Ripped Abs

So, you want the kind of ripped abs you see in the underwear commercials. Man or woman, having a nicely chiseled midsection is generally regarded as a badge of honor among the health conscious and the general public at large. It's not easy to achieve, but here are some pointers on how you can get there.

Before You Start

As always, be careful about starting out right. If you're overweight, have a medical condition or simply don't lead a very active life without regular exercise, it is strongly recommended to check with your doctor before plunging into an ambitious exercise regimen. Tearing a weakened knee joint or dropping dead on the treadmill after pushing yourself too hard may be somewhat counterproductive in your quest for ripped abs.

Cardio

There's more to earning your six pack than doing endless sets of abdominal crunches. In fact, the MOST important step in achieving your desired result is to burn off the layer of lard covering your midsection. You probably already have halfway decent abs right now if you could magically peel away the covering.

Burning fat off the midsection -- especially the lower portion, around and below the belly button -- can be a challenge. Unfortunately, there's really nothing you can do to speed up the process beyond slow and steady overall fat loss. If that's the spot where the fat retreats last, then it might be even harder to lose, but with a little perseverance, it can be done. Remember, if it were easy to obtain a set of ripped abs, everyone would have one.

For best results, use a combination of longer, low-intensity cardio sessions alternating with interval-type training. For example, let's say you do cardio four times a week -- half of that can be the plain vanilla plodding along on the Stairmaster or exercise bike for slow but steady calorie burn. But the other two should be a little more intense, alternating between sprints and slow pace.

This crosses the threshold into anaerobic training, i.e. not merely fat-burn training, but it still burns good calories while also buffing up your heart, lungs and stamina. The traditional way to do this kind of training is to go jogging, only you do an all-out sprint for X seconds every couple minutes. You can also accomplish the same effect on the gym's cardio machines. Some classes, like Spinning, have strong elements of this too.

Weight Training

Of course, you have to keep building up your abs too so you have something to show once they do surface. To make sure your abs get the attention they deserve, train them FIRST instead of last in the workout for the next couple months. This is a classic trick for putting the emphasis on a lagging body part, be it calves, forearms, or neck, and it works excellently with abs too.

Don't forget to give the rest of your body a complete work-through too. Since you're actively dropping weight, you probably won't gain NEW muscle, but keeping up the weights will at least make sure you don't lose what you've already gained. Maintaining muscle mass is very important to keep your metabolism up (which burns calories around the clock).

Putting It Together For Ripped Abs

If you pull all the various components together a sample weekly schedule might look something like this:

• Monday: 60 minutes cardio, treadmill
• Tuesday: 30 minutes cardio, interval training
• Wednesday: Weight training, upper body
• Thursday: 60 minutes cardio, Stairmaster
• Friday: 30 minutes cardio, interval training
• Saturday: Weight training, legs
• Sunday: Rest

Of course, you may have to adjust the intensity and frequency depending on your current physical condition and abilities. Some can handle 45 minutes of cardio before breakfast every day of the week, while others may have to start out considerably easier and perhaps save the interval training for much later. Either way, the important thing is that you fit that sweet spot between not being challenged and getting in over your head. Once you're there, you're on the fast track to ripped abs. Good luck!

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