Category: How To Get Six Pack Abs

4 Ab Exercises That Don't Suck // The Narcissist's Pre-Workout // Kettlebell Workout of the Week

02/19/2013

4 Ab Exercises That Don't Suck

The secret to abs is that there is no secret to be found anywhere at all. Great abs, which I liken to the big, blocky variety (for the fellas, naturally—let us go with delicately trimmed for the ladies) are the results of (1) a low enough body fat percentage and (2) an amply muscled midsection. In other words, great abs are chiefly a function of the following inputs (1) caloric restraint, (2) metabolic efforts, (3) heavy ab work.

And here again rolls in the same old chestnut. But I welcome it warmly, as I do all truths, no matter how cold.

Because here’s the thing, really. If you want to rise above average then you must be willing to do the things the common stock are not, able enough to do them, and unapologetically industrious in your doing of them. Anything else invariably results in a reversion to the mean. And only the losers have a central tendency.

The Hanging Leg Wiper

Windshield Wipers

Hanging Leg Raise

L-Sit

The Narcissist's Pre-Workout:
Kettlebell Workout of the Week Episode 70

Entering the gym, I chugged behind some brute like a loose caboose. After a few clicks I detached and glided over to the kettlebell rack to work what sits a few scoops below.

There I performed the fundamental pre-workout ritual of any narcissistic human being: to look hard into the mirror until utterly exhausted of the subject matter—this activity, you should know, averages 7 minutes. Afterwards, and only afterwards, do I find myself in a state favorable for bodily exercise.

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15 "Secrets" of the Super Lean

02/01/2013

34 Comments

One of the more curious trends today is this idea of sensibleness. Some may call it reasonableness. Others may call it feasible. But I mostly call it a waste of one’s time.

Of all my proudest accomplishments, few—and I mean a very narrow few—were brought about through reasonable means.

The reverse is true too, and Lord knows whenever the Holy Spirit sees fit to inflame me, I’m known to pull real some crazy shit. And so, many who know me call me crazy, fanatical, obsessed. But these words, really, are just what most losers use in attempt to describe habits largely foreign to them: such as persistence, commitment, dedication.

By now, you might well know where this diatribe is heading.

Leanness—and I’m talking super-leanness, like the leanness you see in the picture of me above—has scarcely ever been achieved through anything that the common man would describe as reasonable. Frequently, I find it labeled absurd, ridiculous, outrageous. But hardly reasonable.

Here, I now feel somewhat obligated to mention that most folks do in fact need a reasonable approach. Otherwise, they will not adhere. And in the long run, the person who trains and eats reasonably for an extended period of time, will at all times experience superior results than the person who trains and eats unreasonably very briefly. But this point I believe is so plain that I refuse to elaborate on it any further. Dan John wrote an excellent piece on this not too long ago. I highly recommend reading it.

This post today, however, is not for most people. The average person, however wonderful they may be on the inside or otherwise, quite often and quite simply lacks the tenacity to wrestle with the immensely onerous. But this is no concern of mine, as I do not solicit the patronage of the average person. My readers have all been to school, and understand the facts remain the same: if you wish to rise above, then you must do what most others do not.

Here are some of those things (truth be told, I don't find any of this all that unreasonable):

1.       Cut carbs down to 100 grams a day or less

2.       Consume the majority of your carbs from nutrient dense veggies

3.       Consume the majority of your carbs post workout.

4.       Train regularly in a fasted state

5.       Train regularly at a high intensity

6.       Move frequently at a low intensity

7.       Eliminate all sugar from your diet (with the exception of some fruits and veggies)

8.       Eliminate all grains from your diet

9.       Eliminate all industrial “vegetable oils” from your diet

10.   Eat plenty of lean protein sources

11.   Eat plenty of essential fats

12.   Don’t ever eat anything with the word corn in it. Including corn.

13.   Eat organic

14.   Occasionally fast for a full 24-32 hours (once a week is a good start)

15.   Eat less frequently (3-4 meals a day is plenty)

If you would like further clarification on any of these points please let me know in the comment section. Please post any questions you may have there too.

