TableofContents

Introduction:AbsMakethe(Super)ManWhyDevelopingaStrongCoreIsaMust

AnatomyofaSix-PackKnowThyEnemy

From6to8-Pack?TheREALSecretbehindKillersAbs

It’sAllaboutFatHowtoMeasureYourBodyFatPercentageFromStevenSeagaltotheIncredibleHulkTheMagicFormula

ToolsoftheTrade–WhatYou’llNeedGymorGymless?TheManyAdvantagesofBodyweightTraining

SolvingtheDietPuzzleTheRegularApproach

HowtoCalculateYourDailyCaloricNeedsPros,Cons&Considerations

ThePaleoApproachAllCalsAreCreatedEqual...Not!PaleoProsandCons

TheIntermittentFastingApproachTheBodyintheFastingStateIntermittentFastingPros&Cons

The“Right”AnswertothePuzzleBurnthroughCalorieslikeaFreightTrain

TwoWaystoSkintheCardioCatHighIntensityforMaximumResultsHighIntensityRoutinesHowManySessionsperWeek?

ExtraTipsforLosingMoreCaloriesTheTrainingProgramtoanInvincibleCore

TheInvincibleCoreProgramTheReasonWhyMostAbsProgramsFailHowWe’llHandletheIssue&EnsureSuccess

3MovestoRisetoSuperheroStatusFeatofStrength#01:TheExcitingRoadtoDragonFlagMastery

ProgressionI:thePlankProgressionII:theElbowPlankProgressionIII:theInvertedPlankProgressionIV:theHandWalkProgressionV:theKneeDropProgressionVI:theStraddleDropProgressionVII:theLegDropProgressionVIII:theHalfDragonFinalProgression:theDragonFlag

FeatofStrength#02:HowtoReachtheV-Sit&MultiplyYourPowerExponentially

ProgressionI:theHangingKneeRaiseProgressionII:theHangingLegRaiseProgressionIII:theTuckL-SitProgressionIV:theTuckL-SitwithExtensionProgressionV:theL-SitProgressionVI:theToes-to-BarFinalProgression:theV-Sit

FeatofStrength#03:BecomeUnbreakable,BecomeaHumanFlagProgressionI:theSupermanProgressionII:theLowerBackRaiseProgressionIII:theSidePlankProgressionIV:theLyingWindshieldWiperProgressionV:theHangingHorizontalWiperProgressionVI:theHangingVerticalWiperProgressionVII:theKneeFlagDropProgressionVIII:theFlagDropProgressionIX:theKneeHoldProgressionX:theStraddleHoldFinalProgression:theHumanFlag

PuttingItAllTogether:thePlay-by-PlayStepI:GettingItDownStepII:GettingWarmedUpStepIII:WorkingtheCoreStepIV:WorkingaSweatHowLongBeforeISeeAnyResult?

Conclusion:fromDreamtoReality

WanttoReachYourFullPotential?Let’sKeepInTouchAbouttheAuthor

Allrightsreserved.Thisbookoranyportionthereofmaynotbereproducedorused in anymannerwhatsoeverwithout the expresswritten permission of theauthor,exceptfortheuseofbriefquotationsinareview.

Disclaimer: this book ismeant for information and educational purposes only.Consultwithyourphysicianbeforeattemptinganyoftheexercisesdescribedinthisbookormakinganydrasticchangestoyourdiet.Theauthorwillnotbeheldaccountable foranydamagecausedby the implementationof theadvicegiventhroughoutthisguide.Thoughtheauthorfoundsuccesswiththismethod,resultsmayvary.

FirstEdition.

Visittheauthor’swebsite:http://RealLifeSuperman.com

Introduction:AbsMakethe(Super)ManIt’skindoffunnywhenyouthinkaboutit.Absrepresentsuchasmallpartofourbody…Yet,entirecareershavebeenbuiltaroundthem.I’mnotsayingit’sthemostsolidfoundationtobaseyourfutureon,butwherewouldMarkWahlberg(akaMarkyMark)be today ifhismidsectionhad looked likehewasgoing tohibernatefor thenextsixmonthsrather thantheshreddedsix-packthat landedhimhisCalvinKleinstunt?Youreally thinkhesolddiscsandgot involved inmoviesat firstbecauseofhisartistic talents?Plentyofactorsandcelebritieswould still be pushing carts at Walmart if it wasn’t for their flawlessphysique.

Iknow,I’mnotteachingyouanythingnew…Butsomepeoplewouldhaveyoubelievethat this isavainpursuit, thatweshouldn’tbotherbecausewhatreallycounts is what’s on the inside. To these fine ladies and gentlemen, I wouldsimplysaythis:“C’MON!WAKEUP!”

Let’s be realistic here for a second. Let’s stop kidding ourselves, pretend likewe’reaboveallthisandmistakealackofwillpowerforintellectualsuperiority!Getting washboard abs is as worthy a goal as say learning a new language.Period! It’s a challenge thatwill test yourwillpower and there’s no shame inadmitting it sits atop your to-do list! Just like with A.A., the first step isacceptance:

“Hello,mynameisJohnandI’masix-packoholic!”

OnecanbebeautifulontheinsideANDtheoutside!HavebrainsANDbrawn!

However, if you’ve been struggling with your weight your entire life, if youforgotwhatyour feet looked likebecausewhenyou staredownall you see isyour belly, itmay seem like a faraway dream.A destination so distant that itsoundsalmostimpossibletoreach;likewinningthelotteryorgettingadatewithPenelopeCruz.You’rereadytoplaythegamebut,deepinside,youdon’tthinkyoustandachance.

Thatisabouttochange!

Inthisbook,Iwillshowyouthestep-by-steptolosingthegutandgettingtheabs you’ve always wanted. No matter your starting point, you too can leandown and secure the shredded look that only seems feasible if you live in

Hollywood.

Butthat’snotall!Iwillalsoshowyouthebestexercisestostrengthenyourcoreand dramatically improve your health and athletic performances! If you stillneeded an excuse to start because you still subscribed to the “inside beauty”crap,thereyougo!Youcanfeelrelievednow.Trainingyourabswillnotonlymakeyoulooklikeastud;itwillalsogreatlyenhanceyourqualityoflife.

ButwhatdoIknowanyway?WhyshouldyoulistentoanythingIhavetosay?

AsIexplainedatlengthinmypreviousbooks,IwasinvolvedinacaraccidentwhenIwasa teenager. IgotrunoverasIwascrossingthestreetandsufferedmultiplefracturesandaconcussion.It tookmealmostawholeyear torecoverand,duringthattime,IinflatedlikeIwasinjectingmystomachfullofsynthol,whichreallymessedwithmyself-confidence.Atatimewherewecareabittoomuchwhatourpeersthinkofus,Iwasstuckwithagood30poundsinexcess.YoucanimaginehowdownanddepressedIfelt…ButIneverlostfaith.Iknewthat even though the road aheadmight be long, it was only amatter of timebeforeIgottotheendofit,IFIkeptploughingon.

Andindeed,withmucheffort,trialanderror,Ieventuallymanagedtolosemostof thatweight. I never reached thepointwheremyabswerepoppingoutor Icouldgoshirtlesswithoutfeelingabitself-conscious,though.ThetruthisthatIdidn’treallyknowwhatIwasdoing.Isucceededdespitemymanymistakes,bysheerpersistence.Now, that’sonewaytogoabout itandslimdown,but itsureain’tthefastestorthemostfun,isit?

Tomakemattersworse,Iwasn’tpayingmycoreitsduerespect.Ithoughtthat,becauseIwasalreadyworkingoutandfittinginafewcruncheshereandthere,Ididn’t need to target it more specifically. To be completely honest, though itsounds stupid in retrospect, I thought my abdominals were in pretty goodcondition.

Afterall,withallthemartialartsandbodyweighttrainingIhaddoneduringmyyouth, how could it have been otherwise? I was bulletproof, right? Yeah,RIGHT!

RealitystruckwhenIdecidedtotrymyhandatsomeParkour.Youngnaivemeregisteredforafreesessionandwentwithconfidence,convincedthathewouldtear it up, American Ninja Warrior style... What I ended up tearing, though,wasn’tthes***butmylowerabdominals!

Afterwewarmedup,preppedourjointsandgotreadytostart,thecoachsetupafewworkshopstopracticesomebasicacrobatics.

Iwalkedtowardsthefrontflipgroup.Themoveseemedeasyenough:jumponthe trampoline, tuck theknees, turnonyourself and landon themat.Pieceofcake!

Onmyfirstattempt,asIlaunchedintotheairandtriedtobringmykneestomychest,Ifeltasharppainriseinmyrightside.ItturnedoutthatIhadstrainedit!Somuchforthepowerfulabs!Igotsidelinedfortwoweeksandcouldn’tmoveortrainwithoutwincing.

Thistaughtmeavaluablelesson:myabswereweakerthanapinkyfingerandIcouldn’t afford to neglect them anymore if Iwanted to become as strong as Iaimedtobe.AndsoIstartedonanotheroneofthosequeststhattrulychangedmy life. I started experimenting, testing and refining core training techniques.When theydidn’twork, Iditched them;when theyprovidedresults, I tweakedthem.

Prettysoon,Isawanentirenewworldopentome.Asmyunderstandingofgood nutrition also improved,my abs began to come out of their hiding.But,more importantly, I started experiencing a lot of great side-effects. You see,training your core is essential to reaching your full physical potential andbecomingatruelifesuperhero.

Ifyou’vereadanyofmypreviousbooks,youknowI’mallaboutfunctionality.Infact,that’swhatdrovemetowritetheRealLifeSupermanseriesinthefirstplace. To give you themost effective and actionable tips to not only pack onmuscleandgetstronger,butalsotomakeyoufasterandmoreagile.Togiveyouabilities thatwouldserveyou inyourdaily lifeandnot just toshowoffat thebeach.

Ibroughtthesamespirittothisguide.Here,IwillsharewithyouallIlearnedaboutgettingthefattodisappearandforgingpowerfulabsthatwillimpacteveryother area of your life. You’ll come to see that, in the end, aesthetics andfunctionalityarebuttwosidesofthesamecoin.

WhyDevelopingaStrongCoreIsaMustLet’stalkphysicsforafewsecondsnow,shallwe?Don’tworry,I’mnotgoingtogoallFriedmannonyouandstartdroppingscaryequations that’llgiveyounightmaresfordays.Ijustwanttotalkaboutbreakingpoints.

Answermethis:usually,whereisanyobjectat itsweakest?Whenyoubendapieceofwoodandcontinuetoincreasetheforcegradually,whathappens?

Anybodyisalmostalwaysatitsweakestatthecenter…andthehumanbodyisnoexception!Ifit’sfrailatthemiddle,itwillbreaklikeatwigwhenputunderstress.Asthesayinggoes,achainisonlyasstrongasitsweakestlink.Thecoreisthehingeofthebody;itrequiresextracareandattentiontoensureitkeepstheentirechainstrong,stableandhealthy.

Working the core is an absolute prerequisite to achieving any of the moreadvanced bodyweight movements... but you don’t need to be involved withcalisthenicstoreaptherewardsofspecificabstraining.

In fact, strengthening the abdominals has been shown to increase yourperformance in any field,whatever your hobbies or occupation. It canmakeyouquickerorhaveyouhit(withyourfistoryourfoot)muchharder.

How?Well,toreturntothebody-chainimagewetalkedabout,yourcoreisthemainlinkconnectingthetwoextremitiesofyourbodywhichareyourlegsandyourtrunk.Whenyouaccomplishanytask,fromkickingafootballtocarryingaheavy bag, your abs will always get solicited at one point or another. Eitherdirectly, when themovement originates from your center, or indirectly as theforce you’ve generated in your legs travels through your core to reach yourhands(orviceversa.)Likewhenyou’rethrowingafastball.

Attheveryleast,yourcorewillplayastabilizingroleandavoidpowerleakage.In short, your abs are the basis and support fromwhich anymovement gainsmomentum.Keeptheminpoorconditionandsuffertheconsequences!

If that wasn’t reason enough for you to start a core strengthening program,considertheseotherbenefits:

Working your core will give you superior balance: by helping tostabilizeyourtorsoandlimbs,strongerabswillincreaseyourbalanceandalso make you move and change directions much quicker (perfect forfootball players and other athleteswho need to catch their opponents offbalance);Workingyour corewill improveyourbreathing: specific core trainingwill also reinforce your diaphragm which is critical to the breathingprocess.Itwillmakeeveryoneofyourinspirationsmuchmoredeeperandeffective.Thanks toabetteroxygenationofyourmusclesandyourbrain,

youwillfeellessstressedandmorealert;Working your core will boost your digestion: feeling a bit bloated orconstipated lately?Train theabs!With theexerciseswe’llseebelow,youwillnotonlytoughenupbutlengthenyourabdominalswhich,ifthey’retooshort or stiff, can squeeze your internal organs and prevent proper foodassimilation;Working your corewill enhance your posture: pretty self-explanatory.Since your abs help stabilize your back, improving their power andflexibilitywillgoalongwaytowardsacquiringtheperfectposture;Workingyourcorewillpreventbackpainandlimitinjuries:acorollarytothepreviouspoint,betterabswillalsomeanlessriskofdevelopingbackacheasyou’llbestandingstraighterandyourspinewillgetmoresupport.Forthesamereason,you’llbenefitfromextraprotectionagainstanyshock,torsionorpressureyoucouldsustainandthatcouldresultinaninjury;Working your corewillmake your bonesmuch stronger: last but notleast, much like with bodyweight training, by targeting your abs andplacingyourbonesunderstress,youwillmakethemstrongerovertimeastheaddedpressureoftheexerciseswillinturnincreasetheirdensity.

