First, let’s look at what diet pills are not. They are not a solution to a problem. Being overweight and out-of-shape has deeper rooted issues than the supplements you take. There is no pill in the world, although some claim it, which will make you lose weight without any effort on your part.

People like to take the laziest approach possible. That may not be you, but many people just want an easy solution to their problems. Unfortunately, the solution is not easy, and if it were, we’d all be in great shape and health just by taking a pill.

If you’ve been following our guide up until this point, it’s safe to say that you are not one of those people that take the lazy approach. Only hard work will get you to your goal!

No diet pill will work without fixing the fundamental issues of being overweight: lack of exercise and poor eating habits.

Poor eating habits will always negate the effects of exercise. What you eat will be responsible for how you look. There is no escaping that truth because it is how the body works. If you’ve never exercised a day in your life, but you ate what you were supposed to, the chances are good that you are in pretty decent shape.

Poor diet will hurt you even when you start exercise. Our bodies require nutrition from the foods we eat to rebuild the muscles and strengthen our overall performance. We get very little nutrition from bad foods – processed foods and sugar-filled snacks provide calories but nothing of sustenance. We want the vitamins and minerals from healthy, natural foods to allow our bodies to perform at their best.

What Diet Pills Can Do

Diet pills must be considered supplements – not solutions. A supplement assists you with weight loss, it does not cause it. When you are exercising often and eating the right foods, a diet pill can help “boost” your quest for a 6 pack by providing even more energy for exercise as well as fat-burning or muscle-building benefits to help expose those abs.

By no means are diet supplements required for a 6-pack. But for many people, an extra boost in performance or fat-burning capability is all we need to get over that last hurdle before getting a 6-pack. Often times, the last few pounds will be the hardest to get rid of. You will fight hard to get rid of every ounce of fat, and diet pills can help fight that fight.

You should never take any diet pill for more than 3 months at a time. You will build too much of a tolerance, and you can cause some permanent side-effects by taking diet pills all of the time, or more than the recommended amount.

Recommended Diet Pills for Getting a 6 Pack

There are too many diet pills on the market, so it is hard to know which ones work and which ones do not. Some make very bogus claims without being able to produce results. Others resort to drastic measures to make you lose weight. (For example, the diet pill Alli will prevent your body from absorbing fats, along with some other things, which in turn gives you the fun-sounding “anal leakage.”)

You want a diet pill that provides energy and burns fat or helps build muscle. It depends on your goals (in our case, getting a 6 pack), and whether they work or not will also depend on your body type. Some people will see great results from diet pills, while others are better off without taking them.

And of course, you want to choose a diet pill that is a) legal and b) safe. Oral steroids and ephedrine-based pills are out of the question!

Force Factor For Men

Force Factor is not exactly a weight loss pill; it is much more than that. Men care more about building muscle than dropping fat, but both are important to obtaining a 6-pack.

The visibility of the abs comes from two factors – the size of the abdominals and the amount of fat on the body. The abs are only visible when the body reaches a certain fat percentage, so losing fat is important. When body fat levels at an acceptable level, it requires training the ab muscles from all angles with difficult, weighted exercises to make them “pop out.”

When lifting weights or doing any exercise, our heart pumps blood to the muscles to deliver oxygen. Force Factor boosts blood flow and nutrient delivery to the muscle tissue, while stimulating healthy nitric oxide levels, which optimizes the potential for the most effective workouts you will ever have.

There is also evidence that nitric oxide promotes fat oxidation and decreases fat synthesis.

Force Factor is endorsed by MMA Fighter Stephan Bonnar

If you’re not having the best workouts you can possibly have – you need to try Force Factor now!

UltraSlim XS For Women

Women have one goal in mind – to be as fit and skinny as possible. Growing muscle is not high on the priority list, so the recommendation is for a fat burning pill.

So what’s the difference between a fat-burning pill that works and the rest of the junk on the market? The ingredients!

UltraSlim XS has three, proven ingredients for burning fat during exercise and boosting the metabolism. Individually and in small doses, these ingredients are not too effective for our goals. But combined and in ample dosages, they are proven to be effective at fat loss. Green tea is a proven ingredient that speeds up metabolism to burn fat. Both Super CitriMax and ChromeMate provide great fat-burning effects during exercise when taken in the correct dosage.

If you want to boost losing fat to get that 6-pack showing, try UltraSlim XS today!

Ab Diet for Skinny Men

As far as dieting goes, the same concept applies to you as everyone else – All Natural Foods! Read our Ab Diet Guideline, and apply the same principles but in just more quantities. You must stick to the plan, and you must eat even when you do not want to eat.

Many skinny guys complain they cannot put on weight no matter what they do. The truth is, you are not eating enough. It is usually an abnormally fast metabolism, so you must eat enough, and then some more, to outpace your metabolism.

When you exercise, you break apart your muscle fibers. Growth happens when these muscles repair themselves, coming back bigger and stronger each time. You will not see maximum gains when do you not provide your body all of the nutrients it needs.

Being skinny does not mean you can stuff just anything into your mouth. You want good nutrition and good calories. If you are pigging out on junk food, you will eventually put on a lot of unhealthy fat. Some fat gain is inevitable in a bulking phase, but you must monitor yourself and not take it too far.

