Pumping Up with Sai How to get a six-pack in four weeks

Article by Sai Gopalan

sculpting a decent four-pack requires tenacity, but it’s carving out your lower abs to complete the eye-catching six-pack that really takes some dedication. And not just in the gym. As the old saying goes “You can’t out-train a bad diet,” and working on your six-pack actually requires more work in the kitchen than in the gym. If you are not a fan of eating healthy and watching those nasty calories, don’t stress–I’ve got your back. I compiled 10 friendly tips that you can use when planning your diet. Remember, you are what you eat. Forget what you think you need to do to pack muscle on your midriff combine simple nutritional rules alongside a solid workout routine and you’ll see results in no time.

Diet

1. Avoid refined and processed foods wherever possible.
2. Try to eat six times a day – around every three hours.
3. With every meal, use a portion of protein as your base. Think eggs, fish, chicken, and other lean meats.
4. Between meals snack on nuts, seeds, avocado, olives, or small bags of snap peas.
5. For breakfast and your second meal, make sure you get some starchy carbs – oatmeal, rye, or sprouted bread – and a piece of fruit.
6. For lunch, sweet or regular potato, chicken, fish, brown rice are all excellent options.
7. For your evening meal, try to get some veg and mix some not greasy lean meat – but avoid any and processed starchy carbs.
8. Drink lots of water.
9) Give yourself one cheat meal every 5th day. It can be anything you want. This might seem strict, but if you’re trying to reveal your abs ina limited time, the stricter the better. I say start off slow and build momentum
10. If you can Consume one of these post-workout shakes as soon as possible after your workout. Aim for around 40-50g carbs and 20-30g protein. If you are unable to, this is the chance to eat those carbs or high protein meals such as rice, potatoes, chicken, duck etc.

The Workout

Aim to perform this workout between 2-4 times per week, either as a ‘standalone’ session or bolted on to the end of your usual routine. With no rest in between moves, it should take you just 10 minutes to complete. Combined with a good diet and some quality fat-burning supplements, it will allow you to carve out your core in no time.

The Routine (Repeat 3 times)

The long-arm crunch 12 reps
Reverse crunch 12 reps
Janda sit-up 12 reps
The Jacknife 12 reps
Extended plank 45 seconds

  • The Long-Arm Crunch
    How to do it:
    Lie on your back with your knees bent and your arms straightened behind you. Then, keeping your arms straight above your head, perform a traditional crunch. The movement should be slow and controlled.
  • The Reverse Crunch
    How to do it:
    Lie on your back, then bring your knees in towards your chest until
    they’re bent to 90 degrees,
    with feet together or crossed.
    Contract your abs to curl your
    hips off the floor, reaching
    your legs up towards the
    ceiling, then lower your legs
    back down to their original
    position without letting your feet touch the floor. This ensures your abs are always activated.
  • Janda sit-up
    How to do it:
    Lie on your back with your knees bent. Then try ‘digging’ your heels into the floor, contracting your hamstrings, whilst performing an ordinary crunch.
  • The Jacknife
    How to do it:
    Lie down on your back and extend your arms above your head. Simultaneously lift your arms and legs toward the ceiling, until your fingertips touch your toes, then return to your starting position.
  • The Extended Plank
    How to do it:
    Get into a press-up position, placing your hands around 10 inches in front of your shoulders, with the toes of your shoes placed against the floor. Hold this position
    with your back straight and try to
    continue to breathe as normal.

Want more?

I personally find doing abs on a workout day is better than stand-alone. Your body is already burning fat and your core is already fatigued. Again this is your plan so you are welcome to throw in and add more exercises to your routine to give it an extra kick. Getting that sexy pack is part of an overall plan. Unfortunately there isn’t a magic pill or special exercise that will make you gain one overnight. What I can promise you though is if you make a few tweaks in your diet and exercise routine, those sexy washboard abs will start appearing in a couple of weeks. So don’t give up, stay strong and stay sexy. Remember we’re in this together!

Saien Gopalan is a South African English teacher currently teaching at EF. He has been living in Xi’an for 2 years and enjoys his off days exploring the Xi’an nightlife and of course, going to the gym.