Ask A Fitness Coach » HIIT

Fast Track to a Six-Pack

Chelsea Bush — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 08:29:22 +0000

Q: I’m an 18-year-old male. I have a little bit of belly fat. I can see my top two abs when I tense. My question is, how can I get a six pack by spring break? What do I need to do? – Will

A: A six pack by spring break? Doable! Get ready to shed excess fat and build muscle—the two keys to a “fast track” six pack.

P.S. You probably already have a six pack underneath that “little bit of belly fat.” Especially if you can see definition in the top abs. Ready to bring it forth?

Attack the Flab Around Your Midsection

1. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). Interval cardio will burn more fat than steady state cardio (like running or cycling at a steady pace). And, you’ll build more muscle. Interval cardio consists of short bursts of high intensity exertion, followed by brief periods of “active” rest. This keeps the body off balance so it can’t adjust and hoard calories, and it also works multiple muscle groups. Best of all, not only will you burn more fat during a HIIT workout, you’ll get EPOC, or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption. What does that mean? More calorie burn post-workout! Get the full scoop in our metabolic circuit post.

2. Eat Healthier. Skip the refined sugar (what’s that?), the fries and other junk food, and focus on maintaining a healthy, well-rounded diet. It’s important to incorporate lots of variety into your meals to make sure you get ample nutrients. We recommend eating 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day, instead of 2-3. This will enhance your metabolism, reduce unhealthy cravings, and deliver plenty of energy for your workouts. You’ll want to steer clear of carbonation, as well—soda and beer are the enemies of a washboard stomach!

3. Drink Green Tea. It’s a metabolism-booster and antioxidant with proven stomach fat-blasting benefits. Don’t like the taste? You can take Green Tea in extract form, on its own or as a compound supplement (get it at any grocery store). Read more about the benefits of green tea.

While you’re losing that little bit of excess fat, you can jump right into your ab muscle workouts! Lean muscle mass burns more calories, so your strength training will fuel your fat burn.

4 Moves for a Rock-Solid Stomach

1. Keep Your Abs Engaged. Your core region (lower back, abs and glutes) make up your “stabilizer” muscle group. This powerhouse is constantly at work when you’re doing ANY kind of workout, so take advantage of this! When you’re lifting weights, or doing anything that uses your stabilizer muscles, consciously tap into that strength—keep your abs tight and posture solid, and you’ll see big results.

2. Use Compound Movements. When targeting your abs, compound exercises are better than isolated ones. Why not work multiple muscle groups at once? Some compound movements that work the whole ab region include Planks and the Bicycle Maneuver:

For Planks, lie face down, forearms and toes pressed into the floor, and lift your hips up off the floor. Engage your abs, straighten your back and hold this position for as long as you can. Trust us, you’ll feel your entire ab region engaged! When you progress, you can also try a plank variation using an exercise ball.

For Bicycle Maneuver, lie with your back on the floor, hands behind your head and elbows spread wide. Keeping your lower back pressed into the floor and abs contracted, crunch across the body—one elbow to the opposite knee. Alternate continuously. This will work more muscles than a standard crunch.

3. Eat Protein. Protein will allow your body to rebuild muscle after your workouts. Great sources include lean meat, nuts, eggs, cheese and legumes. Another excellent source of protein is a protein shake, which can be one of your 5-6 daily meals. A whey or soy protein powder, when mixed with soy or skim milk, can give you roughly 20 grams of protein. Drink your protein shake at the right time for maximum results.

4. Get Plenty of Rest. “Fast-track” doesn’t mean you need to work out every single day. If you work the same muscle group two days in a row, you’ll make it hard for your body to recover—which is when the actual muscle development takes place. If you are committed to working out every day, do cardio or active stretching on the days in between your strength training workouts. And make sure you get the right amount of sleep, too, because it’s prime muscle recovery time.

You’ve got a big goal, but it should be easy to get a six pack quickly if you follow these steps diligently. (It will require the same determination to keep that six pack when you return to school, of course!)

Get a six-pack your own way with a little push from 4-Hour Body.

