Those desirable six pack abs. "How can I get them" is the question asked by so many people who really care how they look, and exercise or workout at the gym.

Firstly, it may be good news that you weren't aware of, but everyone already has quite a good set of abdominals. Though the reality is that most people can’t see their abs because a layer of fat lies over them. So, anyone can have get defined six pack abs by following the RIGHT techniques. By this we mean the correct combination of exercise AND diet. This is not nearly as onerous as it sounds, and you'll have your own personal variations BUT, there's no getting around the fact that we need to remove the fat to sculpt ripped abs. It's the combination of both nutrition and exercise that will allow us to achieve the results we want.

One of the first things we need to clarify is that you won't need any of those fat burning pills or any other unnatural weight loss substances in order to get six pack abs. There's a vast array of supplements, potions and pills advertised all over the net, and other places, which advertisers say are "essential" to get fast results. The truth is, they're just not needed to get six pack abs. You may wish to add something like a whey protein supplement for muscle growth, as this can be beneficial, but even that is entirely optional if your diet is good.

So, specific exercise and diet changes are the best way to burn fat since exercise has the double effect of both burning calories and adding muscle. The more muscle we have, the higher our metabolic rate, which in turn also burns more calories. It often surprises people that strength training is better for increasing metabolism than cardio training. The reason being that our muscles use significant amounts of energy, and this energy is supplied by the nutrients we provide in our food. It's a simple equation really, and the more we can tip the fat burning scales in our favour, the easier it will be to reveal attractive six pack abs.

Mike Geary of "Truth About Abs" fame said recently that he personally hadn't done "cardio" for years. Don't misunderstand this though, by "cardio" he means "traditional cardio" which is for example "pumping away mindlessly on a treadmill, riding a stationary bike, or coasting on an elliptical machine, while watching the TV screen at their state of the art gym." 

In reality though, what many would consider a weight training, strength building exercise can actually be a more effective cardio workout if it gets your heart really pumping and you're doing several sets of reps without too much of a break between sets.

As Mike G said in a recent email, "How about trying 5 minutes straight of rotating bodyweight squats, lunges, and pushups with very little rest between. Again, notice your heart pounding, sweat pouring off of you, and chest heaving for breaths! Try and tell me you're not conditioning your heart with this style of training! Conventional thinking says that these are weight training or strength training exercises. However, they are fulfilling your cardio needs as well."

Don't think this type of exercise is just for the men. Women benefit just as much even if they're using lighter weights. Effective fat burning and ab conditioning is the result. For more specifics on good exercises for fat burning and developing six pack abs, see our exercises articles. We also highly recommend checking out the "Truth about Six Pack Abs" which will give you the most complete and honest guide to developing the ultimate set of six pack abs, or flat lean abdominals.

Source: Original article by Richard Beale http://www.absguide.com July 2008

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