching those levels, your
metabolism revs higher for up to 48 hours, burning hundreds of calories. You
can walk or jog for two hours a day, but that won’t get you into that EPOC
zone.
Still, the most
important ingredient of a six-pack is diet. It’s been said that diet
accounts for 70% of your results. I think that number is high if you’re talking
overall fitness, but when it comes to your abs, that’s about right. And I do believe
that most people know exactly what they should and should not eat. You know
that pizza and beer or Coke every Friday night is counter-productive. Those
Frosted Flakes or Cinnamon Toast Crunch, (man, I loved that stuff) are not in
your best interests. Drop the sugary snacks and fat-laden chips and dips. Include
protein with EVERY meal. Your body burns more calories to process protein and
it lowers the spike in blood sugar levels that carbs can cause.
For me, “diet” comes
down to making smart, informed choices and moderation. I can’t lie, I enjoy a
few cocktails on the weekend. I might have a couple of glasses of wine during
the week. Despite the current backlash, I still eat bread. I drink more than a half-gallon
of milk a week (mostly in my post-workout protein drinks). But make no mistake
- you have to cut the processed carbs, the
sugars, the unhealthy fats. I’ve snacked all summer on celery, carrots,
broccoli, nuts, boiled eggs (along with fruit).
You won’t change your body without making sacrifices.
You don’t need some radical diet. If you eat Paleo or vegan, hey, good for you.
Each has its merits. Bottom line, you need to make better choices and do it
CONSISTENTLY – not just before your high school reunion, a wedding or a trip to
the Bahamas. So stick with the lean meats, fish, fruits and vegetables, nuts,
etc. Be sure to read nutritional labels. Look for the hidden sugars. Know what
you’re eating. Make sure it’s not Wal-Mart ice cream sandwiches. Those aren’t
sugar-free. (They are, evidently, melt-free!)
But to melt away that stubborn belly fat, clean up the
diet – especially cutting carbs. Kick up the cardio – spiking it with
more conditioning. Add some rotational cable chops and kettlebell swings to
your traditional ab training. Train on
your feet and make those abs be dynamic stabilizers, absorbing and producing
force. That is their primary function – not assisting in spinal flexion as they
do in a sit-up. Oh yeah, that’s for an upcoming blog.
SPREADING THE HEALTH
Robert Haddocks, CSCS, CES, CPT