As you can see, a lot of sweet benefits anyone looking to perform at his bestwouldbefoolishnottotakeadvantageof!

Butit’seasiersaidthandone,right?Canyoujustliedown,doacouplesit-ups,andexpecttolooklikeGerardButlerinthe300’swhenyougetup?Youwish!

What’sforsureisthatwithallthecrapwehearorreadaboutinmagazines,not to mention those late-night infomercials that never seem to run out of“miracle”products that sell for a premiumand that promise toget you rippedwhileyousleep,itcangetnearimpossibleforthebeginnertosortbetweentruthandBS.Toknowexactlywhattodoandavoidliketheplague.

Inshort,totrustinaprogramthat’llbringthedesiredresults.

Don’tworrybuddy,Markusisheretosettherecordstraight!LikeIdidwithmyReal Life Superman series where I showed youmy tried and true method tobecomemoremuscularanddevelopyourmentalfortitude,Iwill teachyouthequickestandmosteffectivewaytoturnyourjellybellyintoarealpieceofart,beautifulandextremelypowerful!

Youwilllearnhowyoutoocanturnthisweaknessofyoursintooneofyourmain strengths. So, if you’re ready, buckle up and let’s claim that superhero

six-packyou’vebeenwaitingfor!

AnatomyofaSix-PackBefore we jump right into the program per se, we need to make thepresentations. No, not with me, dude! You already know my old mug! I’mtalkingaboutyourveryownbellyandsoon-to-beobjectofbeauty.

Thebestwaytoturnanenemyintoafriendistogettoknowhimintimately.Learn how he functions andwhatmakes him tick; that’s how you’llwin himover.

KnowThyEnemyYes, ifwewant tomasterourcore,we firstneed tounderstandhow itworks.Don’tpanic,Iwon’tbe long.Ipromiseit’llbeoverbeforeyoureyelidsgot toclosecompletelyshut,alright?

Ifyoueverwonderedwhere“abdominals”camefrom,itderivesfromtheLatinword abdomen which in turn stems from abdo... that means “hidden.” Howfunny,consideringtheirorigin,thatwe’reactuallyfightingtogetthosesuckerstoshow,huh?

Youknow,it’snocoincidencethattheabstakean“s”andarealmostneverusedintheirsingularform.Afterall, theabdominalsarenotmadeupofonebutanentiregroupofmuscles;acomplexmuscularnetworkwhereeveryunitwillgetinvolved,atadifferentlevelandintensity,dependingonthemotioninquestion.Gotit?

According to your position, sitting or standing, lying on your side or on yourback,it’snotthesameabsthatwillprovidemuchoftheworkwhenyoumove.

Andwiththatoutoftheway,let’stakeacloserlookatthebadboys:

Obliques:they’relocatedonyoursidesandcompriseboththeinternalandexternalobliques.Astheirnamewouldsuggest,theexternalobliquescovertheinternalwhicharethereforeinvisible(duh!)Theyalloriginatefromtheribsandattachthemselvestothehip.They’retheonestogiveashoutouttowheneveryouwanttoturnatthewaistorbendtotheside;RectusAbdominis:let’skeepwiththeLatinhereforasecond,Iknowyouloveit…Therectusabdominis isTHE6-packwegenerallyrefertowhenwetalkabouttheabs.It’saflatmusclethatisquitelargeandwhichcoverstheentirefrontofyourbelly(fromyourbreastbonetoyourwilly–ifyou

got one.)Any time you raise your knees, get up frombed or shorten thedistance between your lower and upper body, it’s the rectus whichaccomplishesthemiracle;TransversusAbdominis: thisonewrapsaround thestomachmuch likeaweightliftingbelt.Butnomatterhowhardyouworkit,you’llnevergettosee itscurvesas thatmuscle isburieddeepin therecessesof theabs.So,whytrainitatall?LikeIsaid,thisprogramisnotonlyaboutlookinggoodbut performing to our best as well, and the transversus will help in thatsense.Notonlyisitinvolvedinthebreathingprocess,italsohelpsstabilizethespineandkeepourgutsnicelypacked;Erector Spinae: I know, that one’s located in the back, so why am Imentioningithere?Well,consideringthatit’spartoftheabdominalbelt(asthe lumbar muscles), it deserves a spot on this list. To be completelyprecise,itdoesn’tstopatthelowerbackbutrunsalmosttheentirelengthofit.Weonlyget tosee thebottompartbecause,at the top, it’sdrowned inthe volume of bigger muscles such as the lats. The erector spinae isessentialtoextensionsofthespine.That’sthesetofmusclesthatallowustogetbackupwhenwefall,sowehadbettermakethemstrong…ifyouseewhatImean(wink,wink)!

Inshort,we’llwanttoworktherectusabdominis–ofcourse!–asthat’swhatwill grant us our most coveted 6-pack... but we’ll also beware of payingcarefulattentiontotheothermusclesthatmakeuptheabdominals.

Failure to do sowould only lead to imbalances down the road,weakness anddropinourperformances.

Let’smakeitrightfromthestartandcoverallbases.You’llthankmelater.

From6to8-Pack?Whilewe’reonthetopicofanatomicaldetails;Ihearalotofpeopleaskinghowtogoaboutsecuringan8-pack,likeit’sthenextnaturalstepindevelopingyourabs, like Goku aiming for SSJ2 after hemanaged to turn into the first SuperSaiyanform.

Andthatreasoningisnotwithoutmerits;itmakessense.Bypushingyourabstotheirlimits,youforcethemtogrowandmature.Itwouldonlyseemlogical,afteryou’veworkedyourbuttoffformonths,thatnewmusclewouldstarttoshow.

Unfortunately, thehumanbodydoesn’twork thatway.Theshape–aswellasthenumber–ofyourabsispredetermined;it’s100%genetics.Youcouldquit

yourjobandretreatintosomelostcabininthewoodstodonothingbutsmashyour abs, Shaolin style, for the next 10 years, their number would remainunchanged.

Allyoucandoismakethemstrongerandbigger.That’squitesomething!

TheREALSecretbehindKillersAbsAlright, this is the bit you’ve been waiting for. This is where I reveal thefoolproofmethodforleaningdownandachievingasuperherosix-pack.

So,openyoureyes,keepthempeeledanddon’tblink!

It’sAllaboutFatIfyou’veeversetfootinsideagym,you’veprobablybeenwitnesstothisscene:a guy killing himself day after day, performing hundreds and hundreds ofcrunches, as if he was trying to punish himself for some horrendous sin hecouldn’tbringhimselftoconfess.

Anddespitehisefforts,despitethesweat,thepainandthepassingmonths,thatguyremainsexactlythesame!

Isthatpersoncursed?Aresomepoordevilsdestinedtoremain“heavy”becauseoftheirnaturalconstitution?

Hellno!

There’snoneedtolightcandlestoreleaseanyevilspell.Thetruthisthatmostpeoplesimplygoattheprocesscompletelywrong.It’snotalwaysthewillorthemotivationthatislacking;it’softentheknowledge.Peoplejustdon’tknowwhatthey’redoing!We’vebeenledtobelievethat,tolosethegut,weneedtohititharderthanterroristgroups.Butthatcouldn’tbefurtherfromthetruth.

OneCANNOTloseweightfromthebellysimplybyexercisingit.

Iknow,thatseemscounterintuitive,butyoucan’tchoosewheretothindownbytargetingaspecificarea.This“spotreduction”mythisoneofthemostpervasiveinthefieldand,everyday,thousandsofpoorshmucksfallvictimtoit.

Ofcourse,youburncalorieswhenyoubustyourbuttoffwithsit-ups...butinthesamemanner thatchewinggumwillneverhollowyourcheeks,don’tcountonthosemovementstocreatethestomachofanAdonis.Trainingtheabswiththeexercises recommended by most coaches doesn’t burn that many caloriesanyway.

So,whattodo?

The big secret to protruding abs is to reach a certain level of body fat.Simpleas that.Youcouldbe the luckyownerof themostbeautiful6-packonplanetEarth,ifyou’reabovethelimit,you’llneverknowit!Ontheotherhand,ifyou’reconcentrationcampthinbutgotnomuscletoyourabs,wewon’tseeathingeitherbutyourbones.

Thus,we’llneedtoensureyouattaintherightpercentageWITHtherightstuffunderyourshirt!

Beforeweproceedwithourplanofattack, let’sseehowtomeasureyourownlevels,soweknowwhatwe’refacingandexactlyhowmuchworkwegotaheadofus,OK?

HowtoMeasureYourBodyFatPercentageThere’s at least half a dozen ways to calculate that percentage, with varyingpricesandscoresofreliability.

Thenumberoneoption,withoutadoubt,hastobetheDXA(forDualEnergyX-Ray Absorptiometry.) Sounds like a new secret weapon in development byDARPA, right? Bymaking use of densitometry, thismethod allows a precisecalculationofyourbones,musclesandfat%,toonedecimalplace.

Here’showwe’regoingtogetourpercentagethen,right?

Erm,howtosaythis…UnlessyougotaBenjamintowasteonthisexam,we’llhavetopassastheprohibitivecostisn’tjustified.We’llalsohavetoforgetaboutusingtheBMI,asisoftenrecommendedbydoctors.Why?Becausetheresultswould be skewed; this formula doesn’t work for people with a muscle massthat’sovertheaverage.

OKbut,ifwecan’tusethose,whattechniqueshavewelefttoachieveourgoal?

Getoutthemeasuringtape:here,youwillgetyourbodyfatpercentagebyutilizingacomplexequationinvolvingyourweight,age,aswellasthemeasures from your hips, neck,waist… If you’d like to try thatmethod,makeiteasieronyouanduseanonlinecalculator.Butfrankly,I’mnotabigfanofitbecause,onceagain,theresultsmightbeskeweddependingonyourspecificmorphology(hugeneck,thinwaist,largehips…);Getyourselfsomecalipers:want togetyournumbersbutdon’tfeel likebreaking thebank?For thepriceof aBigMacmeal, you canpurchase a

pairofcalipersthatwillgetthejobdone.Simplyfollowtheguidelinesthatyou’ll find with the device and take measures at specific points like theback, the arms…The reliability is only to a fewpercent, but that shouldgiveyouaroughestimateofwhereyou’restanding,forcheap;Hop on biometric scales: also known as “body fat” or “bioelectricimpedance” scales, thesework just like your regular scales; they can tellhowmuch youweighwhen you step on them. But,more valuable to ushere,theycananalyzeyourbodycompositionbysendingacurrentthroughyourbodythatwillgiveoutthepercentageofeachtissue.Althoughsomepeople only swear by them, I’m franklynot impressed. I find they’re tooflaky in their readingsbecause their precision can fluctuate dependingonthevolumeofwateryou’reholding,forexample.

Intheend,don’tgopullingyourhair.OrdersomecalipersontheNetandtakeafewminutes to take themeasurements. Itmaynotbe theverybestoptionbut,like I said, calipers are cheap and we don’t need to know your body fatpercentagedowntothelastdecimalpointanyway.

Nowyou’vegotyourdigits;it’stimetoassessthedamage!

FromStevenSeagaltotheIncredibleHulkNumbersdon’tlie.So,let’smanupandseewherewe’restanding.

You’reover26%bodyfat:sorrytobreakthenewsbutyou’vebeengoingabittooheavyonthesnacks,myfriend!It’stimetorollupyoursleevesandgettowork!Fornow,forgetallaboutgettingasix-pack…Idon’twanttosoundlikeawetblanketor lectureyoubutwe’re talkingaboutyourhealthhere.Your firsttargetwill be to go below 20% to reduce cardiovascular and other associatedrisks.

You’re between 25-18%body fat: at this stage, you’ve not yet lost sight ofyourtoesbutthatshouldn’tbelongifyoucontinuetopackonthepounds.Yourabsarestillnowheretobeseen.

You’rebetween17-14%bodyfat:OK,we’reslowlygettingthere.Youdon’tneedmuch for your six-pack to start to show.This is the level of body fat ofpeoplewho’resaidtobe“inshape.”

You’rebetween12-7%bodyfat:great,you’realreadyquiteontherippedside!Whateveritisyou’redoing,continuetodoitbecauseitseemstobeworking.Iwould only suggest you implement the exercises we’ll see below to further

strengthenyourcore.This is the rangemostpeopleare targetingwhen they’relookingtogetasix-pack.We’llaimfor10%,asfaraswe’reconcerned.You’lllookgreatatthatnumberandyou’llbeabletokeepitwithouttoomuchhassle.

You’rebelow6%bodyfat:damn,dude!Putsomeclothesonyourback;you’regoingtocatchacold!Thisishowleanprofessionalbodybuilderscangetforacontest.It’snotadvisedtokeepsuchlownumbersforanylengthoftimeasyourbodyneedsacertainlevelofbodyfattofunctionoptimally.That’swhygettingsolowwon’tbeanyofourbusinesshere.

Ifallthistalkstilldoesn’tringabellandyou’dratherhaveavisualaid,here’sacharttoshowyouwhateachcategorylookslike.Asthesayinggoes:apictureisworthathousandwords,right?

PS: small aside; although my guides are primarily targeted towards men, if

you’reagirlandyou’rereadingthis,youcanstillrefertothenumberswejuststated above. Just add 7% to any “category” to account for a naturally higherpercentageoffatwithwomen.

