6 Pack Abs Checklist

Is it really possible for anyone to get 6 pack abs or is it some genetic mutation that only some people are gifted with? I’d like to say yes it’s all genetics as I’m in the same boat with you, it’s a pain in the ass battling with having a chiseled midsection. In fact, it’s taken me a heck of a lot of work to get toned abs and sometimes I’m quite annoyed with guys who come in to the gym and barely workout and yet have the perfect abs.

Be that as it may, we’re going to quickly run through the 6 pack abs checklist so we have a point of reference in case we start going off track. I’ll be honest with you, it’s not going to be easy (for most of you!) but take this on as a personal challenge and stay determined until you reach your goals.

6 Pack Abs Checklist: Abs Diet

Well a whole book can be written on this topic, and heck there are probably thousands of books written on 6 pack abs diet, but let’s take a different approach. Let’s take a look at a typical diet of a fitness competitor who’s whole career is focused on reaching the perfect 6 pack. Ready for this? It’s not pretty!

Meal 1: 4 egg whites, 1/2 cup of oatmeal with cinammon, 1 teaspoon honey
Meal 2: Whey Protein Shake with Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion
Meal 3: 1 Chicken breast, 1 cup of brocolli
Meal 4: 8oz lean beef seasoned over 1 cup brown rice, 1 cup vegetables
Meal 5: 1 chicken breast, 1 cup brown rice, 1 tbsp olive oil, salsa
Meal 6: 1 cup fat free cottage cheese, 2 whole eggs
Meal 7: 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt with fresh fruit
Meal 8: Whey Protein Shake with Optimum 100% Natural Casein

Are you surprised? Sounds a little bland to me, but interesting how many meals and the variety this kind of 6 pack abs diet includes! So now we know how much dedication it takes. But personally I want to make sure I still enjoy what I eat, so we can strive our best to get close to this kind of meal plan right?

6 Pack Abs Checklist: Intense Cardio Training

There are two ways you can go about this. You can include low impact long duration cardio if you’re not concerned about muscle mass, or you can include high intensity short duration cardio training if you are focusing on gaining muscle mass. Personally I like somewhere in between these two with high intensity interval training because it allows my body short breaks between the sprints and reduces overall muscle strain.

The key to focus on here is that you are pushing yourself in some way in each session keeping some form of intensity. Try increasing sprint durations, or use hills, bleachers, stairs to add variety. Also make this more fun by trying different cardio exercises like jumping rope, biking, hiking, spin classes, kickboxing, power yoga, swimming, rowing, etc.

6 Pack Abs Checklist: Core Training

Notice that I’ve left core training ab workouts as the last step in this checklist because out of all 3 it is the least effective in providing 6 pack abs. What I mean by this is that you can have the most intense ab workout in the world but if you’re not eating well and including intense cardio in your workouts you won’t be able to get a 6 pack.

But what if you’re doing your best with eating well and getting at least 3 days of cardio sessions in a week? Well let’s take a look at some very effective 6 pack abs exercises:

Abdominal crunches on a stability ball (view image)
Side plank (30 seconds each side) (view image)
Abdominal wheel extensions (view image)
Back extensions with stability ball (view image)
Balance board knee tucks (view image)
Hanging leg raises (view image)
Woodchopper with medicine ball (view image)
Deadlift with dumbbells (view image)
Cable crunches (view image)
Bicycle crunches (view image)

Try a mix of 5 of these exercises in an ab workout session and make sure to reduce your resting period to about 30 seconds between each set and you’re going to be feeling a pretty good burn.

6 Pack Abs Checklist: Supplements
Last week I came across a pretty killer combo package created by Bodybuilding.com which is made for men and women individually. They include pretty much everything you will ever need to burn that fat and accelerate your 6 pack abs goals. Check it out:

6 Pack Abs Checklist: Conclusion

Nice, we now have a pretty solid checklist to reference whenever we notice our tummy is bulging out. We can follow these steps as close as possible and know that we’re doing our best to achieve the ultimate goal – getting 6 pack abs!

Have any comments on your favorite ab exercises or questions about 6 pack abs? Please leave a comment below…