Disclaimer: Transforming from a couch potato to having a six pack in a month is simply not possible. You already need to be in a decent shape to begin with, to be able to get a visible six pack in a month. Getting from a “very out of shape” to a “fitness model shape” takes more effort and time.
Let’s start this plain and simple: it’s almost beach time and your meaty belly is not quite ready to charm the ladies. Are you’re worried you don’t have time to shape up so your best plan is to just go with the flow and keep your clothes on as long as possible? No way.
You have just the right amount of time to shake things up and polish your looks. Maybe you need to shed a few pounds of fat or just get more toned and defined – either way, start now!
Need some motivation? Just imagine yourself sunbathing a healthy, toned body and feeling proud, accomplished and powerful!
The tips below will absolutely help you get in shape, but if you are not already active, be careful with the resistance and cardio workouts as they are quite intense and should not be taken lightly !!!
As always, we’re here to help you out with your mission with a few useful tips. Everything revolves around burning more fat, right? Well, stored fat is created from the excess calories you consume, so first of all let’s discuss the things you immediately need to change in your diet if you want to see any results.
Tip #1 – Eat less
If you plant to burn a decent amount of fat and get a six pack in a month, you’ll have to burn more calories than you consume. As simple as that. Have you been eating healthy and working out regularly but still haven’t experienced significant weight loss? That means you’re still eating more than you can burn, so cut your calorie intake. Or exercise enough to get you in a calorie deficit.
Having said that, getting in a calorie deficit without watching how much you eat is very hard, almost impossible. You’ll have to do cardio and work out for hours every day.
A good rule of a thumb is to start cutting 500-600 calories per day at the expense of carbs. Cut out all the sugars and other simple carbs from your diet.
Tip #2 – More protein
Now, another great way to accelerate your metabolic rate is to include a good quality source of protein in every meal – we’re talking about lean meats, fish, low-fat cheese and yogurt, eggs, beans and nuts.
These will keep you full and provide your body with a steady supply of its most important building blocks. Besides that, if you regularly work out, this essential nutrient will help you build muscle mass and repair damaged tissues.
Tip #3 – More veggies
Veggies should also be present in every meal you have. They contain non-caloric dietary fibers which help keep your hunger satiated longer and fight off cravings, as well as important vitamins and minerals that nourish your body and ensure optimal functioning of all vital metabolic processes.
Veggies also contain a certain amount of complex carbs, which is exactly what you need as a replacement for consuming simple sugars from overly processed foods. Complex carbs keep your insulin levels stable which in turn help prevent an increased storage of fat. You can also get them from whole grains, potatoes, beans and peas.
Tip #4 – Healthy fats
Healthy fats are crucial for a healthy diet. Don’t worry, you won’t actually gain more fat by eating fat! Your body needs the “good“ kind of fats to run smooth, prevent the development of chronic diseases and burn fat more effectively.
Avoid all trans fats without any excuses (the more processed a certain product is, the worse its fats and carbs are for you) and replace them with polyunsaturated and monosaturated fats by consuming more oily fish, seeds, nuts, olive oil and avocados. Check labels carefully and try to buy natural, organic products as much as possible.
Tip #5 – More water
First of all, drink plenty of water so that your liver can effectively metabolize body fat. Drinking cold water has actually been shown to increase metabolism. Then, make sure to pair the drinking of water with carbs consumption – that way you’re helping your body store glucose as glycogen, the favorite food of your muscles.
Finally, water will help cleanse your organism from waste and toxins, make you feel fuller and slightly reduce food cravings. And the best part: it’s calorie-free!
Dieting can be very easy if you focus on the basic rules, instead of getting lost in complex and strict diet plans and sci-fi terms you can’t even pronounce.
Below you can find an example meal plan for a 180lb person.
