Hey Ross… every girl loves a set of good abs and I notice you seem to have a rather nice set. How do I get me some of them, haha? Many thanks, Craig

Hi Craig mate,
      That’s good timing since I have just written an article about that very topic for the article section…. It’s quite funny (if I do say so myself, haha) but if you’ve not got the time to read the whole thin, or just don’t like my articles, haha, I’ve ‘bullet pointed’ the main tips for you below:

Fat loss Tip:

20-40 minutes cardio as soon as you wake up (whether this is 9 o’clock in the morning or 1 o’clock in the afternoon) Do not eat anything before and only have water to get hydrated. Then don’t eat anything until an hour after finishing. (If you are worried about muscle loss, maybe just have 15g of protein before hand)
WHY – The glycogen levels in your muscles are depleted and your insulin levels in your blood are at their lowest after 7 hours of sleeping and not eating (basically fasting.) This means your body will use the fat on your body as a source of energy rather than the muscle glycogen. Also afterwards your basal metabolic rate and enzymic activity is elevated so you’re still burning calories, that’s why you don’t eat for an hour afterwards.

Exercises:

Few know that the rectus abdominus muscles of the stomach are predominantly comprised of fast twitch muscle fibres therefore its important to perform sit ups with a high resistance to promote thick, deep-set abdominal muscles. But it is the ‘plank’ that will give you a tighter and thinner midsection, giving you the classic V-taper.
WHY – The plank is a static, isometric exercise that strengthens the transverse abdominus rather than the rectus abdominus (the muscles that give you the 6pack.) The transverse abdominus is the deepest layer of abdominal muscle and wraps around the whole midsection. When you contract the abdominals, your waist becomes thinner; thus a strong transverse abdominus means a smaller, tighter waist. When you are doing the plank be sure to contract your abdominals while remembering to breath.
SUGGESTION - A variation of this exercise is the side plank that will also give you fantastic obliques if you superset 60-90 seconds of side planks with some side crunches.

Diet:

TIP – Avoid saturated fats, hydrogenated oils and refined white carbohydrates and sugars but eat Essential fatty acids (fat burning agents.)
WHY- The bad fats will all store as fat on the body and cover up those lovely abs you have just built. The good fats support the body’s metabolism and aid in the burning of fat on the body.
TIP- No carbohydrates after 6pm, nothing to eat after 7-8pm and have your larger meals in the morning
WHY- your body’s metabolism slows down when your asleep so any access calories or carbohydrates that are still in your stomach at night will be stored as fat when you sleep.
TIP- Eat between 1-2 grams of protein per kg of your body weight a day, roughly 20g every 2 hours
WHY- Protein requires more energy to digest therefore it burns more calories once eaten (Thermic affect of feeding.) It also makes you feel fuller for longer and if that’s not enough it will also help you build muscle (Note: no more than 20g-30 of protein in one sitting as the body can’t absorb this much and it will turn to fat and toxins in the body, having the right amount is key.)
TIP – Eat 6-8 small meals throughout the day; keep the total calories the same but change the frequency of eating and drink a lot of water
WHY – This will ensure your blood sugar levels remain consistent (stop your cravings) and your body will be able to digest the food and burn the calories more efficiently.
TIP – Eat a lot of fresh fruit and veg
WHY- They contain enzymes that support the body’s metabolism and bodily functions
 
Hope this helps buddy,
Ross