You want to be eating healthy because you want to gain as much muscle as you can, without putting on too much fat. After a good muscle bulk phase, a cutting phase will pop that 6-pack out like you never imagined.

Cardio Program for Abs

Being that you are trying to gain weight, you would think cardio would be out of the question. Well, you’d be wrong.

When gaining weight, the slow steady state cardio of jogging nonstop is definitely out. But quick, rapid bursts of anaerobic work will be necessary. Cardio workouts while gaining weight, in our experience, should be no more than 2-3 days a week of high intensity cardio.

Cardio can be done at any point in the day if you are on a muscle gain cycle, not necessarily in the morning.

Tuesday

• 15 second sprints / 20 second rest – REPEAT 8-10 TIMES

Thursday

• 1 minute fast running / 1 minute rest – REPEAT 3-5 TIMES or
• 2 minutes fast jumping rope / 30 second rest – REPEAT 5-7 TIMES

Ab Exercise Program for Skinny Men

Attach this workout to the end of your regular workout routine to build the muscle in your midsection. This program is more intense than our other two, but the goal is to pop those abs out fast! You will obviously see results faster than someone that has to get rid of fat first.

Monday

• Weighted crunch – 5 sets of 10-12 (use enough weight that will get you these amount of reps, no more and no less. It will require a lot of guess and check if you are new to this exercise) [Get on the weighted crunch machine, load up weight, and start crunching - SLOW MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]
• Sitting Machine Crunch – 5 sets of 8-10 [Pick an ab machine, preferably one that lets you sit up, pick your weight, and do your crunches following the instructions of the machine. It will probably have you sit straight up, and crunch downwards - STEADY MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]
• Straight Extensions with Weight – 5 sets of 12-15 – [Lay down, legs straight, arms holding a weight on your groin area. Lift your upper back off the ground, keeping arms straight, and legs straight, and focus on a touching your fingers to your toes motion, without moving your legs whatsoever. Your lower back does not leave the ground. This is almost like a half crunch, except your legs stay stationary – SEMI-FAST MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]
• Back Extension Machine – 3-4 sets of 10-15 [Get on the back extension machine, and push all the way down, and all the way up – STEADY MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]

Tuesday

• Crunches – 5 sets of 30-50 (work your way up to maximum) [No explanation needed. Good old fashioned crunches – FAST AND STEADY MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]
• Sit-ups – 5 sets of 30-50 [No, these are not the same as crunches. Lay down, knees slightly bent, feet on ground, arms behind head, and go all the way up, and back down. Don't let someone hold your feet down like they did back in gym class! Concentrate on keeping your feet pinned to the ground, while sitting up. It makes it harder – SLOW MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]
• Bicycles – 5 sets of 50-80 [Left elbow to right knee, right elbow to left knee, keep a fast motion throughout. Once you start never let both legs touch the ground until you're done the set – FAST MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]
• Knee Hugs – 5 sets of 30-60 – [Lay down on your back with your legs extended and your arms extended straight over your head, then focus on touching both knees to your chest, simultaneously – FAST MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]

Wednesday

• Double Medicine Ball Crunches – 3 sets of 15-20 [Get on the ground, medicine ball between your feet, and a medicine ball in your hands, over your head. Crunch up concentrating on touching the 2 medicine balls together! Good luck! – SLOW AND STEADY MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]
• Side Bends 4 sets of 15-20 each side – [Hold a dumbbell in each hand while standing up, bend down to the left and then back up and down to the right - SLOW AND STEADY MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]
• Partner Leg Throw-downs – 4 sets of 20-30 [Lay down on your back and have your partner stand at the top of your head, grab his ankles. Kick your legs up as fast as you can and your partner will catch them then immediately throw them back down to the ground. DO NOT let your feet touch the ground. Have your partner throw your legs straight down, as well as to the sides - VERY FAST MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]

Thursday

• Repeat Tuesday’s workout

Friday

• Repeat Wednesday’s workout

Saturday

• Optional – If you’ve got more to give, create your own workout.

For overweight men, and women, turning your body into the one you want (hopefully you’re thinking of a body that can grace the covers of fitness magazines) will be one of the most difficult things you will ever do in your life. You must be prepared for the challenges. It will take weeks, if not months, to undo the bad habits you have followed over the years.

The battle is primarily mental. You must be absolutely dedicated to this goal. You must imagine your body as one of a greek god. This program will take you out of your comfort zone, and then some.

Tell your friends and family about your goal. Write it down and stick it to your door. Even better, find a partner not only for motivation, but help in the gym as well.

It is absolutely necessary for you to start a cardio program and begin a healthy diet if you want washboard abs. You will never lose enough fat just by weight lifting. You must attack it from all three fronts: Diet, Exercise, and Cardio.

There are some schools of thought that say gradual progress is the way to do it. We think that is bullshit! The only way you are going to get fit and expose your six-pack is by willing your mind and body into it. You must dive in head first and never look back. When you are giving 110%, you see results quicker which leads to more motivation to continue giving it your all. When you take your sweet ass time, there is plenty of opportunity time for your talk yourself out of getting fit, and plenty of opportunities to fail over and over again.