TheMagicFormulaIf, likewe’vediscoveredmuch toourdismay,drivingourselves sillywithabsexerciseswillnotbeenough to forceourabsout,we’llhave tocombineourcoretrainingwithothertechniquestogetthatbodyfatdown.

Ultimately, the program we’re going to put into place will not only includespecific routines to develop your abdominal power and allow you to performimpressive feats of strength, but also nutrition guidelines and a few cardioexercises.

Withoutgoingintotoomuchdetail,tosucceedinthatsense,we’llhavetoburnmore calories thanwe’re taking in. It’s really no rocket science; it’s a simpleaddition-subtractionoperation.

Andtogetthere,we’vegotseveraloptions–fromtrainingwithhighintensitytoapplying low carb or intermittent fasting concepts. But in the end, whicheverroadyoudecidetoembarkon,thegeneralformulawillremainidentical:

AbsTraining+Diet+Cardio=SuperheroSix-Pack

ToolsoftheTrade–WhatYou’llNeedOK, now we’ve got a better understanding of what awaits us. You’re stillmotivatedtofollowthrough?Attaboy!

Firstthingsfirst,let’sdiscusstheequipmentwe’llneedtobringourabdominalsuptopar.

GymorGymless?Forthoseofyouwholiketokeepaneyeonthefitnessindustry,you’veprobablyalreadynoticedthat,everyweek,itseemslikesomecompanyhasjustmadetherevolutionarybreakthroughthatwillforeverchangethefaceoftheEarth.

Every week, there’s a new miracle device that hits the market and whichpromisestogetyoufromblobtoTerminatorinonly5minutesperday!

Itdoesn’tmatterthatathousandotherproductsmadesimilarclaimsinthepastwithdubiousresults;thistime,it’sforreal!Ithastobe!Lookattheshapeoftheguyinthead.Hesureseemstoknowwhathe’sdoing.So,thatmachinehasto

work,right?Yes,thistime,thankstothisbaby,yourwishwillbegranted:you’llgetasexystomachwithoutbreakingasweatorevengettingwinded.Youknowwhat?You’llevengettoeatpotatochipswhileyou’reatit!

Thebigjoke!

Miracle abs devices are like Santa. At one point, even though it’s hard,you’vegottoadmittheydon’texist.

Totellyouthetruth,I’dgoasfarassayingthatyoudon’tevenneedamachineorweightstotrainyourabs.Aslongasyou’vegotafloortoliedownon,youshouldbegoodtogo.Youcaninvestinarubberfloormatforafewbucksifyouwant,toprotectyourback.Andapull-upbar,aswe’llneedsomethingtohangfromforthemoreadvancedvariationsofourmoves…But,likeIsaid,nothingiscompulsory.

That’swhy,ifyoudon’thaveagymmembershipyet,Iwon’thaveyoucoughupthemoney.Now,I’mnotsayingthatgymsarecompletelyworthlessastheydohavetheiruse.Forexample,theycanbegoodtokeepyouaccountableinthebeginningasyou’llwanttogetyourmoney’sworth,everymonth.Itwouldsuckbigtimetohavethemtakeourhard-earneddoughandnotbenefit,wouldn’tit?

Also,going toagymgivesyouaccess tobarbells toworkonyour squatsandother beneficial lifts… but, at the risk of repeatingmyself, it’s absolutely notneededtoaccomplishourmissionhere.Yourownbodyweightwillsuffice.

Infact,trainingwithyourbodyweightinsteadoffreeweightsormachinesisthesuperioroptiononalotoflevels…

TheManyAdvantagesofBodyweightTrainingWhenyouseeallthebeefcakeswho’vemadethegymtheirhome,itmayseemstupid not to rush there aswell if youwant to look a quarter like them.Whychangeawinningrecipe?

Before I answer this, let’s go back to our goals for one second.What arewetryingtoachievewiththisprogram?

First,we’relookingtoloseweightsothatourabsbecomenoticeable.Two,wewant to turn them into an indestructible armor while keeping our speed andexplosiveness intact. Inotherwords,we’renot really trying to endup lookingliketheMountaininGoT…notthatthere’sanythingwrongwiththat,butwe’rerather aiming for an athletic physique. We want to look ripped, sharp and

muscular–yes–butnotoverlyso.Inshort,wewanttostriketheperfectbalancebetweenallthoseattributes.

AndforTHATtypeofobjectives,bodyweighttrainingjusthasnorival.

Herearesomeofitsmainbenefits:

Completelyfree;Notlimitedbytimeorplace;Naturalmovements(vsmechanical);Explosive;Gradual;Worksthebalance;Funandchallenging;Preparesthejoints=injuryprevention;Comprehensive;…

Youmightbereadingthislistandgo:“OK,Icanfigurehowitwouldworkinthebeginningtostrengthenmyabs…buthowcanmysolebodyweightprovideenough stimulation in the long run tokeepmyabsonedgeand force them togrow?” In other words, is this method effective even for more experiencedathletes?

Well,allowmetointroduceyoutoaneatprinciplethat’scalled“tweakingthemechanicaladvantage”:aswegainstrength,andtheexercisesbecometooeasyforustostillgain(muscleandstrength),wewillmodifytheminsuchamannerastodecreaseourleverage.

We’llmakethosemovementsharderandharderbychangingthepositionofourlimbsandtrunksothatourmusclesarenowattheirweakest.

Take theexampleofasimpleplank:you’re inapush-uppositionandyoucanhold themovement forquite some time.Whathappensnow ifyoumoveyourheadforward(whilekeepingyourarmslocked)sothatyourshouldersareafewinches in front of your hands instead of right above?Yes, therewill be extrapressure/torque on your pecs, shoulders and abdominals, and it’ll be harder toholdthepositionthefurtherawayyoustrayfromthevertical.

Bychangingtheangleatwhichthestrengthisapplied,youputyourselfatagreatermechanicaldisadvantage.

Capisce?

Ourtrainingprogramwillmakefulluseofthatprinciple.We’llbestartingeveryexercisewith an easy variation and progress towards positionswhere our abswillgetthecrapbeatenoutofthem.

SolvingtheDietPuzzleAlright,we’veseenthusfarthatourprogramwillhave2mainobjectives:

Keeping you in a caloric deficit so that your levels of fat decrease andyourabdominalmusclesgetachancetoshine;Buildingan insanelystrongcore thatwillenhanceyourperformanceonalllevels,preserveyourhealthandmakeyoulooklikeastud.

When it’s presented that way, it seems so simple…Yet, it took me years tounderstandthatIhadtofocusonbothevenlyifIwastoachievetheresultsIwashopingfor.It’sonlywhenIdidthisthatmysix-packstartedtopopout.

Andthefirstitemweneedtotakecareofisyourdiet.Evenmoresothancardioand core training –which represent the other two pillars of this program –, acleanandhealthydiet isanabsoluteprerequisite tokillerabs.YouHAVETOgetyoureatingundercontrol.UnlessyournameisDeanKarnazesandyouburnthrough10,000 calorieson somedays (and can therefore indulge a little), youwillneedtobestrict.

In the followingpages,wewill see3differentways togoabout tweakingourdiet.

I’lldetaileachoneofthem,withtheirprosandcons,andgiveyoumypersonaltakeattheend.IprefertogiveyousomeoptionsbecauseIunderstandthatnoteverybodymayfeelreadytototallyrevampthewaythey’reeating.

TheRegularApproachThisisthetypeofdietyouusuallyfindinyouraveragefitnessmagazineand,ifyou’ve been interested in dieting for any length of time, it’s probably thetechniqueyoualreadytried.

Although ithas takena lotofdifferentnames throughout theyears, tomake itmore“marketable”andkeeppeople flashing theirwallet, the reasoningbehindthisapproachremainsthesame:eatinglesscaloriesthanweuse.

JustlikewithWeightWatchersandtheirpointssystem,themainfocuswillbeonensuringthebodyis“underfed”andhasnochoicebuttogoanddigintoourfatreservestofuelitsdailyneeds.

Whichmeansthat,beforeweevenlearnhowtotweakthewayweeat,wefirst

needtofindourdailyenergyrequirements.

HowtoCalculateYourDailyCaloricNeedsLotsofformulashavebeeninventedtofindthatnumber…butthemostreliablehastobetheSterling-Pasmoreequationwhichstartswithfindingoutyourbasalmetabolism(i.e.theenergyrequiredforyourbodytofulfillitsvitalfunctions):

Energyrequiredatrest=leanmassx13.8kcals

To find your leanmass, simply subtract your pounds of fat fromyour overallweight.Sayyou’rea180lbsguyandyou’reat20%BF,yourleanmasswillbe:180-(180x20%)=144lbs

Onceyougotthatnumber,you’llhavetomultiplyitbyafactorthatwillaccountforyourlevelofactivitythroughouttheday.Ofcourse,yourcaloricneedswon’tbethesamewhetheryouspendyourdaysasabedtesteroryou’refishingkingcrabinAlaska.

Forpeoplewhostayseatedbehindadeskmostoftheday,thisfactorwillbeequalto1.2Ifyou’retrainingatalowintensityormovearoundabit,makeit1.375If that training ismore thorough and youwork out 3 to 5 times aweek,multiplyby1.55Once you’re exercising at a high intensity (or working a very laborintensive job) prettymuch every day, you’ll need 1.725 times your basalmetabolicrateLast but not least, we’ve got the 1.9 factor… but, unless you’re gettingreadyfortheOlympicsorminingcoalfromdusktodawn,forgetaboutit.

Inourpreviousexample,welookedata180lbsmanwithabodyfatpercentageapproachingthe20%.Now,ifthatguyisquiteactiveandworkingout3timesaweek,thenumberofcalorieshe’llneedtokeephisweightstableis:

(180lbs–(180x20%))x13.8x1.55=3080kcals

Thus,tostartlosingourgut,we’llhavetoshootbelowthatnumber.Butbyhowmuchexactly?

Forstarters,experimentwitha400decrease.Keepatitforawholeweekbeforereevaluating.Ifyounoticeyou’relosingweight,continue.Ifyouseenoapparentresults, takeoff200more, then200more…Thegoalhere is tofind thesweet

spotwhereyou’reburningfatbutyou’renotdeprivingyourselftoomuch.Goingoverboard and reducing your calories too drastically would kill yourperformance(remember thatwestillneedenergy toworkourcoreafterwards)andmesswithyourmood.

Asyou can figureout, that number canquicklydwindle to a pointwhereyoudon’tgettoeatmuchfromtheday!That’sonemorereasontointroducecardiotrainingtoourprogramasitwillallowustobumpourcaloricintakeabitandstillloseweight.

Pros,Cons&ConsiderationsIfyoudecidetogowiththisapproach,youneedtomakesureyougetenoughproteinwith yourmeals to repairmuscle damage and guarantee your abs geteverythingtheyneedtothrive.

Forgetwhatyourfamilyphysiciansaidabouteatingone4ouncespieceofmeataday!Bumpyourintakesothatproteinsrepresent30%ofyouroverallcalories,withcarbsandfatsmakingtheremaining45%and25%.

Allinall,youshouldingestcloseto1gofproteinperpoundofbodyweight.Ifyou’re not used to eating that much meat/fish/eggs, it may be hard in thebeginning...That’swhyIrecommendyoudivideyourmealsupsothatyoudon’teat3timesadaybutratherevery3hours(orabout5/6meals.)Eatlessbutmoreoften.

TipsforCuttingYourCalorieswithEaseOurtargetbeingtolowerourcalorieswithoutstarvingourselves,everybitwillhelp.Thelastthingwewantistofeelfamished;that’sthesurestwaytofail.Wewant to find a plan we can live with, not one that would make our lifemiserable.Ifyoustruggletoomuch,youmaybestrongforawhile…buttherewilleventuallycomeatimewhenyouendupthrowinginthetowel.

Noonecanbesolid24/7.

Includingsomeofthefollowingtipsinyourplanwillgreatlyhelpindroppingyourdailyamountofcalorieswhilestillensuringyoufeelrelativelysatiated:

Beforeanymeal,drinkatallglassofwater:simplyput,water takesupspace. By starting everymealwith a few generous sips from your glass,you’llpre-fillyourstomach;Double your servings of veggies: if meat is essential for building our

abdominal muscles, veggies will be the actual key to losing the fat thatsurrounds them.Whatevervegetable ison themenu today,youcangorgewithoutanyremorse.You’llalwaysbefullbeforeyouhaveachancetodoanydamage toyourwaistline.Veggiesare lowoncaloriesandchock-fullofnutrientsandvitamins.So,whylimitthem?Use and abuse of spices: eating a pound of steamed cooked greens canbecome old real quick if you use nothing but salt & pepper to give thebastards some taste. Enter spices! Instead of using sauceswhich arewaytoorich(and thisgoesforcookingmeat too),picksomeherbsandspicessuchasgarlic,basilica,curry,pili-pili,curcumaandotherdeliciousaromaswhichwillkeepyourtastebudshappywithoutanyextracalories;Favor fiber rich products: the funny thing about fiber, andwhich is ofinterest tous, is that1)wecan’tdigest it, and02) it takesa lotof room.Thus,eatingfoodstuffrichinfiber(likebeans,cereals,almonds,figs)willslowdownourdigestionandmakeusfeelfullforalongtime;Skipthedessert:thatone’sano-brainer.Ifyouwanttocutyourcalories,avoidtheBen&Jerry’s;Drop the soda: did you know that one glass of regular soda was about100kcals?And theworst about it is thatwe can seldom just have one…Onceyou’veopenedthebottle,you’vegottofinishit,right?Dropthatcrapandyourbelly (andyourheart andyourkidneys andyour liver andyourbrain)willbegrateful;Breathein,relax,andtakeiteasy:relax,man.Takesometimetobreathebetweentwomouthfuls.Thisisneitheraracenoracontest;youshouldn’tbeeatinglikethere’sanuclearbombabouttodropandyouwantedtogetalastbitebeforeyoubitthedust.Eatconsciously.Beawareofwhatyou’redoing. Better yet, be completely absorbed. Don’t do anything else whenyou’reeating.Focusonthesmell,thetaste,thetextureofthefood.Takeinthefullexperience.Mostofthetime,we’redoneeatingandwedon’tevenrememberwhatwejustputinourmouth.Ifyou’regoingtogetcaloriesin,mightaswellsavorthemtothefull!