More good reads:

How to Get Your Rear Back in Beach Gear

Chelsea Bush — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 07:29:11 +0000

Saturday Body Sculpting Buzz — Glutes

I’ll be honest: though I’m a fitness buff, my desk job and gelato addiction have my buns gravitating quickly south. Since I intend to spend this summer in my new H&M bikini, I’m on a butt-sculpting mission. If you’re with me, here’s how to get your tush up high.

How to get a Shapelier Backside

Lunges and squats, lunges and squats… Are you tired of the same old butt-shaping advice? Me too! Leave the ballet bar and spice it up with these mega-glute-boosting exercises:

Pliés — not your everyday ballet pliés but Kim Kardashian’s version. In her Butt Body Sculpt workout, this derrière diva takes them up a notch: pliés on your toes. You lower down into a plié (glutes engaged, pelvis tucked under) and raise up onto your toes, alternating sides. Then go up on both toes, squat deeper and hold the pose. You won’t have much of a choice but I’ll tell you anyway: squeeze those glutes!
Kickbacks — they always deliver. It doesn’t matter if you’re ballerina-flexible or can only lift your leg back two feet off the ground, because it’s all about engaging your glute to kick back. You can do leg kickbacks in place by holding onto a chair or your body bar for balance, or take it to the next level by adding them to your walking lunge series. These along with deadlifts are great for erasing that bulge that crops up below the butt cheeks (the second bum?).
Butt Scissors — I love this one! If you’re up for a little fun (and throwing your feet up in the air) grab your stability ball and squeeze your glutes with the butt scissor exercise (not sure if that’s the technical term) by David Kirsch, who whips models into shape for a living.

Is the “Brazilian Butt Lift” Legit?

Should you splurge for the all-the-rage Brazilian Butt Lift? I haven’t handed over my credit card yet, but one thing is clear: Leandro Carvalho, creator of the BBL program, knows how to shape a woman’s butt. He’s the personal trainer to Victoria’s Secret Angel Alessandra Ambrosio, and his program works all three glute muscles (Gluteus Maximus, Medius and Minimus)—which he calls the “triangle technique.” Enough to make me want to buy: it includes a 10-minute routine called “bum bum rapido.”

Try before you buy with this 5-minute Brazilian Butt Lift workout.

Shoes That Work Your Glutes

Can we get Helena Christensen’s impeccable muscle tone with fancy shoes alone? I’ve been seeing ads for Reebok’s EasyTones and Skechers Shape-Ups everywhere, and I’m dying to know if they work. These $110 shoes claim to activate your glutes for major on-the-go training, reportedly increasing glute muscle activity by 28%.

While many have called these pedi-gym sneakers “wicked comfy”, no one seems to have reported a butt lift yet.

Helena, the perky-bottomed queen of EasyTones, also happens to exercise and eat healthy, so while her sneakers may add some bounce to her step, I’m guessing that a standard pair of trainers and solid exercise routine are a better bet for getting an athletic backside. (But I might change my mind if someone were to send me a free pair to try out…)

Could It be Your 9-to-5?

“Sitting for long periods of time often makes the hip flexors tight and overactive, which deactivates the glutes,” writes Sarah Tuff. And it deactivates more than your glutes: within 30 minutes of planting your buns on that office chair, your metabolism starts to slow down. That means you’re burning less calories by the time your coworker arrives with a lunchtime round of caramel macchiatos. Yikes!

Don’t cancel out your butt-sculpting program with bad work habits. Keep rocking the pencil skirts by staying fit at your desk job.

Booty-Blasting Cardio

On top of resistance training and toning, mixing in some interval cardio will help you burn excess fat. Skip the steady state cardio and do high-intensity interval training (HIIT) like metabolic circuits, or try Miss EasyTone’s workout of choice: boxing. Kick-boxing is a great way to sculpt your rear—and just about everything else—which must be why so many models swear by it. The front kicks, side kicks and roundhouses guarantee a perfectly-shaped bum from every angle.

If cycling or running is your thing, make sure to vary your pace. Try a cycle of two minutes hard, two moderate, to keep your body off balance and burn more calories. Don’t forget to engage your glutes: it’s easy to forget and let your leg muscles do all the work, but the best way to isolate your glutes is to use ’em!

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