People come up to me all the time and tell me how hard it is for them to build lower abs. As I probed into their fitness regimen, I learned they all had one common mistake – they’ve got the abdominal exercises down, but they either leave out the cardio or neglect to eat the right kinds of food.
Any successful fitness plan would involve working the whole body and not just your abs. Also, exercising your butt off is never enough; eating healthy plays a big part as well.
You can have all the workout equipment on the planet, hire the best trainers, join all the prestigious gyms, and still not build lower abs if you don’t include ALL 3 steps in your exercise plan:
- Follow a low fat diet;
- Perform regular cardiovascular exercise; and
- Execute targeted lower abs exercises.
Doing one without the other two will do you some good. But that wouldn’t be enough, would it. Imagine what you can achieve when you do all three.
Cutting down on your fat intake will allow your body to burn stored body fat. Before your muscles appear to be cut and well-defined, you need to get rid of the layers of fat that are covering them.
To build lower abs effectively, include a lot of whole grains, lean meats, and a few good fats in your meals. Here are some food items that you can stock up on the next time you go to the supermarket:
- Leafy greens
- Colorful veggies (e.g. carrots, peas, cauliflower, bell peppers, asparagus)
- Brown rice
- Tofu
- Fresh fruits (e.g. berries, apples, bananas, oranges)
- Beans
- Nuts
Stay away from fatty, processed, and starchy foods; they can only set you back from your goal. Here are some things you must avoid in your diet:
- Junk food
- Deep-fried foods
- Soda
- Candy
- Beer
To reinforce your diet, you must stick to a good cardiovascular routine. Doing cardio 2 to 3 times a week will definitely help you build lower abs fast. These holistic exercises help build muscle mass and increase metabolism.
Full cardio workouts include running, walking, swimming, and yoga. If you feel like doing something new, try out a workout video. There are so many to choose from.
The last and final step to build lower abs is directly targeting the muscle group itself.
Standard crunches and full body crunches are two of the easiest, most effective core-specific exercises you can do. Performing these exercises 3 to 5 times a week at 20 to 25 reps per exercise will definitely speed things up.
If you’re really serious about your exercise plan, you can successfully build lower abs by including all three steps. Besides, it only takes about 30 minutes to an hour to complete your cardio and abs exercises, and even less to think about what to eat everyday. Stick to your program and you’ll get ripped abs sooner than you think.