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How to Get a Six Pack in a Week – Really?
Don't be fooled, how to get a six pack in a week is a wonderful dream, but it depends on context. If you are 30 pounds overweight today, you will not get a six pack in a week. But, I have seen articles claiming that you can get a six pack in a week. Really? And some of them are posted by people who definitely have the six packs but do not seem to have the desire to tell you the truth. Let's be real.
Even if you are only 15 pounds overweight, I will not be telling you how to get a six pack in a week. This is just not possible. So, the point of this post is to put you on the path of the six pack and reality. Clean up your diet by eating real food and start to do some of the compound weight lifting that will jump start your fat burning and strength building.
Weight Training for a Six Pack
There is no question that if you want to get a six pack, you should be doing some form of squats and/or deadlifts in your weekly routine. I have seen first hand the power of squats and deadlifts, even when performed for just 20 or 30 minutes a day and relatively moderate weight. And yes, those are not my abs in the picture above. My abs are here at 19% bodyfat a couple of years ago, and today I am at 17 percent, not terrible for 60.
Consider where I started from, a 50 inch waist. Was there any way that I could have gotten a six pack in a week? That is ridiculous and it really rubs me the wrong way that anyone even suggests that it is possible. It took me six month to get to the point where I even have the faint outline of abs. The general rule of thumb is that the body fat percentage for abs should not be less than 8% for men and 14% for women.
The Rules for How to Get a Six Pack
Eat as much whole unprocessed food as possible. Simple as that. I was in the Deli before on 2nd Avenue. I had some grapes, cashews and an avocado. A customer in front of me had Tiramasu and a snickers bar. Unfortunately that customer is very obese, and I truly empathize because I do know how difficult it is to fight those cravings once you are in the clutches of processed food hell. For me today, my food has been old fashioned oatmeal, veggie burger, banana in the morning. A carrot/apple/lots of green juice and vegetables and tofu in the afternoon. Some grapes and cashews for snack. And a cup of quinoa, black beans and cabbage soup in the evening.
Today I decided to go more meatless and see what the scale says tomorrow. Today it was 193.1. That is 10 pounds less than when I said enough is enough. I have to check where I am and get in control. UPDATE: This post was written on May 8, 2013. I was 193 pounds and 19 percent body fat at that time. Still making progress as of August 1, 2017, I am 172 pounds and 17 percent body fat.
The Six Pack Bottom Line
The bottom line on how to get a six pack is to eat whole unprocessed foods, as much as possible, drink water, tea, a little wine to socialize and start some weight training, particularly squats and deadlifts.
What is your opinion? Have you figured out how to get a six pack? What was your method? I recommend squats and deadlifts assuming that you, the reader, like myself, are not an elite athlete. If you are, very likely you will not need weight training. And if you are in your twenties or thirties, you might not need it. But for folks who are over 40, even over 50, or 60 like me, I think that squats and deadlifts can really help reshape our bodies.
Of course, don't even dare to think that you do not have to modify the type of food that you eat. You must change the quality of your food. Here is a reasonable list of foods to help reveal your six pack. I would love to hear your thoughts! Please share your thoughts on how to get a six pack.
Rich is a certified personal trainer-AAPT and the author of