If you want the slow and sensible approach, call Weight Watchers.

Ab Diet for Overweight Men

Diet accounts for roughly 75% of weight loss. If all you did was follow our healthy diet guidelines, you would still lose weight.

Your primary goal is to lose as much fat as possible, as quickly as possible. You want to cut fat and expose the abs. After a number of weeks, you will notice the last few pounds will become harder and harder to get rid of. At this point, you should increase the intensity of your cardio and exercise program, and reduce fat and carbs in your diet.

To be honest, our healthy diet guidelines is not the fastest way to lose weight, but it is the most sensible, and it is something you should follow for the rest of your life. It works, plain and simple. There are many extreme diets out there, but none will provide the energy you need for our cardio and ab exercise routines, and none that develop healthy eating habits that last for the rest of your life.

Cardio Program for Abs

As far as cardio goes, there is slow state cardio (jogging), and high intensity cardio (sprints, interval running, etc). Both forms of cardio should be incorporated into a weight loss diet diet. The goal is to cut fat to expose the abdominals.

Cardio is best done early in the morning before you eat anything.

Monday

• 20-40 minute jog

Tuesday

• 10 second sprints / 10 second walks – 12-15 SETS TOTAL

Wednesday

• 15-25 minute jog
• 6-10 minutes of jumping rope

Thursday

• 1-4 minutes faster pace running / 1 minute rest – 3-6 SETS TOTAL

Friday

• SLOW 10-20 minute jog

Saturday

• Hill sprints / Regular sprints – Make Your Own Workout! See our Running Manifesto for ideas.

Ab Exercise Program for Overweight Men

Attach this routine to your regular workout routine. The following regimen has high-intensity exercises that will have you pushing yourself to the edge. That’s good, because the more intensity you train with, the faster you will lose weight.

Monday

• V-Ups – 2-4 sets of 15-50 (work your way up to the maximum) [On your back, legs straight, arms extended straight over your head. Bring your finger tips to your toes, making your body form a "V" shape, keep legs and arms straight, do this exercise in a fast, explosive manner – STEADY MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT!]
• Bicycles – 2-3 sets of 30-60 [Left elbow to right knee, right elbow to left knee, keep a fast motion throughout. Once you start never let both legs touch the ground until you're done the set – FAST MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]
• Leg Raises – 3 sets of 15-30 [On your back, keep your legs straight, and raise them up forming an L-shape with your body. Get your lower back slight off the ground. – SLOW MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]
• Supermans – 3 sets of 15 [Lay on your stomach and raise both your arms and your legs off the ground simultaneously, like you're flying through the air - like Superman! STEADY MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]

Tuesday

• Weighted Crunch – 2 sets of 12-15 (use enough weight that will get you these amount of reps, no more and no less. It will require a lot of guess and check if you are new to this exercise) [Get on the weighted crunch machine, load up weight, and start crunching. SLOW MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]
• Weighted Decline Sit-ups 3 sets of 10-15 (concentrate on the massive burn) – [Get on the decline bench, grab a weight and put it across your chest and hold tight, go ALL the way down, and ALL the way up, at a decently high incline – SLOW MOVEMENT ON THE WAY DOWN, FAST & EXPLOSIVE ON THE WAY UP]
• Sitting Machine Crunch – 2-3 sets of 10-15 [Pick an ab machine, preferably one that lets you sit up, pick your weight, and do your crunches following the instructions of the machine. It will probably have you sit straight up, and crunch downwards. – STEADY MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]
• Back Extension Machine – 3 sets of 10-12 [Get on the back extension machine, and push all the way down, and all the way up – STEADY MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]

Wednesday

• Knee Hugs – 2-4 sets of 15-50 (work your way up to maximum) [Similar to the V-Ups, except this time, with your legs extended, and your arms extended straight over your head, focus on touching both knees to your chest, simultaneously – FAST MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]
• Russian Twists – 3 sets of 20-60 [Get yourself into a semi-crunch position on a decline bend and hold. Extend your arms out in front of you, and put your hands together, now twist to all the way to the left, and then twist all the way to the right, all while in the semi-crunch position. This should really put a burn on your midsection, as well as work the obliques very well – FAST, YET STEADY MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]
• Straight Extensions – 3 sets of 20-40 [Lay down, legs straight, arms at your sides. Lift your upper back off the ground, keeping arms straight, and legs straight, and focus on a touching your fingers to your toes motion, without moving your legs whatsoever. Your lower back does not leave the ground. This is almost like a half crunch, except your legs stay stationary – SLOW MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]
• Back Extensions – 3-4 sets of 15-30 [Get on the back extension unit / bench, bend all the way down, and then bend all the way up – STEADY MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]

