—–

Hi Mike, thanks for all the tips on getting a six pack. I just subscribed, but I’ve been trying to get six pack abs for over two years now.

To be honest, it’s been extremely frustrating. The rest of my body I don’t have any problem with…but for some reason my abs are still soft and flabby no matter what I do. I’m not obese or anything, but nobody would ever say I have a six pack either which is what I want.

I’m doing hardcore workouts all the time and I’m keeping my eating fairly clean. I haven’t bought any courses on how to get a six pack yet, but I’ve studied a ton of information which I’ve gotten for free on blogs and forums. I feel like I’ve put so much work into this. But for some reason I’m not seeing results. I’m beginning to think my genetics are such that six pack abs are just not in the cards for me.

Am I doing something wrong? HELP!

Andrew E.

—–

Hey Andrew,

You’re actually facing three VERY common issues that sabotage guys from getting six pack abs. I’m going to clear up the confusion for you…

And if YOU are reading this right now, and you’ve been trying to get a six pack but not seeing results, you’re likely GETTING SABOTAGED BY THE SAME THREE THINGS. Make sure to pay close attention to this newsletter, because it’s going to address what’s been holding YOU back specifically and show you how to eliminate these “six pack sabotagers” from your life.

SABOTEUR #1: YOUR METABOLISM

What you said:

“The rest of my body I don’t have any problem with…but for some reason my abs are soft and flabby no matter what I do.”

What this tells me:

From the vague way you described your body, I can tell that you have not yet gained a large amount of muscle. Because I’ve spent most of my life hanging around guys who HAVE…and let me tell you, they’ll never describe their body in vague terms like this.

Guys who have bulked up and have built a lot of muscle will be EAGER to provide you with specifics like:

“I’ve gained X pounds of muscle in the past year.”

“I have a muscular build – I regularly get compliments on the rest of my body from women”

“I can eat 3000 calories per day and not gain any weight.”

So I’m going to guess that while you’re in shape, you’re not exactly “muscular” yet.

So here’s what’s been sabotaging you…

There is a myth spread by fitness marketers that you can get six pack abs just through diet and ab training alone. This is 100% FALSE.

If you just try the “crunches and diet’ method of getting a six pack, you’re sure to fail. This is because getting six pack abs requires you to become very LEAN – otherwise your abs simply won’t be visible.

In order to get this lean, your metabolism needs to be very high. Otherwise, you’ll have to severely restrict the amount you eat to 1500 calories per day or less – which just isn’t realistic for most people to do as a lifestyle.

What you need to do BEFORE you diet, and BEFORE you do any direct ab exercise is to INCREASE YOUR METABOLISM.

This way, you burn massive amounts even when you’re resting. Eventually, you’ll be able to eat over 3000 calories per day and not gain any weight (this is where I’m at right now).

The best way to increase your metabolism is to gain lean muscle mass through weightlifting. This lean muscle mass will consume calories day in and day out, just to sustain itself.

This is why you RARELY see six pack abs on guys who don’t have muscle on their entire body – and when you do they don’t look good. If you don’t have bulk on your ENTIRE BODY, getting six pack requires you stay close to a starvation diet. But if you are muscular, you can enjoy food and be constantly full, yet still have a six pack.

TAKEAWAY –> The FIRST thing you need to do when building six pack abs is to INCREASE YOUR METABOLISM THROUGH TOTAL BODY MUSCLE GAIN. This can be done quickly if you want to – but if you don’t do it AT ALL, your six pack efforts are doomed.

SABOTEUR #2: NO UNIFIED TRAINING AND NUTRITION PROGRAM

What you said:

“I’m doing hardcore workouts all the time and I’m keeping my eating fairly clean. I haven’t bought any courses on how to get a six pack yet, but I’ve studied a ton of information which I’ve gotten for free on blogs and forums.”

What this tells me:

SOME free information can be great. If you’re applying the stuff you read here, that’s great. If you’re applying free stuff from another qualified trainer with a good reputation, that’s great as well.

But you have to realize, MOST of the free information out there on blogs and forums is complete garbage. Following random tips that you read from the internet can SERIOUSLY screw up your progress.

