At a time when the concern for achieving a sculptural body has reached unsuspected levels, it is not surprising that the population places special emphasis on getting rid of that fat that does not allow our abs to be shown to the world and we can boast of “six pack ” in front of the world.
The growing need to achieve this goal has also generated false advice from professionals with dubious training that not only do not allow us to reach our goal, but also, in extreme cases, can seriously endanger our health.
The abdominals are a series of muscles (rectus abdominals, transverses abdominals and oblique’s) that are located in the central part of the body, an area in which fat is usually concentrated. Therefore, in order to mark them, we must first remove that fat that keeps them hidden.
Instructions to get abs
There is no miraculous way to get rid of that fat in a localized way. Therefore, to start our purpose, we must take into account a series of factors that must be worked on if we want to achieve our objective effectively:
- Diet: It is one of the most important factors to eliminate that fat and get the abs marked. When planning our diet, we must bear in mind that our caloric intake must be less than the caloric expenditure that we generate in order to eliminate fat. That we have left over within the diet we must control that the intake of macronutrients is correct, since although we meet the necessary calories, if we ingest a macronutrient in excess we will not see progress either. First of all, it is important to considerably reduce the amount of carbohydrates, since these are the ones that generate the accumulation of fat. This does not mean that we should stop eating carbohydrates completely, since these are what provide us with energy, they are the fuel that allows our body to function, and so we must reduce them but never do without them. We must introduce them intelligently, especially at breakfast and before training, as this is when we need the most energy. Second, we must also reduce the consumption of fats since these are not necessary for the functioning of the body, the amount of fat in our diet should always be less than the amount of carbohydrates or proteins and we should always opt for the consumption of healthy fats (nuts, virgin olive oil extra, avocado…). Although we can be more restrictive than with carbohydrates, we cannot do without them either, since they act as an important protector for our organs and muscles. In last place we find proteins, whose consumption we must increase but always bearing in mind certain limits, since if we exceed the limits that our body tolerates, they can also be harmful, leading us to gain weight and accumulate a greater amount of fat. This macronutrient is the most important both when it comes to losing weight and increasing muscle mass, since it is what allows the creation of muscle tissue and is the main food for our muscles. The increase in muscle mass plays in our favor in weight loss considering that, the greater our mass, the greater our expenditure and, therefore, it will be easier for us to maintain that caloric deficit that will allow us to eliminate the fat that we do not need.
- Exercise: It is another of the most important factors to get that abs that do nothing but hide, but we must always combine it with a correct diet or we will never be able to see progress. We must bear in mind that the way of training them is going to be crucial so that we can see progress; they are muscles that do not need long rests or complete recovery, so the work of these will be preferable to do with high intensity training. Or introducing super series. The greater the intensity with which we perform the exercise, the more it will influence the achievement of our goal. It is important that this intensity increases; otherwise we will stagnate and stop seeing progress. It should be noted that, in order to “get something” we must first have a base because if we do not have a strong muscle, we will not have anything to mark. To do this, we must first perform lower intensity exercises, increasing the number of repetitions and even introduce stressful exercises with weight that stimulate muscle growth. Finally, we must also take into account that there are many exercises that work this area since it is one of the most important in the body, but we will not achieve the same results with an abdominal crunch as with a bench press,
- Genetics: Although it is not the most decisive factor, it influences our purpose of marking the abs. There are people who take a relatively short time to achieve it and for others it costs more and we need more work to achieve the same results. This is how it is and we cannot change it, however each person limps in some quality and that is not why we must stop trying.
- Rest: It is a very important factor despite the fact that we tend to underestimate it. Recovery is essential for the muscles to grow correctly and the abdomen was not going to be less. We must know that when we talk about rest, we refer to a good rest, because lying in bed is not a correct rest, we need quality sleep, which means sleeping perfectly and in adequate conditions. It is not easy to get quality sleep, but to achieve a satisfactory recovery, it is recommended to have between 6-8 hours of deep sleep every day, so go to sleep.
What do you need to get abs?
After knowing the various factors that will help us achieve our desired abs, we must know that achieving it is not easy, we need a lot of perseverance and for this we have to be motivated. If we really want our abs to look nice, we will have to make many sacrifices such as getting up a little earlier to go to the gym or living surrounded by Tupperware for a while, but if you really pursue your goal, I am sure that sooner or later you will achieve it because perseverance is the basis of all success.
Tips for getting abs
Finally, it is worth noting the importance of factors such as salt, whose consumption we must reduce, since a high consumption of this mineral generates fluid retention that will influence us not only when it comes to losing fat, but also in the functioning of our metabolism. Likewise, while we reduce salt consumption, it is advisable to increase water intake, which has multiple benefits that will be of great use to us, not only to hydrate us, it also helps to purify our body by getting rid of toxins and harmful elements and, most importantly, does not add calories. It is recommended to drink between 2-3 liters of water a day.
