Now that Mike Geary has shown you how to train your body for fat
loss to get 6-pack abs, let's find out what we need to do to eat
properly for maximum fat loss and to finally get the washboard abs
you deserve. You should also read his article:
5 Things You Must Know About Getting Six Pack Abs But first, a little more on the best cardio methods for abs...
CB: Mike, what do you use for burning fat, intervals or slow
cardio? Or both? Any gender differences here? Or differences
between fitness levels (beginner vs. advanced)?
MG: In most cases, my answer is definitely intervals... or as I
like to call it "variable intensity training". In general, I think
slow steady pace cardio is a waste of time, especially if the goal
is lasting fat loss. I think people need to get away from this thinking about "fat
burning zones" and calories burned during the actual workout, and
look at the bigger picture of what you're doing in your workout to
stimulate the greatest metabolic response in your body... and the
best metabolic and hormonal response is achieved through variable
intensity training and strength training, not slow steady-pace
cardio.
CB: And for sedentary beginners?
MG: Now I will say that if someone is really deconditioned and can't
handle higher intensity exercise routines just yet, this still
doesn't mean that they can't simply use lower intensity routines,
but still use it in a "variable intensity" fashion, by alternating
between higher and lower exertion levels throughout the workout.
CB: Great stuff Mike. Can you let us in on 1 or 2 of your top
secret nutrition tips for carving out those abs. Open your vault of
info!
MG: Well Craig, I think you'd agree that there has never been a
more confusing time regarding proper nutrition for consumers. Every
so called "expert" out there seems to disagree and contradict each
other on what's the best way to eat for fat loss and overall good
health. One of the most important messages I try to teach my readers in
this world of heavy confusion is that your diet doesn't need to
conform to any of the fad diets... you don't need to go "low carb"
or "low fat", or high or low anything for that matter to be
successful in losing enough body fat to get lean enough to be able
to see your abs.
CB: Great, we like to avoid complex stuff!
MG: I like to try to simplify things. I think that balance is the key
to success along with eating a diet that is made up of nutrient
dense foods in their natural state (as unprocessed as possible). In general, it is the heavy processing of foods that makes it wreak
havoc inside our bodies. Most foods in their natural unprocessed
state are inherently good for us. Of course there are always
exceptions... a salad of poison ivy leaves is "natural and
unprocessed" but certainly would not be good for us!
CB: So, some specific tips?
MG: I'll leave your readers with a couple of the most important aspects
of nutrition that help to get you lean for life...
1. Get enough quality protein in the daily diet - not only does it
have a higher thermic effect than carbs and fat (so you burn more
calories digesting it), but it also creates satiety so your hunger
is satisfied longer. Plus protein is a building block for maintaining and building lean
muscle... And remember that the amount of lean muscle you carry is
one of the main factors for controlling your metabolism.
2. Think fiber! When it comes to carbs, make sure that almost all
of your carbohydrate intake is from higher fiber sources like
vegetables, fruits, and high fiber unrefined grains. Try to avoid refined sugars and refined grains as that is one of
the main reasons so many people struggle with body fat. I personally don't eat many grains as I prefer to get most of my
carbs from veggies and fruits, but I am a bit of a fan of sprouted
grains. I generally recommend looking for carbohydrate sources that
have at least 2-3 grams of fiber per each 10 grams of total carbs. Remember that fiber helps fill you up and also slows down the
glycemic response of the foods you eat, all beneficial for getting
lean.
CB: What about fat?
MG: 3. Don't be afraid to eat fat! Many people try to go way too low on their fat intake and this can
negatively affect hormone levels in your body as well as causing
more cravings. Try to eat enough healthy fats daily. Good sources of healthy fats are nuts and seeds, nut butters,
avocados, olive oil, organic meats and eggs, coconuts and
virgin coconut oil. On that note, saturated fats from tropical oils are VERY
misunderstood, even by many nutritionists and other health
professionals. Yes they are composed highly of saturated fats, but
are actually beneficial (but that's way beyond the scope of this
article). 4. Avoid the two worst things in our food supply at ALL COSTS: *artificial trans fats from margarines, shortening, and
hydrogenated oils that are in most processed foods *high fructose corn syrup, which is in almost all sweetened
products on the market Again, if you avoid processed foods, it becomes easy to avoid these
two worst offenders in our food supply. I always contend that once you get a handle on these 4 main points
of your diet detailed above, the rest starts to take care of itself
as you gain control over your appetite, blood sugar levels, hormone
levels, etc. It all falls into place, and you eventually gain total
control over how lean you want to get.
CB: Thanks Mike! For more diet and cardio tips for getting ripped abs: Click HERE for the Truth About Six Pack Abs
Found a very interesting interview with the two founders of Turbulence Training and The Truth About Six Pack Abs. I will also post the interesting free exercise program that the talk about at hte end of the interview.
