Editors of Mens Health Magazi - Mens Health the Six-Pack Secret: Sculpt Rock-Hard Abs with the Fastest Muscle-Up, Slim-Down Program Ever Created!

THE SIX-PACK SECRET

Sculpt rock-solid abs in 4 weeks using the most effective muscle-up, weight-loss program ever created

Edited by Jeff Csatari

The New York Times Best-Selling Author of The Belly Off! Diet

INTRODUCTION

Fast Track Your Six Pack

THE SECRET SOURCE OF RIPPLING, ROCK-HARD ABS CAN BE FOUND RIGHT HERE

True story: Its a late summer afternoon and two guys are fly-fishing on a small stream near Asheville, North Carolina.

(No, you havent purchased Field & Streams Fitness Edition, this IS a Mens Health book about abs. Stick with us.)

One of the fishermen is catching trout after trout after trout. Small ones, big ones. It seems hes landing a fish with every four or five casts.

The other guy is catching squat. Nada . And hes frustrated. Hes fishing the same water, not 10 feet away from the other angler, but he hasnt raised a trout all afternoon, while the other guy is killing them.

The fisherman who isnt catching came to the stream expecting a hatch of Stenonema ithaca , a tiny mayfly that typically emerges in the late afternoons in August. Trout eat them with gusto. But not today. Theres no mayfly hatch, so the Light Cahill fly our poor angler tossed to the trout was completely ignored by the fish as if it were a neon sign blinking Beware of Dangerous Hook.

The trout were busy eating something else.

Try a No. 16 black ant, said the fisherman who was catching to the fisherman who wasnt catching. See that dead tree hanging over the river? Its full of ants and theyre being swept into the current.

So the fisherman who wasnt catching pulled a size 16 black ant pattern from his fly box and tied it to the end of his line. First cast: Bingo . He landed a 17-inch brown trout.

Now, what do brown trout and black ants have to do with your quest for six-pack abs? Frankly, nothing. The point of this fish story is that all it took was a tiny nugget of insider info to make all the difference between not catching anything and going home with a trout dinner. The fisherman who was catching all the fish wasnt any more skilled at fly-casting than the angler who wasnt catching.

He just knewthe secret.

Why is it that some guys can sculpt amazing abs while the rest of us struggle to suck in our jiggling bellies? Are they genetically predisposed to a Daniel Craig-style stomach? Are they just more disciplined when it comes to exercising? Do they simply want it more badly than we do? Or do these guys, like that lucky fisherman, know something that most of us dont know? Is there a secret to their success, a fail-proof abs strategy that gives them what has eluded you for so long?

The answers to those questions The Six-Pack Secret can be found by reading this book. If you cant see your abs now, dont assume its because youre missing out on a magical abdominal exercise or single abs-unveiling power drink. If the Six-Pack Secret was that easy, this book would be one page long. No. Losing belly flab and sculpting an impressive rack of abdominal muscles is a process requiring time, hard work, dedication, and a strategic set of secret weaponstechniques culled from the collective wisdom of the worlds top exercise physiologists, weight-loss experts, and strength coaches.

Take the right steps every single day as detailed in this book, and youll ultimately carve out your six-pack. Guaranteed! But if you stray from this plan even a few times a weekwhich most men doyoull probably never see your abs. Sorry.

Yes, the plan is simple, but no, its not going to be easy because hard abs take discipline and work. It all begins by developing six basic habits that, when followed religiously, strip away lard fast. Think of these habits as daily goals designed to keep you on the fast track to a fit-looking physique. Individually theyre not all that surprising, but together they become a powerful tool to kick-start your quest for the ultimate six-pack.

The effectiveness of this tool is supported by science. At the University of Iowa, researchers determined that people are more likely to stick with their fat-loss plans when they concentrate on specific actions instead of the desired result. So, rather than focusing on abs that show (See, we told you this would be hard!), follow the nutrition, exercise and lifestyle strategies outlined in these pages. The abs that show will come in time. Start right now by establishing a solid foundation that you can build upon for automatic abs.

INITIAL ACTION STEPS:

Wake up to water

Imagine not drinking all day at workno coffee, no water, no diet soda. At the end of an 8-hour shift, youd be pretty parched. Which is precisely why you should start rehydrating immediately after a full nights slumber. From now on, drink at least 16 ounces of chilled H2O as soon as you rise in the morning. German scientists recently found that doing this boosts metabolism by 24 percent for 90 minutes afterward. (A smaller amount of water had no effect.) Whats more, a previous study determined that muscle cells grow faster when theyre well-hydrated. A general rule of thumb: Guzzle at least a gallon of water over the course of a day.

Eat breakfast every day

A University of Massachusetts study showed that men who skip their morning meal are 4 times more likely to have bulging bellies than those who dont. So within an hour of waking, have a meal or protein shake containing at least 250 calories. British researchers found that breakfast size was inversely related to waist size. That is, the larger the morning meal, the leaner the midsection. But keep the meals size within reason: A 1,130-calorie Meat-Lovers Scramble at Dennys is really two breakfasts, so cap your intake at 500 calories. For a quick way to fuel up first thing, we like this recipe: Prepare a package of instant oatmeal and mix in a scoop of whey protein powder and cup of blueberries.

As you eat, review your goals...

Dont worry. Were not going all Tony Robbins on you. (We dont have the teeth.) But its important that you stay aware of your mission. University of Iowa scientists found that people who most frequently monitored their diet and exercise goals were more likely to achieve them than were goal setters who rarely reviewed their objectives.

... and then pack your lunch

Grab a personal cooler and start taking it to work filled with healthy food that will keep you out of those weapons of abs destruction: fast-food restaurants. Heres a suggestion for what to pack in your cooler:

An apple (to eat as a morning snack)

Two slices of cheese (to eat with the apple)

A 500- to 600-calorie portion of leftovers (for your lunch)

A premixed protein shake or a pint of milk (for your afternoon snack)

By using this approach, youll keep your body well-fed and satisfied throughout the day without overeating. Youll also provide your body with the nutrients it needs for your workout, no matter what time you exercise. Just as important, youll be much less likely to be tempted by the office candy bowl. In fact, make this personal promise. Say it with us now: I wont eat anything thats not in the cooler.

Good. Youre on your way.

Exercise the right way

Everyone has abs, even if they cant see them because theyre hidden under a layer of flab. If this is your predicament, it means you should spend most of your gym time burning off blubber.

The most effective strategy is a one-two approach of weight lifting and high-intensity interval training. According to a recent University of Southern Maine study, half an hour of pumping iron burns as many calories as running at a 6-minute-per-mile pace for the same duration. (And it has the added benefit of helping you build muscle.) Whats more, unlike aerobic exercise, lifting has been shown to boost metabolism for as long as 39 hours after the last repetition. Similar findings have been noted for high-intensity intervals, which are short, all-out sprints interspersed with periods of rest.