How Long does it Take to Get a Six Pack

Tap to Read ➤ Aastha Dogra

The right kind of exercise and a balanced diet, along with a lot of patience and dedication can get you the most desired six pack abs really faster than you expect.

People who are into weight training and exercising, to get that toned, ripped physique, often wonder about the time taken to get the six pack abs. Well, to be honest, there cannot be a simple, single answer to this query, considering that our bodies are different, the diet we take is different too, and most of us rely on different kinds of exercise programs.

One thing though, is sure, you have to literally slog yourself for hours, and keep a control on what and when you eat, to get those toned ab muscles.

Genetics

Genetics have a big role to play in this regard. Compared to women, it is easier for men to get a six pack for the simple reason that, men naturally have more muscles in their body and women have a higher fat percentage. There may be some exceptions to this, but those are rare.

Body Type

Basically, there are three body types, viz., ectomorphs, endomorphs, and mesomorphs. Ectomorphs are those, who have small bones, and are generally skinny. Endomorphs are those, who are big-boned and have a high fat percentage.

Mesomorphs are those, who have a muscular body and at the same time, very low fat percentage. People who belong to the last category will take lesser time, and find it easier to tone their ab muscles.

Diet

The more willing a person is to make changes in his diet, the lesser time he or she will take to get six packs. The meal timings are as important as the diet plan itself.

Ideally, five to six small meals should be taken in a day rather than three large meals. Whenever we eat, our body has to burn calories to digest the food, so if we eat frequently, it will lead to more calorie loss.

It is important to include any of the high-protein foods such as, lean meat, egg white, mushrooms, turkey, chicken, lentils, bacon, broccoli, yogurt, cornmeal, ham, wheat, beans, banana, peach, and salmon, in every meal. These help in speeding up the metabolic process, thus aiding weight loss, and keeping the body energized simultaneously.

Junk, processed, fried, and fatty foods should be avoided. To get ripped fast, a person should include low-calorie and nutrition-rich foods such as, fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy foods, nuts, seeds, beans, lean meat, and fish, in the diet.

Exercise

The kind of effort one puts in his workout, is another factor that determines how fast the toned abs will show up. Ideally, the workout routine should be a mix of certain cardiovascular exercises, to lose fats from all over the body as well as abdominal exercises to tone up the muscles in that region.

The cardiovascular exercises should be carried out thrice a week, and can be anything right from jogging, swimming, aerobics, to dancing, cycling, or playing a sport.

The exercises should include all kinds of abdominal crunches such as, regular crunches, reverse crunches, bicycle crunches, exercise ball crunches, and oblique crunches. Some other effective exercises that should be included in the workouts are, leg raises, side twists, and side bends.

Besides the guidelines mentioned here, a person needs to be consistent, and keep his motivation levels high. All of us, even the most sedentary of us, have six pack abs, it's just that they are hidden beneath the layers of fats.

So, if someone really puts his mind to it, makes these dietary and lifestyle changes, and exercises regularly, within a month, the fat from the body will start melting away, revealing those well cut, ripped abs to the world.