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6 of the best ... 6-pack challenge

This is a great article with sound advice on getting ripped - Sun man David Firth is their living example of what can be done...

article from The Sun - written by DAVID FIRTH



THE perfectly-sculpted six-pack is the holy grail of the workout world — and I've found out what it takes to chisel one.

I gave myself eight weeks to go from slightly flabby and shapeless to honed and ripped... and I think it's gone OK.

I had the obligatory embarrassing "before" photograph taken and knew it would take hard work to get a decent "after" shot but I'm pleased with what I've been able to stick up.

I trained with model, actor and all-round hunk of burning love Adrian James and used his No1-selling 6 Pack Abs Workout app.

I also chugged down my fair share of Maximuscle protein shakes to help me get into decent nick.

I've charted my progress in a weekly blog, which you can find below, and included details of my train-ups at LA Fitness.

I've also written up my top tips to get rapid results.

If you want to tweet me, I'm @davefirth and follow Adrian too because he loves it — @adrianjamestv.

And if you're going to give this a go...good luck!

6-PACK TOP TIPS

WORK YOUR ABS: Hold the phone...you have to work your abs to get a six-pack?! This is madness! Yes, unbelievably to stand any chance of getting any definition on your gut, you have to bang out crunches, V-sits and Russian twists. But the regime is not as relentless as you might think. As anyone who has read the blog, below, knows, I was using the Adrian James 6 Pack Abs Workout app - and it really is rather good. You choose your level, ranging from Beginner to Elite, and the app acts a personal trainer, running through six exercises - 30 seconds each with 15 seconds rest in between. I ran through two workouts after every gym session - four or five times a week, mainly on Advanced level - and simple maths shows that's only ten minutes every time. The app takes any thought process out of what exercises you should do - just click "start" and the exercises get shouted out. A priceless six-pack tool. 

GET ON THE WEIGHTS: If you want to shift weight, I'd recommend running, running and running some more until your legs drop off. Nothing burns calories like it - but if you're already fairly slim and want to strip away the jiggly bits, you have to put on weight in the form of muscle. Putting on muscle speeds up your metabolism, which will in turn burn fat and help you achieve the definition results you're after. And the way to put on muscle? Get to the gym and lift weights. If you're new to it, like I am, keep your body balanced - work different body parts on different days. I tended to rotate four workouts week by week - back and biceps; chest and triceps; legs; and shoulders. Another good thing about building up your body is that it makes your stomach appear slimmer. And if you're working your abs, the results will follow.

PROTEIN, PROTEIN, PROTEIN: You can hammer your body in the gym as hard as you like but if you are not refuelling correctly, it's all a waste of time. Protein will help repair your muscles once you've ripped them to pieces - and they will come back bigger and stronger. To build muscles - including a six-pack - chicken, tuna and eggs should become regulars on your plate. To ramp up my protein intake, I also used Maximuscle's Cyclone protein whey powder. I had one shake in the morning with breakfast and one in the "golden hour" after exercise, when your muscles simply suck up protein. The ingredients in the Cyclone also helped me bulk up...something my pathetic physique definitely needed. If you want rapid results, I strongly suggest you get on the Cyclone.

CUT THE JUNK: About five weeks into this challenge, the fantasising began. Burgers started to dominate my thoughts and I'd imagine a Snickers bar dancing erotically for me, dribbling its caramelly peanuttiness all over my thighs. But for the eight weeks I was doing this, all the cr*p had to stop. I obviously had very little time to go from zero to hero, so empty snacking calories were going to be my nemesis. Chocolate bars and crisps were out and in came nuts and Ryvita with cottage cheese and peanut butter - not on the same piece, you lunatic. Basically, if you're going to give this a go, you'll need to snack to fuel your workouts and make sure there's an element of protein and "good" fats to your grazing. I have to admit, I didn't mind swapping in all this healthy food. I tend to snack when I'm bored - if I'm eating, I'm happy so I don't really mind what I'm shoving into by gob. A bit of forward planning just meant I made sure it was healthy. Things do get tough when there's cake knocking about, though...

BYE BYE BOOZE: And while we're on empty calories, you're going to have to cut back on the alcohol if you want fast results. While pints of cider, lager, stouts and ales undeniably make you look like a big strong man as you sup them in the pub, they undeniably give you a wobbly tummy and frankly magnificent breasts. For the duration of this challenge, I swerved my beloved cider completely and, on the whole, I tried to avoid alcohol altogether. But sometimes there are occasions when you have to drink - I had a day at the races and attended a couple of glorious day-time barbecues - and in times of need I went for vodka and diet tonic/soda water. It's as low-calorie as booze gets but obviously still does the trick. The trouble comes when you have to bang out those crunches the day after... 
 
REST: And saving the best tip till last - sometimes you have to rest. Doing all these weights and abs workouts, effectively ripping your muscles to pieces, you need to give your body a chance to rebuild itself. The only way to do that is to take maybe a couple of days spread over the week when you're NOT ripping your muscles to ribbons. And rest means rest - don't think "Right, day off from the gym today, I think I'll build a wall" or go for a cheeky 30-minute "slow run". Give your body a chance. Stop. Do nothing. Sleep. Watch a film. Sleep. Have a Ryvita. Those days, my friends, have been the highlight of this challenge. Work hard on the workout days and you can kick back guilt-free, knowing your muscles will come back bigger and stronger.

There's so much more worth reading on this article - head on over to the following link...

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/triedandtested/4360417/6-of-the-best-6-pack-challenge.html#ixzz2FJ3B2bla

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