Thursday

• Decline Bench Medicine Ball Sit-ups – 2-3 sets of 12-18 [Grab a medicine ball of decent weight, get on a decline bench, hold the medicine ball over your head the whole time, and go all the way up, and all the way down...OUCH! - FAST ON THE WAY DOWN, SLOW ON THE WAY UP]
• Decline Bench Russian Twists with medicine ball – 3-4 sets of 14-20 [Get on a decline bench with a medicine ball, and do the Russian Twists as described earlier, on a decline – FAST BUT CONTROLLED MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT - Start with a very low weight if you are new to this exercise.]
• Double Medicine Ball Crunches – 3 sets of 12-16 [Get on the ground, medicine ball between your feet, and a medicine ball in your hands, over your head. Crunch up concentrating on touching the 2 medicine balls together! Good luck! – SLOW AND STEADY MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]
• Good Mornings – 2-3 sets of 10-12 [Grab a barbell and load some weight on it, put the bar on the top of your upper back / shoulders / back of neck (CAREFULLY!). Bend down, legs straight, eyes and head up, and go back up – SLOW MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]

Friday

• Crunches – 3-4 sets of 30-60 (work your way up to maximum) [No explanation needed. Good old fashioned crunches – FAST AND STEADY MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]
• Sit-Ups – 3-4 sets of 30-60 [No, these are not the same as crunches. Lay down, knees slightly bent, feet on ground, arms behind head, and go all the way up, and back down. Don't let someone hold your feet down like they did back in gym class! Concentrate on keeping your feet pinned to the ground, while sitting up. It makes it harder – SLOW MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]
• Side Crunches – 3-4 sets of 20-40 each side [Lay on your side, and crunch, contracting your oblique muscles – FAST MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]
• Alternating Supermans – 3 sets of 15 (15 with left arm, right leg; 15 with right arm, right leg) [Same as the regular Supermans, except instead of raising your arms and legs up simultaneously, raise your left arm, and your right leg, then your right arm, and your left leg, respectively, simultaneously – STEADY MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]

Saturday

At this point, you might be completely spent. But when you are ready to take it to the next level, add this workout on Saturdays!

• Weighted Crunch with 1 leg – 2 sets of 8-15 (per each leg) [Get on the weighted crunch machine like explained before, but instead of putting both your legs through the leg pads, only put one leg through, and crunch that way – SLOW AND CAREFUL MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]
• Decline Bench Medicine Ball Passes – 4 sets of 15-20 [Get on the decline bench, grab a medicine ball and hold it at your chest, go all the way down, and when you come up, explode up as fast as you can and throw the ball at a partner, and have him throw it back at you at the very moment when you begin to back down, and repeat the painful process. You may also throw the ball at a wall and catch if you do not have a partner – SLOW ON THE WAY DOWN, SUPER FAST AND EXPLOSIVE ON THE WAY UP]
• The Ab Wheel – 3 sets of 10-12 [No weight needed for this bad boy. Everyone knows the wheel. Grab an ab wheel, and depending how strong you are, either start from your feet, or from your knees, roll all the way out, and then come back up. – You will only be able to do SLOW MOVEMENT during this exercise]
• Weighted Roman Chair Reverse Crunches – 3 sets of 8 [The Roman Chair is the gadget with the arm rests and the back rest, with bars coming out which you can hang from. Put a dumbbell between your feet, then hang from the Roman Chair, then pick your knees up slowly (or your feet up straight if you want a challenge) and then lower down slowly – SLOW MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]

Well, that was our Ab Exercise Workout for you! Of course, if you search around, there is a plethora of information on different exercises and ab workouts, but this is just an example of what you can start with and continue to do for a few weeks.

Of course, that was the easy part. The most important part is diet, followed by cardio!

Ab Diet for Women

If you’re already skinny, no need to change your diet. As long as you do not live off of junk food, you will be fine. But it is always beneficial to adjust your diet for healthy, natural foods if you are not eating them already. Your abs will tone up by simply doing the cardio and exercises outlined below.

If you’re slightly overweight, you must begin a healthy diet. Our Ab Diet Guidelines outline everything you need to know about what you should be eating.

It is important for women to realize that their bodies naturally hold onto to more fat than the males. Getting the last few pounds off to expose your abs will take time, depending on your body type. You can compare it to rolling a rock up a hill. It’s easy towards the beginning, but when you are getting close to the top (your goal), it becomes exponentially difficult.

If you are close to your goal but not seeing results, you can consider minor calorie restriction while intensifying your cardio.

Cardio Program for Abs

Slow and steady state cardio is your best friend during fat loss. But do not neglect high intensity cardio. Cardio while dieting is best performed early in the morning on a totally empty stomach.

Monday

• 20-40 minute jog
• 5-7 minutes of jumping jacks

Tuesday

• 10 second sprints / 20 second Rest – REPEAT 3-8 TIMES
• Jump Rope or Run in place for 10-15 minutes

Wednesday

• 20-40 minute jog
• 5-7 minutes running in place with high knee kicks

Thursday

• 1-2 minutes fast running / 1 minute to 1.5 minute rest – REPEAT 2-5 TIMES

Friday

• Sprint on grass, sand, gravel, anything but your regular routine – Design your own Workout, mixing in slow, steady-state cardio with with high-intensity cardio

Ab Exercise Program for Women

Remember, attach this routine to end of your regular workout routine if you have one. The goal is overall fitness.