If you’re serious about getting a six pack, then you can only take advice from:

1. Guys who have a six pack themselves (this should be common sense…but sadly, it’s not)

2. Who ALSO have years of training experience, and a solid track record of getting results for clients

You cannot, cannot, cannot follow any random thing you read on a forum. You have to realize that most people who post on these forums are overweight losers who enjoy the ego boost of being an “online fitness guru.” They’ve can’t even get themselves in shape, never mind anyone else.

Also – from your vague language about “hardcore workouts” and “eating clean” I can tell that you do not have a single, unified program you are following right now. You are combining tips and advice from many different sources together.

This is a bad idea, EVEN IF ALL THE INDIVIDUAL TIPS THEMSELVES ARE GOOD. Here’s why:

First of all, unless they’re part of a unified SYSTEM, many of these tips probably contradict one another. Some “fitness experts” say that you should eat tons or protein to get a six pack, others advise eating very little. Some experts say that you should do lots of crunches, and others say that crunches are a waste of time. Some tell you to take certain supplements, others tell you that you absolutely cannot take supplements if you want a six pack.

If you just try and collage all these contradictory tips together, you’ll just end up confused.

Second of all, if you do not have a SPECIFIC EXERCISE PLAN and SPECIFIC EATING PLAN, you will not be doing these things with any consistency. Guys who have a six pack will often say things like:

“My workout routine is to get at 10:30 AM, for 30 minutes 5 days a week.”

“My eating plan is to have two healthy meals of brown rice, chicken and broccoli per day, and to give myself one ‘free’ meal”

TAKEAWAY –> If you can’t tell me SPECIFCIALLY what your eating and exercise plan is in one sentence, then you don’t have one. And I can guarantee you that if you have no plan, you are not working out or eating right CONSISTENTLY. You absolutely, positively MUST be following a definite plan if you want to get six pack abs.

SABOTEUR #3: DEFEATIST ATTITUDE

You said:

“I’m beginning to think my genetics are such that six pack abs are just not in the cards for me.”

What this tells me:

I get it…I don’t have the greatest genetics in the world either. And I recognize your genetics CAN play a part in getting your six pack…

But the reality is, for 99% of the male population six pack abs are VERY ATTAINABLE GOAL…IF you are consistently eating and training the right way.

How do I know? Well, despite bad genetics I eventually got six pack abs myself. And I’ve trained hundreds of guys who have every genetic handicap you can imagine, and I’ve seen many of them get the six pack abs they wanted.

If you blame 100% of your failure on genetics, you’re grossly out of touch with reality. I know it’s tough to hear, but it’s really just an excuse you’re using to justify your lack of results.

And even worse, you said that a six pack “wasn’t in the cards,” for you. This type of defeatist attitude is absolute POISON for getting six pack abs, and will keep your gut hanging over your belt for a long, long time.

I’ve said it for a long time…getting six packs abs is only 50% physical, and 50% MENTAL.

You need to have your mind right, because getting six pack abs does take some commitment and effort. You’ll face various obstacles along the way, as well as having to deal with jealousy and lack of support from your friends who aren’t as committed to having a great body as you.

The only way to press through these obstacles is to have a strong, unwavering belief that you WILL get a six pack if you are consistently eating and training right. Even when it seems hard, and even when you’re frustrated.

You need to shed this defeatist attitude ASAP in order to get six pack abs. You have to realize that there are no “cards” – there is only what you accomplish, and what you do not accomplish. It is 100% within your power to get six pack abs. If you don’t get them, you have nobody but yourself to blame. And if you DO get them, you’ll have only yourself to thank. Not your lucky stars, not “fate,” and definitely not “the cards.”

TAKEAWAY –> I’m not judging you for making these mistakes, because I made them all myself at one point. But I do want you to know that there is hope — that you can get a six pack. You just have to shed the defeatist attitude, and learn how to THINK like a guy who has a six pack.

THE NEXT STEP:

If you liked this article and you’re serious about getting six pack abs, I recommend you sign up for my email newsletter. I send out free articles like this one every 2-3 days that teach you exactly how to get six pack abs. I also send out videos of the best exercises for getting defined abs, and videos that show you how to eat for six pack abs.

