Welcome to our Ultimate Guide To Six Pack Abs At Home !!!
Are you serious about building a solid six pack of muscle to adorn your waist? Or do you just want to learn all the top secrets, and do nothing with them? If either one of these two possibly interests you, then you are definitely on the right page !!!
Abdominals are one of the most talked about muscle groups in the human body. Almost everyone wishes they had an attractive six pack of lean muscle. A taut and tight midsection that’s impressive… and totally eye-catching.
The abs are so often considered to be among the ‘sexiest’ muscle groups. They are a sign that a person is slim, toned and very athletic. And at the same time, having an awesome set of abdominals gives you strength.
They also give you performance benefits that can bleed into every other aspect of your physical ability.
That’s because a solid set of washboard abs provide your core. And they give you the strength to stabilize yourself during other athletic movements.
But the problem is that so many people have no real idea how to go about building their abdominal muscles. Many are completely in the dark about how to build a six pack?
They don’t know what exercises to use at home, to properly train the abdominal muscles?
Many people also have no idea about good nutrition. They also have no clue about what foods to eat to help them build muscle. Or to help them to lose weight during the fat-burning process.
Because there will be a fat burning process that most people will have to go through, if they do want to see their abs. I’m saying that because it is the truth. Most people have a good layer of subcutaneous fat covering their bodies. And their abs.
So with all that being said, please read on. And we will explore more about what makes the difference between a six pack of muscle and a beer belly?
Ultimate Guide To Six Pack Abs At Home
1. Reduce Your Body Fat Count Or Level
The first thing to recognize here is that you need to reduce your overall subcutaneous body fat percentage if you truly want to have visible abdominal muscles. You can have the strongest abs possible, but if you don’t have that low bodyfat percentage needed, then those muscles won’t be visible to you, or anybody else.
To be able to see your six pack abdominals, and the obliques in all their glory, shall we say, you will need to get to a low level of subcutaneous fat. This is the layer of bodyfat that you see when you look in the mirror.
Elite or trained fitness athletes have low subcutaneous bodyfat levels. This is a result of fitness training and following a consistent healthy diet, and having a high positive mindset.
And as a result of all this, their physiques are more highly toned. Their muscles are burning up bodyfat as an energy source. They have a low subcutaneous bodyfat level. And their abs are toned and in shape.
Take bodybuilder’s in contest shape, for instance. They have a much lower bodyfat percentage likely in the 3 to 5 percent range. Which is really low. That’s what they call a “Ripped To Shreds” body condition.
But in the off-season a bodybuilder is carrying more bodyfat, and more weight. The bodyfat percentage is in the range of 10-15 percent or even more than that. It depends on what stage that particular bodybuilder is in the off-season?
Ultimate Guide To Six Pack Abs At Home
Low Bodyfat Percentage For Six Pack Abs?
To achieve your six pack abs will require precise training on your part. Using exercises effectively that target the abs from different angles. If you didn’t know that… you do now!!!
We will reveal to you the best of those abdominal exercises below. You can do all of them in the comfort of your home. Or you can pick and choose which exercises are for you.
But you will still need to have a lower bodyfat percentage, if you really want to be able to see your six pack abs. You do want to see the results of your abdominal workouts, don’t you? Of course you do.
After all, you work hard to build your abs… so you surely don’t want to hide them?
So now.. let’s take a look at safe and healthy bodyfat percentages needed for both males and females who are eager to attain six pack abs.
Male Bodyfat Percentage
Building a six pack of muscle is easier to achieve than trying to attain the low 5 to 9 percent bodyfat level needed to really show them off. To achieve this low percentage level is difficult to get to for many, and is not particularly healthy for the body to maintain.
Attaining this low bodyfat percentage puts you in the elite athlete category, shall we say.
But only for a short period of time is this possible to achieve. The body does not function properly, or in a healthy way, at this low bodyfat level.
