It’s Fall!!!!! With the weather and closets changing, most people don’t want to even think about swimwear or beach bodies. But oh, touché my friends, touché. This is exactly the time we should be prepping our bodies, and our diets to get those beautiful bikini bodies we so heavily desire for the summer. I just finished my last bikini competition for the season yesterday. I’m starting the period of training that most competitors call “bulking season”. It’s where we train and eat to build muscle so we come back looking toned and sleek once competition season starts up again.
In my bulking season, I’ll be focusing on my legs, gluteus and abs. Now while you can’t spot train, you can do targeted training to a muscle group to develop it into the way you want it to look. Right now, the body part I get asked about the most are my abs, they’re toned and feminine. Perfect for all of the crop tops you’ll surely want to wear in Spring/Summer 16.
But how do you get abs and how many sit ups will you have to do? Well, read on and check out some of my tips for how I got a nice toned tummy.
Cardio: Cardio is a critical part of getting abs, because this is how we burn the fat that is covering the muscles we have on our abdominals. Have you ever felt your stomach, and you can feel the muscle but you just can’t see it? Try adding some cardio to your routine on a regular basis (4-5 times per week for about 45 min to an hour each session). It takes about 15-20 min of cardio before your body begins to burn fat. So the trick is to do cardio long enough for your body to be in a fat burning state. Intervals work wonders, because of the variations our heart rate experiences while doing it. Going from low heart rate to a higher one, will aid in the fat burning process.
Diet: Abs are made in the kitchen!!!!! All of the cardio in the world won’t replace a bad diet. Your food should be low in fat, high in protein, low in sugar. Start reading the ingredient and nutritional values on the back (if your aren’t already), to know what you’re putting in your body. A bad diet will always prevent your hard work from showing on your abs.
Water: Just drink it. Aim for a gallon per day.
Ab exercises: If you only did all of the above, you’ll begin to see a smaller stomach in about 2-3 months (no one said this would be quick or easy :)). If you want to build muscle to create a six pack, you’ll need to start adding ab exercises to everything you’re doing above. Adding weight to these exercises will really enhance the muscle tone of the muscle. Planks, side planks, Weighted Russian twists, Burpees, Weighted Crunches, Hanging Crunches, Leg Lifts, Bicycles, are all great exercises to add to your workout to get a six pack. I have to work my abs everyday at the level of competition I’m competing in. You can shoot for 3-4 times per week. Don’t forget to stretch and listen to your body.
As with any new or updated workout regime, don’t forget to chat with your doctor to make sure you and your body are up for it! Please send me your pics of your updated new tummy. @nic_hyl on Instagram or email me at nic@nagerbynichyl.com if you have any questions, I’ll try my best to reply 🙂
Building Great Abs. Swimsuit y Nager By Nic Hyl. Photo By Chris Hayden
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