A sample meal plan to get a six pack in a month
Breakfast
– 5 eggs omelette with some veggies – Calories: 360, Carbs: 3g, Fat: 24g, Protein: 36g
– 1/2 cup of oats cooked in water ( you can add cinnamon to the mix) – Calories: 150, Carbs: 28g, Fat: 3g, Protein: 5g
Snack
– Low-Fat Yogurt or Cottage Cheese (1 cup) with Fresh Berries (1/2 cup) and 1/2 cup mixed nuts – Calories: ~397, Carbs: 12g, Fat: 25g, Protein: 31g
Lunch
– Grilled Chicken Breast (200g) with 1 piece of brown bread and a green salad – Calories ~330, Protein~ 55g, Carbs: 25g, Fat: 1g
Post-workout shake
– Protein Shake (30g of protein powder) plus a banana – Calories: 200, Carbs: 27g, Protein: 23g
Dinner
– Grilled Beef (150 g) – calories: ~355, protein 39g, fats 22g
– Steamed Broccoli (1 cups) – calories 30, carbs 7g, protein 3g
There’s nothing mysterious about fat loss – it’s pretty much all about how much you eat and what kind of calories you choose to consume. Discipline yourself to follow the simple diet tips mentioned above and you’ll be off to a good start. The next step is to enhance your training program. How?
How to train to get a six pack in a month
Tip # 1 – Weight Training
Believe it or not, weight training is great for both building muscle and fat loss. It can do wonders for your metabolic rate and helps the body keep burning calories long after the workout. Our recommendation: hit the weights at least three times a week!
That being said, you’ll benefit the most from including more compound exercises like bench presses, squats and dumbbell rows in your training program. They involve more muscle groups and joints, thus requiring more energy to be spent. Also, in order to further increase the amount of calories you burn with each workout, try to keep the rest periods between sets as short as possible – 30 to 60 seconds is optimal.
Tip #2 – Cardio
Make room for regular cardio exercises or preferably HIIT in your current training routine. High intensity cardio will stimulate fat loss and increase endurance and strength – the best time for it might be right after your weight training, because it will keep your body longer in a boosted fat-burning mode. Most experts agree that the ideal fat-loss workout needs to be a mix of heavy training and cardio, so take their advice seriously and start sweating.
You simply can not maintain good health and a decent fitness level by sitting on the couch all day long, no matter what you eat. You have to work hard and push your body to its physical limits – you’ll be surprised how much you can achieve in a short period of time with enough willpower and determination!
If you haven’t been doing cardio before, we recommend that you start with low intensity cardio like fast pace walking, jogging, swimming or cycling. To boost the fat burning process you can do 4 cardio sessions per week, each lasting 30 minutes to an hour.
Not only you will score impressive muscle tone and definition, but your strength, self-confidence and overall mood will significantly improve. Use the incoming summer days as a motivation to start taking better care for yourself and we promise that the list of benefits will be endless!
A sample training program
For this purpose we will be using an upper body/lower body split :
Monday: Upper Body Day
Incline Barbell Bench Press 3 x 8 reps
Barbell Rows 3 x 8 reps
Dumbbell Bench Press 3 x 12 reps
Cable rows 3 x 12 reps
Leg Raises 3 x 10 reps
Crunches 2 x 20 reps
Tuesday : Lower Body Day
Squats 4 x 8-10 reps
Romanian deadlifts 4 x 10 reps
Lunges 3 x 10 reps
Standing Calf Raises 5 x 12-15 reps
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Upper Body Day
Standing barbell shoulder press 4 x 10-12 reps
Pull ups 4 x 8-10 reps
Dips 3 x 10 reps
Reverse grip pull downs 3 x 12
Lateral raises 3 x 12 reps
Leg raises 2 x 12 reps
Crunches 2 x 15 reps
Friday: Lower body day
Leg press 3 x 10 reps
Lying leg curls 5 x 10 reps
Leg extensions 3 x 10 reps
Standing calf raises 4 x 15 reps
Add cardio at the end of every weightlifting workout. Start with moderate 30 minute sessions and fine tune from there.
The above eating and workout tips will absolutely help you get a visible six pack in a month if you are already in a decent shape and need to cut a several pounds of excess fat. Good luck !