Yes,no,maybe?Thismethodhasworkedforalotofpeopleandithasafewthingsgoinginitsfavor.Forone,itallowsyoutokeepeatingprettymuchthesamefoodastodaybut with a few arrangements/concessions (there are no forbidden foodcategories.)

Also,forstraightforwardpeoplewholikethingsclearandprecise,thisapproach

is based on measurable data that they can then tweak and analyze (noguesswork.)

However,oneofitsmaindrawbacksisthatitcanbeadragandtakeoutalotof your time. Here, every food item must be weighed and each calorieaccountedfor.Youmustalsoensurethatyourespecttheratioofnutrients.It’snotthebestchoiceforyouifyouhatekeepingalog.

Anothernotchontheconssideisthat,exceptifyouupyourveggiesintakeandreallycleanupyouract,theeffectsonyourhealthwillbelimited.

ThePaleoApproachOK, so you just read through the previous section and said to yourself “beenthere,donethat”?

Ifyou’vealreadytriedoneof thatdiet’sgazillionvariationsbutnevergot it towork,here’sanotheralternativethatmightsucceedwherealltheothersfailed.

Thepaleodietaimstohaveyoueatlikeourforefatherswhoinhabitedthisplanetmillionsofyearsbeforeus.Itisbasedaroundtheprinciplethatourphysiologyhasbarelychangedsincethosedaysandthat,therefore,ourbodyismuchmoreadapted to theirway of eating than the regularAmerican diet of today full ofprocessed foods and products of the agriculture which only date back a fewmillennia.

And itmakes sensewhenyou think about it.Seeinghowslowevolution is, itwouldbenowonderthatourbodyhadnotimeyettogetusedtograinsandothersuchfoodsthatwe’veonlyrecentlyintroducedintoourmeals.

Thus, goingpaleomeans togoback to ahunter-gathererdietwhich ismainlycomposedofmeatandprettymuchanythingyoucan find in thewild, suchastubers,vegetables,berriesandnuts.

AllCalsAreCreatedEqual...Not!Iwillnotgoindepthaboutwhat’swrongwitheatinggrainsanddairyproducts(whicharethetwomainfoodcategoriesthatarebeingleftoutofthepaleodiet)becauseIalreadyhaveinmypreviousbooks...but let’s justsayfor therecordthat the gluten and lactose they hold are no joke. They can mess with yourdigestivesystemandleadtoallkindsofunpleasantnesstosaytheleastsuchasallergies,bloating,infections,irritablebowel...

Nomatterhowseriousthoseconditionscanbe,themainbeefthepaleodiethas

withregulardietsisthattheyrelywaytooheavilyoncarbs.Thatisalreadybadenoughundernormalconditions,butitrevealstobeanightmarewhentryingtoloseweight!

Why?Notonlydoeseatingsugarleadstoeatingmoreoftheyummystuff(youknowthefeeling,right?Whenyoupromisedyourselfyouwouldonlyhaveonebiteofthatchocolateandyouendedupdevouringtheentirebar,withapackofcookies thatwas lyingnext to it forgoodmeasure)...Whenyou take incarbs,your body will react with an insulin spike that marks the start of a realsnowballeffectthatwillwreakhavocinyourbody.

Following thatsugar rush, likewithanydrug,you’ll feel thecomingdownhityou hard. Apathy and a foggy mind are often part of the deal as are hungerpangs.

Everwonderedwhyyouwerealwayssoravenous,despiteallthefoodyouate?Heremightbetheculprit!Anditwouldn’tbefunifthatwasit,nowwouldit?That’swhy insulin is also themain responsible for storing extra energy as fat(i.e. high insulin levels amplify the transport of dietary fat into your adiposetissue!Yeeha!)

Thus, for paleo converts, you couldn’t possibly reduce your diet to a simplecalculation.Ingesting2,000caloriesworthofbeefdoesNOTproducethesameresultsasgettingthosecaloriesfromTwizzlersandSkittles.

All calories are not created equal. This also implies that, as long as it comesfromaqualitysource,you’llbeabletoeatMOREoftheproduct.

PaleoProsandConsThebiggestproinfavorofthepaleodietisthatitgetsyouridofthenumberonecauseoffailurewithmostdiets,andthatissugar.

Onceyoutakethatpoisonoffyoursystem,you’llseehowbetteryou’llfeel.Notonlywill thepoundsmeltaway,you’ll feelmoreenergeticandalive thaneverbefore.Andyouwon’thavetosufferthosehorrendouscravingsthatcomewitheatingcarbs.

Studies have shown that sticking to the paleo principles can reverse type-2diabetes,greatlyreducetherisksofcardiovasculardiseaseandsoon…butthat’snotthetopicofthisparticularbook.Ifallwecareaboutisourwaistline,itwillstillproveextremelyuseful.

By takingmost sources of carbohydrates off your diet, youwill – after someadaptation time – turn from a carb to a fat burner.What does that mean?Essentially,yourbodywill re-learnhow touse fat (fromyourmealsand fromthat pile you’ve got sitting around the middle) as its main source of energy.Thus,youwillburnfatmorequicklyandwithmuchmoreefficiency.

Also,withthepaleodiet,youwon’thavetocountasinglecalorie.Ifyou’rethetypethatjusthatestoweigheverything,thisistheperfectchoice.Nocountingbecausethere’llbenouseforit;justeatwhenyou’rehungry.Thefoodsyou’llbe taking in are so nutrient-rich that you’ll always be full before you couldabsorbtoomanycalories.

Withthatbeingsaid,thepaleodietisnotallrosy.Likeeveryplanthataimstorestrictus,ithasitsdownsides.Forone,itWILLmakeyoufeellikecrapatfirstas your body getsweaned off the carbs.That state,which is called “low carbflu”,isnotthemostpleasurabletobeinanditcanlastuptoafewweeksbeforeitsubsides.

Anotherweaknessof thisdiet is that itoffers less foodchoice thanmost.AndwhenIsay“less”,Imeanlike“heck,Ican’tevenhavemybread,mypastaandmycerealsanymore”typeofless.

Last but not least, it can get pretty expensive if you try and follow everyguideline.

TheIntermittentFastingApproachAnotheralternativetoleaningdownwitheaseandwhichisworthtakingalookatisintermittentfastingorIF.

The logic is simple: youwant to bring your overall calorie count down?Stopeatingforacertainamountoftime,afewtimesaweek.

Nofood=nocalories.Voilà!Howeasiercoulditbe?

Usually,fastingtwiceaweekissufficienttogettingsatisfyingresults.Onceyou’vehadyourlastmealoftheday,don’ttakeanymoresolidfood(liquidsareokay,aslongasyourefrainfromtheobviousno-no’slikeCokeandbeer)untilthenextevening.

Aswiththeregularapproach,startsmallandadaptdependingonhowyourbodyreacts.Noneedtogooverboardiftwodaysareenoughtogetyourweightdown.

TheBodyintheFastingStateBefore you protest and start calling me names, as the description of thisapproachconjuresup imagesofpeoplewhohavegoneonahunger strikeandendeduplookinglikeChristianBaleinTheMachinist,don’tworry,youwon’tbelosingyourhardearnedmuscle.

StayinginthisstatecanleadtomusclelossbutONLYifyouoverdoitandfastfor longperiodsof timewithoutgivingyourbodysomerest.That’swhywe’llkeepoursessionsapartandneverfastformorethan16-24hours.

What’sgreataboutIFistheotherphysiologicalchangesitinduces.Themomentyour body gets free of the burden of digestion (which takes up a lot ofresources), itcannowattendtoothermaintenance tasks itmaynotusuallygetenoughtimetoperform.IFwillthuspromotecellularrepair,cleanuptoxins,andfightoffinfection.Neat,isn’tit?

Totopitoff, itoffersthesamebenefitsascalorierestriction–whichhasbeenshown,inlabtests,tosignificantlyprolonglifeexpectancy–withoutanyoftheside-effects. And it increases insulin sensitivity, provides stronger resistancetostressandclearsupthemind.Yep,justthat.

IntermittentFastingPros&ConsOnapure“will itgetmemy6-pack?” level, intermittent fastingstrikesby itsconvenience. It’s so easy to implement you could literally start right awaywithoutneedinganyother formof introduction!Youwon’tget aheadachecalculatingyourmacrosortryingtofigureoutifyoucaneatthisorthat…

IF will speed up your metabolism as well, which will ensure that evenmorecaloriesareburnedduringyourfast.

On the cons side, we can note that hungermay pose a problem. If you can’tstandtheideaofhavingyourstomachhurtbecauseit’ssoempty,thismightnotsuit you. Though it does get betterwith time and the hunger eventually fadesaway,itwilltakeastrongwilltobeginwith.

Also,thisapproachmightnotbeadvisableifyousufferfrommedicalconditionssuchasdiabetes.

Lastbutnotleast,fastingmaygiveyouafalsesenseofsecurityandyoumightendupdoingmoreharmthangood.WhatImeanisthatyoumaybetemptedtothinkthat,becauseyou’renoteatingduringafewhours,you’vegotalicensetogorgeonceit’sover.Rememberthatintermittentfastingisnomiraclepill.Forit

towork,youfirstneedtogetyournutritionundercontrol.

The“Right”AnswertothePuzzleIncaseyouhadn’tnoticedyet,I’mpartialtothepaleodiet.Inmyeyes,it’stheperfectsolutionforpeoplewhowantnotonlytogetrippedbuttobeinthebesthealthpossible…I’msocategoricalaboutitbecauseI’vetrulytriedalltheotheroptions,andthisistheonethatgavemethebestresultsbyfar!

LikeIsaid,though,it’sonlymypersonalexperience.That’swhyyou’refreetoexperiment with the aforementioned approaches to note how your own bodyreacts,andseefromthere.

Intermittent fasting can be a tremendous ally in losing fat and kicking yourmetabolismintohighgear,andyoucanuseitonitsownorcombineitwithanysortofdiet.

Asforcountingyourcaloriesandtakingamathematicalapproachtoslimmingdown, that’showmostbodybuildersproceed toget incontestshape,so itsureprovidesresultsifyoucansticktoit.

Intheend,knowthatthe3optionswork;they’realldifferentmeanstoreachthesameend. Iwouldsimplyadd, inclosing, that IFand thepaleoprinciplesaretrulyawayoflife…It’snotaboutdietingforacertainamountoftime(likeyoucouldbewitharegularapproachtolosingweight);onceyou’veintegratedthemintoyourroutine,it’susuallyforthelonghaul!Thiscanbescary,thinkingthatyoumaybeleavingyouroldwaysbehindforever(likeyou’reabandoningalittlepieceofyourself in theprocess),but this is the surestway toensureyouneverregainthosepoundsyoulost.Thisisthesurestwaytokeepreapingthosehealthbenefitsforthedecadestocome!

BurnthroughCalorieslikeaFreightTrainCardiotraining,youusuallyhateitorlearntolivewithit(oryoumustbesomekindofmasochisticpsychoifyoulikeit)!Pictureyourselfonthestationarybike,cycling away as if you were getting ready for the Tour de France… You’repushingandpushing;15minuteshavepassedand,yourlegsonfire,youlookatthescreentofindoutyou’veburnedthewholeof30kcals!Ringsanybell?

Iknow,cardiosucks!Butit’sanecessaryevilontheroadtogettingrippedasyourdietwillonlygetyousofar.Youneedtogetyourcaloriesdownwithoutcuttingtoomuchintoyourfoodintake.

Wait, don’t run away! I was being overly dramatic to emphasize the point.There’snoneedtocryorbescared.Thetruthisthat,contrarytomostpeople’sexperience,cardiotrainingdoesNOThavetobeachoreyou’dbehappytotradeforadatewithyourdentist.

No, even though youmay choose to run on a treadmill, use the elliptical, therowingmachineor thebike,youdon’thave to.Cardiocanbefun! Inessence,anyactivity canbecomea cardio session; it doesn’thave tohappen in agym,withyourbuttlockedindoors.

Sayyoulikebasketball,whynotcallupafewfriendsandgoandshoothoops?You like walking? Put on your trekking shoes and go for a fewmiles in theforestorthepark!Thebottomlineisthatyouneedtomovetoburncalories.Itdoesn’tmatterhow.Whatdoesmatterthoughisthat,tomakeahabitoutofit,itwillalwaysworkbetterifyoupickanactivityyoulike/love.

TwoWaystoSkintheCardioCatAsIimplied,there’sagazillionwaystodocardio.Butifwehadtocategorizethem, we could argue that there are 2 main groups to which they can all belinked. And those categories represent two different ways to approach yourtraining.

