On my Instagram page, I get asked pretty often how to get abs as I do. I’ve decided to collect here all my recommendations, tips and a straight forward strategy how you can do that too. Because there is nothing mystical or very hard in getting a six pack. I want to show you how to get abs in one month even without doing anything extraordinary.
Of course, much depends on genetics and your current state. We all have different muscle dominance – some people can build their core muscles pretty quickly, but may struggle with growing their booty. While others can have a great butt without focusing much on it while having difficulties with their ab definition. That’s why it can vary for different people, but I believe everybody can potentially have ripped abs. It just may take longer and look differently.
The other thing is how much fat you have on your tummy at the moment. If you are obese, it’s obvious that your ab muscles won’t pop up even after a month of endless crunches. Because they are just covered with fat. Nobody can see them. And vice versa. People with low body fat percentage can do fewer exercises and spend less time until they get a pretty good definition. I was always envying (in a good way) my husband as he had beautifully ripped muscles on his stomach but spent way less time performing ab exercises than I did.
So don’t compare yourself with other people – just be consistent, try the following steps and with time you will definitely get beautiful toned abs in a month or even sooner. And that’s a great feeling, believe me 🙂
Correct your diet to get abs
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When I decided to build shredded abs in a month I didn’t follow any strict diet. But at that time I already ate pretty clean and my food was mostly healthy. My diet was not perfect (it is not perfect even now!) but in general I focused on natural unprocessed products, I cooked at home and was very concerned about nutritional value of my meals.
It didn’t happen overnight. You just make a conscious decision to eat better and make a little step every day. The whole process may take months and years. But it becomes easy and rewarding on the way. So all the effort is totally worth it.
In a nutshell, I will try to explain how to get abs by changing your diet.
First of all, get rid of the obvious evils like chips, cakes, ice-creams, pizzas etc. It doesn’t mean you need to forget about sweets and other food pleasures at all. Of course not! But try to consume less crap and substitute it for something more beneficial for your body. For example, if you like pizza or burgers go and make your own. This way you will be sure you don’t put any artificial stuff there, you can also control how much oil and sugar you put into it. Add lots of greens and protein while skipping greasy sauces – and you have delicious “junk food” that is way healthier and “weight loss friendly”.
If you can’t live without sweets, try nuts, seeds, berries
Second, reduce foods that cause bloating. Your abs will look more lean and shredded if your tummy is flat. So make sure your digestion is fine and avoid food that causes issues. I’ve written an article “How to get rid of bloating” with tips and solutions so check it out if you suffer from bloating.
Third, include food for weight loss. Some products may help you to get abs quicker by reducing your hunger, promoting better digestion and improving your hormonal balance.
That’s why I recommend to add the following foods to your diet in order to get abs:
- Leafy greens. They contain very few calories so you can eat lots of them everyday without caring at all. But at the same time, fiber is great for your digestion and overall health. Dark leafy greens are
amazing source of minerals and vitamins. It’s the perfect side for your dinner – just choose a lean protein anda healthy fat to complete your meal. - Cruciferous vegetables. Another perfect food that you can eat every day to get abs. Broccoli and cauliflower provide a decent amount of protein while containing few calories.
- Yogurt. One of the most versatile products out there as you can use it both for savory and sweet dishes. Yogurt with fresh berries and nuts is the perfect low-calorie snack. Yogurt together with parsley, garlic
and salt is the best healthy dressing for a salad. Besides, yogurt contains probiotics that promote healthy gut flora. - Protein powder. When you try to build abs you need to consume enough protein to help your muscles repair and grow. That’s why I started taking a protein shake
everyday right after my ab workout. My fav isTropeaka Lean Protein but you can choose anyhigh quality organic blend that is not too high in calories.
I personally find these three are quite good in taste and macros:
Orgain Organic Plant Based Protein Powder (really delicious and with good macros)
Garden of Life Raw Protein Powder (it blends well and has very creamy texture)
Body Inner Beauty (contains a blend of superfoods and probiotics).
You can find other products to eat in the article “Foods for weight loss”.
And don’t forget to drink lots of water. It’s weird but when we don’t drink enough our body tries to hold water in cells. It may create kind of edema when you store a lot of liquid under your skin. On such days my abs don’t look as defined as usually. That’s why I insist on tracking your water intake. Just place a bottle of water near your working desk or put in your bag to have access to it and not to forget to drink during the day.
So that’s all what I did to get abs in terms of dieting. Nothing fancy, no special diet or strict calories. Just standard healthy eating with little adjustments. It was enough for me to build a six pack in a month. But I achieved this because I followed a certain workout routine which I share with you next.
Best ab exercises to get a six pack
My workout strategy for getting abs was extremely simple and primitive in that month when I decided to finally get a tummy of my dreams, haha 🙂 I choose the only one exercise in order to simplify the process and to make myself stick to
I did as many crunches as I could but the goal was to do 100 (full sit-ups) crunches in a row. So I started with 10-15 crunches per workout and day after day I added one more. With time it gets easier and you will crush the goal.
Check my recent video with the exact routine and tips:
Unfortunately, crunches are highly criticized last years. Some experts find them unhealthy for you. I don’t see anything bad with crunches. At least, in my case everything was fine and I got my abs in a month of everyday exercising. But as there are some videos and articles covering harmful side effects of crunches I just need to place this disclaimer.
Besides, there are not only crunches out there. I have another best ab exercises that will give you results! I do different movements, try new techniques and perform new workouts from time to time (because I get bored pretty quickly) but if I have to choose only 5 best ab exercises I would pick up these ones. When I do them I see the most significant definition in my ab lines.
Best ab exercise #1. Plank with twisted hips
Best ab exercise #2. Bicycle
Best ab exercise #3. Knee to elbow plank
Best ab exercise #4. Reverse crunches
Best ab exercise #5. Russian twists
Again, that’s what I did. I didn’t do any cardio routine or strength training. Only core workouts. But I was pretty active in general. That should be your everyday goal no matter what. So I would recommend to add more walking, swimming or other activity you like to elevate your results.
Little tricks to get a six pack:
- Tan. When you finally see the first signs of your growing abs (I still vividly remember how I saw my ab lines for the first time in a mirror and was so crazy happy. It motivated me to do more and didn’t give up!) you may want to make it look even more noticeable.
Your best friend here is a good tan. Because the light and the tan make you abs look completely different (it’s especially important if you are planning a photoshoot). I personally use a Loving Tan (2 HR Express Dark) and St.Moriz (Instant Mousse Dark) products – they are high quality and don’t leave patches.
- Massage. While massage doesn’t create
miracle s on its own it’s still a great way to make your skin look better. I use different movements to improve blood circulation and make your abs pop up.
Another great stuff is a contrast shower. I really love what skin quality they give even though sometimes I can’t get myself doing this (as I hate cold, haha). It helps to detox your body and boost the recovery after workouts.
Besides that, when showering I use a scrub made of regular ground coffee. It smells amazing and helps you to get rid of dead cells, make skin tight and smooth. Highly recommend to try this!
That’s all my tips to get abs in one month. As I’ve mentioned I didn’t do anything crazy. I just was very consistent in my training – I did my best ab exercises every day. And I was eating mostly healthy and consciously trying to avoid bad food without restricting myself.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments. I always happy to help 🙂
Tiziana says
Hello, thanks for your article! I would like to know for how long you do each exercise, and if you repeat them more than once.