If you enjoyed this post, and would like to learn more, I hope you consider subscribing to my print newsletter and becoming a Chronicles of Strength Gold Member.

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How Often Should You Eat: The Lost Art of Infrequent Feeding

12/05/2012

75 Comments

Personally, for those of you who care about my personal affairs, I eat, on the main, two meals a day.

I eat a lot of eggs. I eat a lot of bacon. And I watch a lot of Matlock.

The two former keep me fit; the latter happy.

And I think, for those of you who care about what I think—which I hope there to be at least two of you—that with only a handful of exceptions, most people’s remediable health issues could be easily remedied by following a diet that contains no unnecessary meals and by eating meals that contain no unnecessary foods.

To keep this simple, let us say that an unnecessary food is any food that does not promote a healthy gut and a healthy hormonal response. To briefly illustrate this point let us rail against Goldilocks and her imprudent taste for porridge.

Whether the porridge be too hot, too cold, or just right, I don’t give a damn, because porridge is pointless, which is to say that there is nothing worthwhile found in porridge that can’t be found elsewhere for less carbs and less calories.

I will talk more on this some other day, but not today, because I’m frankly just not in the mood to talk about porridge. What I’d like to speak on is feeding frequency, and specifically address the question of “how often should we eat?”

The answer—out of respect for brevity—is not often.

Krampus eats only once a year and seems to be in fine form

I sing the gospel of infrequent feedings and fasting, because eating frequency (how often we eat) dictates whether we age like fine wine or a bin of fruit, and if you are interested, even slightly, in self-preservation, then you ought to generally eat less; and by less I don’t always mean less calories—although that is sometimes the case—what I mean to say is less often.

The evidence supports my sermons. Pay attention now to how feeding infrequently slows the aging process and promotes successful aging. Pay closer attention even to how eating less often, not eating more often, slays body fat and surges natural human growth hormone.

Now, if the business of burning fat and building muscle intrigues you, then promises of surging growth hormone should excite you.

So Pat, you might now ask, how many meals a day is ideal?

I’ll venture the suggestion that three meals a day is serviceable, but if you want to be like me—which is to say (INSERT YOUR OWN COMPLIMENT HERE)—then eat two. For seven bonus points, mix in a full 24 hour fast in once a week. For twenty three bonus points, follow The Birth of a Hero.

Now my critics, who customarily lack any sort of intellectual decency, will cry “blasphemy(!)” from the rooftops when they hear the ringing of this tune—as most fools from the prairies do when they find themselves in over their depth.

These folk are too busy with their forks to practice any sort of intellect, and are left with no other alternative than to subscribe to conventional wisdom, which holds that if you fail to feed every twenty minutes or so, that “your metabolism will slow down.”

There is no more a fatuous delusion than this, and my advice is that the ignoramuses that sing this gospel are best served ignored, as my evidence and experience blasts their buffoonery.

It had to be done. Not sorry.

Aside from chopping fat, food abstinence may also aid in constructing muscle—if you so let it, which is to say that fasting, even short term fasting, improves insulin sensitivity and potentiates the muscle building mechanisms, which in itself is to say that fasting makes it possible to gain lean mass more efficiently.

What is more, is that fasting and reduced meal frequency seems to encourage the growth of new brain cells. Is this to say that there is hope yet to elevate the collective IQ of the human race above 16? This I doubt, but fasting may prove to be a useful device to ward off the odds of developing Alzheimer’s or some other form of neurological hiccup down the line.

There is a crowd, and it seems to be a growing one, that bashes fasting, and they are, for the most part, a disorderly bunch of nincompoops. I have found that those who dismiss fasting, for the most part, have done so not because fasting doesn’t work, but because they lack the discipline to make it work.

This is a common theme amongst simpletons who yet again get in over their depth—to declare anything that is beyond their depth to be simply nonsense. Nonsense I tell you.