And it’s all completely free. Check it out here:

<a href=”http://www.sixpackshortcuts.com”>Six Pack Abs Exercises</a>

Mike Chang

Tip #1: Control Your Liquid Calories

When we think about cutting the fat on our bellies, the first thing that comes to our mind is cutting down on solid food. But one thing that most guys don’t take into account is the amount of LIQUID calories they consume. These liquid calories are typically totally empty of nutrition, and they can really add up fast. If you’ve been trying to lose weight but haven’t been successful, liquid calories could be the reason why.

Think about it: a soda of the size typically served at restaurants has about 480 calories, all pure sugar.

And the average twelve ounce bottle of beer has about 160 calories. How easy is it to drink 5 or 6 beers without even thinking about it? That’s a huge amount of empty calories which go straight to your gut.

Before you even start worrying about changing what you’re eating, start paying attention to what you’re DRINKING. This means:

- Drinking tea, juice, water, or even diet soda in place of regular soda

- Replacing beer or sugary alcoholic drinks with healthier alternatives, such as a vodka tonic

- Avoiding excess consumption of sugary juices, even though they’re marketed as “healthy”

Tip #2: Boost Your Metabolism BEFORE Trying To Lose Weight

Another thing that will make weight loss MUCH easier for you is boosting your metabolism BEFORE you try and lose weight. If your metabolism is low, weight loss is going to be incredibly difficult. You’ll have to eat incredibly tiny portions of food every day, and even if you’re exercising all the time you will still have difficulty losing weight.

Your metabolism is the most important factor in your weight loss, bar none. An extremely hard cardio workout might burn 300 calories at the most but your metabolism will burn between 1500-3000 calories, EVERY SINGLE DAY, WHETHER YOU WORK OUT ON THAT DAY OR NOT.

It’s BY FAR the most important factor – you will easily burn 20x more calories through your metabolism than through exercise directly.

So you’re probably wondering, HOW do I boost my metabolism?

The best way to boost your metabolism is to gain lean body mass (muscle). This muscle will require energy every day to maintain itself, whether you work out on that day or not. This is what will jack your metabolism up, and make fat loss possible.

Back when I used to weight about 160 flabby pounds, I would eat about 1500 calories a day. It sucked – I felt like I was always starving, and I STILL didn’t lose any fat.

Now that I weigh 205 lbs. and I have much more muscle mass, I purposely eat over 3000 calories per day, EVERY DAY. I never gain any weight, because of my increased metabolism.

So if you want to lose weight, first focus on increasing your metabolism through building muscle.

Tip #3: Follow A Nutrition PLAN

Another huge mistake a lot of guys make is that they have no unified plan for their eating. They just try and follow whatever random tips they read off the internet whenever they remember them, and just hope things work out. The reality is, things never work out when you do them this way. If you don’t have a plan, then you’ll end up eating the wrong foods and you will just gain more fat on your stomach.

Because if you don’t have a definite plan — if you don’t know what you’re doing to eat that day in ADVANCE of when you actually eat it — you’ll have to make all your eating choices in the moment. And the only thing to keep you away from unhealthy food choices is going to be sheer willpower.

And let’s face it: NOBODY has very much willpower, and diets that rely on willpower inevitably fail. This is why 95% of people who “go on a diet” lose no weight, and actually GAIN weight beyond what they weighed originally.

But this isn’t to say things are hopeless — there are people who DO have the abs which come from great nutrition. The secret is, these people don’t have any more willpower than you. They just have a structured PLAN that determines what they eat, taking willpower out of the equation.

Sometimes I write frequently elsewhere, and sometimes it is just occasionally, but in either case, it is content that I feel is worth sharing. Enjoy!

• Are you a Skinny Fat Person? – If you don’t know, then you need to read this!
• How to Lose Weight by Dancing – Just like the name sounds! Get your groove on and drop some pounds.
• A Review of WOWY and the Million Dollar Body Club – An incredibly thorough (if I do say so myself!) review of Beachbody’s WOWY® online gym and their feature-rich Million Dollar Body Club.

• Who’s Your Handler? – A rant (hey, I’m allowed!) about how people consciously and unconsciously let other people run their lives. That has to stop.