Uncovering The Truth About Abs!

Olympic sprinters, Calvin Klein underwear models, Professional bodybuilders, and Brad Pitt in Fight Club—These individuals possess what many consider to be the cornerstone of a superior physique - a chiseled six-pack.

Well-defined abdominal muscles, whether achieved through pure dedication, superior genetics, or a combination of the two, are as coveted as they are elusive. They require both low body-fat and lean muscle mass, two features that are difficult enough to achieve independently.

If your goal is to look like the model on the cover of this month's fitness magazine or some professional bodybuilder on the day of a competition, you need to reassess these aims. When you stroll through the magazine aisle or thumb through pictures of a bodybuilding competition, what you are seeing are genetically superior professionals who are at their physical peak.

They have strictly (and oftentimes unhealthily) regulated certain macronutrients for the sole purpose of looking "ripped" for a short duration. In addition, the photographs that you see in magazines and advertisements are often the result of good lighting and even better computer technology. Even these professionals, who make a living displaying their bodies, do not look this good every day.

It is therefore lofty to strive for the "underwear model look" and unrealistic to expect to maintain this look year round. Furthermore, genetics may keep certain individuals from developing a full or symmetric six-pack, while these same genetic factors may allow others to develop a complete and symmetric eight-pack.

In short, everyone is built differently, so aim to improve and achieve a personal best, not an unrealistic ideal.

Pursuit of the coveted six-pack will be fruitless if a solid foundation of diet and exercise are not in place. In my previous article, "Staying Lean and Healthy in College," I provided suggestions on how to clean up a diet and incorporate consistent exercise into a busy lifestyle.

Once the body has adapted to these lifestyle changes, the following alterations to diet and exercise will further decrease body fat and increase lean muscle mass to reveal more of that elusive six-pack. The following are approaches that have worked for me. They are based solely on personal trial and error, and so the suggestions may need to be altered to meet your personal needs.

Nutrition

Fat

One gram of fat contains 9 calories, while one gram of protein or carbohydrate each contains 4 calories. This means that consumption of excess fat, given a stable level of physical activity, will result in the storage of unused calories as adipose tissue (fat) at a higher rate than any other macronutrient.

Since both men and women primarily house adipose tissue in their abdomen and buttocks (women also store fat in their hips and breasts), a high-fat diet is the quickest saboteur of a chiseled midsection. Because of the limited upside and huge downside, fats are the easiest part of the diet to regulate.

I personally eliminate all trans fats and keep saturated fat below 6 grams per day. The vast majority of my fat intake comes from monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats from fish, oils (olive, flaxseed, etc.), and legumes (peanuts, walnuts, etc.).

Carbohydrates and Cutting

There is much controversy and disagreement about the role of carbohydrates in a "cutting" diet, which is meant to decrease body fat and increase muscle definition.

Opponents of low-carbohydrate consumption cite inadequate energy, decreased mental focus, and ambiguous long-term effects as reasons to avoid reducing carbohydrates.

Proponents of low-carbohydrate diets cite numerous real-life cases to bolster their arguments. I am a firm believer in cycling carbohydrates, which involves varying intake each day in order to stimulate metabolism while supplying adequate levels of energy.

• On "low-carb" days, I keep my carbohydrate intake under 30 grams.
• On "moderate-carb" days, my carbohydrate intake hovers around 70 and 100 grams.
• On "high-carb" days, around 140 to 200 grams of carbohydrates are consumed.

The schedule can change based on my level of activity or to accommodate unexpected events, but there are rules that I strictly adhere to. Specifically, there are never two or more consecutive low-carb or high carb days. Also, there are never three or more consecutive moderate days, due to the onset of metabolism stagnation.

Below is an example of a week in my cycling schedule:

Regardless of what type of day it is, I aim to restrict my carbohydrate intake to earlier parts of the day and immediately after intense physical activity. By following this carbohydrate cycling schedule that is readily adjusted to meet my needs, I have rarely experienced fatigue, the inability to complete workouts, or mental stagnation.

Protein Intake

Because the purpose of this diet and exercise regimen is to "cut," protein intake is of utmost importance. Many individuals lose focus of their protein consumption, thinking that fewer calories will only lead to quicker loss of body-fat. However, due to decreased calorie consumption and increased physical activity, catabolism can occur.

In other words, less food and more exercise forces the body to use protein as an energy source, reducing lean muscle mass. With less lean muscle mass, metabolism slows and muscle definition diminishes, bringing you right back to square one.

As a general rule, I consume approximately 1 to 1.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight and have found that this is adequate not only to maintain muscle mass, but to effectively add on lean mass.

Calculate Your Recommended Protein Intake Here

Although I am an advocate of using protein supplements to meet consumption needs, most of my protein intake (85%+) comes from foods such as:

• Skinless chicken breasts
• Egg whites
• Canned tuna
• Salmon
• Lean turkey
• Skim milk
• Fat-free yogurt
• A variety of legumes

While almost all fitness articles stress the negative effects of inadequate protein consumption, almost everyone overlooks the evils of excessive protein. Specifically, consistent over consumption of protein will only lead to fat storage.

