I'm very familiar with the common knowledge of what most people think it takes to get 6 pack abs. High volume "pump" workouts, eating clean, keto diets, etc.. it's all bullshit. This is coming from a personal trainer, who struggled with weight his entire life. I'm going to tell you exactly how to get a 6 pack, and it's probably easier than you think.Â
PHASE I - NUTRITION
So first off, let's talk about why you don't have abs in the first place. So basically when you consume too many calories, your body stores the excess amount as stored body-fat to be used as energy in the future. So to get lean and to be able to see your 6 pack all you need to do is find a way to use your stored body fat as a source of energy. You need to be in a caloric deficit with a sufficient amount of protein and continue lifting heavy in the gym to sustain muscle mass, to use your fat for energy. You'll also want a balanced amount of macronutrients (proteins,fats, and carbs) this is how to calculate your macronutrients:
CALORIES:
Take your body-weight in pounds and multiply it by 10-12. This is how many calories you need to be consuming on a daily basis.. on average.
PROTEIN:
Take your body-weight and multiply by .82, this is exactly how much protein you need on a daily basis to sustain muscle mass.
FATS:
A bit trickier, but take your body-weight and multiply by 15x to estimate your maintenance calories. Take your maintenance calories and multiply it by .25. Then divide that number by 9 to get your total amount of fat. Fats help to sustain healthy hormone levels while dieting, this has 25% of your calories coming from fats.
CARBS:
The remaining calories.
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I recommend tracking your calories and macronutrients via MyFitnessPal. I’m also going to recommend that every 2 weeks you plan a strategic re-feed day. Your body has this hormone called leptin, and while you’re in a deficit you’re slowly depleting your leptin stores (which regulates your metabolism). So to prevent your metabolism from slowing down, every 2 weeks plan a strategic re-feed day. So eat 200-300 calories over your maintenance level, but the primary macronutrient you’re aiming for is carbohydrates to refill your leptin. This will keep your metabolism going and keep the fat shedding off of you.
PHASE II - WORKOUTS
You’ll have to workout properly to sustain/build muscle while being in a caloric deficit, so muscle mass is NOT used as energy. There are 2 types of muscle hypertrophy - myofibril (muscle density) and sarcoplasmic (fluid in the muscle). To sustain muscle density, you'll need to focus on myofibril hypertrophy while in the deficit. To focus on the myofibril hypertrophy you’ll need to go heavier with fewer reps and much longer rest periods. For example, do full body workouts 3x a week with a focus on strength. Here is an example of a workout to get lean:
CONCLUSION:
Okay so it's much easier than you probably thought to get a 6 pack. With any hope, I've given you a clear blueprint to start killing your fitness goals. If you still have questions or need 1-1 training to get to your goals.. click here for your 15 minute FREE CONSULTATION.