5 Hurdles That Prevent Your Six Pack

We’ve all desired better looking abdominals at some point.  Developing a set of great looking abs is almost equivalent to finding the Holy Grail…it seems impossible no matter what you do!

One key is for you to understand what NOT to do.  The obvious answer is to make sure you avoid high fats and high sugar consumption.  But that’s the easy part.  After all you have nutritional discipline, right?

So where’s the problem?  We have identified 5 common hurdles almost everyone trips over…EVEN TRAINERS!  Chances are you are under enemy control to be a slave to one or more of these pitfalls.  The bad thing is you don’t even know it.  Even worse, you paid for it.

1. You do HUNDREDS of crunches and various sit-ups in hopes of losing the fat on your belly and flattening your stomach.
2. You watch late night infomercials thinking the next Hollywood secret of the stars, abdominal device (used exclusively by athletes and sold by a celebrity) is the one that will finally work for you.  And, it only costs $39.99 if you call now!
3. You joined the local gym JUST so you can use all of their special abdominal training machines and equipment.
4. You have that gym membership, NOW you’ll be there 7 days a week just to train abs.
5. You spend exactly 40-60 minutes 3x per week doing cardio.

Which one are you?  Be honest.

If you answered YES to any of these then you need an abdominal training mutiny.  Keep reading and I’ll help you clear these obstacles to a great looking stomach.

HURDLE # 1.  You do HUNDREDS of crunches and various sit-ups in hopes of losing the fat on your belly and flattening your stomach.  What’s your goal here?  Well if it’s to set a world record for the number of days you’ll spend with a sore neck and back, keep up the good work.  Since that probably isn’t the case, you need to understand that crunches and sit-ups are good exercises, BUT they are not effective for reducing the amount of fat on your belly or even flattening the stomach.

KEY:  Use total body exercises (like high intensity kick boxing drills or sprints) to strengthen the core muscles and burn body fat.

HURDLE #2.  You watch late night infomercials thinking the next Hollywood secret of the stars, abdominal device (used exclusively by athletes and sold by a celebrity) is the one that will finally work for you.  And, it only costs $39.99 if you call now!  I can’t believe I still have to address this.  Inevitably, every client asks me  “Which one of those abdominal training devices should I be using?”  It takes all my restraint to not slam my head into the nearest barbell.  The simple answer: NONE!  The only thing these devices are good for is burning a hole in your wallet.  Better off spending that money on a few sessions with quality strength and conditioning coach.

KEY:  Stop watching infomercials and go to bed at a reasonable hour.  You’ll need the recovery if you workouts are intense enough.

HURDLE #3.  You joined the local gym JUST so you can use all of their special abdominal training machines and cardio equipment.  Joining the gym isn’t a bad thing.  You just did it for the wrong reason.  If infomercial devices don’t work, the super sophisticated ones at the gym must, right!  WRONG!  The “training aids” sold on TV are simply smaller and less expensive and are marketed to the viewers who’ll never set foot in a gym. Hear me loud and clear –strength training machines are bad for your body.  The ones designed solely to strengthen your abs are worse. 

KEY:  Utilize real strength movements and free weights to build muscle to help you burn off the fat.

HURDLE #4.    You have that gym membership, NOW you’ll be there 7 days a week just to train abs. 

Insiders Tip: Abdominals are muscles.  Just like any other muscle, they need to be trained and then given time to adequately recover.

HURDLE #5.    You spend exactly 40-60 minutes 3x per week doing cardio.  Why?  What is magical about the 40-60 minute formula anyway?  How many calories are you burning on that treadmill?  More importantly, how bored are you?

TIP: Slow steady cardio doesn’t work.  To get your body to burn fat, you’ve got to high intensity intervals into your strength regimen.

Until next time, keep lifting and keep it intense.

Coach Pac