If you’ve tried and failed to get a six-pack in the past, this post is for you.
It shouldn’t be so puzzling. Once you really get these 6 points, you’ll know where you went wrong.
(1) You’re just eating too damn much.
Always keep in mind that the single most important factor is getting your total body fat down to the level where you can see your abs.
Everyone already has abs. Yes, they might not be very ‘sculpted’, but everyone already has them.
Getting a six-pack is primarily about getting your body fat down below 10% for men, and about 17% for women. If you aren’t this lean, you just won’t see a six-pack. Getting lean is the priority.
(2) You’re eating too many carbs
[tweetthis]If you eat carbs, you burn carbs. If you eat fat (and low carb), you become a fat-burner.[/tweetthis]
Becoming a fat-burner i.e. burning fat as your primary source of fuel is a called fat-adaptation. (This is covered in a new movie called Cereal Killers 2 – Run on Fat.)
The body only burns protein for fuel in emergency situations. So the deal is this: if you want to really tap into your body fat stores for energy, you reduce your carb intake to force the body into fat-burning mode.
Also, if you are sensitive to carbs, what can happen is that although you may be creating a caloric deficit with your diet, you are sending the wrong hormonal signals to the body i.e. telling your body to be in “storage” mode, not “burning” mode.
This is a complicated topic you can learn more about in my article ‘carbs and weight loss‘, but to simplify, through high-insulin levels and with leptin resistance, your body is put into an energy storage mode. Even though you are in a caloric deficit, your body will compensate by slowing its metabolism way down.
You’ll feel lazy, tired, lethargic, and ready to quit your diet. Your workouts will suck, and you may even lose muscle.
After a week of hunger you step on the scales and… you lose nothing! Sound familiar? You may have been hungry all week, but your body slowed everything down to match your low calorie intake and you ended up losing nothing.
Ditch that low-fat, high-carb approach, and go with what science says is the best way to torch fat.
Science has repeatedly proven the combination of the type of diet and training used in Total Six Pack Abs as THE SINGLE BEST way to lose fat and improve body composition.
No doubt about it, it is a lower-carb and weight training combo that beats everything else for weight loss. Even better, it beats everything else for body recomposition i.e. more lean mass with less fat mass.
TSPA produces better fat loss than anything else. NOTE: you will cycle carb intake up and down on TSPA. It is not a permanent low-carb diet
TSPA has its own diet and meal plans. I have so much confidence in this product that TSPA comes with a 100% no-quibble money-back guarantee.
This leads me on nicely to my next point…
(3) You are trying to cardio your way to a six-pack
Cardio’ing your way to a six-pack is fine if you want to look emaciated and have people ask if you are sick.
Those of us in the know, know that cardio is actually the least important factor. In terms of effectiveness, it goes like this:
- Diet
- Weight/Resistance Training
- Cardio
…in that order.
And cardio can be seen as optional – I don’t do any. A lot of the guys that have succeeded on TSPA didn’t do any.
Again, you change the composition of your body primarily with diet and weight training. Cardio is optional, and can even be a detriment if you do too much.
(4) You’ve more local fat storage around the mid-section than most people (like me)
Yes, I’m afflicted with this one myself. I tend to store most of my fat around my belly. So if I add fat, I lose my six-pack fast.
Patterns of fat-storage are genetically determined, so there is nothing you can do about it. Guys in this camp just need to get a little leaner than most before their ab muscles are visible.
While, for the vast majority of guys, 10% is the six-pack barrier, you may need to crack 9% or even 8% if most of your fat is stored around the waist. Don’t moan. Don’t complain. Just get it done.
(5) You’re “crunching” your way to a six-pack
I really hope this doesn’t apply to anyone reading this.
But I’m still shocked that in 2015 people are still buying bizarre contraptions from QVC to work their abs. Puh-lease!!
Like I said in point 1. Building ab muscles is the easy part. Getting your body fat below 10% is the hard part.
[tweetthis]Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym.[/tweetthis]
It doesn’t matter if you do 1000 crunches a day. All you need is 1 or 2 short-but-intense ab sessions a week (along with training the rest of your body) coupled with the right diet and you’ll succeed.
(6) You’re relying on miracle supplements that “melt belly fat”
Again, in the year 2015, this is just sad.
There is no such thing. You can’t possibly target fat around the midsection. You can only lose TOTAL body fat, then your own genetics will determine the pattern of where it comes off over time.
To believe that any miracle berry, green tea, or fat-burning supplement could contain a chemical that goes straight to the fat on your belly and burns it…is just really silly.
To promote this nonsense is to promote magic. Stop it.
