How to Get Ripped Abs - 3 Reasons Most People Fail and How to Avoid Them

Most people think getting six pack abs is impossible. They bust out rep after rep of crunches developing their abdominal muscles but unfortunately they never come into view. If you want to know how to get ripped abs you need to know that it takes smart training and eating if you ever want to see them. Many people that set off in the elusive quest for a six pack only make it to a four pack or even worse a two pack. Let's take a look at some of the major reasons the quest for a six pack ends in failure or just a four pack.

Diet too Restrictive

Anyone can lose weight with a calorie restricted diet. If you eat less than your body burns you will lose weight. Losing weight isn't the same as losing fat and that is why most people never hit single digit body fat which is necessary to go from four pack to six pack. If you have ever wondered how to get ripped abs like the guys in magazines or pictures then you need to know your caloric limits when eating not enough actually starts setting you back.

Following a traditional calorie restrictive diet will eventually lead you to a plateau right before you start getting to single digit body fat. This is where most people quit. To get those six pack abs you will need to eat more so that you can avoid falling into the trap of metabolic shut down. Eventually the body adapts from low calories through a number of ways like reducing thyroid output, reducing the production of fat burning enzymes, and burning muscle mass as energy. To counter this most guys drop their calories even more which eats up some fat but even more muscle mass. The trade off becomes getting a six pack but ending up skinny anyways. You want to keep some beef on your chest and arms for a six pack to really look impressive.

Exercise Program not Conducive to Fat Burning

Another reason most people don't get into ripped condition is because their workout program isn't even conducive to burning fat. The best approach to getting into single digit body fat is to have an exercise program that pushes your metabolism into the stratosphere causing you to burn more fat rather than the other approach of restricting calories which causes muscle burning.

A workout program loaded with supersets, full body exercises, higher reps, and limited rest between sets will setup the perfect storm to increase fat burning hormones as well as shoot your metabolism higher. This way you don't have to cut calories too much on your eating plan. A structured exercise plan that focuses on fat burning is the best way to hit single digit body fat to make the abs visible.

How to Get Ripped Abs without Too Much Cardio

The other factor that helps burn fat but can become counter productive is doing too much cardio. Doing hours and hours of boring cardio will burn body fat but it can quickly start to elevate your cortisol levels. Cortisol is a hormone that increases under time of stress, lack of rest, and heavy exercise. The worst part about cortisol is that it makes your body increase fat around the waistline and it burns muscle tissue. These are the two last things you ever want to do.

The solution is to do high intensity interval training. These short burst of cardio lasting anywhere from 12 to 20 minutes are designed to burn a lot of calories quickly but even more importantly increase your metabolism for hours afterwards. Do some HIIT training and then burn fat while watching television at night and allowing your body to rest.