Washboard Abs. We ALL want them. That’s what sells! 90% of those gimmicky infomercials you see on TV are selling some sort of machine to give us the abs we’ve always wanted. But guess what? You can do ab exercises till the cows come home, but if your awesome washboard is covered with fat, it won’t look any different!!
That’s right! I’m back to nutrition again! “Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym”. Have you heard that quote? Well, it’s true! Your abs will start to show up once your body fat drops below about 10%, and you will see more and more as the body fat continues to drop. You will go from a KEG to a 2-PACK to a 4-PACK to a 6-PACK, and even the illusive 8-PACK if you get your body fat very low. It’s really that simple! No crazy machines needed.
But it’s still very important to work the abs and core muscles as part of your workout routine, because core strength is the key to balance and control while doing other lifts / movements. So don’t think you can just skip that Ab Ripper X or Cardio Abs in exchange for skipping a meal!
How often should you workout the abs? This is a GREAT question, and I’m asked it quite often. I think Tony Horton nailed the answer to this question on his 1-on-1 video called “Killer Abs”. In that video, Tony is asked by Mason (his cameraman):
Mason: “How often should you do an ab workout like this?”
Tony: “Once or twice per week. That’s all you need.”
Mason then responds with a quesion: “You don’t need to do abs every day?”
Tony: “That’s stupid! Do you do chest every day? Do you do back every day? Do you do calves every day? NO, NO, NO! So why would you do abs every day!”
Mason: “Well, I shower every day!”
Tony: “Thank God!” … and then he proceeds to begin the second half of the Killer Ab workout!
Classic! It leaves me laughing out loud every time!
That conversation pops into my mind everytime I am asked about how often to do ab workouts, and it’s PERFECTLY TRUE!! Plan on 2-3 ab days per week. No more, no less. More is overkill and won’t give you better results. Less will lead to a weak core.
I love how Tony makes things simple for us … and funny too!
Need a coach?
My email: coachwayne@teamripped.com
IG: @wayne_wyatt
