Yes it is possible to get flat and fit abdominals with a training of 20 minutes if accompanied by a comprehensive training program with weights, aerobics and proper diet.
Overall there are two groups of thoughts in the fitness world regarding the abdominal workout. It is the theory of a few repetitions and high intensity (weights) and the theory of many repetitions with low intensity (weights). This article will discuss briefly the main arguments from both sides, and suggest the best abdominal strategy in my opinion.

First Exercise Strategy:
The abdominal muscle is just another body muscle like the other ones. Why do we need to train the abdominals differently than other muscles? If we want to have an impressive and strong six-pack we need to do what we do for the chest or biceps muscles, which is training two times a week with the traditional «magical» 3×10 manner of sets / repetitions.

The intensity is determined, either with weights, for example with crunches using weights or crunches with a weight bar, or of course using the body weight by increasing the angle at which the abdominals are performed. The abdominal muscle is a unified muscle, although externally looks similar to six or eight pack in some people. This sought after separation is due to the tendon sheaths of the abdominal enabling him to «fold» since the main objective-at least according to this perspective, is to bend the chest down. The theory of upper and lower abdominal is practically wrong, although some studies have shown different activation over the lower parts in exercises due to the abdominal fed by three nerves. Yet the differences are negligible. Enthusiasts of this exercise strategy are mainly bodybuilders and power lifters.

Second Exercise Strategy:

The abdominal muscles are considered core muscles which consist almost entirely of red muscle fibers. The red muscle fibers have slow oxidation and are present at the neck, side spinal and other supporting muscles, and do not need to provide great power. Their purpose is to keep the body stable and provide the necessary support in moving joints. That means we need to exercise abdominal muscles for resistance to power, with many repetitions and frequent training. Moreover, a training program that is already «heavy» in the central nervous system, and includes squads, deep seats, Olympic waivers, discharges and accelerations etc the last thing an athlete needs is another way to use up the neurotransmitters. Besides, the abdominal receives all the high intensity charge needed from the previous high-intensity exercises. The deep seats themselves are exhaustive for abdominal training. Apart from the above, many repetitions with few pounds in an isolated approach has tendency to over exercise abdominals. On the other hand, the few repetitions with many pounds leave the deep muscles  such as the transverse and lateral muscles unaffected and have a bad effect on the back.

What’s the Best Exercise Strategy:

Just use both of the strategies mentioned above. The truth is somewhere in the middle. If the abs appearance is first priority then a basic hypertrophy is necessary to show off the stomach but also to have muscle power. Use the first strategy for this. I know people who have single digits fat but have no ripped abdominals, simply because there is nothing to show. Moreover, many bodybuilders with fat in the middle tenths have abdominals showing more because they are big and strong. Of course genetically defined muscle shape plays an important role.
It is however a fact that whether you are a bodybuilder or athlete, we need a strong «core» on which we express our strength and explosiveness with safety and efficiency. The essence is to have in mind the period of exercising. Both strategies are needed at different times with different exercise method regimes. Generally, athletes would better stay with the second approach, because the risk of over exercising is high, while for bodybuilders should exercise the abdominals using both ways.

The following exercise program is not only a pure abdominal exercise plan. It is much more than that. It is a comprehensive nutrition and exercise routine that will help you lose belly and get great abs GUARANTEED. CLICK HERE

Today’s Quick Tip:

A common theme I’ve noticed lately with people that think they are eating healthy is that they’re still eating too much processed foods, but being duped by clever food labels into believing that the processed food they are eating is somehow “healthy”.

So let’s take a step back and re-visit the MOST important thing you can do to eat truly healthy and lose as much body fat as you want, easily…

And that is…

**Choose only foods at the grocery store that have 1 ingredient!

So this means that eggs, fruits, vegetables, meats (from healthy animals raised correctly), nuts, seeds, and other 1-ingredient foods should comprise almost your entire diet (except for cheat meals if you go that route).

Obviously there are exceptions to this, and there are foods you can buy with more than 1 ingredient that I can still give the thumbs up to (guacamole and hummus being a couple quick examples that come to mind)…

But the point is that if you can revisit this very simple method of choosing healthy foods, it can be a huge shift for most people that have been struggling to choose healthy foods because they are constantly deceived by food labels that claim to be healthy but are really processed junk in disguise.

This may be difficult for many people that are so addicted to processed foods… but give it a try for a week.  The next time you do a week’s worth of grocery shopping, try to make sure that everything in your cart are only 1-ingredient foods.

I’m willing to bet you’ll see a better body after that 1 week!

Feel free to fwd this article on to any friends or family that will enjoy it.

By Mike Geary

TruthAboutAbs

I have received the following little tip in my email today and thought about sharing it with you. It has to do with flattening your stomach with a simple exercise that you can do even while driving!!

