There’s no excuse for packing on some unwanted holiday weight when it’s only mid-October. Even though beach season may have come to an end, there’s still ample opportunities for someone to catch you barely clothed, and you want to make sure you aren’t jiggling around in all the wrong places.
Let’s face it: Everyone wants washboard abs, but no one actually wants to work for them. It’s about time you start. And besides, ladies love a good six-pack.
Fitness expert and personal trainer Don Saladino of Drive495 (the guy who trains Ryan Reynolds and Sebastian Stan, among others) shared his expert tips on getting the greatest abs around. By following his guidelines and expertise, you’ll be finding an excuse to take off your shirt in no time.
Developing great abdominals comes down to nutrition, training and sufficient rest. Let’s break it down:
Nutrition
- Your diet needs to be balanced with proteins, veggies and some healthy carbohydrates. This would include fruits, sweet potato, gluten free oatmeal, and rice to be used, but not over done.
- Follow a gluten free diet. This will cut down on a lot of inflammation in the gut and the body.
- Drink 50 oz of water for every 100lbs of body weight. For example, a 150lb person would need roughly 75oz of water a day. This is extremely important for flushing out toxins and speeding up your metabolism.
- Cut out all white flour, white sugar and table salt. Instead, use Celtic sea sat or pink Himalayan salt for seasoning.
Here’s a good metabolism analogy from Saladino: “You have two campfires. They are both just about burnt out, and if you take a big log and throw it on one, it won’t restart. It’ll smoke and nothing will burn. You begin to throw on small sticks on the other fire, and that one lights and the flame builds. This is how you should think of your metabolism. You need to get that flame high. Once the flame is high, then you can throw a big log on it. The big log is an example of poor eating or a cheat meal. The sticks are being compared to the small frequent meals.”
Training
The core is made up of these areas: Rectus abdomens, obliques, multifidus, diaphram, transverse abdominus, and pelvic floor. One can have good looking abs and a weak core, but it’s important to have both. Here are 5 basic movements to allow you to do so:
- Planks: Go for 10 seconds trying to create as much tension in the body as possible, called hard style planks
- Side Planks: 10 seconds each side creating as much tension as possible.
- Birdogs: 10 for each arm and leg.
- Hanging Leg Raises or Garhamer Raises: Do 10 total
- Belly Breathing: This will calm the nervous system, help with digestion and recovery.
It’s not easy, but it’s worth it.
Photos by Getty Images