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How to Get 6 Pack Abs in 6 Easy Steps
When working as a Certified Nutrition Consultant for the last 14 years, I asked clients about their goals. The most common purpose is that want 6-pack abs. To start seeing visible abs, you need to get overall body fat below a certain level. For men, abs become visible at around 12-17% of body fat, and for women, the number is a little bit higher at 14-24% In this article, I want to talk about how to get your body fat to those levels. This is how to get six-pack abs in 6 easy steps.
Step 1 – Intermittent Fasting
I have been following intermittent fasting for the past eight years with excellent results.
If you’re not familiar with intermittent fasting, the purpose is that you are breaking up your eating into different time windows to help the body burn more of your stored body fat. This method is one of our methods on how to get 6-pack abs in 6 easy steps.
For example, you would have a fasting window and a feeding window. There are different types of intermittent fasting, but I follow a 16-hour fast followed by an 8 Hour feeding window.
Please take a look below at my feeding/fasting window
- 12:00 PM-8:00 PM (Feeding Window)
- 8:00 PM- 12:00 PM (Fasting Window)
You are essentially just skipping breakfast.
The idea is that when you are fasting, the body has no choice but to use its stored body fat as fuel.
One study showed that intermittent fasting caused 3 to 8% weight loss. And of that weight loss, 4 to 7% was lost on the person’s waist.
This shows that it is ideal for losing belly fat and revealing your six-pack abs (1)
If you’ve never done intermittent fasting before, it can be challenging because you might be used to having food right away when you wake up.
But after a couple of weeks, your body adapts to it, and you’ll notice that you often were not that hungry but were eating out of habit.
Step 2 – Carb Cycling
Carb cycling is a technique that bodybuilders have used for decades. Carb cycling aims to reduce body fat by switching between high and low carbohydrate days.
I am currently following a carb cycling program; this is how my week is set up.
- Monday- low carb
- Tuesday- high carb
- Wednesday- low carb
- Thursday- low carb
- Friday- high carb
- Saturday- low carb
- Sunday- low carb
Also, here’s a sample meal plan of what I am eating on low and high-carb days
Low Carb Day
12:00 PM Lunch – Chicken Burger Salad
- 2 Chicken Burgers (no bun)
- One avocado
- 1 cup Romaine Lettuce
- 1 tbsp light Ranch Dressing
3:00 PM Snack- Almonds
- Handful of Almonds
6:00 PM Dinner – Steak and Asparagus
- 8 oz Grilled Ribeye Steak
- 1 cup Grilled Asparagus
- Large Spinach Salad with balsamic vinegar dressing(no sugar)
High Carb Day
12:00 PM – Lunch- Turkey Avocado Sandwich
- 6 oz natural turkey breast lunch meat
- Two slices of Monterey jack cheese
- 1 tbsp low-fat mayo
- ½ avocado
- Two slices of 100% whole wheat bread
- lettuce/pickles optional
3:00 PM -Snack – Hummus and Chips
- A handful of pita chips
- 2 tbsp hummus
6:00 PM – Dinner – Chicken Tacos and Salad
- 6-8 Oz Grilled Chicken Breast
- Three corn tortillas
- Salsa of choice on top of tacos
- Large cabbage salad with low-fat cilantro dressing
Step 3- Track your calories
Remember that the meal plans above are for my caloric needs and will need to be adjusted for you. The easiest way I found to track my calories is by using an app like MyFitnessPal.
If you’ve never tracked calories before, I think you’ll be amazed about how many calories are actually in typical food items that you might be enjoying.
I try to eat about 250-500 calories under my maintenance level to lose weight quickly. Your mileage may vary, but MyFitnessPal will help give you a general guideline, and you can adjust from there.
You can download MyFitnessPal free here or download it from IOs or Android App Store.
Step 4 – Fasted Cardio
Doing fasted cardio is the same principle as doing intermittent fasting. The idea is that if you don’t have any food in your body, your body has to start burning its body fat.
When you’re doing cardiovascular exercise on an empty stomach first thing in the morning, I believe this will speed up the fat loss and reveal your six-pack abs in less time. You can also use a fitness tracker to keep help ensure that you are moving throughout the day!
An excellent place to start is three times a week with 30 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio on an empty stomach first thing in the morning (black coffee or tea is acceptable as long as there are no calories).
Step 5 – Weight Training
For three reasons, a solid weight training routine should be included as a fat loss regimen.
First, weight training increases your metabolism, which will help your body burn more stored body fat at rest.
Second, when doing weight training, abdominal exercises will help tone those muscles and help make them more visible as your body fat levels decrease.
Lastly, overall bodyweight training will change the shape of your entire body and help make you more aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
Remember to start slowly with a beginner program if you’re new to weight training. The one that I used to do was a 3-day split when I first started.
- Monday – Chest, Triceps, and Shoulders
- Wednesday – Legs and Abs
- Friday – Back and Biceps
Step 6 – Supplementation
The last easy step to help you get six-pack abs is supplementation. Burning stored body fat and getting six-pack abs can be done entirely with just diet and exercise.
But I believe supplementation can assist you on this journey, so why not use it?
In my research, I have found that PhenGold is one of the best weight loss supplements that can increase your metabolism and help you lose stubborn belly fat that is hiding your six-pack abs.
What I like most about PhenGold is that it implements two unique formulas for day and night cycles, hence the 24 in the name. The day formula is designed to strengthen your resting metabolism, while the night formula is designed to help you rest and repair your body while sleeping.
This causes your body to burn the most body fat, especially when combined with the steps above.
If you’ve been struggling with losing weight, Phen24 could give you the boost you need to achieve your goals.
Click the link to purchase PhenGold and get six-pack abs today!
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