Among the fitness myths and misinformation comes a lot of surprise training recommendations from the real experts. Without the real experts, we'd all be stuck doing 60-minutes of cardio five times per week rather than faster, more efficient intervals. And the world of ab training is a jungle of bad information. But last summer I spoke with a coach named Mike Geary. He's a Certified Nutrition Specialist & a Certified Personal Trainer dedicated to showing your better ab and fat loss methods. You might have come across Mike's info in Muscle & Fitness Hers Magazine, or even read his wildly popular & controversial book ==>
The Truth About Six Pack Abs
Today, Mike has some surprises for you...
CB: Mike, what got you into training and helping others?
MG: I just love helping people with this area of their lives, as not
only does it improve their outward appearance and confidence, but
more importantly, improves how they feel and their internal health,
helping them to live longer and healthier lives. It's something I'm
very passionate about.
CB: Okay, so where does the average man or woman go wrong when it
comes to training abs?
MG: Most people are probably going to be surprised with this answer. In their quest for 'six pack abs', the biggest mistake I see people making is wasting WAY too much of their time training their abs directly... pumping away with all kinds of different
abs-specific exercises. I'm sure you know what I'm referring to. The person is trying so hard to get those abs to show, that they're spending almost all of their time in the gym with hundreds of reps of various crunches, leg raises, twisting exercises, etc.
CB: Right, I see a lot of wasted time in the gym. So what's better?
MG: All of that wasted time directly training the abs could have been better spent on a properly designed full body workout program that would elicit a much better metabolic response and increase the fat-burning hormone levels in their body as well. After all, losing the stomach fat that is covering the abs is the MOST important aspect for most people to finally be able to make their abs visible. Unfortunately, pumping away with hundreds of crunches and leg raises does NOT cause much of a metabolic or fat burning hormonal response. The essential metabolic and correct hormonal response is the main focus of my The Truth About Six Pack Abs book... full body training programs and proper nutrition to strip off that stubborn
belly fat and reveal the six pack that's hiding underneath! Of course it wouldn't be an abs book if I didn't focus on ab development too, but I make sure firstly that the most important concepts for lasting body fat reduction are understood.
CB: Do you see any gender differences in mistakes they make? And
more importantly, do you see any gender differences in the response
to various types of ab training?
MG: To be honest, I don't really see any need for men or women to train differently. Bottom line... the best exercises are the best exercises regardless of gender.
However, in regards to mistakes I see between genders... Yes, I tend to see women more often are deathly afraid to use weight training with anything but really light weights. That is a shame, because THE most effective way to gain control over your body fat for life, is to maximize your lean muscle that your body carries, as well as working that muscle hard through intense resistance exercise regularly.
CB: So do you have some specific advice for women?
MG: It's important for women to realize that regular strength training using heavier resistance will NOT "bulk them up" (as long as caloric intake is controlled), but rather is one of the key secrets for losing body fat and staying lean year-round. As a matter of fact, some of the leanest females that I've trained over the years are the ones that aren't afraid to work hard with the weights. I also notice that most women (and a lot of guys too) spend way too much time with slow cardio exercise. This is simply not necessary,
and the way I combine high intensity resistance training into full body routines provides enough of a "cardio" workout in itself usually. We'll get back to this in a minute though. I've separated my site into men and women's areas, just to make sure I've covered everyone's specific needs. Click HERE for Mike's Truth About Abs Website
CB: What about old school sit-ups? Do you use these? Are they good,
bad, or does it "depend"?
MG: Sit-ups are a controversial topic. I don't think they're good or bad per se, but rather "in between". I didn't include them in my program. I simply don't feel they are necessary, and I think there are much more effective abs exercises to focus on. Personally, I almost never do sit-ups except occasionally for a little variety
every now and then.
CB: Give us a weekly sample ab training program. How many days per
week? What are a couple of the best exercises you'd pick? How many
sets? Reps? Rest?
MG: Well, first I'd like to point out that the full body movements that make up the majority of my programs indirectly work the abs and the entire "core" area to a fairly decent extent. However, I do include abs-specific exercises into the routines generally about twice per week. The "abs-specific" portion of the workouts generally only take
about 5 minutes at most with very little rest between exercises. Once people are past the beginning phase of gaining some initial ab strength, I try to get them away from the exercises that are too easy, where someone can do 50 or 100 reps, as is frequently common with standard crunches. Instead, I like to focus on higher resistance exercises that actually stimulate the muscle fibers to a much greater degree.
CB: Such as?
MG: One example of a higher resistance abs exercise is hanging leg raises with a proper "pelvic curl up". It's funny but usually someone that has been wasting so much time with hundreds of reps of crunches can usually only do a few solid reps when they first
attempt some of these higher resistance exercises. We also make sure not to neglect some rotational movements, as well as some work for the deeper muscles like the transversus abdominis.
CB: Thanks Mike. Later this week we'll get Mike's cardio and
nutrition tips for building 6-pack abs. If you can't wait, Mike has more info for you on his site. ==> Mike Geary's: The Truth About Six Pack Abs
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