Monday

• Knee Hugs – 3 sets of 20-30 [Lay down on your back with your legs extended and your arms extended straight over your head, then focus on touching both knees to your chest, simultaneously – FAST MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]
• Crunches – 3 sets of 20-40 [No explanation needed. Good old fashioned crunches – FAST AND STEADY MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]
• Reverse Side Crunches – 3 sets of 20-30 each side [Lay on the ground, almost on your side, and support yourself on your elbow like you are in a half-twist. Now lift your leg up towards your head, keeping your leg as straight as possible, really squeezing the obliques]

Tuesday

• Decline Bench Sit-ups – 3 sets of 20-30 [Get on the decline bench, grab a weight and put it across your chest and hold tight, go ALL the way down, and ALL the way up, at a decently high incline – SLOW MOVEMENT ON THE WAY DOWN, FAST & EXPLOSIVE ON THE WAY UP]
• Roman Chair Knee Lifts – 3 sets of 20-25 [The Roman Chair is the gadget with the arm rests and the back rest, with bars coming out which you can hang from. Hang from the Roman Chair, then pick your knees up – STEADY MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]
• Lying Hip Swing – 3 sets of 20-30 each side [Lie down on the floor on your back, spread your arms out to make a T, pick your legs up forming a 90 degree angle with your legs and your body. Keeping the legs straight, swing your legs back and forth touching the ground on each side, but keeping the rest of your body as stationary as possible]

Wednesday

• Weighted Crunches – 2 sets of 10-15 [Get on the weighted crunch machine, load up weight, and start crunching. SLOW MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]
• Decline Bench Medicine Ball Sit-ups – 3 sets of 12-15 [Grab a medicine ball of decent weight, get on a decline bench, hold the medicine ball over your head the whole time, and go all the way up, and all the way down - FAST ON THE WAY DOWN, SLOW ON THE WAY UP]
• Sitting Machine Ab Crunch – 2 sets of 10-12 [Pick an ab machine, preferably one that lets you sit up, pick your weight, and do your crunches following the instructions of the machine. It will probably have you sit straight up, and crunch downwards. – STEADY MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]

Thursday

• Repeat Monday’s workout

Friday

• Repeat Tuesday’s workout

This workout will benefit women trying to lose weight and get a defined midsection, or already fit women who want to tone their midsection. Female bodybuilders aside, we assume no women want to put on a considerable amount of weight and / or muscle, so this workout will suffice.

Your athletic abilities will greatly improve due to the core of your body being in such great shape, and you’ll be able to do more things, and for longer. With diet plan, cardio, and workouts, along with any other knowledge you have, will give you the abs of your dreams. Good luck and get to work!

There are individuals that can eat whatever they want and still keep their perfect body. If you are reading this, chances are you are not one of those people. These people are rare, and have a natural gift that cannot be replicated, so we will pay them no mind.

People with great abs often hear excuses from others like, “Oh, I work out but I can never get abs like you. You’re lucky!” Rich people hear, “Wow, I wish I was lucky like you so I can buy whatever I wanted.”
Luck has nothing to do with it. People at the top, whether it is physical, mental, or financial, have worked hard to reach their goals. If you want to be on their level, you are going to have to work hard. The reward for your dedication will pay-off ten-fold.

Exercise is Easy. Diet is Not

Diet will be the hard part of getting a flat stomach. We will layout a very simple, easy to follow diet plan that you should stick to for the rest of your life. The hard part is avoiding the temptation of sugars, processed foods, and junk.

You can do sit-ups and crunches until you’re blue in the face, but without a proper nutrition plan, you’re not going to see any results. Diet is the key cornerstone to any workout regimen, but especially when you’re on an abdominal specialization workout program.

The Only Rule of Dieting You Need to Know

If it grows in the ground, or eats something from the ground – Eat it.

If it was made by man, produced in a factory – Do Not Eat it.

So what does that mean? It means that what you eat should consist only of natural foods. Why? Back in the days of cavemen and Neanderthals, food options were limited. Fruits, vegetables, and lean meat were the only options available.

Were there overweight cavemen? No. Were cavemen dying off from diabetes, cancer, and heart disease? No. If cavemen had no natural predators and modern medicine, would they live to be 120 years old? Probably. If you are interested in the science behind this theory, pick up the Paleo Diet book. Otherwise, take our word for it.

We are generalizing, and of course things have changed since then, but eating only natural foods is the simplest diet you can ever be on. You can find natural foods on the perimeter of your supermarket. Do not venture into the aisles where boxes of cereal and bags of potato chips lurk. Stick to that and you will be fine.

Flat Stomach Diet Guidelines

You choose the foods, and you choose the times, just make sure the foods you choose are the right ones. If are truly dedicated to your goal of a sexy stomach, you will know before you put the food in your mouth if it is good for you.

Eat Anything as Long as it Follows Our Rule – Natural Food Only

Lean Meats – Poultry, fish, and lean red meats (pork, game meat) provide the protein and other nutrients you need to grow muscle. Avoid fatty red meats (like hamburger) because the amount of saturated fat is counter-productive to your goal.

Fruits and Vegetables – Fiber for digestive health and vitamins your body needs to be in tip-top shape. Fruits make great snacks throughout the day, and vegetables are delicious when cooked well. If you refuse to eat fruits and vegetables, you need to rethink your lifestyle and the expectations of your life span.