Again, thank you for reading today. I like to talk about this stuff so please drop any questions or comments you have in the comment section

A Few, Brief, but Exciting Announcements

I have some exciting new launches planned for this month, so keep your eyes peeled over the next two weeks.

I have put together a full online 21 day body transformation program (nutrition and programming) for the new year, and thanks to the results of the recent Survey Monkey that you all participated in (you did participate...didn't you?), I have begun to compile a "Best Of" mini-eBook that I plan to launch before or around Xmas.

In honor of the Christmas spirit, I would like to give away one copy of each of my new products.

For a chance to win, just leave some love in the comment section. Or some hate, if you must.

I will choose two winners at random on Sunday evening!

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The REAL Truth About Six Pack ABS - The Take No Prisoners Approach to a Shredded Six Pack. No Fluff. No Filler. No BS.

01/18/2012

18 Comments

Before we get started I must harp on one absolutely crucial piece to the six-pack ab success puzzle. This piece is the foundation upon which ALL success is built, inside and outside of the gym. Without realizing the importance of what I’m going to tell you, then you will surely find yourself on a systematic decline towards inevitable failure.

What I’m talking about is behavioral change. As with any and all endeavors in life, “trying” is simply not enough. It never was. To me, when someone says “I’ll try”, they are telling me that they will make an attempt until things become difficult and then retrograde to what they know to be safe and/or easy. If you truly want six-pack abs, then trying will not suffice. You have to DO. What I want to help you understand is that you have commit one hundred percent to success, otherwise the only outcome will be failure. Micro (and sometimes macro) failures will happen along the way, but it is how you handle those failures that will dictate whether or not your final destination is success or square one.

Secondly, excuses and success are entirely incompatible. Mutually exclusive, if you will. The number one thing you can do before beginning is agree to take FULL responsibility for yourself.

Do these things, and nothing will be able to stop you.

Look, I’m not going to sugarcoat it. Getting shredded (without the use of “special vitamins”) sucks! It’s one of the most difficult and trying tasks you will ever put yourself through, I can promise you that much.

But with just about anything else in life, the greater the risk, the greater the potential reward. Getting shredded sucks. But being shredded is awesome.

So if you are unable to fully commit to what I am about to lay out for you, then there is no reason for you to continue wasting your time reading through this post. Put your computer away now and retreat to your box of devil dogs or whatever your current poison may be.

But if you are ready to make the necessary behavioral changes to ensure your success, then what I’m going to tell you will essentially pave the path to six-pack abs for you. But again, I can only show you the way; it is still all on you to take the journey.

Shredded, sinewy abs are forged in both the kitchen and the gym. Of this, there is no disputation. I have never witnessed anybody out-train a poor diet, at least not to the point of garnering an envious six-pack.

So let’s start in the kitchen and clear up some common misconceptions about eating for six-pack abs.

1.       It’s not all about calories in vs. calories out. There is some truth to the law of thermodynamics, but what we need to realize is that contrary to popular belief humans are NOT machines! If only it were as simple as humans operating “as a function of x or y” then six-pack abs would no longer be desirable because they would no longer be a rarity! This is simply not the case. We are rather adaptive organisms. We respond to stimuli and each of us possibly a bit differently than others. And while calories certainly will play a role in your ultimate success, we now need to consider a few other crucial elements to successfully stripping away body fat.

a.       Thyroid Output – As I stated above, humans are adaptive organisms. This is why diets that rely solely on caloric deficits FAIL because we are able to adapt to them! Our bodies don’t actually want to be shredded! They want to retain some fat as a safety measure. What happens is that eventually there will be a significant metabolic downshift to accommodate for the lack of calories coming in. Specifically this happens when our thyroid begins to produces less of t-3 (triodothyronine) and t-4 (thyroxine) hormones. These hormones are crucial for dictating your basal metabolic rate and play a large role in protein synthesis as well. So what really stinks about cutting calories is that the long-run success rate is very low because of how our bodies adapt to the caloric deficit by actually LOWERING our basal metabolic rate so that we burn less calories throughout the day. Bummer.

