Can you really get a six-pack in a month? Yes, if you use a sensible exercise and nutrition plan, says Chris Walton, the director of personal training at London’s Embody Fitness and specialist in body transformations. He shares his advice below.
We've also got four tips on getting a six-pack in four weeks, from easy food swaps to workout add-ons that will help you reach your goal faster. Of course, your diet is crucial – the six-pack diet explains the best foods to help you build muscle and lose flab.
What's the best way to get a six-pack fast?
How quickly you can reveal your six-pack depends largely on how committed you are – and how prepared you are to ignore the standard advice. The NHS, for example, advises dropping no more than 1kg a week for healthy weight loss. Not only is that based on poor assumptions, it’s also totally unambitious. First, it assumes exercise isn’t part of the plan. Why? Because the second assumption is that weight loss is achieved by restricting calories. That’s in spite of mounting evidence suggesting losing weight isn’t as simple as a calories in/out equation.
Besides, getting a six-pack is not about losing weight – it’s about burning fat. And losing 1kg-plus of fat per week isn’t just possible, it’s the real way to reveal your abs. At Embody Fitness, we routinely see clients lose 10kg of fat in eight weeks. This is done through portion control and by using diet to regulate the hormones controlling blood sugar and appetite. We also train our clients in a way that stimulates muscle growth, as well as creating a “metabolic disturbance” that keeps their metabolism – the body’s fat-burning mechanism – high for up to 36 hours after training (see below).
In fact, you can eat more thanks to the metabolism change that comes from building new muscle tissue. This will support further lean tissue growth as well as ensuring the body doesn’t feel “starved” and hold on to fat.
A lot of people go carb-free when trying to lose fat. This is a mistake – the body reacts badly to a low-carb diet after two or three weeks. First, your thyroid slows production of the cells responsible for metabolism, and second, there’s an increase in production of the hormone cortisol. As well as storing fat around the belly, this breaks down muscle tissue and causes insulin resistance, which all spells bad news for fat loss.
So, yes, it’s totally possible to see your abs in four weeks. If you’re overweight it’ll take longer, but the immediate changes should be dramatic enough to keep you going until a six-pack starts taking shape.
Metabolism Disturbers
Start your workouts with supersets that put your body in fat-burning mode for 36 hours.
1A Deadlift Works the back of the lower body.
1B Bench press Works the front of the upper body.
2A Squat Works the front of the lower body.
2B Chin-up Works the back of the lower body.
Resistance Abs Workout For A Six-Pack In Four Weeks
Try these six moves to help build new muscle and give your six-pack definition.
Tacking on a few sit-ups to the end of your workout isn’t going to cut you a washboard stomach, and neither is doing endless sets of crunches. What you really need is added resistance to exhaust your abs fully, so you grow new muscle and give your six-pack definition. Follow this workout to get the type of abs you only ever thought were possible in movies. Also, make sure to follow the tips on the following page.
Wobble cushion plank
Activate the deep core muscles and place tension in the abs with this move that targets the core and abs.
Sets 3 Time 20-60 seconds
Hold your body in a straight line from head to heels. Brace your abs to control the wobble.
Cable woodchop
This move targets your abs along the rotational plane, as well as your shoulders.
Sets 2 Reps 10 each side
Keep a slight bend in your elbows, but lock them in place to avoid using your arms to move the weight. Pivot on the ball of your inside foot as you twist.
One-arm cable cross crunch
This targets your abs and obliques (side abs), which provide support for your abs.
Sets 2 Reps 10 each side
Medicine ball leg drop
Hit your lower abs to support the crunches and work your abs from a new angle.
Sets 2 Reps 10
Start with your legs in the air and don’t let your heels touch down between reps. Keep your legs almost straight throughout the move.
Side plank star
Raising your leg and arm creates tension in your obliques and works your core.
Sets 4 Reps 10-30 seconds
Start with your body in a straight line from neck to ankles. Without sagging at the hips, raise your top arm and leg simultaneously. Swap sides with each set.
Medicine ball side throw
A high-tempo move that requires co-ordination under pressure and targets the abs and upper back.
Sets 2 Reps 10 each side
Rotate all the way through and release the ball to a partner. Engage your abs throughout to power the move.
Now head over to read our four top tips to getting a six-pack in four weeks – these easy tweaks will help you achieve a washboard stomach as quickly as possible.
