HEALTH AND FITNESS: Hi Sir,
I am really interested in abs workout and I have been consistently doing the abs workout for a month now. I wanted to ask you how many times should I do the workout in a week. What are the best abs workouts and what kind of diet should I maintain to get the best abs packs?
Namgyel Rangdol, Thimphu
Hi Namgyel,
More than 50 percent of the people entering gym today are there chasing “six-pack”.
Abdominal muscles are one of the most sought after muscles by both men and women.
Most don’t realise that abdominal muscle is one of the many core muscles responsible for our trunk stability. So if you are training hard with exercise that require stability, you are already unknowingly working your abdominal and other stabilising muscle, so it is counterproductive to train your abdominal more than twice a week.
There is, however, stark difference between building and strengthening abdominal muscle and wanting to reveal them. Training is more than sufficient for building good abdomen, but it is not at all sufficient to make your six-pack appear more distinct and visible. For this to happen you must reduce your body fat level, or else you will never see your abs.
I like the basics of training, exercise like crunches, leg raises and plank are ideal for building a strong and great looking abdomen region.
| Tip of the week: “All of us have a six-pack underneath, but it’s the fat that is concealing them” |
My guidelines to building and showcasing a great six-pack:
The best and quickest way is to reduce body fat, making the abdominal muscle more visible by reducing the carbohydrate intake preferably from the last meal of your day. Also you must ensure that you have sufficient protein consumed and spread through out each day.
Work your abdomen from a variety of angles to ensure complete development.
Training abdomen once or twice a week intensely is more than enough if you are weight training consistently.
Perform low intensity cardio like brisk walking right after your weight training session to burn fat and to help reveal the abdomen that you have worked so hard to build.
