Let the sun shine on that six-pack.
With the summer months nearly all up ons, it’s time to start thinking about that swimsuit body. Obviously, you should feel comfortable in your skin and all that, and reach whatever standard of fitness you’re comfortable with. But on the other hand, you gotta admit, a set of rock-hard abs do look pretty awesome in the summer sunshine. Consider it a challenge to yourself, a little project to get you over into the summer.
Firstly, you need to set a concrete goal, as well as goal posts. How much definition are you looking to get here? Just a slight slimming? A full-on six-pack? Some other transcendent level of core musculature I don’t know about? Whatever it is, you want a firm idea before you start exercising, as having a proper goal will help you to determine your daily limits and requirements. It’s also important to remember that, especially with core work, there’s no such thing as spot reductions. If you’re just looking to drop weight, you’ll do it by exercising. Overdoing on a single spot of your body is just going to result in you getting hurt.
As for the exercises themselves, you want to try and hit every single part of your core, not just your abs. I’m talking your sides, your lower back, the whole shebang. So in addition to the usual core staples like sit-ups and crunches, you also want some Russian twists and side planks in there, just to give you a couple of examples. You should also add some weight training. Weightlifting is mostly for your arms, yes, but the balance it requires also hits your core pretty strongly as well. Finally, throw some cardio in there to raise your pulse. A faster pulse will help make other kinds of physical exertion easier.
The most important thing is to keep your routine balanced and consistent. Don’t bother with any crazy miracle exercises to drop fifty pounds in a day. There are no shortcuts toward a beach body, which is why, if you want one, you gotta start right now.