Whole Grains – The only thing you must absolutely stick to here is avoiding processed grains at all costs – enriched flour, bran, and wheat germ. Whole grains only! See this link for a list of acceptable healthy whole grains

Dairy Products – Dairy products are acceptable, but should be kept to a minimum. Just because yogurt says “Hey, I’m healthy!” on the package does not mean you should eat 5 of them a day. Dairy products are generally high in saturated fat, so keep it in moderation.

Diet Rules to Follow

Eat 6-8 Small Meals a Day – Have a healthy, filling breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Snack every 2-3 hours on healthy foods and you will never be hungry. Your body will begin to thank you by shaping itself into a lean, mean, calorie burning machine!

No Calorie Counting – You do not need to waste time calorie counting. Estimates are fine. Analyzing every single gram of food will only stress you out. (Unless you are meticulous and it makes you happy to be so thorough – then fine, calorie count! For the rest of us, it’s just not necessary)

60% Protein, 25% Carbs, and 15% Fats – This ratio is only a general guideline. The point is to eat plenty of protein while avoiding saturated fats (The 15% should come from healthy fat, like that found in fish.)

When you eat balanced meals throughout the day, and eat only the foods mentioned, then you are on track here. You can use a website like FitDay to track your ratio over a week or two, but after that it will come naturally.

Avoid Sugar – The occasional sweet won’t kill you. But when reward your efforts with constant sugar (candy and soda), you are only hurting yourself and ruining your chances of a flat stomach.

No Starvation – Starvation produces short-term results with serious long-term risks. There is absolutely no benefit to starvation, and there are serious consequences that are too many to list here.

But I’m Skinny!

Skinny people, especially men, need to follow along with this diet for a number of reasons. The obvious reason is better health overall. The nutrients and vitamins from natural, healthy foods allow your body to recover faster and develop better immunity towards disease.

The next reason is that this plan dictates a substantial protein intake, which is essential to muscle recovery. You will need every ounce of protein you can get to build the muscles within your abdominals to make that 6-pack pop out.

We’ll go into more detail for skinny men and women with the following ab workouts.

• Ab Exercises for Women
• Ab Exercises for Men with a Tummy That Want to Get a 6-pack
• Ab Exercises for Skinny Men That Want a Ripped Stomach

Before you apply these ab exercises to your regular workout routines, it is important to understand the principle behind them.

These are not your momma’s ab exercises! You won’t find these routines in Oprah Magazine. If you’re a little soft, you’re probably going to cry. We never said getting a 6-pack was going to be easy.

Is Your Goal Getting a 6-Pack or is Your Goal to Look Exactly the Same?

The abs are a weird muscle. Some professionals say to work them like every other muscle and just exercise them once a week. Others say exercise them 2 to 3 times a week. We disagree with all of them.

Now that doesn’t mean you go into the gym and blast your abs with hundreds of circuits and call it a day. In our experience and personal opinion, the abs should not have their own dedicated workout day. Ab work should be conducted after each workout session you have. While it will be hard to believe, the abs are to be trained daily up to 5-6 days a week, depending on how your body adapts, which it will.

Why? Because if you go the gym with a dedicated ab training session, you’re going to want to spend a considerable amount of time at the gym to feel like you got a good workout. You’re going to blast your abs all day – then you won’t want to or won’t be able to work them out again for days. This is ineffective for getting abs fast, which is the main goal of our program.

Our How to Get Abs workout plans are short, but effective, workouts to be done most days of the week so recovery time is minimal. You need to be able to come back the next day to continue your regime, so you get your 6-pack as quickly as possible.

This guide is for the people that want a chiseled, sexy stomach and these people only. If you want to keep looking the way you do, then continue working out your abs once or twice a week, or not at all.

Alternating the Two Types of Ab Workouts

The ab muscles recover very quickly, but it is still a muscle and needs replenishment. We are recommending doing our abs routines daily after each workout session, separating weighted, lower-rep ab days with non-weighted, higher-rep ab days.

Both forms of training will develop a toned, as well as strong, midsection. With weights for strength and size, and high rep training for the definition and the tone, you can’t possibly go wrong (unless your diet is not in check, which we will discuss next.)

Keep in mind – for weighted ab days, when you see the set and reps we require, that does not mean you can use 5 or 10 pounds (unless it truly is all you can do) and go through the motions and call it day. Weighted ab day will be difficult! Make sure you pick enough weight that allows you to successfully (but with difficulty) complete the desired number of repetitions.

Training your abs will be slightly different depending on your body type. If you’re a little chunky, training will be different from someone who is skin and bones. We are providing you with workouts for different body types and different genders to help get as many people get a flat stomach as possible.

Do Not Neglect the Rest of Your Body!

Even thought these workouts only consist of abdominal exercises, don’t think you can do just these daily workouts while neglecting all of your other muscles. Add our routines to your regular workout routine. If you are unfamiliar with exercise and do not have a routine, there are numerous beginner’s guides on the web. Here is a very basic beginner’s routine to get your started.

You can also ask a friend with experience in the field of fitness to come up with a plan for you, or hire a personal trainer at your gym to get you started.

You don’t need to know anatomy to get 6-pack abs, but a general understanding will do you a lot of good in the long-run (especially when you have to explain to your friends how you got your sexy stomach).

