The Beginner's Guide To Chiseled Abs

A 'six-pack' is always easy the eyes, making it highly sought after and the pride and joy of many of us (the icing on the cake for others). The main purpose of this post is to guide the average beginner with a basic combination of exercises that will be the first step in chiseling an impressive set of abs.

Believe it or not, everyone has the highly sought-after six-pack. Some are just more visible than others. What this means is, if you don’t lead a fairly active lifestyle, your abdominal muscles are highly likely to be covered by a layer of fat; so they are there, but you just can’t see them underneath the body fat. Try the following combination of exercises to burn the belly fat and uncover your abs in a few weeks (only if you are consistent and don't cheat off course).

Cardio

Cardio, or cardiovascular exercise is a time-tested way to keep your cardiovascular system healthy and functioning without any problems, and it burns fat in the process, which is what you’re here for, right? Cardio gets your heart racing, blood pumping, face hot, and pores sweating, and if you’re not used to it, you will be short of breath too fast in the beginning. Don’t give up though, keep at it, and your cardiovascular endurance will be a thing to envy with time. Cardio doesn’t have to be fancy, just incorporate the following simple exercises into your daily routine, and you should be good to go:

1. Fast walking/Jogging (30 minutes minimum)
2. Running (30 minutes minimum)
3. Swimming
4. Cycling
5. Jumping jacks
6. Step Aerobics

HIIT

High intensity interval training, or HIIT for short, is Cardio's close relative, but with a small twist. The whole point of HIIT is to perform an exercise with maximal exertion in a short time, rest and repeat, hence the term interval training. You could perform HIIT together with Cardio for maximum effectiveness. The following exercises should give you an idea of how to go about it:

1. Sprints (at 30-second intervals)
2. High Knees (at 20-second intervals)
3. Suicides

Core Exercises

This is the mother load. Core exercises will strengthen your abdominal muscles (remember to always work your obliques too), and make them grow. Take your pick from the following exercises, or use your favorites, and include them in your exercise routine:

1. Regular Sit-ups
2. Jackknife Sit-ups
3. Floor/Cable Crunches
4. Lying Leg Raises
5. Alternating Leg Raises
6. Bicycle

We hope this guide gives you an idea of how to mix up your exercises to burn fat and reveal your abdominal muscles.