By Everyone wants flat, muscular, lean abs! Not only does it look fantastic, it also feels great to fit into your favourite clothes, with no spillage of love handles. Not to mention, keeping the zipper and buttons done up on your pants after a meal (you know you’ve done this several times!)
I’m going to go through a week by week strategy that will help you on the path to getting those lean, flat abdominal muscles that you desire. They are ready to expose themselves when your diet and exercise falls into place consistently.
Please note, as with any kind of strategy, they key is to STICK WITH IT and persevere. We all have different body types, and some will get faster results, some will be a lot slower. All this is fine and you just have to run with it and tweak as you go. Listen to your body, and take notes on any results or challenges you are having. Personalised programs are available according to body types and goals. Please click here to inquire about your body type plan.
WEEK 1 – The cut back stage.
Cut out all the processed foods. This means, anything available in supermarket shelving, that contain additives and strange numbered ingredients. All these processed foods contain chemicals, hidden sugars that mess with your hormones & digestion. This list includes; Biscuits, protein bars, flours, white breads, crackers, chocolates, lollies, flavoured waters, packet sauces etc.
What to have instead? Please invest in high grade meat and seafood for your diet. They don’t have to be poultry without the fa. By all means, eat the fat, it’s great for you! Buy organic when possible, this includes fruit and veggies, as well as herbs and spices to season your meats. Use cold pressed olive oil and coconut oil to cook and season your food. When you get used to this, your taste buds will change and become accustomed to the real and natural flavours of the seasoning, the meats and the texture. You may choose to bake or steam your food, even fry. I recommend eating as many raw veggies as possible, making up your own salads or steamed veggie with your meats.
A word on carbohydrates. If your body can tolerate potatoes, please use the sweet potato variety, as well as limited amounts of white rice. Rice is actually riddled with chemicals, so always opt for sweet potato. I personally don’t eat any kinds of potatoes or rices. They do not digest well for me.
Keep a note of what foods you are eating, and how you feel physically, mentally and also, do you experience any sort of uncomfortable feelings with your digestion?
WEEK 2 – The interval training stage + weight training
Implement some interval training as well as low impact cardio. Interval training is very important for fat burning. Bursts of activity followed by a short rest period has proven to burn more body fat than steady state, dreadfully long cardio! Couple this interval training with low impact, such as power walking, incline on the treadmill, light jogging with power walking, cross trainer programming etc.
This kind of training allows your body to be pushed, as well as be in a relaxed state. It’s very important that the body is not pushed continuously, or you will experience high levels of cortisol. Cortisol on red alert daily, stops your body from burning any excess calories, and actually elevates your body fat levels! We don’t want this, as we’ve already cut back on calories, due to the diet change in week one. We want our bodies to smoothly transition into each state, doing what we intend (lose body fat).
Weight training is a must! Getting into the weights room is very important. Break up your programming into 3 sections. 1) Shoulders & back 2) Biceps and triceps 3)Legs and glutes.
There are many resources online in order to find some great exercises. There are many ways to become stronger and more defined. If you are a beginner, start of slowly and invest in a personal trained to teach you proper technique and form. Read articles online, as well as search in Amazon for some weight training manuals. These particular ones have worked for me, and many others.
Sprint training will help you understand the science behind fat loss with sprint training. It’s a great beginners guide. German body comp is my ultimate favourite kind of training technique! It’s the ability to lose body fat and gain muscle at the same time! The book gives you a rundown of the technique as well as some exercise samples and work out programs. Please view the exercises online to know what machines to use. Alternatively, I will be releasing some trusted workout programs for men and woman that work wonders for building muscle and losing body fat. Please click here to register your interest.
WEEK 3 – Add in some fun!
Add a treat meal (one only!) . If you are experiencing some results (if you are following the CLEAN diet above and not cheating) you should have lost some body fat. If this is the case, you may have ONE treat meal per week. Please note, this is not a binge day, it’s one meal you can have that’s out of the ordinary which will spike your metabolism, and make you look even leaner the next day! Trust me on this, I’ve done it (and so have countless others) so many times when training and dieting hard for a body building competition! It’s amazing! The following guide will guide you on the right path to your
chosen treat meal.
For all those savoury lovers: • Burger and fries (not a big mac please!) • A few slices of pizza (make it as healthy as possible) • Ribs and fried chips • Plate of your favourite pasta and sauce • Kebab with the lot • Pork roll etc
For all those seeking dessert • A slice of your favourite cake (not the whole cake!) • Ice cream treat with your favourite toppings (not a tub) • Pancakes with your desired toppings • Crepe with ice cream and maple syrup etc • Chocolate bar of your choice • A doughnut treat etc
Please exercise some self control ( I know it’s hard) and believe me, it get’s easier. This is something for you to look forward to, and can share the moment with a friend or your spouse, kids etc. You should be eating well as much as you can. Processed foods are not essential for our bodies, but having something we love once a week isn’t harmful.
If you have allergies or gut issues, processed with caution. Eat something according to your dietary requirements.
WEEK 4 – Add in some fasting/meal skipping or keto days
Depending on what results you are having, you can choose to adapt this way of eating, and continue to see results. You may have to intensify your weight training, add in more protein and maybe throw in another cardio session. Test and refine as you go along.
A great thing to add in week 4 if you are not seeing results as fast as you want, would be fasting or going Keto for a few days.
Fasting: Fasting is an open window of feeding and then no food for a number of hours. Whilst this works for some people, I found it too harsh for me. My particular technique is for weekends, or days I’m not working. I tend to skip or fast off lunch time. Instead of having a meal, I will have some berries, activated nuts and drink loads of water, and perhaps a coffee. Why do I do this? Mainly to give my digestion a break, and it settles any gut upsets. Fasting has proven to be fantastic for your well being and helps regenerate cells and prevent ageing. You may love your lunch, but aren’t keen on breakfast or dinner. Pick and choose what works for you, note the results and tweak.
Keto: I absolutely LOVE keto eating! This is the art of eating a high fat diet with minimal protein and no carbohydrates (except from veggies and berries). This way of eating has proven to be exceptional for athletes, diabetics, multiple sclerosis and much more! Check out his awesome book on it, filled with many recipes
The Ultimate Keto Diet Guide for Beginners to lose Weight and Fat (Meat and Vegetarian Friendly Ketogenic Meal Plans for Weight Loss included)
Please note that these are suggested techniques used by many, and do not guarantee results. Results may vary from person to person. Please consult your doctor if you have a medical condition before undertaking any of the suggestions above.
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