We will not get too technical so we do not bore you, but it is especially important to read about the lower back portion of this article.

Upper Abs

The upper abs are generally the top 2 sets of abs. They are the abs that will start popping out first during your quest for a flat stomach. They make up the top two-thirds of the 6-pack. If you need a more detailed explanation, check out the Rectus adbominis muscle wiki.

The most common, basic ab exercises for the upper abs are crunches, sit-ups, and bicycle crunches. They are all acceptable exercises for training the upper abs.

Lower Abs

Next are the lower abs, which are considered the bottom 2 sets of abs. Basic exercises include reverse crunch, leg lifts, knee raises, and Roman Chair leg lifts. With more and more diet and weight loss, the lower abs will start to “cut out” of the bottom of your belly / pelvic area. Exposing all of the lower abs will you give you the infamous 8-pack, the Holy Grail of Sexiness.

Transverse Abdominis

The transverse abs are located behind the abdominal wall, and it is the muscle that actually pushes your abs out so that they pop out and look more defined.

Very specific training protocols are required to make good use of this often overlooked area of the abdominals. It is arguably impossible to have a “flat” stomach without training the transverse abdominis. While the transverse abs get a tremendous amount of exposure during heavy lifting (while standing), they do need direct work for a 6-pack.

More importantly, this muscle is essential to developing a strong core. A strong core gives you incredible functional strength and reduces your chances of injury during physical activity. Our How to Get Abs series indirectly strengthens your core, so you not only look great but you become much more functional than ever before.

Obliques

The obliques are muscles on either side of your abs, running along your rib cage down to your hips, and then looping around slightly and connecting to the lower back. The obliques are what gives your body the tapered V-shape that make you look like an athlete.

Side crunches, side bends, bicycle sit-ups, etc. are the common exercises used to train the obliques, but we’ll get a little more creative for you in the following exercise articles.

Serratus Muscles

Ever see Arnold doing a most muscular pose, and see those little lines right under his chest over top of his rib cage? That is the serratus muscle.

The serratus muscle is more of a look good muscle than a functional strength muscle, but that is what we are after: looking good.

The serratus muscle gets a good amount of work with most ab and oblique workouts, as well as some chest workouts. There are technically no direct serratus exercises which isolate the muscle, but the workout examples in our How to Get Abs guide will all hit the serratus muscle in some way, shape, or form.

Lower Back

“But the lower back isn’t an ab muscle,” you scream!

You’re right, it’s not; the lower back is an antagonist muscle to the abdominals. Without getting too scientific, an antagonist muscle basically makes its counterpart utilize all the muscle fibers better and stronger when the antagonist is also strong. Examples would include the triceps being the antagonist to the bicep, the hamstrings being an antagonist to the quads, and so on.

Often times we see “jacked” guys at the gym doing thousands of bicep curls while totally neglecting his triceps and wondering why his arms are still small. (Beside the fact the triceps make up 2/3 of your arm muscle, and the bicep is only 1/3, but that’s a whole different article).

Every muscle needs to have a strong antagonist working alongside it to work to its fullest potential and power. The lower back (lumbar) area must NEVER be forgotten!

Besides making your abs, along with your core, strong and balanced, it also makes you look good from the backside. Lower back training needs to be taken seriously, and carefully, so that the muscle does not get overly strained.

99% of people totally neglect the lower back. When you first start working out your lower back, ease into it so you don’t over-train and possibly injure yourself. The lower back, much like the transverse abs, gets a lot of workload out of certain heavy lifts (squats and deadlifts), but it still needs direct work. Exercises include back extensions, good mornings, and “supermans.”

Most weight loss products don’t work, plain and simple. It is amazing to us to see commercials for products like the Red Exerciser (in its heyday it was heavily promoted), which is essentially a bar stool that promises you an amazing body. Trying to comprehend how one specific exercise machine will give you such great results throughout your entire body gives us a headache, but somehow they sold a lot.

What You Don’t Need for Getting Abs

Bogus Ab Machines

There are many, many ab machines being sold on TV. Some make you do crunches, some have you twist side-to-side, and some really don’t have you do anything. Yes, there are actually products like the Flex Belt that require no effort whatsoever. Either way, all of them promise results with minimal effort on your part.

The truth is that if you buy these products; expect the only weight loss you obtain to be in your wallet. Actually, let’s back up for a second. Some of these products do work, but when it comes to the 6-pack abdominals, you need a variety of exercises – not just one. Due to the complexity of the abdominals, no one machine is going to give you a 6-pack, despite what most marketing will have you believe.

There are a few pieces of equipment that will be vital to getting your six-pack. These include the decline bench, hanging bars (something you can suspend your body from), and medicine balls. You can spend a bundle on these products individually, buy a membership at any gym will give you access to all of them.

Hundreds of Crunches and Sit-Ups

Believe it or not, there are some clowns out there that say you can get a six-pack by doing hundreds and hundreds of crunches a day. We’ve all heard it, and it sounds good in theory, but it’s just not true.

Crunches and sit-ups are important for attaining that six-pack, but they are only a small piece of the puzzle. Exposing your abdominals requires some serious abuse to the ab muscles, and you’re not going to get that just from crunches and sit-ups.