You are likely to experience tiredness and mood swings on and off, because of the low calories and carbs you are eating daily, to get to this point. Dehydration, muscle loss and damage to your bodies nervous system is real at this stage.
But bringing your bodyfat percentage down to 10 to 15 percent is a healthier option. This is ideally where you want to be as a male training to build six pack abs !!!
For a man to be able to build his abdominals and obliques, and reveal them, he will need to follow a precise training plan and eat nutritiously.
Following such a plan and committing to it is more likely to lead to positive results.
Exercises will build your six pack abs, and surrounding musculature. And eating highly nutritious food, and quality protein daily will feed your body, and results will come.
As you build muscle and tone up, your physique will burn more calories at rest. This is good and will enable you to get down to that low bodyfat percentage. The bodies metabolic rate is fired up after exercise. And muscle and cell repair takes place.
But you will need to consume sufficient calories and protein daily to repair muscle and recover from the training.
Female Bodyfat Percentage
If you are a female looking to reduce your overall bodyfat percentage, then there is a safe level to aim for when building six pack abs. Getting down to 5 to 9 percent is not easy, and not recommended for a female.
Your abdominals will certainly be on show at this low level of bodyfat. But it’s not healthy to be at this low percentage level for a female. It’s not easy to get to this point and not easy to maintain.
As a female you do not want to compromise your health by trying to go extreme. If you are looking at a low level of bodyfat for abs 10 to 15 percent is a good target point for you.
At this level you are very athletic, showing great definition and in good health, which is important for wellbeing. If you have been training your abs leading up to this point, your results will certainly be visible to you. Your abs and muscle definition will be on show.
Aiming for 15 to 20 percent bodyfat for a female exercising to build a six pack, you will still be athletic and in shape. Carrying little bodyfat, so your abs are visible to you and muscle definition is there. Particularly in the obliques and upper abs etc.
Training the abs with a variety of exercises that are targeted to that area is one thing. But to be able to see your abs you will need to follow a healthy diet or meal plan, and stay committed for results to come. And they will for those who commit.
And that applies to both males and females, when targeting or trying to build six pack abs.
Please Note: You Can’t Target Fat Loss !!!
This means that one of the most important keys to building a visible set of ab muscles is to make sure that you incorporate cardiovascular workouts, in order to burn body fat.
These essential cardio workouts are enjoyable. We know that because there are thousands of people already doing them religiously. They are used successfully to get the body into a positive, fat-burning state.
2. Engage The Abdominals In Exercise
Another thing to recognize is that you need to actually engage your abs during exercise. Many people will perform ab exercises but won’t actually be training their abs so much as their hips.
The hip flexors can perform a very similar job to the abs by folding the body in half but of course they don’t have quite the same visual appeal (if you ask most people).
So in short, if you are performing sit ups and leg raises so that your body folds at the waist, then it’s not training the abs. Instead, you need to actually roll the abs and curl your stomach round through the movements.
The Different Abdominal Muscles
Making life more confusing is the fact that you actually have multiple different muscles in the mid section. The ‘abs’ as many of us think about them (the six pack) are defined by your rectus abdominis.
The muscle plate that sits on the front of your stomach and has the six indentations we all want to achieve.
Meanwhile though, you also have the transverse abdominis. The purpose of this muscle is to provide essential support for the lower spine and also to ‘hold in’ the stomach. Training this muscle is not only important for your performance, it also helps you to create flatter abs.
Ultimate Guide To Six Pack Abs At Home
Myotatic Crunch Abdominal Exercise
You can hit this muscle by using the myotatic crunch (a crunch performed over a bosu ball so that your back goes past flat) or by using the ‘cat vomit’ exercise that involves sucking your abs in while on all fours to create an ‘ab vacuum’.
Finally, you have the obliques. These sit on either side of the rectus abdominis and give you more definition here as well as the ability to torque. Train them using twisting sit ups and similar movements.