Firstofall,youcangoatitwithlowtomoderateintensity.That’swheremostactivitiesbelongand that’sprobablyhowyouenvisioncardiowhen Iutter theword;thatis,longandcontinuouseffortlikejogging.AndasImentioned,ifyoulikeitthatway,thenbyallmeansstickwithit…Butalotofpeoplegetboredprettyfastbecause,let’sbehonesthere,it’snotthemostexhilaratingthingintheworld!Slowandsteadywins theracebut, lookat the turtle, isshehavingany

fun?!

Worse,astheoutputremainslowthroughout,thenumberofcaloriesburnedperunitoftimewillfollowthetrend.Whichbringsustoanotherissuepeoplehaveexpressed towards this type of cardio: it requires hours perweek to showanyvisibleresults.And,withtheirbusyschedule,mostfolksdon’thavethatamountoftimetodedicatetoit.

Enter the second way to perform cardio, which takes the complete oppositeview:highintensitytraining.

HighIntensityforMaximumResultsThefirst timeIheardabouthighintensity training,ImustadmitIwaskindofskeptical. Ihadbeensobrainwashedbythecommonwisdom–thathas it thatyoumustbereadytodocardioforhoursonendtogetanykindofresult–thatitseemed likeBS tome.Lose fatwith only a fewminutes ofwork?AndHalleBerrywouldbebringingyouafreshtowelafterthat?Soundedlikethosemiracledietpillsthatalwaysendupbeingascam.

Anyway,that’swhatHIITproposes:foronly10-15minutesofyourtime,itwillprovidemaximumcalorieexpenditure.

How is that possible? How can you get any result with such low time underpressure?

Theprincipleissimple;youwillalternateall-outeffortwithrestingperiodsuntilthe allotted time is up.Those periods of extreme intensitywill have youburncaloriesasyouperformtheexercise…but,ifthatwasit,thenyou’dberightinthinkingthatitcan’tgetyoutolosemuchfat.

Where high intensitywork really outshines the competition is in its ability tohave you continue to burn calories hours AFTER you’re done and you’reback home enjoying a well-earned rest. It will significantly ramp up yourmetabolisminwhatisknownasthe“afterburneffect”!

Thus, for amuch shorter training time, you’ll consumemore calories overall.Also,thefactthatyoucan’tgoatithalf-assedlyandneedtogiveityour100%makesitbothfunandchallenging.Trytogetboredasyoupushyourbodytoitslimits... Not going to happen! High intensity sessions can therefore keep youmotivatedwhereothermoreleisurelyactivitieswouldstoppresentinganyallureafterawhile.

Bykeepingthesessionsbriefandsweet,HIITwillalsopreservemusclemass.Iwon’tgointomuchdetailherebutI’llsimplysaythis:comparethephysiqueofsprinters(orCrossFitters,forthatmatter,astheyalsotrainwithsevereburstsofenergy)with that of long-distance runners.Ononehand, youhave ripped andmuscular guyswho are also extremely explosive.On the other, you have fastguyswithstaminawholooklikesticks.

No option is ultimately better than the other but, if you’re looking to build aphysiquethatsetsyouapartfromtheaverageJoe,Iguessyou’llbemorelikelytoleantowardsthefirsttype,won’tyoube?

Inshort,trainlittlebuttrainhardandreaptherewards.

HighIntensityRoutinesIf you insist on following a low intensity training routine, there’s not muchexplaining thatneeds tobedone.Scheduleat least1hat a time; start running,cyclingorwhatever,andbitethebulletuntilit’sover.Goodluck!

Some expertswould recommend that you staywithin 60% of yourmaximumheartrate,whattheycallthe“fatburningzone”,butIcallBSontheirclaim…Ifyou’renottrainingathighintensity,yourheartratewon’tchangemuchtohowmuchfatyouenduplosing.

If,ontheotherhand,youwanttogivehighintensitytrainingatry,here’showtoproceed.I’lltakesprintstoillustratetheconceptasthat’sthemostcommonformandtheeasiesttoputintopractice:

UseanOlympictrackifyougotonenearbyorsimplyfindaflatroad/paththat’sclearofanyobject/obstacle;Runfor100-150metersasquicklyasyoucan;Walkbacktoyourstartingpointtocatchyourbreath,andrestartthecycle;Alternatebetweenthissprintingandwalkingfor10minutes;(Crawlbackhomeifyoustillgotenoughstrengthorcallanambulancetocomeandpickyouup,haha.)

Asthetrainingbecomeseasier,tokeeptheintensityhigh,youcaneitherupthetimeto15minutes, increaseyourspeed,reduceyourrecoverytimebyjoggingbacktoyourstartingline,orchangeterrainsforasteeperslope.

Yep, no rocket science either.Goballs to thewall, rest, andgoat it again.That’stheessenceofhighintensitytraining.

That principle can be applied to nearly any physical activity, like the otherapproach.SomedrillsthatIliketouseinmyownprograminclude:

Jumpingrope: ifyougotaropelyingaround,youcangetoneheckofagoodworkout.Jumpandbringyourkneestoyourchestfastforabout20-30seconds, then take about the same time to rest by jumping slowly (orstoppingaltogetherifyou’retootired)untilyourepeatthemaneuver,againandagain,tillthe10minutesareoff;Rowing:samethingwiththisone,providedthatyougotaccesstoarowingmachine. Row as quickly as possible for 20 seconds (or give yourself adistancetocover),catchyourbreath,rinseandrepeat;Bagwork: I liketomixthingsupandoftenputonmyboxingglovesforsome bagwork high intensity training. I will punch the bagwith allmyspeedandpowerforintervalsof15-20seconds.Itwillhaveyourarmsbegformercy;Stairs:gotnoequipmentathandanddon’tfeellikedoingsprints?Takeittothestairsandrunuptheflightagainandagain!WODtypeofroutine: anothergreatway toapproachHIIT iswithbasiccalisthenics moves like burpees, tuck jumps, air squats, pushups andmountain climbers… Accomplish intervals of around 8-12 repetitions.Deadlyeffective.

HowManySessionsperWeek?Howtostrikethebestbalancebetweentoolittleandtoomuchasfarascardiotrainingisconcerned?HIITcanbetaxingonthebodyifperformedtoooften…Youneedtoletyourorganismrestbut,ontheotherhand,doingitonlyonceaweekwon’tburnenoughcaloriestobeworthyourwhile.

Asaruleofthumb,Iliketogofor3sessions–oronceeveryotherday–thatyoucanexecuteatthesametimeasyourabstraining.

Now, is it better to start with the cardio portion or to wait until after you’veworkedout?

There areproponentsofbothmethods, and I canunderstandwhere they’re allcomingfromas,nomatterwhichpartyoubeginwith,that’stheonethat’llgetyourbesteffort.Theexerciseyou’llsavefortheendwillgettheleastoutputasyou’llbetiredalready.

It’s for that very reason that some people would have you train cardio and

musclesonseparatedays...but,likeIsaid,that’snotagoodidea.Ifyouhavetoomuch to do and it takes up toomuch of your free time, there’s a higher riskyou’ll endupquitting altogether.Weneed somethingwe can livewith, and3workout sessions a week seems to be the sweet spot; it ensures enoughstimulationforgrowthwhileofferingafrequencythatcanbemaintainedinthelongrun.

So,whatarewegoingtostartwith?Inmyeyes,themostimportantpartofourtrainingwill be the abs.Wewill need every bit of strengthwe canmuster tograduatethroughtheprogressions;thus,Iwouldrecommendyoudothecardioat theendof thesession.Sure,you’llhave lessenergybut,on theotherhand,yourglycogenstockswillalreadyhavebeenhit,whichmeansyou’llburnevenmorefat!

ExtraTipsforLosingMoreCaloriesIn the battle against flab, every little calorie we can manage to burneventuallyaddsup;it’slikethosedropletsthatfallandfall,anddon’tseemtomakeanykindofdifference…untilthelastonemakesthecuprunover!

Inadditiontoourdietandcardiotrainingsessions,thereareafewhabitswecantakeup thatdon’tdemandmucheffortsbut thatcanweigh in thebalance.Alltheyrequireisthatyougetoutofyourlazymoodandmakethedecisiontobemoreactiveinyoureverydaylife.

Startdoingthefollowingandregaincontroloveryourwaistline:

Walk: it doesn’t get easier than this; walk andwatch the pounds slowlydrop.This is thenumberonetipIwouldadviseyouincludeinyourdailyroutine.Whetheryouchoosetogotoworkonfoot, toparkalittlefurtherawaytohaveagood10to15minutesofwalkingtime,ortostoptakingthecaraltogetherwheneveryouneedtogotothebutcher(thehairsalonortogetthenewspaper),walkmore.Icanguaranteeyourhealthwillthankyou;Take the stairs: the elevator is to buildings what the car is to outsidetransportation;afast,convenientbutlazywaytoreachyourdestination.Asyoudecide to increaseyourdailywalking time,makea resolution toalsotakethestairswheneveryoucan;Standup:beforewebecameSapiensSapiens,wewereHomoErectus–themanthatstandsupright.Payhomagetoyourancestorsandleaveyourseatto pregnantwomen andold folkswhile on the bus orwaiting at the post

officeforyournumbertobecalled.Standingstraight,insteadofslouchinginachair,willmakeyourlegs,buttandabsworkovertime;Domore chores: here’s a pieceof advice thatwill earnyou extrapointswithyoursignificantother.Don’tletherdoallthechores.Considerdoingthedishesandusingthevacuumcleanerlikelightcardioactivities.Whetheryouliveinanapartmentorahouse,there’sneveranyshortageofthingstodo.Mow the lawn, clean the windows, dust the shelves... Just put somemusiconandmovewithasmile!

See, cardio training doesn’t have to rhyme with boredom. It’s all about themindsetandfindingafewroutinesyoucanstickwith.

TheTrainingProgramtoanInvincibleCoreAlright,bynowyourabsshouldbe rearing theirexquisiteheads ifyou’veputintopracticeallwe’vecoveredthusfar.Congrats!Thefirstpartofourmissionisaccomplished.

Youcanbeproudofyourselfbutdon’ttakeyourfootoffthegaspedaljustyet.Westillgotalongwaystogotobuildourselvesasix-packworthyoffiguringonthecoverofthenextUltimateX-Men.

TheInvincibleCoreProgramFitnessmyths really are hard to die and they’rewaiting our everymoment ofinattentiontohurtus.We’vealreadytalkedaboutthe“spotreduction”aswellas“fatburningzone”myths.

Anothermisconception that themedia seemespeciallykeenonperpetuating isthatofthe“hundredsofreps.”

TheReasonWhyMostAbsProgramsFailDiet and cardio considerations aside, why do you think most people fail atgetting the6-packof theirdreams?It’snot that theyneglect thatpart...Unlikethelegsortheback,thatsomepeoplegiveasmuchattentiontoasthebumonthecornerofthestreet,theabsdogetlovefrommost.

At the gym, the mats are seldom vacant, and you can find people killingthemselveswithoutgettingasmuchasasecondofrest.So,whatgives?

Nomatterhowmanyguruswouldhaveyoubelieveotherwise,absreallyarenodifferent than other muscle groups. It will do you little good to crank outhundreds of reps unless you’re training for the army or preparing aGuinnessBookworldrecord.

Aswetalkedaboutatthebeginningofthisbook,we’llneedtousevariationsona couple of movements where the mechanical disadvantage will be goingincreasingly up.Howcanwe expect to grow andbecome stronger ifwe keeprepeatingtheexactsameexerciseoverandover?Thelawofdiminishingreturnswouldsoonkickinandwe’dstopnoticinganyimprovement.

Just likewith high intensity cardio training, our core programwill need to beshortbutfierce.

HowWe’llHandletheIssue&EnsureSuccess

In essence, there are 3ways to train amuscle.You can focus your efforts onincreasingits:

Volume;Strength;Stamina.

And how exactly will you choose what factor you wish to improve? By thenumberofrepetitionsyouperform.

When you go with the hundreds of reps scheme we condemned a couple ofparagraphs above, you’re really working on your endurance... That is, theexercisesdonotprovideenoughtensiontobreakthemuscularfibersandinducetheir hypertrophy; trying to build your abs this way would be like aiming toincreasethesizeofyourgunsbyliftingyourpenuntil theinkinsidehasdriedup.

Todevelopimpressiveandpowerfulabs,we’llhavetokeepourrepetitionsinthe5-15range.Theloweryougo,themoreyou’llbeworkingonyourstrength(mostOlympicstrengthtrainingprogramsarebasedarounda5,3,1repsystem.)

Asforsize,thegeneralconsensusistobumpthatnumberto6-15reps.

Thus,we’llbestayinginthatrangetotryandgetthebestofbothworlds.Theonly exception to this rule will be, as we’ll discuss below, for isometricexercises;thatisexerciseswhereyou’llneedtomaintainagivenpositionforacertainamountoftime.Inthatcase,thenumberofsecondswillsometimesreachhigher.

3MovestoRisetoSuperheroStatus

Nowthatwe’vegotourrepschemedown,let’sseeexactlyhowwe’lltrainandwhywe’lldoitthatway.

Tensioninanymusclecanbeproducedthrough3differentmeans:byfocusingon theconcentricoreccentricpartofamovement,orbyholdingastatic (alsocalled“isometric”)contraction.

Inthefirstcase,whichalsohappenstobethemostcommon,you’llbebringingthe muscle from its resting position to a fully contracted state. You’ll be

squeezingandshorteningitsfiberstothemax.That’swhathappenstoyourpecswhen you perform push-ups or to your biceps when you do chin-ups, forexample.

