How to Get a Six Pack: 6 Steps to Getting Shredded
6 Steps to Getting a Six Pack
Is it better to build six packs in the kitchen than at the gym? The reality is that it is a
combination of the two. Shredding takes a mix of muscle gain and fat loss, so it
may take some time depending on where you are in your fitness journey.
You can't spot fat or out-train a bad diet, so there's no fast cure for having defined
abs. And there are no magic pills or special diets that will make a difference. To get
a shredded appearance, you'll need to put in a lot of effort, time, and commitment.
Getting there, on the other hand, does not have to be difficult.
What Is the Average Time to Get Abs?
Many people begin a diet with the intention of appearing in a particular way, but
they fail to understand that weight reduction alone will only result in you becoming a
smaller version of yourself. If you really desire definition, you must first develop the
muscles underneath your skin. The length of time it takes to achieve a definition
varies based on how much lean muscle you have, how frequently you exercise, and
the kind of training you perform. Genetics may also be a factor.
Many individuals find that becoming shredded necessitates first building muscular
mass, or "bulking," before concentrating on fat reduction. In a nutshell, there are
just two criteria for obtaining a six-pack:
- Strengthen your abdominal muscles.
- Reduce your body fat percentage.
And you can't simply concentrate on reducing belly fat; becoming shredded
necessitates shedding overall body fat - to see greater abdominal definition, your
body fat percentage should be about 15%. For males, it's 20% or less, and for
women, it's 20% or less.
This whole procedure may take months, if not years. Although many individuals
may not be able to get a beach body in six weeks, you can still make significant
gains in your fitness and health. You'll get there eventually if you put in enough
effort and patience. It's crucial to have this knowledge before you start. It enables
you to set realistic goals and ensures that you don't become frustrated or quit up if
you don't see immediate results.
How to Build Muscle and Burn Fat at the Same Time
The holy grail would be to eliminate the need to bulk and trim back to back and just
do both at the same time. This is feasible, but it will require some intriguing physics.
Building muscle necessitates weight growth, and reducing fat necessitates weight
reduction, so how can you accomplish both at the same time?
Your body composition may change over time, but your weight will fluctuate. And it
may take a bit longer than if you followed the usual massing and trimming cycle. It
may also be easier to accomplish for untrained people with a greater starting body
fat percentage, according to studies, since they are more likely to shed fat more
effectively.
According to new research, a high protein diet combined with a well-planned
strength exercise regimen can help you gain lean mass while losing
fat.Researchers have discovered that if protein consumption is kept high (up to
three times the RDA) and strength training is done frequently, you may be able to
not only maintain but even slightly increase lean mass while in a calorie deficit.
Although this method is unlikely to be effective in the long run, it is tough to
accomplish, and the amount of muscle gained may not be as substantial as with a
conventional bulking diet.
Are Fat-Burning Supplements Effective?
I'm going to tell you the number one secret to fat loss: calorie restriction. That is all
there is to it. It's very, very difficult to reduce body fat if you don't get that portion
correct.
However, businesses and "experts" will continue to tell you that supplements and
special diets can increase your metabolic rate and speed up the fat-burning
process, but these are false promises.
You can't hack your metabolism, according to what we know about the human body
and current studies; it's primarily controlled by your body weight (particularly lean
mass) and basal metabolic rate (BMR). Even though certain supplements, like
coffee, may produce modest increases in BMR, the quantity is usually insignificant
enough to offset the requirement for calorie restriction.
Fat-burning pills are often harmful, useless, and costly. That's because the majority
of them operate in one of two ways: by raising your body temperature or heart rate
in the hopes of boosting calorie burn, or by enhancing fat oxidation - but calorie
management is still required to reduce body fat overall. Supplements have yet to be
shown to be more effective than diet alone in promoting fat reduction. In the end, if
anything sounds too good to be true, it most often is.
The Complete Guide to Losing Weight
Now that we've cleared up some common misunderstandings, we can focus on
what really works to help you become more shredded. Here are 6 science-backed
techniques to help you get those abs to show and the sculpted body you've always
wanted.
Step 1: Strengthening Your Muscles
Increasing your lean mass is perhaps the most essential thing you can do to have a
more toned physique. It's important to burn fat, but the more muscle you have
beneath the skin, the more ripped you'll seem. Muscle is also your main fat burner,
pushing your BMR and daily calorie requirements more than anything else.
Furthermore, your abs are a muscle, and just like any other muscle in your body,
increasing the size and strength of your abs may help you achieve greater stomach
definition. However, don't limit yourself to core workouts; boosting your total lean
mass may help you get greater outcomes and make the procedure simpler.
Furthermore, your abs are involved in many compound lifting exercises and heavy
lifting in general. You should start lifting weights and doing strength training in
addition to your ab exercises if you haven't already.
When it comes to how frequently you should exercise, three times a week has been
linked to greater muscle development than less frequent training. According to
research, heavy weights for low repetitions and high-frequency light weight
exercises are both linked to good muscular development. To put it another way, just
strength training at any weight several times a week can help you gain lean muscle.
