Abs Classes Will Never Get You Abs

We are asked all of the time how people can get better, flatter, and more visible abs. It’s the
#1 area people want to improve. Go into any gym and you’ll see thousands of crunches,
situps, ab machine whatevers, and so on. Do those people have visible abs? Usually not.

Abs classes are prevalent in almost any commercial gym, and members flock in search of
the six pack that will never be. You see, getting abs comes from OVERALL reduction in body
fat. You already have abs – you just need to lose the fat on top of them to see them!

While fun, abs classes are a farce…no matter how much it burns.

So then how do you get great abs? Here are the secrets:

1) Nutrition first. That’s right. You’re thinking wah-wahhhh, but it’s true. Visible abs
require a fairly low body fat percentage.

Eat unprocessed foods. Minimal sugar, minimal unnecessary starches. Tons of protein, lots
of healthy fats, and of course, veggies and fruits. Give your body what it needs and leave
out the things that it doesn’t. It’s simple, but not easy.

2) The right exercises. We have found that heavy lifts – including kettlebell swings, deadlifts,
pullups, and all kinds of plank variations work best. Why? Because they require stability
and power, and that’s what your abs are for. When you lie on your back, no stability is
required, and while situps can be fun and good for sculpting once you’ve already cut a good
amount of body fat, they will never get you a visible 6 pack.

It’s not unusual for some of our clients to request more ab work because they do not realize that
the majority of exercises (even things like pushups!) are working their abs way more than a
situp ever could. You may not feel the burn as much, but we promise it’s working.

To summarize, to get abs you need to lose overall body fat. You can’t spot-reduce fat,
which is why situps will never lead to visible abs if your nutrition isn’t in a place where you
are able to drop body fat. Get your nutrition right, lift heavy properly, work core stability
drills, and voila! Abs!