By far the most common question I always get is “How do I get abs”? For some reason having abs is just the thing most people want these days. This is exactly why I have written out my TOP FIVE (5) tips on how to get shredded abs – FAST.
OK enough talking let’s get started:
- NUTRITION!
By far the most important thing when trying to tone your stomach and burn fat is to have your nutrition. When wanting to lose weight or tone up your body it is important to follow this simple equation:
CALORIES IN VS CALORIES OUT.
If you’re wanting to have a leaner or more toned look, burning more calories than what you are currently consuming is by far the most important point. Working out your daily maintenance level and then eating at a 400 – 600 calorie deficit each day is what it will take to help bring out those visible abs. This is hands down the single most important factor.
If you need help working out your maintenance calories you can either email me: Simon@sqfitness.com.au OR read the below BLOG article that I wrote a while back:
2. OVERALL BURNING OF CALORIES !
Now another important tip when wanting to tone your stomach and burn fat is you cannot spot reduce from certain areas ONLY. If you ‘re wanting to tone your stomach specifically it needs to come from an overall burning of calories through high intensity exercise and a clean diet.
It’s important to note doing 500 sit ups is not the answer to a toned stomach. Training your core is definitely important but the focus needs to be important compound movements such as squats, dead lifts, bench press, overhead press and of course full body HIIT sessions as these movements/sessions are the fastest way to burn the most amount of calories. If you are wanting to tone your stomach incorporating these big, main lifts each week is absolutely VITAL in this process.
3. DON’T BE AFRAID OF WEIGHT TRAINING!
My third tip is an important one. The biggest and worst myth out there in my opinion is that lifting weights makes you bulky. When you lift weights at a HIGH INTENSITY you are toning your body. You are also burning a lot of calories in this process not only during the sessions but afterwards as well.
Always and I mean always aim to incorporate weight training into your weekly program if you’re wanting to tone down and get those abs you’ve always wanted. Going for long, steady state runs and doing a bunch of sit ups is NOT how we tone the body. When lifting weights always aim to use correct form, choose weights that are safe and lift weights at a HIGH INTENSITY to shape and tone your body – this is a MUST!
4. EAT MORE PROTEIN
When wanting to burn fat and tone your body it’s imperative we eat a high protein diet. Carbs are still an essential part of your diet in order to train hard but eating lots of lean sources of protein predominantly is what you want to be doing here.
When people are wanting to build lean muscle where they at times go wrong is NOT hitting their protein requirements in order to do that. Remember in order to build that lean muscle that everyone loves we must be eating anywhere between 2g – 3g of protein per KILOGRAM of body weight. So if you’re a female weighing let’s say 60kgs for example then you MUST be consuming anywhere between 120g – 180g of protein per day in order to shred down and build lean muscle.
Your goal should be to eat a lean source of protein, small amount of carbs/ fats and lots of leafy salads and steamed vegetables in each of your meals.
In short it’s imperative in this process to eat a high protein diet.
List of foods that are high in protein:
MEATS
Chicken breast Lean beef steak Turkey Kangaroo Fish (Tuna, salmon, sword fish, snapper)
DAIRY
Milk Low fat cottage cheese Eggs Natural yogurt
PROTEIN SUPPLEMENTS
Whey protein Casein protein.
5. TRAINING INTENSITY
The last of my top five (5) tips to get shredded abs is when you’re wanting to burn fat and tone your body ALWAYS make sure your training intensity is really high. It is absolutely crucial in the fat burning process to train the house down. Always aim to keep the rest breaks low to ensure your heart rate is high and you’re burning a good amount of calories in each session. Remember to really push through the pain and leave the workout absolutely dripping in sweat.
Ok guys I hope that helps.
If you found these tips helpful and you would like to kick start your journey for FREE be sure to download your FREE eBook sample!