b.      Leptin – This hormone is commonly referred to as the “anti-starvation” hormone. Most leptin receptors lie within the hypothalamus, but there are many more throughout the body. That’s not all that important. What is important is that when leptin levels are high, there is no shortage of leptin binding to their receptors, which tells the brain that you are not starving, food intake is wholly sufficient, and there is little need to store or hold onto body fat. Unfortunately, leptin levels are usually only this high when you are eating often and/or eating a lot which is also not so conducive to fat-burning with all that insulin floating around. Now, when you restrict calories, leptin levels drop – often substantially within the first 72 hours. This is less than desired because now our brain is being sent signals that we are somewhat starving and our body is now more apt to store body fat.

c.       Insulin – Insulin is a transport hormone. It shuttles nutrients to cells. These cells could either be fat cells or they could be muscle cells (I’ll teach you how to make insulin work for your muscle cells later on…). Insulin to a certain degree is also inhibitory of natural growth hormone, meaning the more you spike your insulin through the consumption of food (specifically carbohydrates), the more you inhibit the release of natural growth hormone, which again is a favorable hormone for fat loss. More on the role of hormones and how to optimize them for fat-burning later…

2.       Fat is not the enemy. It never has been. Not at least until the creation of man-made fats such as hydrogenated oils. Read my ketogenic blog post to learn about how a high fat diet can actually make you the leanest you’ve ever been.

3.       Carbs are only partly the enemy. It’s a give-and-take relationship. Too many carbs can and will make you fat. Yet you need carbohydrates to fuel your anaerobic endeavors. I’ll tell you my secret for proper carb selection below…

So it seems as if we are stuck between a rock and a sucky place. We need a caloric (even more so a

carbohydrate deficit) deficit to shed body fat, yet we need a caloric (again more so a carbohydrate

surplus) to ensure hormonal optimization conducive to fat loss.

So what’s the solution?

Concentrated Carb Dosing and My Binge and Purge Manifesto

It’s really not all that complicated. Here are three simple rules to follow:

1.       Consume less than 100 grams of carbs a day, and target your carbohydrate consumption around your workouts. Meaning, consume slow-digesting and preferably complex/fibrous carbohydrates anywhere between one-and-a-half to two hours before your workout, and immediately post-workout consume quickly digesting (preferably glucose-containing) carbohydrates. This protocol ensures that you control your insulin levels throughout the day and only peak them at the most opportune time, which is immediately after working out! Your muscle cells have priority post-workout, so an insulin spike brought about through the consumption of quickly digesting carb sources (such as vitargo or waxy maize) upon completion of your workout will ensure that the nutrients are shuttled to your muscle cells rather than your fat cells. Awesome. Furthermore, keeping carbohydrate intake relatively low throughout the rest of the day will lay the foundation for a fat-burning environment and the release of natural growth hormone.

2.       One day a week you get to binge. Eat as much as you want. Eat whatever you want. You heard me right. Eat like a pig to shed body fat! Heresy? Sure sounds like it, but let me explain…The goal here is to hit the “reset” button on your metabolism. A huge caloric (especially carbohydrate) surplus can elevate leptin levels and boost t-3 and t-4 hormone output for up to 72 hours. So through the means of a once-a-week binge, we are boosting our basal metabolic rate to ensure that our body does not adapt to our caloric (carbohydrate) deficit that we put ourselves in throughout the week. This is precisely the premise behind my Metabolic Reset eBook (one of four eBooks included in our bundle package). Check it out for the full protocol and meal planning guide.

