How to Get Abs

Everyone has abs, but getting them to the point where you can show them off is another thing. These are the Top 4 things to do to show off your abs!

Tip 1: Uncover your Abs (lose fat)

Everyone has abs underneath a layer of fat. This layer of fat is different for everyone and some people are very fortunate that they do not carry their fat on their stomach. But everyone has a layer of fat on their stomach even if it is very thin.

There is no easy, targeted way to do this. You will need to use the existing fat on your body as fuel for exercise and you do not control where that fat comes from. You will need to burn more calories in a day than you are eating, forcing your body to use fat reserves. You can do this more efficiently but focusing on using fat as an energy source, as well as increasing your metabolism.

As an example see our Running for Fat Loss article.

Tip 2: Build Up your Ab Muscles!

Growing your abs will make it easier for them to poke through underneath that layer of fat. To grow your abs your will need to do exercises that work your core. The best way to do this is create a variety of different movements that focus on your core, if you just repeat the same abs crunches over and over again you will plateau quickly, this is a muscle group we use every day and creating that variety is needed to challenge them in new ways.

Tip 3: Nutrition

This is third on the list but the most vital tip. Good nutrition will lead to fat loss and the ability to build ab muscle, we assume this goes without saying. But, besides those two items what you eating is very important in showing off your abs. While there is muscle and fat, another factor is the amount of water weight you are holding.

In order to reduce water retention try the following:

Drink more water
Drink less caffeine and alcohol
Avoid salty foods
Cut down on high glycemic carbs (Bread, Pasta, etc.)
Avoid Fried Foods
Eat more fiber
Eat more citrus fruits

Tip 4: Move, move, move

Exercising, eating right, and doing crunches are all important but are a small part of the day. The best way to use that fat as an energy source is to be moving around a lot. Choosing to walk, taking the stairs, walk around the mall vs. sitting in front of the tv, are all methods to keep your body moving and burn extra calories throughout the day. These calories add up over time and do make a huge difference. Here are a few examples of those:

A flight of stairs burns about 15 calories. 5 flights is 75 calories. 5 times a week is 375 calories
One hour walking in the mall burns about 210 calories. Doing this for two hours, once a week is 420 calories
Cooking burns about 150 calories per hour. Cooking for one hour a day for a week, 1,050 calories

These are just simple examples of what to do just to keep your body moving to burn many extra calories in a week.

Just like a rolling stone gathers no moss, a body in motion gains no fat!
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