Tons of Boring Cardio

Most people think that getting a six-pack requires running for 3 hours a day so you lose the fat around your abs. While this can work, it’s not very effective or fun. There are much better ways to burn fat than doing boring and repetitive cardio exercises, which we will explain in the our How to Get Abs Guide.

What You Do Need for Getting Abs

Most of the ab exercises we outline in this guide can be done at home with no equipment. But when you want to get serious about your sexy six-pack, you will eventually need some equipment. Decline benches and medicine balls are just some examples.

We recommend getting a gym membership. Most people already have one, so it is not a major problem. Your other option is buying a comprehensive home gym, but that is expensive. In any case, the program outlined in our How to Get Abs guide requires equipment, so if you are serious about that six-pack you need to get yourself into a gym!

You must work on the total package. If you only do the exercises outlined in this program, ignoring the rest of your body, your abs will never show. The body is a machine and all of the parts have to be trained, not just the abs. You must work all of the other muscles in your body. This means using your home gym or getting a gym membership.

If you’ve ever heard that spot training is a myth, well, it’s true. Don’t expect a perfect 6-pack when you still have fat hanging from your arms.

You can avoid getting a gym membership with some ingenuity, but when you can find everything you need in one place, it just makes sense.

This guide is for those people that are sick and tired of not having the body they want, and are willing to work for it. This guide is for the people that are done being lied to whenever they buy an ab workout gimmick seen on TV, and want to know the real truth behind getting sexy abs. This guide is for the people that want unstoppable confidence.

Abs are sexy. There is no denying that men and women cannot resist a great six-pack. Forgive us if we sound superficial, but this is just human nature. The only people who think that looks aren’t important are those not getting laid. Sorry, fat guys and feminists.

Getting your sexy abs to show will require hard work. If you are not willing to put in the effort, do not expect results. The fitness models and Hollywood actors you see in magazines and on TV did not get those abs working out 20 minutes a day, 3 times a week. They are committed to obtaining and maintaining their goal by working hard and working often.

Our How to Get Abs Guide is going to shock your abs into showing. It will require intense dedication to your exercise routine and diet. There will be no hand-holding and empty promises. Those “experts” and “personal trainers” that want you to gradually lose weight and slowly work into an exercise program are full of it. Slowly but surely is a motto for the lazy!

This is the Secret to 6-pack Abs

Strictness – Follow our How to Get Abs guide as closely as you can. Adjust for your skills, but your goal should be to follow along and go beyond it when you are ready.

Persistence – Never think about giving up. Your work will pay off, but it will pay off faster for some and slower for others. Fight through the mental anguish and physical pain.

Willpower – We have a problem with willpower in this country. We give up too easily. Force yourself to reach your goals. Take a before picture and post it online, or surround yourself with photos of the sexiest abs you want to have. Tell your friends and family about your goals so you cannot back out.

Hard Work – If it were easy, we’d all be walking around with washboard abs.

Are you ready?

Abs. Everyone has them, but not everyone’s abdominals are popping out and impressing the ladies (or the guys!) The good news is that everyone can get visible abdominals, men and women alike. The abs are not a magical muscle that show up only in certain people with great genetics. The infamous six-pack is attainable by anyone!

Our ab exercise program (which will be released over the next few days) is not some easy gimmick that guarantees results without effort, or some sales pitch that promises to get you a six-pack while you sit on your bum eating fast food. It is simply going to outline the cold, hard facts of getting visible abs, along with some common sense.

After reading our How to Get Abs Guide, anybody will be able to understand the process of changing the physical appearance of their body, specifically the abdominals. With this knowledge and some hard work, you will get those abs showing very quickly!

Myths about Ab Exercises

Let’s talk about the abdominal muscle. The abdominals are the muscle over your stomach. While many people say that the abs are one large muscle and any abdominal exercise works just fine, that is quite false. It is true that the abdominals are one solid muscle, but they are made up of different components which are emphasized differently with each exercise. There are few exercises that will train most of the abdominal muscle, so it will require a combination of specific exercises to hit every single area of the abs to get them ripped.

However, getting your body to expose that sexy six-pack is not easy. Don’t let any marketing tell you otherwise. To get that chiseled tummy, you will have to work!

The abs are generally stubborn muscles and they need to be abused to get the results you want. Our How to Get Abs Guide does not provide any specific workout for all types of people because everybody is different. But it will provide guidelines for a workout routine that you can adjust to your own abilities.

Some people will find it easy, while most will find it too hard. Nobody knows your body better than you, so adjust your workout until you find something you can do. Ultimately, your goal is to complete these ab workouts and go beyond what we teach you.

Because every single person is different, we break our How to Get Abs Guide into three types of people, which are:

• Ab Exercises for Women
• Ab Exercises for Fat Men That Want to Get a 6-pack
• Ab Exercises for Skinny Men That Want a Ripped Stomach

Do Not Ignore the Rest of Your Body!

Because this series of articles is all about abs, we will not talk about any other muscle group or workouts for those muscles. If you are already doing some type of exercise, all you need to do is add the following program to your routine. If you are not exercising, you can use the following guides to begin a workout routine, but you should add other exercises so your other muscles are not left untrained. These routines will add about 20-30 minutes your daily workout.