When it comes to health and fitness, the very first desire of a beginner at the gym is to get that ripped, toned body with prominent and defined abs. But the most basic misconception when it comes to abs is, “If I work out every day and be consistent at the gym I’ll get those super defined abs”.
Consistency and training are no doubt important, but no matter how many crunches or leg raises you do your abs will still be covered with a layer of fat until your commitment to training goes beyond the gym. Unlike other muscles in your body (back, biceps, hamstrings) your abdominal muscles consist of slow-twitch fibers, which means your abs get fatigued at a slower rate compared to other muscles. This means, your abdominal muscles are more stubborn to grow cause of which abdominal workouts are higher in reps and have more complex exercises.
Let’s be honest, going to the gym pumped up on pre-workout and smashing weights for two hours-a-day eventually becomes easy and fun as you get into the routine. The difficult part is building a nutrition plan, doing meal preps and self-discipline; by which I mean that you don’t eat anything and everything that comes your way (being a Karachiite we all know how difficult it can be not to indulge in those mouth-watering oily Pakistani foods).
Designing your own meal plan based on different carbs and calorie manipulation is where most people fail. You have to be knowledgeable about what you eat, to get optimal muscle mass and improve fat loss at the same time. Mixing a smart workout plan targeting all the muscles of the midsection, with a proper dietary structure focusing on cutting abdominal and underbelly fat, is what gives you perfect abs.
You have to be ready to work hard and really commit to becoming a stronger and better version of you, and make sure all your efforts are focused in the right direction.
Be prepared to enter ‘Beast Mode’.