Originally this was supposed to be part of my newsletter; But reality kicked in and said “you can’t do it.” So in an effort to keep things fresh and share what I learn as I go, I decided to be more aggressive about my blogging.
I get a ton of questions regarding getting a flatter stomach.
I am presently in the best shape of my life. In my twenties I had a flat stomach but didn’t have a six pack; Probably from all of the beer I was drinking ;o) I did work out and was training heavily in martial arts. I would practice six times a week, two hours a day and jogged four miles three times a week. I didn’t know what I know now, which is getting a six pack or flatter stomach has a lot to do with type of training and alot more to do with of what you eat.
Diet and Nutrition
Here is a basic over overview from Men’s Fitness -
Cut the junk food out of your diet, along with starchy carbs (pasta,*bread, potatoes, white rice etc.). Replace them with vegetables and fruits. Aim to consume 1.5 to 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight each day. (Divide your weight in pounds by 2.2 to get it in kilograms.) The best protein sources are lean meats, beef, chicken, fish, pork and dairy.
*Breads I eat wheat, multigrain or sprout varieties. In general, whole grains are better for you as the body breaks down whole grains much easier. It’s refine enriched flour stuff like white bread or wonder bread that can do you in.
Protein - Protein in your diet is essential whether you’re trying to gain mass or lose weight. The body actually burns calories to digest it. So if a piece of meat is a hundred calories, you will burn thirty calories digesting. Leaving you with seventy calories to deal burn off with exercise.
To lose weight you should consume 1,500 -2000 calories a day. Cutting 500 calories out of your diet a day it should help you lose a pound a week without exercise but its not something I would suggest. Subway’s Jared is a great example of eating healthier. My only issue is he doesn’t necessarily look healthier.
Drink water! Water flushes the extra sodium out of your body which makes you retain water weight, making you look bigger. Making sure you get your 8 glass of water will help you shed 10 – 15 pounds.
Consume 5-7 small meals instead of three big ones. Eating smaller meals in the day will curb your hunger and increase your metabolism rate which burns more calories.
Fat - In order to see your stomach you need to eat low fat foods and fat burning foods. Here are some examples of food that are low in fat or burn calories.
Eggs, Salmon, Dairy ( low fat cheese, skim milk ), Green Tea, Grapefruit, Chili Peppers, Almonds / Walnuts ( one ounce (22 almonds ) (14 halves walnuts) due to it’s high fat content one / two servings a day, Bananas, Oatmeal, Fat free yogurt / Greek yogurt, Coffee, Cinnamon, Beans, Blueberries, Broccoli, Chicken, Lean Beef, Quinoa, Whey Protein, Red Bell Pepper, Low Fat Cottage Cheese, Shrimp, Apples.
All of these foods have different benefits which would take me forever to explain. Basically they all are either high in fiber, have beneficial fat burning vitamins in them or are low in fat.
( Sources Men’s Fitness and Muscle & Fitness)
Lastly, if you’re going to cheat save it for one day out of the week. Its called “The Cheat Meal,” but I call it keeping my @#$! sanity meal. I plan my keeping my @#$! sanity meal out for the week or break it up into two days. I always make sure that I am going to work out the day after I cheat.
The May 2010 Muscle and Fitness has some of the food above and great meal plans. Here is an example:
Diet for 180 lb man
Sample Rest Day -
Breakfast 1: 1 Scoop of Whey protein, 1 apple
Breakfast 2: 3 eggs, 1 cup of oatmeal, 2 scoops of whey protein, 1 cup of green tea
Morning snack; 6 oz. plain Greek yogurt, .5 cup of blue berries
Lunch: 1 Slice of sprouted bread ,1 oz of salmon, 2 cups of spinach, 1 cup
of read bell pepper
2 tsp. olive oil, 1 cup of black coffee
Mid afternoon snack: 1 scoop of whey protein, 1 cup of milk
Dinner: 6 oz. chicken breast, 5 cup black beans, 1 cup of broccoli
Bedtime snack: 8 oz. low-fat (1%) cottage cheese,1 oz. walnuts.
Total : 2,547 calories, 291 protein, 182 carbs, 79 g fat
In order to make this type of meal plan work for your goals, adjust the food to the calories you need to consume keeping in mind 5-7 small meals a day and protein that you need for the weight you want to achieve.
I use meal plans as I guide to give me an idea of what to eat. Planning your meals in advance really helps you focus on the calories that your consuming. That’s why diet meal plans work because it forces you to plan you meals ahead of time. Leaving you little room to deviate to eating bad food. Also it takes the “I am hungry but I don’t know what I want to eat” out of your diet. By planning ahead you will become more aware of what your putting into your body.
I am still learning about food and diet, and I will keep sharing food and meal plans as I find them.
Presently I am reading The Body Fat Solution by Tom Venuto
It’s a great book so far a full review is coming soon.
Exercise:
To get rid of fat with exercise you want to start with circuit training. Circuit training burns fat faster because it is generally a full body workout utilizing all of your muscle groups.
The Spartacus workout is a great example of this.
Spartacus is brutal, if your just starting out do 15 – 20 reps of each
exercise instead of using time for measurement.
Here is another example of Circuit training. Found in the Jan/ Feb. issue of
Maximum Fitness.
Do 10-12 reps, 2 minutes of rest at the end of the circuit. Do 3 Circuits.
Wide-Stance Dumbbell Squat
Push-Up
Walking dumbbell lunge
Two-arm dumbbell row
Stiff – legged dumbbell dead lift
Medicine ball crunch
Dumbbell reverse – grip bicep curl to shoulder press
When you’re lifting weights it’s good to mix up what you do every four weeks. By doing this your muscles don’t get lazy and used to what your doing. Keeping your muscles guessing will keep them burning.
Ab workouts -
Now from what I have been reading if you want great abs you should work them
out three times a week.
Here is example of a routine:
2-3 sets, 12-15 reps
Dumbbell V-Up: ( Do these with or without weight)
Hanging leg raise:
Weighted swiss ball crunch
Shotgun
oblique crunches
twisting leg raises
Bird Dog no reps use time 60 seconds
Check out my Maximum Fitness video review 3000 Abs Workouts for more Ab exercises.
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