4 week Ab Challenge

 

Photo credit : Life without Fat

 

I am setting myself a challenge over the next 4 weeks in order to get my Abs in shape ready for the start of the summer. So I was thinking that maybe some of you guys may want to join me on my mission?

Before I start I just want to make the disclaimer that I am not a nutritionist nor am I a fitness coach of any sort. This is just a plan that I devised from the knowledge I have gained over the years. I have set 4 weeks as the time period as it is long enough to make an impact but not too long that it would be unrealistic to stick too. So here is the plan -

 

Step One: Take progression pictures. I have chosen to take pictures at the beginning of the 4 weeks and then again at the end. I have done this as the type of exercises I will be doing will incorporate a lot of weight training so the numbers on the scales may not reflect any progress I am making. I have also measured my fat percentage and taken my waist and hip measurements which I will also be doing again at the end of the 4 weeks.    

Start pictures
Fat percentage - 22.8%
Waist - 24inches
Hips - 33.5inches

Step Two: 90% Clean Eating. I am a firm believer of a little bit of what you fancy. So although this challenge consists of clean eating the majority of the time, that doesn't mean that the odd treat is off the cards. Just remember that Abs are made in the kitchen not the gym. Even if you are working your butt off for hours on end in the gym, if you are not eating right your efforts will go to waste. I will be eating a balanced diet, 3 meals a day with healthy snacks in between. I will also be having protein shakes on gym days to make sure that my muscles are getting the protein they need to after a workout.
A balanced meal consists of a mix of lean protein (chicken, fish and lean red meat such as steak), a small amount of good Carbohydrates for energy (Whole wheat pasta, brown rice, sweet potato, quinoa etc) and heaps of vegetables. Examples of the type of snacks I will be having are fruit, carrots sticks and hummus and cottage cheese with vegetable batons.

Step Three: 2 Litres of Water a Day. This is a rule that you would have heard hundreds of times but for good reason. There are so many benefits for drinking enough water a day, but many of us are not even drinking half the amount that we should be. Firstly it helps with weight loss. Often we mistake thirst with hunger, so by drinking enough water our appetite is naturally reduced. Drinking enough water also cleanses your skin, improves concentration, increases energy and also helps fight infections. In order to make sure I am drinking enough water I will be keeping a litre bottle of water with me throughout the day and making sure that I refill it at least once. I will also be including green tea in my diet.

Step Four: Two or Three Workouts a Week. This can be gym classes, weight training, HIT training, home workouts and so on, just as long as you are getting in at least two 40 minute sessions a week. I personally am choosing to do a mix of three weight training and Tabata training workouts for these sessions.

Step Five: One Session of Endurance Cardio per Week. This can be running, cycling, power walking of even the working out on the cross trainer. Anything that is going to increase your heart rate for a period of 30 minutes or more. I will be opting for a steady run in the morning before breakfast. This type of training is called fasted cardio. studies have shown that a cardio session before eating breakfast burns more fat that training after eating.

Step Six: Ab Based Pilates Daily. Now this is the crucial one for specifically targeting our abdominals. This only has to be a 10 minute session but must be done daily. I am opting to follow workouts from Blogilates on YouTube. These workouts are great as there is such a wide variety of Pilates workouts to choose from. Pilates is fantastic for really tapping into your core and hitting every abdominal muscle. But be warned, it may look easy but it really does burn!

So there you have it, six steps to the 4 week Ab challenge! If you are going to join me on this mission please do comment below or tweet me your progress, we can motivate each other. And Good Luck!