6 pack abs!

Truth about 6 pack abs

The reason why most people cannot see their "6 pack" is because of the subcutaneous fat that lies on top of them. That and good old genetics :) You must strengthen the muscle through exercise but in order to see anything close to a six pack or any kind of tone, you must burn the fat on top of it and hope genetics is on your side. This is done through proper diet, cardio, and weight lifting.

Our genetic makeup determines the number of fat and muscle cells we are born with and where these cells are distributed. As much as we would like to turn fat into muscle, we can’t. It is impossible; they are two completely different tissues. We can only increase or decrease the SIZE of these cells.

Fat:
• Cells can grow or decrease in size or stay as is.
o What they do depends on your caloric expenditure and consumption.
• If we consume any type of food in excess, it will be converted into fat.

Muscle:
• Cells can grow or decrease in size or stay as is
• Changes do not result from dietary consumption
• Muscle cells will grow if they are stimulated (ex: weight lifting)
• They will not grow if they are accustomed to the stimulus
o Ex: Let’s say you did a set of lunges. You were probably sore the next day. After a while a set of lunges is a piece of cake! You are no longer sore (your glutes are accustomed to the exercise, muscle growth will not occur) now you must switch it up by increasing the reps, adding weight, etc.

Again, you can do a million crunches but you aren’t going to see that 6 pack coming through unless you get rid of the fat on top of it. In order to do so you must be decrease the size of fat cells and strengthen the muscle under the fat by properly stimulating muscle cells.
• Cardio: if done properly, burns fat J try HIIT (high interval training)
• Nutrition: eat often, eat smart, drink plenty of water, watch caloric intake
• Weight training:
o Muscle burns more calories at rest than body fat. Work your body as a whole
o your abdominals are like any other muscle. Do not over work them. Focus on quality instead of quantity.
o Engage your core with multi joint moves

As I said earlier, your genetic makeup has a lot to do with the results you see. We also cannot spot reduce. Where we lose fat first (decrease in fat cell size) is also up to genetics. Although you may be working hard, your abs may not come in as nicely as your friend's abs. Instead, you may have been blessed with a lean upper or lower body. Whatever the case may be...

Keep working hard, in time it will all come together! :)