One of the biggest myths about getting ripped abs is that you have to do a million crunches or buy some silly gadget off of an infomercial to get any results. The truth is you can do crunches until the cows come home and buy every infomercial gadget ever made and you will never see those abs if they are covered up by 3 inches of fat. You have to burn that fat off if you are ever going to see the ab muscles. Now that I have saved you from buying the Ab Roller 5000 follow my next 4 tips to get those abs out there.
5 Tips to Get Ripped Abs for Summer
Put these 5 tips to getting ripped abs together and you will be well on your way to turning heads with your washboard stomach this summer.
1. Get started early
One of the biggest mistakes people make is waiting way too long to get started. Most people just wait until a few weeks before they are going to go to the beach or spring break to hit the gym hard and try to get summer abs. You can’t get abs that fast unfortunately, it takes time.
The more body fat you have to burn the longer it is going to take. If you are in pretty good shape a couple months should be enough to get those abs, but if you aren’t in that good of shape it could take 6 months or longer depending on how much fat you have to burn.
Get started early on those abs to be sure you have time to cut fat and get them popping for the beach. Don’t wait until 2 weeks beforehand thinking you are going to blast the fat off that fast, you will likely end up disappointed.
2) Go Low Carb
I have found that when it comes to burning fat low carb is the way to go. To put it in a nutshell when the body does not get enough energy from carbohydrates it will start to burn fat to use instead. This subject could be a whole website in itself really but low carb is a very effective way to burn fat.
Carbs should not be eliminated completely though when you do eat carbs they should be good carbs such as green vegetables, whole-grain bread, and brown rice to name a few. These are slower digesting and can be used more effectively by the body, it will also not be turned into fat the way simple carbs would be. Learn more about dieting in our article Eating For Ripped Abs.
HIIT stands for High-Intensity Interval Training. What this means is that you do a high-intensity exercise such as a sprint for a certain amount of time, usually 1 minute or less, then low intensity like walking for the same amount of time.
You then sprint again, then walk and so on until you have done at least 5 sets of sprints. I would recommend 5- 10 sprints. This method has been shown to be more effective at burning fat even well after you are done exercising.
Another advantage of HIIT training is that you can get it done and move on rather than spend an hour jogging at a medium pace bored to tears. Learn much more in our article HIIT Cardio For Fat Loss.
You didn’t think I was going to write an article about getting ripped abs with mentioning any ab exercises, did you?
My favorite exercise for abs is the hanging leg raise. This is a great ab exercise that really hits the lower abs well. It also creates god separation between the abs so they can be seen easier. Another good exercise is the ab crunch on the stability ball.
I like to turn while I do these to make sure to hit those obliques as well. My last exercise would be cable crunches, they are also a good overall exercise to finish them off. Be sure to check out our summer abs workout at the end of the article
5) Cheat
You read that correctly, I said cheat. You need to cheat from time to time. Two reasons for cheating are 1) to keep yourself sane and 2) to keep your body on its toes.
Let’s face it if you are eating the same healthy diet every day you are going to get bored and perhaps give in and say “it’s not worth it”. This is why you need to cheat from time to time, I would say once or twice a week. Get in a quick cheat get it out of your system and get back on track after.
Perhaps even more important than getting it out of your system is the fact that a cheat meal will throw your body a curveball. Your body gets used to eating healthy and low carb and will start to adapt and start to slow your metabolism. This is why you need to cheat every few days just to throw your body a curveball so that is cant adjust and will keep the metabolism high.
Ripped Abs For Summer Workout
Exercise Sets Reps
Ab Wheel Rollouts 2 15-20
Side Bench Crunch w/Hold 2^ 15 each
Cable Rotations 2^^ 10 each
Hanging Leg Raises 2^^^ 15
Bonus Tip
Try a good fat burning supplement. Fat burners have come a long way over the years and are now far more effective than before. Fat burners work in 2 ways, The first thing they do is work to reduce your appetite so you eat less. The second thing they do is increase your metabolism so you will be burning fat even when you sleep. Combine a good fat burner with the tips above and you will be well on your way to some serious washboard abs. We have a list of the best fat burners on the market that has some of the top choices on the market right now.
There you have it, 5 tips to get you the washboard you have always wanted. It isn’t easy, if it was we would all have a 6 pack and you wouldn’t be reading this. However, if you put your mind to it and make it a priority you will get there. All you need is determination.
Ryan is a former college wrestler and lifelong fitness fanatic. He has run half marathons, done mud runs, placed in body transformation contests, coached wrestling, and now coaches girls’ soccer. Not to mention he has also tried literally hundreds of supplements over the years and has a vast and thorough supplement knowledge. He has written for Muscle & Strength, Testosterone Junkie, The Sport Review and other publications. He is also the editor-in-chief of this website and has over 25 years of experience in the fitness industry. Feel free to connect with him on his LinkedIn page below.
