Before you start your 6 pack journey, there’s one important thing you need to ask yourself – How badly do you want it? Be honest.
If that answer is “pretty bad”, I would consider reassessing your goals to find the right plan that balances your love of good food and enjoyable workouts that will help you reach a low enough body fat percentage for your ab muscles to be visible.
>> A low Fat % will help your muscles become visible, this is the easy part! More info here <<
This plan will be sustainable long term for you and will probably lead to an over all increased quality of life because you’ll be getting a fit body and you’ll be able to eat, too. This is not the plan that will take you to the ultimate, 4% body-fat lean guy who’s ab muscles poke you in the eye when you look at them.
If your answer to the first question is “really, really, REALLY bad, I might be willing to trade my first born for it” then you’ll take a different approach. From what I see and understand about the industry, body builders and fitness models and actors like Jared Padalecki t is to have their body’s appearance as their first priority. This means they sacrifice taste, satiety, and even sanity sometimes to get their body fat % down to their desired goal.
This plan would most likely not be sustainable and may quite possibly leave you disgruntled and frustrated.
All that being said, it is completely possible to follow the first plan and, depending on how committed you are to your routine, you can expect to see dramatic weight and body fat loss within 4-7 weeks. I personally recommend full body High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workouts for 30-40 minutes 3 times a week on alternating days (one day HIIT, next day off). On the in between days find a way to be active that allows you to move your body and engage your muscles while being low-key enough to provide ample recovery for your body so you’re ready to go for your next HIIT day. Take 2 days off in a row, again to give your body recovery time so you’re ready to go the next week.
The speed of your progress depends entirely on you – where you’re starting from (body fat percentage, activity level, etc.) and how dedicated you are to following your winning routine.
Figure out what the best plan is that will help you balance your life while still reaching your fitness goals, and keep pushing until you get there. Remember, above all, make sure the plan incorporates your personal mental/emotional needs so you stay motivated and enjoy the experience! Also, be open to making adjustments to your plan along the way.
>> It’s easier than it looks.. really.. <<In the long term, training with weights will increase your lean body mass and your basal metabolic rate, so you’ll be burning more calories all the time. Kettlebells and exercise programmes like P90X can add variation to your workouts, which is always a good thing, as the body adapts quickly to any demands we impose on it, and regularly changing those demands is the best way to elicit change in the long run.
But keep your resistance training at the base of your exercise programme: investing in muscle mass wil change your body composition and sooner or later those abs will show, provided…
… provided your diet is good. It’s a fact that you can’t out-train a bad diet. Our bodies are extremely efficient at storing excess calories, and burning those excess calories by means of physical activity can take a long time. You need to make sure you’re creating a daily energy deficit with your diet and exercise, while still consuming enough calories to stay healthy and support your exercise schedule. A personalised nutritional plan that takes into account your current body composition, your activity level and your lifestyle can make all the difference in the world in your quest for ripped 6-pack abs!
Diet and exercise are the tried and true way to do it. What works is not only a 6 small meal a day regime, but also a CLEAN eating regime, and lots of water. High protein and low carbohydrate, with 1 day a week to include a cheat meal. Being aware of what exactly is put in your body every single time you open your mouth is important too.
A Jared Padalecki Type Diet
This means you’ll be consuming basically meat, eggs, fruit, veggies, and nuts/ seeds.
Cook your food in coconut oil and use cold-pressed olive oil in salads not it the pan or oven – olive oil is pretty sensitive to heat and will be damaged by high temperatures, turning the molecules into ‘free radicals’ which in turn damage all your body’s tissues.
Drink way more water than you think you need. Use the equation “bodyweight / 2 = number of ounces you need everyday at minimum” and/or no less than 3 liters a day (spread out your water consumption evenly – I find it’s really helpful to start the day with 1 big glass to get the habit started).
You can replace 1 meal a day with protein powder, right after your workout, blended with some or eaten with a piece of fruit to refuel your muscles.
Don’t get turned off by the word “Diet” as that gives all the wrong signals.
Take care
J.P.
Jared Padalecki managed to transform his self completely and get away from the lame and lanky frame no guy and even girl would dare take a second look at.