Whenyouworktheeccentricpartofamovement,you’llbedoingtheopposite;you’llbebringingthecontractedmusclebacktoitselongatedstate.That’showyourlatsandbicepsworkwhenyoulearntodoapull-upand,withthehelpofachair,yougetyourheadoverthebarandconcentrateonslowingdownyourfall.Thenegativepartiswhatinterestsushere.

As for isometric holds, as already mentioned, you’ll contract the muscle andkeepitstillforagivenamountoftime.Togobacktoourpreviousexamplewiththepull-up,forittobeanisometricexercise,you’dhavetogetyourheadabovethebarandflexyourbackandarmssoastokeepyourbodyinthispositionandnotmove.

Tomake sure our programdoesn’t leave anyweakness in our game and is ascompleteascanbe,we’llthushavetomakeuseofthose3mannersbutalsobecareful to target all the differentmuscleswe’ve detailed thatmakeup theabdominals.

Andtoachievethatgoal,wewillworktowardsmastering3difficultmovesthatareascomplimentaryasthey’refunandchallenging.

On topof that,you’llalsoget tokill twobirdswithonestoneas thosemoveswillmakeyou lookcooler thanever, andwebothknowyou like to showoff,don’tyou?C’mon,admitit!

By the time you master every progression leading to these 3 moves, yourmidsectionwillhavebecomesostrongyoucouldtakeapunchinthegutfromtheJuggernautandlaughaboutit.

Threeexercisesarenotmuch,I’llgiveyouthat,butthetruthisyouwon’tneedanythingelse.Whenyou’llbestrugglingtofinishyoursetsandwincinginpain,you’ll remember my words and be darn happy there are no more drillsfollowing!

Andwithoutfurtherado,hereare themeaniesyou’llget toknowintimatelyintheweekstocome:

TheDragonFlag:thismovewasoneofBruceLeeakatheLittleDragon’sfavoriteexercises,andthat’swhereitgotitsnamefrom.TheDragonFlag

canbeingreatpartcreditedforBruce’slegendaryabs.Abdominalssohardandpowerfultheycouldtakeanyblow.Itwas,withoutadoubt,oneofthekeys that made him one of the fastest and strongest pound-for-poundfighters to ever walk this planet.With your body in a straight line fromhead to toes, andyourweight resting on the backof your neck, youwilldrawhalfacirculararcwithyourfeet.Or, inotherwords,you’llgofromthevertical to thehorizontal,backand forth.Andasyoudo,you’llworkthe abs in all differentmanners,which iswhy theDragonFlag is such acompleteexercise(concentricphaseasyourfeetgoup;eccentricphaseasthey go down; isometric throughout.) This is themove to aim for if youwantacrazystrong6-pack;TheV-Sit:wheretheDragonFlagworkedyourcoreinitselongatedstate,theV-Sitwilllooktodevelopitspowerinthecontractedposition.Ithasnoequal for building compressive power and it represents the ultimateisometricexercise.Inasense,it’swhattheplankdreamsofbecomingwhenitgrowsup;abadassmove that’sashumblingas it iseffective!We’llgoback to it in greater detail below but, for now, we’ll just say that it’saccomplishedbypushingyourhandsdowntoliftyourbuttoffthefloorandbringing your legs straight up, gradually increasing the angle with thegrounduntilthoselegsarenearthevertical;TheHumanFlag: so far, our rectus abdominis will have receivedmorethan its share ofwork.To balance things out and target the obliques,wewill introduce our most flashymove yet, the kind tomake people’s jawdropinawe:theHumanFlag!Ifyoursidesarealittletoosmoothtoyourtaste and you wish to make them rougher and edgier, working towardsachieving theHumanFlag is the idealsolution. Itwillhave thempopoutlikenothing!Themechanicsofthismoveareabitmorecomplicatedthanthe other two, so we’ll leave the explanation for later. Just picture this:you’ll be defying the laws of gravity, hanging sideways from a post likeyou’rethesolidbranchofanoak,proudandstrong.Soundslikefun?Hell,yeah!Here’s one great exercise thatwill also give your arms and back agoodworkout.

See how useful and complimentary these 3 moves can be? If you dedicateenough time to mastering them, I can gua-ran-tee you’ll secure the 6-packyou’vealwaysbeencraving.Butbeforewegettothem,we’vegotalotofworkaheadofus.

The question we ought to answer first is not so much how to perform those

figures as it ishow to reach the pointwe’re actually strong enough to dothem!

So,let’srollupoursleevesandseehowwe’llproceed!

Feat of Strength #01: The Exciting Road toDragonFlagMasteryDon’tlettheapparentdifficultyofthismovediscourageyou.It’slikelearningtopaint;beforeyoucancreateintricateportraitsthatwouldrivalVanGogh’smostcelebratedworks,youfirstgottolearntodrawaline,ashape…Asyourskillsimprove,youbegintounderstandhowtouseshading,howtomakeapiecemorevividorpoetic.

Strength comes from practice. And in this area, nothing beats the basics. Putyour pride aside and start at the very beginning; that’s howyou’ll ensure youbecomeamaster.Ifyourfoundationsarestrong,nothingcangowrong!

ProgressionI:thePlankTheveryfirstprogressionwe’lladdressinthispartistheworld-renownedplank.LikeIsaid,don’t letyouregostand in theway.Don’tassume it’s tooeasyoryou’retoogoodforit.Testyourselfandonlypasstothenextmovewhenyou’vedemonstratedyoucanactuallydotherequiredtime!

Bytheway,thisgoesforeveryprogressioninthisbook:don’tchangeexercisesUNTIL you’ve proven your worth by realizing the number or repsannounced,OK?

You’ll notice, for the first fewexercises, that the repsor time areprettyhigh,which would seem to go against everything I’ve been saying so far aboutkeeping our sets short and intense… but those introductory exercises are notmeant to build the size of our abs and make them more powerful. Not yet.They’repartofthepreparationprocessthatwillgetthemabsinadecentenoughconditiontoattackthe“real”work.

Take theplank, for example,you’llonlybeauthorized tograduate to thenextprogressionwhenyou’llhavemanagedtoholdthepositionfor60seconds.Themoveiseasyenough…but60secondsisnojoke!

Torealizeaplank:

Getinapush-uppositionwithyourelbowslockedandyourbackstraight;Maintaintheposition.

Ifyoucan’tdothefullminuteyet,notedownhowlongyoulastedforeachoneofyour3 sets and try to increase the time at yournext training session.Keepbuildinguntilyoueventuallyreachthetarget.

ProgressionII:theElbowPlankJustliketheregularplank,thismakesonegreatisometricexercisethatwilltestthestrengthofyourcore.

Samedeal:bodystraightinaline,butyou’llberestingonyourforearmsinsteadofyourhands.Byshorteningthe“lever”,you’llbebringingyourbodyclosertothegroundandchangingtheangle,makingtheexercisetoughertohold.

Hereaswell,yourgoalwillbetohitthe60secondsmark.

ProgressionIII:theInvertedPlankThis is our last isometric hold beforewe start actuallyworking the flagmovewithdynamicexercises.

Ina fewwords,you’llbeadoptingasimilarbodypositionasyou’llbehavingwhenyou’llbedoing theDragonFlag, that iswithyourback to the floor inastraightlineandeverymuscleofyourbodycontracted.

Lyingonyourback,withyourarmsextendedbehindyou;Liftyourheadandyourfeetofftheground(don’toverextendyourneckoryoumightgethurt);Contractyourabdominalsandthemusclesofyourlegstoensureyourbodyisnowonebigsolidpiecewithaslightcurve;Holditfor60seconds.

When you look at it, this movemight not seem that different from a regularplank.Afterall,you’rejustkeepingthesamekindofpositionbuttheotherway,right?

However,byinvertingthemoveandhavinggravitypulldownonyourarmsandlegs,you’llnoticeyou’llhaveamuchhardertimemaintainingthisposture.

Don’tdespairifyoustruggleatthebeginning.Keepatituntilyougetthehangofit.

ProgressionIV:theHandWalkOK, you’re still with me? Good! By now, your midsection should haveimprovednoticeably.Whenyou’llattemptthenextprogressions,youshouldn’tfeel anymore cramps or pain from your abdominals overstretching a tad toomuch.

You’ve laid down the groundwork… Which means we can now finally getserious!

The exercisewe’ll be tackling here follows the same basic type ofmovementyou’dbeperformingwithanab-wheel.Youcanusesuchadeviceifyoualreadygotoneathomeoryoucanrefertothisno-equipment-neededvariation:

Get in a plank position, with your knees touching the ground instead ofyourfeet;Thegoalwillbetobringyourheadtothefloorlikeyouwouldifyouweredoingapush-upbutwithyourarmsstraight;Youwill thuswalk your hands forward, one after the other, until you’refullyextended;Onceyoutouchthegroundwithyourforehead,comebacktoyourstartingposition.

Thenumberofrepsrequiredtomoveontothenextprogressionis10, times3sets.

ProgressionV:theKneeDropFindapostorsomesturdyitemthat’sanchoredinthegroundforthisexerciseandalltheothersremaininginthissection.Becausewe’refinallygoingtoworktheactualflagmove!

For thisfirstvariation,wewillbeworkingtheeccentricportionof theDragonFlagwiththekneesbent.Bygettingourfeetclosertoourcore,we’llmakethismovemucheasier.

Lyingdownonamatora towel (toprotect thebackofyourneck),withyourheadclosetothepost,almosttouchingit:

Grab the post with both hands and lift your body in a candlestick, feetpointingtowardstheceiling;Bendthekneesandstartloweringyourlegsslowly,fightingagainstgravitytoslowdowntheirfall;Onceyourfeettouchtheground,gobackupinacandlestick;Rinseandrepeat.

Thiswillgetyouusedtothemechanicsofthemovement.Atfirst,whenyou’veperformed the descent, don’t try to go back up keeping the dragon positionlocked; it will take much more strength to realize the concentric portion assimplyputtingthebrakesonthefall.

Dokeepthebackstraightduringtheeccentricpart,though.Keepitinlinewithyourthighs.

Every10repofyour3setsshouldlastabout10seconds,andthemoveshouldbesmoothandsteady.Thiswillrequirequitealotofcontrolonyourpart.

ProgressionVI:theStraddleDropThe movement here will be basically identical, except that you will now beextendingyourlegsoutinastraddlepositioninsteadofkeepingyourkneesbent.

Evenmore so than in thepreviousprogression,payattention toyourback theentiretime.Keepitinlinewithyourlegs.

10repetitionsof10secondsarerequiredtomoveup.Heretoo,perform3sets.

ProgressionVII:theLegDropThelasteccentricprogressionfortheDragonFlagwillhaveyouadoptthefinalpositionwithyourlegsstraightandclosed,feettouchingeachother.

By bringing your legs from a straddle to a linear position, you will furtheraccentuatethestretchandtensiononyourlowerabdominals.

Samenumberofsetsandrepetitionsrequired.

ProgressionVIII:theHalfDragonOnceyou’vemasteredthedownportionofthemovement,it’llbetimetoaddtheconcentricpart.Whatcomesdownmusteventuallygoup,right?

However,jumpingrightintothefullDragonFlagwouldn’tbeadvisedasthere’sstill aworld between theLegDrop and this last progression. Fighting againstgravitytoslowdownthefallofyourbodyismucheasierthanfightingtohaveitallliftupandgettothevertical.

That’swhy,tobeginwith,you’llgoforaneasiervariation.You’llonlybedoingtheupper,easierhalfofthemovement.

Lyingontheground,holdingtoapost,getinacandlestick;Withyourlegsstraightandinlinewithyourback,loweryourlegsslowlyuntilyou’vereachedanangleofabout45°;Pauseforasecondandreturntoyourstartingposition.

Whenyoumanagetoperform3setsof10reps,you’llbereadyfortherealthing.

FinalProgression:theDragonFlagThisisit,theDragonFlag!Ifyou’vebeenthoroughthusfarandreallykeptwiththepreviousprogressionsuntilyoucouldmasterthem,thisfinalvariationshouldbebutaformality.

This time,you’llbegoing through theentire rangeofmotion, fromvertical tothehorizontal,andbackup.

PuttheRockythemeinthebackgroundasyouperformyourrepetitionsandgiveyourabsaworkoutthatwillmakethemblowuplikemuffinsintheoven.

Ifyouwant tokeepchallenging themafteryou’ve takencontrolof thismove,youcancontinuetomakeitharderbyincreasingtherangeofmotion.Byusinganinclinebenchthatallowsyoutogodeeperthanthehorizontal,forexample,you’llkeeppushingtheirlimitsfurtherandfurther.

Youcouldalsochoosetoworktowardsthefrontleverthatwillhaveyouhangfromabarwithyourbodycompletelyparalleltothefloor…butthat’sanentiredifferentstory.

FeatofStrength#02:HowtoReachtheV-Sit&MultiplyYourPowerExponentiallyWanttoknowwhattorturefeelslikebutdon’tfeellikegoingtoIraq?GivetheV-Sitatry!

YouknowI’monlykiddingbutthisexercisewilltrulytestyourspirit.Getreadytohavecrampsandhavethewindsuckedoutofyourlungs.

It’shardbuthardworkalwayspaysoff!You’llbegladyouwent through thisordeal when you’ll have developed such compression power that you couldalmost(“almost”beingtheoperativewordhere)haula tankwith thepowerofyourabs.

Aswedidwithfeat#01,let’snotgetaheadofourselves,though.Beforewecandream about cracking nuts with our 6-pack, we first got to get it in propercondition.