After your body absorbs and utilizes the necessary amount of protein for synthesis, unused protein, like any other macronutrient, is converted to glycogen and eventually stored as adipose tissue.

A Strict Diet

Overall, the diet required to quickly and effectively produce a chiseled midsection is an excruciatingly strict one. It requires near-obsessive monitoring of what you eat, when you eat it, and how it is prepared. There are foods such as soda, ice cream, baked goods, pastries, fast food, fried foods, etc. that are off-limits.

Also, I am not an advocate of cheat meals or cheat days, so if you are fully dedicated to your abs, these foods will have to be given up for the duration of your cutting. For best results, I suggest staying away from social settings where food is the focus, and I also suggest emptying your refrigerators and pantries of these fattening snacks. If it's there, you'll eventually eat it.

Exercise

Cardio

Performing cardiovascular exercise on an empty stomach immediately after waking is the foundation of my cutting. Because glycogen stores (the body's primary source of energy) have been depleted throughout the night, physical activity immediately taps into fat as a source of energy.

Therefore, adipose tissue is "burned" more efficiently and with less work. The main argument against this practice states that low glycogen levels will result in fatigue and less intense workouts. However, I perform this cardiovascular exercise mainly to enhance my appearance, not to increase my speed or stamina.

In other words, running, biking, etc. are a means to an end and are not the primary focus of my efforts. Below is my cardio schedule, with each workout performed immediately after waking up:

While it is widely accepted that running is the best form of cardiovascular activity to expend calories, there is debate on how intense runs should be. One end of the spectrum advocates long runs (more than 5 miles) at a lower, consistent intensity (about 60% of maximum effort).

Calculate Your VO2max Here

The middle of the spectrum advocates tempo runs (2 to 5 miles) and longer interval training at moderate intensity (VO2 max). The opposite end of the spectrum stresses high-intensity interval training (sprints, hills, bleachers) at maximum exertion (lactic acid threshold).

Click Image To Enlarge.
Hill Sprints

Click Image To Enlarge.
Bleachers

Because I see merit in each argument, I vary my cardiovascular workouts. I find that this strategy reduces the likelihood of overtraining, prevents the acclimation that causes training plateaus, and adds much needed variety to my routine.

Resistance Training

In addition to cardiovascular exercise, resistance training is of utmost importance. Without consistent and intense work in the weight room, muscle mass will be quickly lost due to increased cardiovascular exercise.

When cutting, I schedule my resistance training for the evening, so that I feel no lingering effects of my morning run that could inhibit my lifting. Each weight training session is fairly conventional—I concentrate on two muscle groups, performing 5 sets of diverse exercises for each group. Each set consists of six to ten repetitions at a resistance level that leads to failure. For example, I will work my biceps with:

• Barbell curls
• Reverse-grip pull-ups
• Dumbbell curls
• Preacher curls
• Hammer curls

The more unconventional part of my routine is not in the exercises themselves but in the rest between sets. I am a firm believer in minimizing rest to maintain an elevated heart rate and to make the best use of my time in the gym. I rely on a mix of drop sets, supersets, and pre-exhaust methods to ensure that I am resting for no more than 45 seconds at a time.

For example, on my "Chest and Back" day, I will start on the bench press with 8 repetitions at 165 lbs. I will immediately remove weight and perform 4 more repetitions at 135lbs (drop set). After a short breather, I will move right to the cable row (superset). Below is a sample daily schedule of my resistance training:

Rest and Recovery

This routine, complete with calorie restrictions, intense cardiovascular exercise, and demanding resistance training, will fall apart within a matter of days if rest and recovery are not emphasized.

One haphazard night of revelry can lead to excessive soreness and fatigue the next morning, which will only get worse with an evening weight training session. The downward spiral continues and is only broken during a rest day, so inadequate recovery can essentially ruin an entire week.

To ensure ample healing time, I aim to sleep approximately 7 hours a night on weekdays and more than 8 hours a night on weekends. I also rely on a powdered glutamine supplement to promote recovery and have found that its presence in my diet greatly reduces the soreness in my legs that results from daily runs.

The final component in my recovery schedule involves 3 to 5 consecutive days of rest for every 2 to 2.5 months of consistent training. During this time, the focus is solely on resting and dieting.

Summary

In summary, my latest cutting phase lasted from June 2006 to September 2006. Below is a summary of those 16 weeks:

I hope that this article has shed some valuable insight on the regularly-discussed and frequently-misunderstood topic of "chiseled" abs. While it is nearly impossible for your abs to exactly resemble those of models and bodybuilders every single day, dedication to a strict diet and exercise regimen will result in superior abdominal definition.

Again, the advice I give is much easier said than done, so don't rush into things—changes should be subtle and gradual, allowing your body to acclimate to more activity with less food. Unlike my last article, which was aimed at students with little free time, this article is for those willing to dedicate a significant amount of time and effort to their physique. The more you are willing to sacrifice, the better you will look.

Click Image To Enlarge.
The More You Sacrifice,
The Better You Will Look.

Look out for my next article, which will address the little-known secrets of models and bodybuilders to get from a nice midsection to shredded abs that you can grate cheese on... within a matter of days. Thanks for reading!