Get The Six Pack You've Dreamed Of!

By Amber Alexander

"How do I get six-pack abs?" How many times have you heard this question or even asked it yourself? The answer may seem complex and shrouded in mystery because popular culture throws so many "solutions" at us. We've all seen a thousand gadgets, supplements, and "30-day" programs all promising a quick and effortless path toward the coveted "six pack".

Truth is, the formula for ab definition is simple, however actually getting ab definition is hard work.

The first step toward ab definition is to build mass in the rectus abdominus, or the main wall of stomach muscles where the six pack is found. And here's a revelation - for most people standard crunches or sit ups won't get it done.

Think about how you'd build your bicep up - full range of motion, loading up heavy targeting 8-10 reps X 4 sets with maximum effort and failure about half way through the fourth set. But think about building your bicep the way most people approach their abs - limited range of motion and minimal resistance for 3 sets of 25 reps. How much do you suppose this would grow your bicep? While you'd build bicep endurance, your ability to grow the muscle would be severely limited.

So why would you try to grow your abs this way? Primarily because this is how we've all been taught to address ab strength since sixth grade.

The key to ab growth is the same as any other muscle - heavy resistance and low reps pushed to failure. A simple way to get started is getting on any ab crunch machine and weighting the same as any target muscle - 8-10 reps X 4 sets, hitting maximum effort and failure half way through the final set. Do this and watch ab growth take off. This will grow the abdominal peaks, and the higher the peaks the deeper the valleys, it's this elevation separation that provides "six-pack" definition.

Second, memorize the saying "great abs are made in the kitchen" because it's profoundly true. You could add massive abdominal gains and deep muscle trenches, but if it's all covered with body fat then it won't matter. Think about your yard covered in snow, you see no details, only smooth surfaces because the snow has filled in all of the detail.

This means that men will need to be below about 12% body fat and women will need to be below about 15% body fat.

If you're not willing to be disciplined on your diet, don't even waste your time building abdominal muscle mass because no one will ever see it beneath the body fat.

So remember, for six-pack abs 1) do heavy resistance for low reps to failure and 2) get diet discipline to drop the body fat so your hard work shows through!

Amber is a figure competitor, fitness instructor, fitness model and a candidate for Bodybuilding.com's BodySpace spokes model, her username is Amber3478. Vote for Amber at the BodySpace spokes model contest site now!