The tip was sent to me by Mike Geary, a Certified Nutrition Specialist and Certified Personal Trainer. Mike is the author of the Best Selling exercise and nutrition program on the Internet, the TruthAboutAbs Program.

“If you’re already a reader of my Truth about Six Pack Abs manual, then you may already know this trick…

Now I will say that this does NOT increase fat burning, but it CAN help to flatten your stomach by strengthening your deeper transversus abdominis muscles and hence “pulling in” a lazy stomach.

It involves doing something called “ab vacuums”.

I find it a good time to get in the habit of doing daily ab vacuums while driving on your daily commute or another time that would get you in the habit of doing them regularly.

(please make sure this doesn’t distract you from driving safely… I find that it doesn’t distract me at all…much safer than driving while on the cell phone!)

Of course, ab vacuums can be done anywhere and don’t have to be just for driving, but I’ve found that it helps me to remember to do them if I do them at a specific time when driving regularly.

Ab vacuums are simple:

You can do ab vacuums pretty much anywhere at any time.
You can do them standing, seated (such as in a car), kneeling in a four-point position, or even lying flat on the floor.

The movement is as simple as pulling your belly button in as far as you can by imagining you’re trying to touch your belly button to your spine and holding for 10-20 seconds at a time. Start by inhaling deeply. Then, as you exhale, start pulling the belly button in towards the spine and hold it there for 10-20 seconds while just taking short breaths. Repeat for several holds.

Get in the habit of doing this at least 4-5 days per week while driving somewhere and you may find that this helps to flatten your stomach more by strengthening the transversus abdominis muscle (the deep ab muscles beneath the rectus abdominis) if you previously had a “lazy belly”.

Like I said, this doesn’t increase fat burning… it only helps to flatten a stomach that has lazy deep ab muscles.

If you want the “six pack abs” appearance, you obviously still need to burn off the body fat.

This idea of “ab vacuums” while driving is just one of the dozens of tips and tricks found inside my Truth about Six Pack Abs manual. If you don’t already have a copy, see what others are saying about it:

Truth About Abs Testimonials.

Or if you have questions whether it is right for you, go here:

If you liked today’s idea in this article, feel free to fwd this article to any friends or family that may want to try these “ab vacuums”.

Til next newsletter,
Don’t be lazy… be lean.”

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer

1)      The mission «get perfect abdominals» is extremely difficult and for only few brave ones, in contrast to what some sirens of cheap marketing promise to you.
Before you start to meet this goal, you need strong mental preparation: Sharpen your self discipline and your self esteem.

2)      Proper diet is the absolute king as far as abdominals are concerned! It is much more critical than exercising! Avoid all restrictive diets. Eat unprocessed, natural foods and arrange your diet to create a negative calorie balance.

3)      Give special attention to high quality protein, with many vegetables and fiber with monounsaturated fat and omega-3.

4)      Avoid as much as possible the peaks in your sugar and insulin so you can reduce the chances of fat storage. Divide the total daily calories between 5-6 meals and prefer foods of low glycemic index and course load.

5)      Perform muscle strengthening exercises with emphasis on free weights. Always prefer exercises that motivate and involve large muscle groups and as many joints as possible. Reduce breaks between sets. Give your exercise routine an aerobic feeling.

6)      Pushups are ideal for abdominal fitness. Try cyclical training exercises using your body weight. They are ideal for fat loss and a super combination of aerobic and anaerobic exercise.

7)      Your basic mission you – do not forget – is to remove the fat from your midsection. This is the only way to reveal your abs muscles.
If you are too trained, try HIIT (High Intensity Intermittent Training) which we have already addressed in past articles. It is by far the best investment of time for fat loss.
If not, try aerobic activities in 70-75% of Maximum heart frequency for 30 seconds each time, 4-5 times / week.
Avoid at all costs the endless, low-intensity aerobic training exercises eg walking or running too slow on a treadmill, etc. They can you send to the grave (from boredom!!).

8)      Generally speaking, you don’t need to focus on abdominal exercises only. If, however, for psychological reasons you want to do some abdominal exercises, give importance to the proper way. A lot of people make huge mistakes which burden your back.

9)      Do not succumb to the temptation of easy solutions and false promises from unrelated merchants. Forget miracle pills, magic super foods, etc. Do not you become a sucker!

10)   Similarly, most abdominal exercise equipment that are advertised in infomercials are pure scams. Do not fall for such scams.

Especially when you hear words or phrases such as:

- Lose Belly Fat Quickly and easily
- 5 minutes lose weight
- A few weeks
- Ready for summer
- No hard work needed…

then run away!

The big secret for revealing your abdominal muscles is the low percentage of body fat, which is anything but easy. Feasible of course, but only for the truly determined.