ProgressionI:theHangingKneeRaiseTheperfectmovetostartworkingtowardstheV-Sitistheregularhangingkneeraise. Just like the plank, it’s nothing to write home about, but it’s a usefulexercisenonethelesstogetusstartedontherightfoot.

Forthisprogression(andthefewthatfollow),you’llneedapull-upbaroranyobject you can hang from as we’ll be using our legs to provide theresistance/tensionnecessarytoworkingourcore.

Hangingfromthatbar,youwillthus:

Liftyourkneesupuntilyourthighsareparalleltothefloor;Pauseforasec;Bringyourlegsbacktotheirrestingposition.

Yourarmsshouldbeextendedand relaxedduring theentireexercise, andyoushouldreallyfocusonusingyourlowerabstohaveyourkneesmoveup.

Noneedtodeviatefromourpreviousschemehere;3setsof10repetitionswillbeenoughtograduatetothenextvariation.

ProgressionII:theHangingLegRaiseOnceagain, thedifficultywillbeuppedbyplayingwith leversanddecreasingourmechanicaladvantage.

By keeping our legs straight instead of bending at the knees, we’ll bring theweight furtherawayfromourcenter,whichwill in turn increase the torqueonourabdominals.

In essence, themovewill remain the same; hanging froma bar, lift your legsuntil they’re parallel to the floor, then bring them back down in a controlledmanner.

Do3x10reps.

ProgressionIII:theTuckL-SitOK,we’vedoneenoughraisesfornow;it’stimetomovetoisometricexercisesthatwillbettermimicthemechanicsoftheV-Sitandwhichwillprepareusforthelaterprogressions.

Inaway,theTuckL-Sitcanbeconsideredtobeakneeraisewhereyouwillbeholding thekneesupforacertainamountof time.Thebigdifferencebetweenthetwoexercises,ifnotforthestatichold,liesinthefactthattheTuckL-Sitisperformedrightonthefloororusingparallettes.

Using your hands, you will be pushing down on the ground to depress yourshouldersandraiseyourbutt.Then,thekneeswillbecomingup.

Thetargettoreachhereis30secondsintheairwithouttouchingyourfeettothefloor.Asusual,do3sets.

ProgressionIV:theTuckL-SitwithExtensionIncreasethedifficultyofthepreviousexercisebyextendingyourlegsforabriefmoment.

Whenyou’re in theTuckL-Sit position, straightenyour legs, thenbring thembackinatuck...Thatwillcountfor1rep.

Waituntilyou’restrongenoughtoperform3setsof10repstoadvancetotheL-Sit.

ProgressionV:theL-SitIftheDragonFlagwasoneofBruceLee’sfavorites,theL-Sitisdefinitelyoneofmine.Itwilldestroyyourabsandbringasmileofsatisfactiontoyourlips.

Now,beware thatyour thighsandabsmightcrampupat firstasyourmusclesgetusedtobeingundersuchlevelsoftension...butthefeelingeventuallygoesawayasyoutoughenupandyourmuscularfibersturntosteel.

For the L-Sit (as for the V-Sit), even though you can execute the sets onparallettes like I said, I recommend you stick to the floor. Why? Not onlybecausewewanttobereliantonaslittleequipmentaspossible,thisisthehardervariationthatwillgiveyouthebestbangforyourbuckandalsoensureyoukeepastrictform.

FortheL-Sit,sittingonthegroundwithyourlegstogether,youwill:

Pressdownwithyourhandstoelevateyourhips;

Contractyourabdominalstobringyourfeetinlinewithyourpelvis;Holdthepositionwithkneesandelbowslocked.

3setsof30secondswillbeyourgoal. Itmight takesome time tobuildup tosuchnumbersbutifRomewasn’tbuiltinaday,killer6-packsneverwereeither.

ProgressionVI:theToes-to-BarThisdrillisnotpartoftheprogressionspersebutratheroneofthepreparatoryexercises. Ididn’t include it at thebeginning fora simple reason: it requiresagooddealofstrength.That’swhyyouwillonlystartworkingitasyouprogressfromL-SittoV-Sit.

As theL-Sitbecomeseasierandyou feel ready to“openup” theangle, add3setsoftoes-to-bartofacilitatethetransitionbetweenthetwomoves.

Toperformtoes-to-bar,hangingfromabarwithyourarmsstraight,youwill:

Pulldownwithyourshoulderbladestostabilizethetrunk;Tightenyourmidsectionand,withyourheadgoingbackwards,bringyour

feetupinanarc;Goupuntilyourfeet/shinstouchthebar;Gobackdownwhilecontrollingthemovement.

Usually,Idon’thaveaproblemwithbentkneesasitstillgetsthejobdone(asfarasengagingtheabsisconcerned.)But,seeingthatwewillusethisexercisetowardsbuildingourV-Sit,whichrequireswekeepourlegsstraight,we’llstrivetomaintainthemasmuchinlineaspossible.

Flexibilitymightstartbecomingaproblematthispoint.Ifyoufeelit’slimitingyouwheneveryoutrykeepingyourlegsstraight,addsomestretchingattheendofyourworkouts.

Builduptoadozenofrepsforeachset.

FinalProgression:theV-SitTheV-SitisnothingbutanL-Sitwithyourfeetlockedinahigherpositionthanyourhips... or rather anL-Sitwithyour legs reaching closer and closer to theverticalas if theywerethehandsonawatchandyouweretryingto turnbacktime.

As the angle between your feet and the floor increases, you’ll feel your absgettingtighterandtighter,likeafoamballyou’resqueezinginthepalmofyourhand.

This iswhereyourcompressionpowerwillshoot throughtheroof.Whereyouwilldevelopinsanelevelsofstrength!

Whenyoucankeep theposition still for about15-20 seconds,moveupa fewmoredegrees.

Feat of Strength #03: Become Unbreakable,BecomeaHumanFlagReadytoclaimyoursuperpowersandfinallyjointheranksoftheelite?

Ifthepreviousmoveslookedcoolenoughandwillhavepeopletakenotice,thisonewillreallybringyourgametoawholenewlevel.Whenyou’llperformtheHuman Flag, it’ll seem like you’re defying the laws of gravity. Like you’resuspendedintheairlikesomemajesticbirdofprey.“Lookupinthesky.It’sa

bird?It’saplane?No,it’sSuperman!”

ButworkingtowardstheHumanFlagwillnotonlyupyourradnessquotient,itwillalsohityourobliquesandlowerbackhard,andguaranteeafullbulletproofcore.

Remember that you’re only as strong as your weakest link, so wewant yourlumbarmuscles to be as tough as your abdominals. That’s why our first fewexerciseswillfocusonbringingthatsideuptopar.

ProgressionI:theSupermanBefore you get overly excited, reading the nameof this exercise, letmewarnyourightawaythatitsoundsmuchneaterthanitreallyis.

Compared to the final progression, it’ll appear almost ridiculous... but drillingthe Superman is an absolute must if you are to reach the later stages of theHumanFlag.

Lyingdownonyourbelly,withyourarmsextendedoverhead:

Liftyourlegs,armsandheadatthesametime;Holdthecontractionforasecond,reallyfeelingitinthebackandthebutt;Returntoyourstartingposition.

Ifyouperformthemove likeyoushouldand liftyour limbshighenough, it’llmakeyoulooklikearathertameversionofSupermandashingthroughthesky,hencethename.

As always, pay attention to keep your arms and legs straight thewhole time.Stayatituntilyou’restrongenoughtoperform3setsof30reps.

ProgressionII:theLowerBackRaiseForthenextprogression,youwillneedsomeonetoholddownyourlegsorfind

awaytoblockyourfeetundersomethingasyouliedownafewfeetfromtheground.

Morelowerbacktrainingherewhereyouwillbeliftingyourtrunkupasithangsfreelyintheair.

Onlyyour legs shouldbe incontactwith thebench/table.Bothyourchestandabdomenwillbeproviding theresistance toovercome.Foryourreps tocount,youneed tobringyour torsoall thewayup so that it’snow in linewithyourthighs.

Target:3setsof15reps.

ProgressionIII:theSidePlankBynow,yourlowerbackshouldhaveimprovedenoughthatwecanconfidentlyturntoanotherweakspotthatneedsaddressing:theobliques.

To strengthen your sides, what better way than to use the Side Plank? In thesamemannerthattheregularPlankworkedtoprepareyourrectusabdominisforthemore advanced exercises, the Side Plankwill ensure your obliques get insufficientshapefortheharderprogressionstofollow.

AndjustlikethePlank,thereare2variationstothisprogression,witheitheronehandoroneforearmincontactwiththefloor.Notimetowaste,we’llgostraightfortheharderproposition.

Thus,youwilllaysideways,yourentireweightrestingonyourforearmandthefootonthesameside.Contracttheabssotheabdomenisstraightinlinewiththerestofyourbodywithnocurveordipinthehips.

You’ll want to place your elbow right under your shoulder so your arm is

perpendiculartothefloor.Holdthecontractionfor30secondsbeforeswitchingsides.

You know the drill now, 3 sets of that duration before youmove to the nextexercise,OK?

ProgressionIV:theLyingWindshieldWiperLet’s be a little more dynamic up in here, shall we? Isometric exercises likeplanks are very goodbutweneed to introduce somemovement to hit the absundereveryangle.

Toperform this progression, lie on the floorwithyour legs together andyourarmsspreadcross-styletotheside.Then:

Liftyourlegstothevertical;Usingyourabstoslowdowntheirfall,bringyourlegstotheleftsidewhilekeepingthe90°anglebetweenyourthighsandyourtorsoconstant;Onceyourfeettouchtheground,gobacktothevertical;Dothesameontherightside;Congrats,you’vedone1rep.

Aimfor3setsof15reps.

ProgressionV:theHangingHorizontalWiperThisisbasicallythesamemoveasthelastonebutwithyouhangingfromabarratherthanlyingdown.Bynow,youprobablyknowthatthissimplechangeofbodypositionwillhaveasubstantialeffectonthedifficultyoftheexercise.

Inthepreviousprogression,theweightofourlegswasrightontopofourcenterofgravityforagoodpartofthemovement.Here,ontheotherhand,thetensionwillbeatamaximumtheentiretimeasyourlegsareextendingawayfromstarttoend.

Iwon’tgointomuchdetailasthisisbasicallyahangingL-Sitwhereyou’llgofrom side to side with your feet, covering the whole 180°, and never oncedroppingthekneestogetsomerest.

Buildupto3setsof10repsoneachside.

ProgressionVI:theHangingVerticalWiperNottoughenough,youwanttobumpthedifficultyyetanothernotch?Ourlegsarealreadypointingawayfromourcenterofgravity…So,howcanwemodifyourpositiontomakeitevenharder?

Answer: by bringingour feet all thewayup andhavingour abs support evenmoreofourbodyweight!

Thestartingpositionforthisexercisewillbesimilartotheendingpositionofatoes-to-bar;youwillbehanging fromabar,withyourarmsstraight, andyourfeetwillbeincontactwiththatbar.

Now,“all”youhave left todo is todrawyourhalfcircleswithyour feet, likeyoudidinthe2previousprogressions.Payattentiontokeepthelegsclosetothebodyatalltimesandneverletthemfallforward.Alittlebendingofthearmsatthispointisacceptable.

When you canmanage 3 sets of 8 reps, you’ll be ready to start working theactualflag.

ProgressionVII:theKneeFlagDropBeforewegettoit,westillneedtodiscussthespecificmechanicsoftheHumanFlag.Yousee,unlikethepreviousfeatswhichwereeasytograspandintuitive,how on earth do you position yourself to get your entire body up in the airhorizontally?

Thetrickisinproducingforceswhichgoinoppositedirections.Whenyougrabthepole,thehandlesorwhateveryou’regoingtodothemovefrom,yourupperhandwillpullasstrongasitcantowardsyouwhileyourlowerhandwillpushagainstthesupport.

Thisplayofforceswillhaveyourbodyrisetotheside.Now,itmaytakesomegettingusedto,butyou’llgetplentyoftimetopracticebeforeyougettothelastprogressionanyway.

FortheKneeFlagDrop,youwill:

GrabthebarlikeIsaidwithagreaterthanshoulderwidthgrip,upperhandoverthebar,lowerhandunder;Pushandpulltohaveyourtorsoliftup;Bendyourlegsandusethemomentumtobringyourkneesvertically;Slowlyreturntoyourstartingpositionbyworkingtheeccentricpartofthemovementfromtoptobottom.

Once again, pay attention to your armswhichmust remain straight thewholetime.

Also,youwillneedacertainlevelofstrengthinthearmstobeabletopullthisoff. That’s why, if you’re not training thosemoves already, I would stronglysuggestyouaddpush-upsandpull-ups toyour training routine.Thiswillhelpyouprogressmuchfaster.

You’llwanttodo3setsof8reps.

ProgressionVIII:theFlagDropSamemovebutwiththelegsstraight.

Startfromthetopandslowlyloweryourlegstothebottom.

Sets and reps remain unchanged: 3x8 before you’re ready for the hardervariations.

ProgressionIX:theKneeHoldNowanduntil thefinalprogression,wewillonlybeworkingin isometry.TheHumanFlagisessentiallyastaticholdasyouwanttolooklikeyou’refrozeninthateerieandimpossibleposition.

Themove isn’tmuchdifferent from theKneeFlagDrop.Whenyoupushandpull,andbringyourkneesup,insteadoflettingthemdroptothegroundyouwillsimply – when your thighs get parallel to the floor – pause andmaintain theposition.

