It is the holy grail of achievements for many of you who are working hard for tight, toned and defined muscles. You have triceps that can cut through rock and your legs look like they were sculpted by Michelangelo, but the ever elusive six-pack abs, aka washboard stomach, is still just out of reach.

You see countless people on magazines and TV shows who have abs with ridges deep enough to create small rivers as they sweat, so you know that it is possible to obtain the six-pack results…but how?

Reducing your body fat is the key to obtaining shredded ab muscles. You have ab muscles, everyone does, but they are hidden behind the skin and body fat that lies on top of them. This doesn’t mean that you are fat or overweight because you cannot see the definition of your abdominal muscles though. In fact, you can be in fantastic physical shape and not have a washboard stomach. But if your goal is to get that chiseled look of a washboard on your stomach, then there are some considerations and steps that can help.

Cardio – Doing cardio and high intensity workouts are a great way to reduce body fat. Your body requires more energy as you exert yourself; as you burn calories doing cardio your body can utilize body fat as a source of energy.

Diet – Knowing how many calories you are eating is important if you are trying to lose a couple of extra pounds to expose your six-pack. Track your calories and make sure that you are in a calorie deficit, which can force your body to utilize its fat stores for energy. Eating a balanced diet and providing your body with all of the nutrients it needs allows it to function at its peak. This can help shed extra body fat that is hiding your six-pack.

Resistance training – Tone all of your muscles and burn more calories. Do core and ab exercises–like planks, crunches and crossovers that involve your oblique muscles—that way when your washboard appears it will already be tight, toned and ready to impress the world.

Genetics – Remember that your body type and genetics play a role in your quest to show off your tight and toned tummy. Your body utilizes body fat from wherever it chooses. You cannot control whether that area is your hips, arms or abs no matter which exercises you do. As you drop your overall body fat percentage, your body will eventually have to use the fat stores in your stomach. Be patient and keep working; your six-pack is there but it can be shy about making a public appearance. 🙂

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