Chisel Slabs of Abs

2 Sure-Fire Sessions For A Stomach Of Steel

GET READY TO GET RIPPED! It takes mental toughness as well as physical exertion to develop shredded abdominal muscles and tight obliques. If you've got the guts, we'll get you the glory. What follows are two separate but equal gut-busting regimens. Both are comprised of a combination of basic movements and more challenging maneuvers. Each addresses the abdominals and the obliques. The ideal schedule would be to perform them on an alternating basis, one each day. That's the physical part. Here are 20 more exacting tips to learn, and in a few pages a side story offers nutritional advice for getting your abs tight and toned.

• Discipline Yourself. The midsection is one area that must be trained hard on a regular basis. Since you can work abs with or without weights, at home or in the gym, there's no excuse for not performing these.

• Break sweats. Building and maintaining muscle mass isn't the way to go for a wasboard stomach. You must sweat away the excess with aerobic training like running, biking, stair-stepping, etc.

• Slow down. Unlike arms and other muscle groups, it takes months to see midsection results. You'll strengthen and harden your gut with exercises, but to actually see results from ground zero takes time. Don't be discouraged easily.

• Perfect your posture. Maintaining proper posture is crucial for peak ab development. Also, do lots of back exercises for muscular balance.

• Do supersets. Abs are the best muscle to work this way because you have so many exercising options. Whenever you train the rest of your body, simply add a midsection set between each exercise. You'll be hitting your abs all the time.

• Do it right. The exercises on these pages are not all there is. Work the abs anywhere, anytime. Take deep breaths, hold the air in momentarily and contract the abs. Little things add up.

• Don't rush. Unlike arms, chest and other major muscles, the abs take a lot of continual effort before results are apparent. Remember that all men have abs; those that show don't have any fat covering them. You'll be strengthening your midsection from the first rep, but it may very well takes months before you see results.

• Get real. Unless you're in your 20s, have great genetics and plan on becoming a workoutaholic, you're not going to match the slabs of abs seen in this magazine. These guys are for illustrative and inspirational purposes only. Strive to get the best abs you can within your limits.

• Feel the burn. There's no sense rushing through repetitions simply to complete a set quickly. It's not how many reps you do, it's how you do them. Each maneuver should be slow, and you should feel your abs and/or obliques tighten. Maintain perfect form throughout.

• Get hitched. This strategy is great for any workout, but especially so for abs. And since most guys want to tone and define their midsections, it shouldn't be too hard to find a partner. He or she doesn't have to train with you all the time, or for the whole workout. Just for the gut-busting part. A partner will keep you psyched to succeed.

• Get tight. Aside from formal exercise, hold your waistline tight whenever you think about it. Every little bit helps.

• Crunch everywhere. The great thing about ab training is that it can be done whenever and wherever you want. You don't need weights and you won't break a sweat. You can do sitting isometrics at your desk, leg lifts in bed, etc. Don't limit your ab workouts to the gym.

• Eat right. Yes, a fat-free strategy is crucial. But that doesn't mean eating anything and everything else is okay. You'll have to lose excess poundage to see your grid.

• Zero in. If you're going to make an all-out assault on your abs, don't expect to train the rest of your body the same way. You only have so much time and energy. Perform total-body workouts instead of single-muscle sessions. You won't lose any size or strength.

• Have a ball. Etching and maintaining abs is hard work, but don't make it drudgery. You should be ecstatic to lose an inch in your waist before you see and feel the stomach muscles. Remember that you want your best midsection ever for life, not just for a month or two.

• Employ a low-fat diet. Since fat tends to accumulate around a man's midsection, you can actually develop decent abs that are hidden below the fat. This is the case with big men in good shape, like football linemen. If you want the abs to shine through, you must eat low fat.

• Drink a lot of water. This is a sound health strategy for everyone, regardless of fitness goals, but is imperative for ab-slab wannabes. Water's an appetite reducer, and the leaner the better.

• Cut down on sugar and junk foods. Consider what you eat as either helping or hurting your goal to achieve midsection perfection. Think fruits and vegetables and forget about cake and cookies.

• Prepare (or order) foods right. Avoid deep-fried everything. Eat the baked potato but not with gobs of butter. Steam vegetables, trim fat from meats, etc. Think about everything you're about to eat or order, and if there's a better way to prepare it.

• Eat several small meals instead of three big ones. Your body will utilize more nutrients and speed up your metabolism this way.