I do have a list of supplements that have been scientifically verified here. And here are 10 supplements you should NEVER buy.
—————————————————————————————————
So there you have it: 6 ways a lot of people screw up in their effort to get ripped. Now you know 😉
Got questions? No probs. I love to help. Just ask me below.
Not cutting? Just want to build muscle? Want these results? Then…
Download the full and free THT workout below. After inputting your email, you will be taken directly to the download page for instant access to the workout. You don’t need to go to your email to confirm anything.
Train With Intensity!
Mark
Never bought anything from QVC lol but must admit I totally fell for the supplement thing until a year ago. I was taking green tea, acai berry in the hopes of burning belly fat. Not surprisingly, they didn’t work lol
@Bob. Well Bob, as they say, “Nothing works until you do!” 😉
Looking at TSPA, is the diet plan suitable or adaptable for vegetarians ? I haven’t eaten meat for 30 years, and competed at international level in cycling, and am now lifting weights and doing martial arts. And meat will never be an option. Thanks.
@Adrian. Certainly. Many vegetarians have succeeded with TSPA. So long as you can hit your daily target for protein, you’ll succeed. You’re probably already hitting this target anyway.
Green tea…if its a good kind…works to boost energy and boost immune system….I take it… I can rock a six pack all year round…Thanks to Mark of course….Carry on over there…
@Mike. The metabolism raising is just the caffeine, though. A cup of coffee would actually work better.
And thanks bud – rock it all year round 🙂
What’s your stance on most fat burners that are on the market today? Do they actually do any help if I incorporate them with the right fat burning diet and training?
Adrian, if you’re a lacto-ovo veg you should be fine. Like Mark says, watch your numbers to make sure you get enough protein. Just try not to be vegan–it’s extremely hard to get enough protein on plant foods alone. I was veg for 22 yrs and vegan for 8 (for various reasons), finally gave it up and feel SO much better and stronger the last 10 yrs it’s unbelievable. Will discuss if you like. Oh, and don’t know your reasons if you’re veg but not vegan, but do try NOT to think about dairy farming practices, egg farming, uses of rennet, gelatin, other animal products, etc., or it will do you in….that’s what happened to me and turned me vegan, causing my strength and overall health to decline and not thrive. Maybe the healthiest diet for each of us is genetically determined by our heredity regardless of all of our good intentions toward the environment, compassion for animals and other factors….I know I wasted a lot of years and while my conscious is clear, my health took a hit during my prime years. Well, no regrets. Cheers!
Mark, LMAO about “the best ab machine in the world–your Kitchen!” So true! That’s the best.
Try to drink about 0.7 liters of hot water before breakfast in the morning. Preferably with some lemon drops, it kills bacteria in the stomach. And helps to burn fat around the waist. And have it a habit to drink lukewarm water daily. Certainly before the biggest main meals. Same with exercise, drink lukewarm water. Another tip is to take 50 to 100 situps and not eat 2 to 3 hours before bed time. By following these tips, there is no need even to think about counting calories.
Mark,
At one time I recall you recommending 7 Keto but don’t see it in your latest supplement article. Do I recall that correctly or has your opinion changed on 7K?
Hi Mark. I have done low carb and no carb diets with no results. I work out4 to 5 days of the week. And 1 to 2 hours at a time. I cannot run due to hip injury. But I do modrate heavyweight with high rep to get heart rate up. Any suggestions. Thanks.
@Hashbrowns. They are just caffeine basically. You’re better off buying caffeine pills. See the bottom of this post for the only fat-burner combo that works https://musclehack.com/the-best-bodybuilding-supplements-that-work-to-build-muscle-burn-fat/
@Newton. Thanks for helping out, buddy. Yeah I love that pic, too 😀
@PolitiJim. I never recommended 7-Keto. You must be thinking of someone else, bud.
@Larry. You were probably going too low in carbs. Also, you need to carb up for glycogen replenishment to continue getting stronger. You also need to measure you calories to make sure you are in a caloric deficit.
I’ve done TSPA and JNR to say with full confidence that if you do it right and stick to the plan, you’ll defo see results. Therefore i don’t NEED fat burners.
but i’m really curious, and i don’t think it’s thaaaat far out to believe that there might be 1 or 2 out there that might actually promote fat-burning. it’s because of that curiosity that i picked up a bottle of alpha-t2.
honestly i don’t know if it’s working or not because i have always been relatively lean, but i DO know those pills haven’t caused me any unpleasant feelings. a friend who hasn’t seen me in months say i look much more ripped than before but then again
a) maybe it’s cos i’ve been on jnr for so long
b) i just had a good workout
c) human error on his part
but like i said, no NEED for fat burners, just curious.