by Dr. Kareem F. Samhouri, CSCS, HFS
Neuro Metabolic Six Pack Abs Expert
Abs training is one of the most controversial and debated forms of training that exists in the industry today. Many abs seekers still subscribe to the philosophy of training your abs in isolation, performing crunches, and using abs devices to sculpt their midsections; unfortunately, all of these training styles go unrewarded.
Getting flat, sexy abs comes down to 3 principles, above all else:
1. Stability Training
2. Systemic Fat Loss
3. Proper Nutritional Habits
Stability Training:
Training for six pack abs takes strategy, and it takes whole body movement. Your abs are used as stability muscles in real life, so they need to be trained in the same way when exercising. Exercises like squats, deadlifts, planks, push ups, and unstable surface training all cause a balance reaction in your body. This balance reaction results in an increased level of demand in your abs, creating a more stable environment for your spine. Once your spine is stabilized, the rest of your body is better primed for a contraction.
In other words, when your spine is at risk of being pulled out of the place due to poor core recruitment, your body’s reaction is to weaken surrounding muscles and decrease the risk of major injury. Stabilizing your spine before exercising your extremities is a powerful and useful tool to add to your exercise program, starting immediately.
Systemic Fat Loss:
Spot reduction is a myth. The most you can do to ‘spot reduce’ an area is train the muscle underneath and reduce local inflammation. However, without reducing whole body fat percentage, you are sure to mask your results within a couple of weeks again.
Systemic fat loss happens by creating an unstable metabolic state in your body. Dynamic exercises that involve multiple joints in a single movement, change direction, and constantly vary exercise equipment contribute to this unstable metabolic environment.
Energy system training, coupled with muscle balancing and EPOC, is a key to your whole body fat loss success. This is possible by training at different speeds, involving all muscle groups in your body, and training at a very high intensity while working out.
Proper Nutritional Habits:
Abs are made in the kitchen, right?
Well… no, not really. Abs are made through stabilization and systemic fat loss. However, it’s very difficult to out-run a pizza. Your diet matters, and the food you put into your body often dictates the level of energy you’ll have with a given workout.
Choose foods that help you produce higher levels of energy with your workouts. Eat balanced meals that involve a slightly larger portion of protein relative to other macronutrients in your meal. All your body to get into an anabolic state, rather than catabolic, by providing it with the nutrients it needs to grow.
Stay hydrated. Muscle thrives on water. Fat loss and cellular metabolism thrive on water. Electrolytes help keep you hydrated. Watching your intake of both water and electrolytes is one of the easiest ways to speed up your results. Try drinking a 16 ounce glass of water before each meal, when you wake up, and when you go to bed.
Micronutrients matter too. This is where a great supplement comes into play and can help you take in all of your 7 essential nutrient classes. It’s not all about counting carbs, proteins, and fats, because your micronutrients bring nourishment to your skin, hair, and nails: your integumentary system. Since your skin is the largest organ in your body, it stands to argue that it’s worth taking care of…
