So...You Want Abs? Part I - Fueled Physique

My favorite guy is back with another awesome post for us! In case you missed Dan’s first two posts, you can find them here and here. A little intro: Dan is an epidemiologist, strength & conditioning coach, just became an instructor at the National Personal Trainer Institute teaching future personal trainers the ins and outs of the job, loves burritos and loves puppies-a muscle man with a soft side 😉 . He also just started a blog himself which you can find here. He’s also super smart so I always love when he writes for my blog.

Today Dan has a little ab challenge for you. Dan’s gonna handle the exercise side and later this week I’ll tackle the nutrition piece so you’ll have all the tips you need to shape those abs before summer is over!

Take it away, Dan!

If you want to see your abs on the beach this summer I’ve got a KILLER ab challenge for you: Do a plank every day starting at just 10 seconds then and add 10 more seconds each day. Work through the end of the month so you’ll eventually work to a 310 second (5 min. and 10 sec.) plank!

Oh, you’ve heard of that one? Didn’t work, you say? Oh…

Well how about THIS ONE: 30 seconds on and 10 seconds off for 5 rounds: Crunches, bicycles, sit ups, leg lifts and planks. Do that every day for a month. That’s an ab challenge!

You’re kidding me? You did that one too? Huh… interesting…

I’m sure you’ve heard, seen and maybe have even tried countless “Ab Challenges” and read even more Cosmo and Health magazine articles titled “5 EASY tips for HOT abs this summer.”

Yeah dude…same here. It’s way too easy to get hooked by those titles. It’s even easier to be deceived by how easy they make it sound. In reality a 5 minute plank is an absolute nightmare, but they make you think if you work harder, not smarter, then you’ll reach your goals and get your sexy six pack just in time for summer.

Well, I’m all in favor of working hard but I’m also in favor of working smart.

If you want to get flat or ripped abs, you’re really dealing with two components: fat loss so your abs can show through your belly and muscle growth in the ab region for the same reason. So we have to do two things here: lose fat around our stomachs and gain abdominal (specifically rectus abdominis- RA) muscle.

Gaining muscle takes a long time, especially for women, and especially with a small muscle group like the RA. Building those muscles takes a lot of intense activity and adequate rest. What does intense activity look like for your abs? It looks like squats, sprints, deadlifts, plyometrics, rope work, etc. What we have to focus on here is fat loss since that is going to be the main reason our abs don’t show through. These exercises give you the most bang for your buck and help your body burn fat much more so than crunches or planks. You may recall the phrase, “you cannot spot reduce fat.” In other words, you can’t pick and choose where you lose weight. The goal should be to burn the fat off, not hold the longest plank, so when the fat comes off our abs are there to show off.

Try this “ab workout” next time you’re at the gym:

10 sprints 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off

5×10 Front Squats

5×10 Pushups

5×20 Lunge Jumps

10 sprints 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off

High intesnity? Yup. Lots of bang for your buck? Yup. Fat buring? Yup. Give it a shot.

To sum up you want to work smarter, not necessarily harder, although you do need to work hard. I would suggest you follow a healthy nutrition plan with appropriate strength and cardio training along with adequate rest to get THE SIX PACK YOU’VE ALWAYS WANTED!

How do you get started with a healthy nutrition plan? I’m glad you asked! That’s Lauren’s next blog! How funny!

Hey Guys,

Just a quick reminder!

I’m starting the second round of my super exclusive, high level 8-week fat loss program on Tuesday, July 5. This time around it’s an 8-week Summer Shape Up with a focus on fat loss.

Here’s what you get:
•24/7 email and text access to me
•Bi-weekly phone calls (30 min max)
•Access to a private Facebook group
•Accountability and motivational support
•A customized fat loss plan with changes made as needed
•Weekly kick ass home/gym workouts that are 20 minutes or less

Yes, the Summer Shape Up is about fat loss but you’ll get so much more. You’ll learn to get control back over forbidden foods, your cravings will decrease, you’ll lose weight, you’ll become more confident, you’ll connect with other women who have the same goals you do, you’ll have super high access to me so I can answer any and all of your questions as soon as possible.

It’s really not possible to fail on this program if you follow it as it’s laid out. So what are you waiting for?

Just click here –> http://bit.ly/22wxpRN if you’re interested and get your name on the list! I’ll reach out to you asap with next steps. The wait list is only open until June 13! If it’s anything like the first round of my fat loss coaching program spots are gonna go fast!

I can’t wait!

So…You Want Abs? Part I

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