You want to be able to hold it at least 3x6 seconds before you increase thedifficulty.

ProgressionX:theStraddleHoldThenamesaysitall;yourlegswillgointoastraddlewhichwillmaketheholdhardertokeepbutnotasmuchaswiththelegstogether.

Thestraddle(whetherit’susedintheplanche,theflagsoranyothercalisthenicsmove)maysometimeslookevencoolerthantheprogressionwiththelegsclose,but the space we put between those legs serves to improve our mechanicaladvantage–aswereducethelengthofthelever–,thusputtinglessstrainonthecore.

Straddleprogressionsarealwaysamustbeforewegettotherealthing.

Don’tattemptthefinalprogressionuntilyoucandoyour3setsof6seconds.

FinalProgression:theHumanFlagYouknowwhatyouhave todo!Youhad10preparatory exercises toget youhere,sojustgrabthatpole,liftthatbuttoffandshowusyourbestHumanFlag!

Whenyou’llhavereachedthisstage,yourcorewillhavebecomesostronganddevelopedthat,ifyou’vefollowedtherestofthetipsIsharedwithyouearlier,thesuperhero6-packyoucovetedwillhavenowbecomeareality.

Thisdoesnotmeanyou’vereached theendof theroad, though.Keeppushingyourselfandsettingnewgoals.Thisismerelythebeginningofyourjourney!

PuttingItAllTogether:thePlay-by-PlayOK,maybeIwasalittletooquicktojumptoconclusionwiththislastparagraphandassume itwasawrap. It’sone thing to readorhearabouteverythingyouneed todo to reachsuccess…butanotheraltogether to takeeachoneof thosepiecesandassemblethemintoacoherentprogram!

Iknow,byexperience,thatifweleftitatthat,therewouldbeahighprobabilitythatprocrastinationwouldcomeupandruinyourplansofgreatness.

We need tomake surewe leave you no excuse to slack off by detailing theexactplay-by-playonhowyourtrainingsessionsaregoingtounfold.

StepI:GettingItDownBefore anything else, you’ll want to write down your goals on a piece of

paper.Whatisityou’retryingtoaccomplishwiththisprogram?

Whetheritbetogetvisibleabs,tobeabletoperformalltheprogressionswe’veseenorjusttolosethegut,improveyourpostureandself-assurance,it’salluptoyou.Weallhaveourpersonalreasons; there’snorightorwronganswer.OnlytherightanswerforYOU!

If you want, it could also be a good idea to take a picture of your presentconditionsoyouhaveareferencepoint for later (by theway,don’thesitate tosendmeyourbefore-afterpicstoshowmeyourprogress.)

Onceyou’veclarifiedWHYyou’redoingthis,we’llhavetodetermineWHENyou’lldoit.LikeIsaid,3sessionsaweekshouldbemorethanenoughtoensuresteadyprogress.Intheory,youcouldbedoingthemanydayoftheweek,whenyoufeellikeitorgotenoughtimeonyourschedule…butIdon’treallylikethatapproach as our levels ofmotivation and commitment fluctuate somuch fromdaytodaythatyoucouldenduppostponingyourtrainingsomuchyou’llmisssessionsandfinallygiveupentirely.

Fixsetdays(likeMonday,WednesdayandFriday)andsticktothem!Period.

StepII:GettingWarmedUpAlright,nowthatyouknowexactlywhenyouwillbeworkingout,here’showeverytrainingsessionwillunravel.

Firstofall,wewillneedtogetyourmusclesandyourjointspreparedtoavoidinjury.Itwillbeespeciallyimportantinthelaterstageswhenthetorqueonyourbodywillbeparticularlyintense.Unfortunately,that’soneofthethingspeoplehave a tendency to neglect... until something goes wrong and you pull out amuscleorworse.Then,Icanassureyouthatyou’llnevertrainwithoutaproperwarm-upagain!Don’tletthatbeyou.Doitfromtheget-gosoyoudon’thavetolearnthislessonthehardway.

Now, to get your body loose and ready, you can do some light aerobics orperform some CrossFit moves; you can run for 5 minutes, skip rope orshadowbox if you’re into fighting sports... Anything that will have yourheartbeatgoupandelevateyourbodytemperatureshoulddo.

Finish up with some joint preparation.Work your shoulders, hips, wrists andneck with some rotations. All in all, this shouldn’t take you more than 10minutes...butit’llsaveyoulotsofdowntimeinthelongrun!

StepIII:WorkingtheCoreYou’renowallsetup,readytotacklethemeatofourprogram.Aswe’veseenearlier,we’ll takeadvantageof thefactyou’restill fresh toworkyourabsandadvancethroughthedifferentprogressions.

However,whenyou’re juststartingout,asyouwon’tknowexactlywhereyoustand,youwillwanttotestyourskillsoneveryoneofthe3feats.

Evenifyou’vebeenworkingoutbeforeandbuiltyourstrengthtoanhonorablelevel,youwillneed tostartat theverybeginning.Don’tassumeyoucandoaprogressionuntilyou’veactuallyprovenyoucando it for therequired timeorreps!

So,onyourfirstday,youwillattempttheplank,thehangingkneeraiseandtheSuperman. If you manage the prescribed sets and numbers, congrats, you’llgraduate toprogressionnumber02atyournext trainingsession...andso forthuntilyouhitawall.

Dependingonyourlevelofathleticismandsportsbackground,youmayfindoneof the exercises easier than the others and progress faster at first. If that’s thecase, don’tworry,with timeyour lagging “parts”will catchup andyou’ll getstrongerallacrosstheboard.

It’slikewhenyou’restartingtoworkout;yourdominantsideisalmostalwaysstrongerthantheotherandyoucanliftheavierweightswiththemusclesonthatside. Eventually, as both sides improve, the gap between the two becomesthinnerandthinneruntiloneisasstrongastheother.

JustmakesureyouworkbothyourflagsandV-Sitateverysession,OK?

Whichbringsustoaquestionthatprobablycrossedyourmindasyoureadthepreviouschapters,andthatis:

“Howusefulisittoaddbodyweightexercisestoourprogramthatwouldtargetothermusclegroups?”

As already stated, push-ups and pull-ups are great additionalmovements.NotonlybecausetheywillhelptremendouslyinacquiringtheHumanFlagandtheV-Sit, but also because they’ll make your physique even better by furtherdevelopingyourupperbody.

So, if your question is: are those extra moves necessary or compulsory? Theansweris“no.”

If the question is: are they recommended? I would say “yes”, without amoment’shesitation.

StepIV:WorkingaSweatYoucan’t feelyourabsanymore.Yougaveyourcoreeverythingyougotandmaybeevencrampedupatsomepoint.

Iapplaudyourdedicationandsaluteyourefforts,youngwarrior.Butyou’renotdoneyet!Beforeyoucangoandhaveashower,you’vegottoearnit!You’vegottoactuallybreakasweat.

Being focused on strengthening one’s abdominals is laudable but it doesn’texemptyou fromcardio training.Remember that for those abs to show in thefirstplace,weneedtobringourcaloriesdown.

So, when you’re finished with the last set of your Human Flag progressions,wrap it all upwith either 10-15minutes of HIIT or 40-60minutes of low tomoderateintensitycardio.

Ifyoufolloweveryoneofthosesteps,youcan’tpossiblyfail!Yourdreambodyisyoursforthetaking.Theonlyquestionis:howbaddoyoureallywantit?

HowLongBeforeISeeAnyResult?Iknow,whenwe’rejuststartingout,we’reoftenoverlyeager.Wefeelthatfireburning inside.But thiseagernesscanbeadouble-edgedsword.Ononehand,wehavemotivationfordays;ontheother,wecanbeequallyimpatient.

Wewantresultsandwewantthemforyesterday!So,howlongcanyouexpecttowaitbeforeyouwitnessanychangeinyourappearance?

It’skindofhardtogiveanytimeframe.It’slikeaskinghowlongitwouldtakeyoutogotoVegas.Willyougobyplane,bycaroronfoot?Willyoubemakingfrequentstopsorwillyoucovertheentiredistanceatonce?Asifthingsweren’tcomplicated enough, some people are faster than others... and we’re not alllaunchingfromthesamestartingpoint!

Yourresultswillobviouslydependonyourdiligenceandlevelsofcommitment,butalsoonyourdietandwhetherornotyou’llbedoingcardiowork.Itwillalsobereliantonyourstartingshapeandthegoalsyousetouttoachieve.

Butasaruleofthumb,IwouldsaythatifyoulookmorelikearegularJoethanasumo,anywherefrom6to12weeksshoulddothetrick.

Thisisno“getabswhileyousleep”program...butIcanassureyouthatTHISworksand,aslongasyoudon’tquit,you’redestinedtomakeit.

Conclusion:fromDreamtoRealityDreamsareonlyasgoodastheypropelyouintoaction.Iftheydon’tfuelyourinnerfireandgetyoutomoveyourbutt, they’rereallynobetter thancheapBmoviesyouwatchatnightwhenyou’rebored.Theypasstimebutthey’llneverchangeyourlife!

Securingasuperherosix-pack iswithinyour reach.Youcanstartacting todayandhaveyourvisionbecomereality.OryoucanleavethatimageofasuperiorYou in fantasy land where it’ll slowly wither and die. Like all those otherdreamsyouneveractedupon.

Thechoiceisultimatelyyours.NomatterhowmuchI’dlovetobeabletoreachthroughthisbookwithavirtualhand,grabyoubytheshouldersandshakeyoustupidwhenyouneeditthemost…I’mafraidmyjobstopshere.

I’ve shared everything you needed to know to slim down, develop amonstercore and regainbothyourhealth and self-confidence.The theorynowhas toleadtopractice!

Referringbacktotheinformationwecovered:

Writedownyourgoals;Choosewhichtypeofdietyou’llbefollowing;Determineonwhichdaysoftheweekyou’llbetraining;For each session, warm yourself up, work your abs using the rightprogressions,andfinishoffwithsomecardio.

Howeasiercoulditreallyget?

Now,goandmakeadifferenceinyourlife.Wakeupandgetbusy.You’vebeendreaminglongenough!

WanttoReachYourFullPotential?If you feel like getting serious and investing in yourself, check out the “RealLifeSuperman”series;myprogressivemethodtobecometheverybestversionof yourself you can be:

VolumeI: theStrength&ConditioningEdition–BuildMuscle,IncreaseYourStamina andBecomeaTrueWarMachine;Volume II: theFightingEdition–LearnHow toBecomeTougher,Deadlier andMoreFearless;Volume III: theInvincibleMindEdition–FreeYourMindfromItsShacklesandUnleashYourFull Potential; Volume IV: the Action & Adventure Edition – Seize EveryOpportunityandMakeanAdventureofYourLife.

Let’sKeepInTouchNowthatthisbookcomestoanend,I’dliketoextendahandtoyou.Ifeellikewe’resomehowconnectednow.Ihopethat thecontentof thisguideresonatedwithyouandyourpastexperiences,thatyoucouldidentifywithmyjourney,myambitionsandsetbacks.Ifthat’sthecase,nomatterwhereyouareinlifetoday,we’rekindredspiritswithyetalottoshare!

That’swhy I’d like tokeep in touch; sowecancontinue toprogress together.We’vebothembarkedonaroadthatknowsnoend,aroadtoperfectionthatcansometimesgetverylonelywhennooneelsearoundyoucanrelate.Wecanoffereachotherthatsupport.Wecanhelpeachotherbecomebetter!

Whether you have a question to ask, a comment or suggestion you’d like tomake,orifyousimplywanttotellmeaboutyourgoalsandtheprogressyou’vealreadymade,youcanreachme:

Viamysite:http://reallifesuperman.com

Ormyemailaddress:markus@reallifesuperman.com

It’llbemypleasuretohelp!

Speakingofhelp,ifyouhave2minutestospare,I’dliketoaskforyours.Ineedyourfeedbacktofindout if I’montheright track.IfyoucoulddomeafavoranddropawordortwoaboutthisbookonAmazon,itwouldmeantheworldtome!

IthankyouinadvanceandI’llseeyousoon,myfriend.

AbouttheAuthor

AblackbeltinKarate,ring-testedkickboxerwhoalsoholdsauniversitydegreein Psychology, I have to admit I know a thing or two about kicking butt andimposingmywill onmy foes. However, the real adversary I’ve always beenlookingtovanquish–whetherinCrossFitcompetitions,inaraceorafight–hasneverbeenanyoneelsebutme.

I believe in theLatin phrasemens sana in corpore sano and try to honor thatspirit every chance I get by looking for new,more efficientways to improvemyselfandreachthenextlevel.Throughmytrialsanderrors,I’veaccumulateda vastwealth of knowledge.Not only on thequickestmeans to attain one’sphysicalpeakbutalsoonwhatittakestotoughenupmentallyanddevelopasharp,indestructiblemind.

Inthisseriesofbooks,IintendtosharewithyoueverythingI’velearnedincloseto20yearsofstudyingandperfectingmytraining.Itisthenextnaturalstepforme: to put intowords all that baggagemade of sensations, hard-earned habitsandunspokentruths;toextractitsveryessencewithoutholdinganythingback.Andbysodoing,notonlywillIgetbetter,youwillaswell!

SomeofthefactsI’lllayoutwillsurpriseyou,othersmaycomeasashock,butrest assured that they represent the fastest shortcut to success. So, if you’reready for thechangeofa lifetime, let’sget startedanddiscover theSuperherowhohadbeenhidinginsideyouallalong!

Sincerely,