Sit-ups and leg lifts are the best core-building exercises.
Planks with Oblique Twists
These basic workouts may be done in a variety of ways, including hanging,
weighting, declining, and so on. Including a version of these fundamental functional
motions at least three times a week and gradually increasing the effort can help you
develop ab muscles over time.
Step 2: Reduce Your Calorie Intake to Lose Weight
Controlling your calorie intake is critical, whether you're bulking first and then
reducing it or trying to alter your body composition all at once.
Calories operate by providing your body with 100% of the energy it needs each day.
Calories are obtained from meals and drinks, while calories are expended via
everyday activities and physiological processes. When you consume more calories
than you need, the extra calories are stored as reserve energy, commonly known
as fat. And if you consume less than you need, you'll have to draw on these
reserves, effectively burning body fat for energy. As a result, the most efficient
method to reduce body fat is to limit calories regularly.
It's also critical not to restrict your calorie intake too much. While this may help
speed up the process momentarily, you may lose valuable lean mass as a result.
According to research, this is more essential for trained people who have less fat to
lose than for those who have less lean mass and more body fat to begin with.
Not to mention that depriving oneself of food would almost certainly make the
process more difficult by reducing your energy, mood, and appetite.
Begin by calculating how many calories you need each day to lose weight and
keeping track of your daily consumption to ensure you stay under that number. To
get started, use this online calorie calculator.
You may also calculate your calorie requirements by doing a body fat test. This will
provide you with a more customized and precise estimate of your calorie
requirements, as well as your estimated lean mass, which you can use to evaluate
your protein requirements in step 3. In comparison to a scale that does not
measure body fat alone, a body fat test will be your greatest indication of overall
improvement.
Step 3: Consume an Appropriate Amount of Protein
Increased protein consumption is considered to be helpful, whether you're trying to
build muscle or reduce your weight. This macro is essential for providing the
nutrients required to develop, repair, and maintain lean tissue, all of which are
required during strength training. In a calorie deficit, protein protects your muscle,
allowing you to shed more body fat and less lean mass.
Furthermore, high protein diets (at least 25% to 30% of calories from protein) are
believed to help with appetite control and cravings, making them a dieter's greatest
friend.
Step 4: Consume a Balanced Diet of Healthy Fats
Unless you consume an excessive amount of calories, consuming fat will not make
you obese. Limited evidence suggests, however, that some individuals are more
sensitive to changes in body composition as a result of fat consumption than
others. In a calorie excess, fat is more likely to be stored as body fat than other
macronutrients.
Fat is also calorie dense, so it's easy to overeat and consume more calories than
you think. Unless you're on a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet like keto, keeping track
of your total fat consumption may help you maintain calorie management and
encourage fat reduction.
The kind of fat you consume is also important, since research shows that
unsaturated fats are less likely to be stored as fat than saturated fats. Incorporating
some healthy fats into your diet is also considered to be attractive and gratifying,
since fat gives meals a pleasing taste and texture, making it simpler to adhere to
your diet. Furthermore, good fats have significant health advantages that should not
be overlooked.
Step 5: Experiment with Carb Cycling
Carbs, contrary to common belief, do not promote weight gain on their own. And if
you're a gym rat, sufficient carb consumption may help you get the most out of your
exercise. Instead of going low-carb, consider cycling your carbohydrates.
Carb cycling is the practice of timing your carbohydrate and calorie intake to match
when your body needs it the most - when you're working out, on high-output days,
or when you're just more active in general. In theory, this would enable you to use
carbs more effectively, allowing you to support your workouts and energy
requirements while decreasing the risk of fat accumulation caused by increased
glucose consumption.
When carb reserves are restored wisely on higher carb days, carb cycling may
preserve lean muscle and have a beneficial impact on appetite control at later
times. Furthermore, when carbohydrates are restricted, it is believed to stimulate
greater fat utilization, allowing you to burn more body fat in a calorie deficit.
Other advantages include improved overall calorie management without the need
for extreme calorie restriction. Because your body does not control calories in 24-
hour increments and instead accumulates them over time, reducing carbohydrates
and thus calories on certain days of the week may help you lower your weekly
calorie average. And by eating fewer calories and carbohydrates on days when you
are less active, you are less likely to disrupt your workouts and are more likely to
manage your hunger and maintain lean mass on days when you are more active.
Step 6: Make Portion Control Work for You
Even if you're meal-preparing and monitoring everything you eat, if you're not
weighing or measuring your food, getting precise portion control may be difficult.
Every calorie is important. When you aren't weighing everything, it's easy to
estimate your amounts wrong, particularly. For a time, eyeballing or using
measuring cups works, but those additional calories add up.
Participants in some studies underestimate their calorie consumption by up to 20%
on average, which may be enough to prevent fat loss entirely.
Pouring a little bit of oil into a skillet to cook your food, for example, may not seem
like a huge issue, but you might be adding a hundred calories or more to your
dinner without even realizing it.