3.       The day after you binge, you fast. That’s 16 to 24 hours of consuming nothing but water. Now when I first present this idea to people, they are always quite skeptical. “Isn’t that just starving yourself?” is a typical response I get. Let me be very clear; fasting is NOT starving yourself. Fasting is actually one of the most healthful and wholesome activities that you can do for yourself, not only to shed body fat, but to ensure long-term health and longevity. There is no greater detox than a water fast. Think of it as a purification process because when you fast, that’s exactly what’s going on. Your body finally has a chance to rid itself of all the toxins and chemicals that you bring in from eating, and your digestive system finally gets a chance to rest! Furthermore, fasting has been proven to increase lipolysis (that’s fat burning), boost natural growth hormone, and even aid in the prevention and warding off of cancer-causing free radicals. If you want even more of the super scientificals of fasting and learn how to implement the perfect fast to shed body fat, again check out our eBook bundle package. I’ll repeat, fasting is not starving yourself. A twenty- four hour fast is a wholesome purification process that I recommend each and every healthy person seeking to optimize their health and wellbeing. I’m not going to lie, however; fasting is tough. You will get hungry. Embrace it! Over time, you will notice it becomes easier, and I will even bet that you’ll begin to enjoy your fasted state – as you will feel more alert and lively! This is due to the nervous system shift that takes place from your parasympathetic nervous system (the one you put yourself in when you eat food and your body is ready for rest and recuperation) to your sympathetic nervous system (which is your alert and lively “fight or flight” nervous system). That’s right when you are fasted, you are going to enter into a sympathetic nervous system, which will have you feeling attentive and “on the hunt” as Ori Hoffmeckler describes it in his book entitled The Warrior Diet (yet another fantastic read for anyone interested in the benefits of fasting).

Three simple rules. But simple does not mean easy. It takes discipline to follow my Binge and Purge Manifesto, but the results will speak for themselves. Be sure to head over to ABS-SCIENCE.COM and pick up the updated copy of my Metabolic Reset eBook and/or eBook bundle package.

Now let’s get out of the kitchen and head to the gym…

I’m going to lay it out right now; traditional “cardio” training is absolutely NOT the most effective type of exercise for fat loss. As a matter of fact, I would rank jogging (or trudging as most people seem to do) on a treadmill at the bottom of the barrel for effective fat loss training. After all, it’s called “the treadmill to nowhere” for a reason…

If you want to look like an athlete, then you have to train like an athlete.

Meaning you are going to have to pick heavy things up, put them back down, and bust your ass sideways, if you want to make any sort of tangible progress.

Enter metabolic conditioning.

Metabolic conditioning, or “metcon”, has actually been around since the 1960s, I have an extensive blog post on it here! Check it out.

As far as I’m concerned, when it comes to hacking off body fat at an unprecedented rate, I will return to metcon again and again before just about anything else. It’s THAT effective.

Metabolic conditioning, specifically through the use of kettlebell complexes, creates an incredible amount of systemic fatigue and stress on the system. The greater the stress, the greater the potential adaptation, and the faster your body fat melts off. This is quite evidence-based, both anecdotally and objectively.

Metabolic Conditioning = Moderate to Heavy Strength Efforts + Elevated Cardiovascular Stress

Metabolic conditioning work is often short, intense, and unforgiving. Make no mistake, this type of conditioning will test your merit and humble even the most able-bodied athletes. Embrace the pain. Focus on it, and maintain poise under the pressure. DO NOT allow form to falter under fatigue at any costs!

The beauty of kettlebell complexes for metcon work is that they allow you to switch between muscle groups and energy systems so that you do not smoke any muscle group too much at one time, yet keep the system (lungs, heart, kidneys, etc.) working and under prolonged stress.

I could continue to type the hype of metcon until my fingers fall off, but I’d rather you try it for yourself. You’ll be a believer soon enough. And you’ll thank me later…

Oh, and one last thing…

Once the body fat is off, then it’s time to start carving out those abs. I have also included a variety of videos highlighting my personal favorite ab-ripping exercises for developing both a chiseled midsection, as well as a strong and functional core.

You can’t ever say that I don’t give out milk for free. This blog post is one of my greatest compilations of complex and core-strengthening work to date. But if you want to learn how to put it all together (which at the end of the day is the most valuable component), then check out my Metabolic Conditioning eBook or the ABS-SCIENCE eBook bundle package. You won’t regret it. As a matter of fact, I promise you that it will be one of the best investments you have ever made in yourself.

And now for your viewing pleasure… (or pain)…

Post any comments or questions you have below! Enjoy!