How to Bring Out Your Six Pack in Time for Summer

Summer is right around the corner and you know what that means—it’s time to start leaning down to bring out that coveted six pack, and we don’t mean the one that’s in your fridge. Shredded abs are quite possibly the most sought-after quality in a man’s body which is why they deserve to be treated with just as much time and effort as your other body parts. Sure, it’s great to have striated quads and a big chest, but everything comes back to the abs when it’s time to hit the beach.

Lower your body fat percentage

Every single person on this earth has abs, but they are not always visible. Why is that? Three words: body fat percentage.

The abdominal muscles will only become visible and defined at a certain body fat percentage. For men, this is anywhere from 10-15% and 15-20% for women. The first step to revealing your six pack is to bring down your body fat percentage. You can do this by adding in some HIIT cardio into your routine, decreasing your calories slightly and gradually, or do a combination of both.

The key to burning fat is to continue to train hard as you create a caloric deficit through cardio and/or dieting. The intense workouts will serve as a stimulus for muscle preservation, while the cardio and/or diet will take care of the energy imbalance that will result in fat loss. Remember, calories in vs. calories out.

Train your abs

You are born with abs, but it can’t hurt to train them more to get them to pop. Like with any other muscle, abs can also be thickened and built to be bigger and stronger. The more they pop out, the more visible they will be at higher body fat percentages.

Crunches, planks, twists and leg raises are staple ab exercises, but you can also mix in some exercises on the bosu ball or medicine ball for more variety. This will train the stabilizer muscles as well, so your abs will be functional and aesthetic. The last thing you want is to have an enviable six pack that is otherwise useless.

Vacuuming for a smaller waist

Some of the greatest bodybuilders of all time like Frank Zane and Arnold Schwarzenegger practiced vacuuming to reduce their midsections for competition. Combined with proper diet and training, the result was a more aesthetically pleasing physique.