Ripped abs are the hallmark of a lean, muscular body. It is not necessarily a sign of elite fitness, but rather very low body fat.
However, having a 6 pack is not just for 20-something genetic freaks. Anyone can get there, it just takes some consistent effort and dietary discipline.
If you are middle-aged or older and busy with a career, you can still follow these 5 steps to achieve a 6-pack. The fundamentals are the same, no matter your age. You will see many other benefits as well, such as improved core strength which greatly improves your lower back health.
The first and most important thing to know, is that ripped abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym. A full 80% of the effort is a lean diet, not doing 3 hours of sit-ups each day. It is a very common misconception that to achieve a 6-pack, the most critical thing is doing thousands of crunches. It is just not the case, so make sure your effort and focus is pointed in the right direction!
- 80% Clean, nutritious diet
- 20% Ab work and an effective overall fitness plan
The reason diet is so important is that to get ripped abs you must be around 10% body fat, no way around it. Forget BMI, as it can be very inaccurate if you are a fitness buff with a lean, muscular build.
Body fat percentage is the real measuring stick, and you must be down around 10% for your abs to shine. BMI is now considered by most experts to be inherently flawed.
So, here is the blueprint to achieve ripped abs.
STEP #1: Protein With Every Meal
Try to eat at least some protein with every meal, and there are two reasons for this:
- Protein is the most important micronutrient you can eat to build lean muscle and develop ripped abs.
- Protein is the most thermogenic of the micronutrients, so it will burn the most fat. (1)
Some great lean proteins to have with every meal:
- Salmon (great for your heart, as well as your skin)
- Canned chicken or tuna (this is a little higher in sodium, but so convenient to get a quick pop of 15 grams of protein)
- Egg whites
- Turkey Breast
- Lean Steaks (Top Sirloin is Best In Class here)
- Grilled Chicken (no skin)
- Lean Burger (4% to 8% Fat)
- Protein Shake (this is a great one post-workout, and a great one is Muscletech – Nitro Tech – milk chocolate). Mix this with skim milk in a mini-Blender and it is delicious and great for your body.
- Skim Milk (great for bones, great for your body)
STEP #2: Achieve 10% Body Fat for Ripped Abs
Now we all know this one is much easier said than done.
As a general rule, once you achieve 10% body fat your abs will show.
Purchase a body fat calculator, and check your body fat once a week at the same time and day each week (when you wake up).
Or a simpler way is to use our body fat calculator, which can be done by taking a few quick measurements.
The most important thing is a clean, nutritious diet to get to 10% body fat. If you need to lose weight, you will need to burn more calories than you consume.
The key to 10% body fat is one word > CONSISTENCY! It will not happen with fad diets, 30-day starvation juices, or anything else like that. It requires healthy actions over time, including diet, exercise, and a lifestyle pattern.
Healthy diet needs to be a part of your routine, and over time you can lose the weight necessary to get to 10% body fat.
Click to see our intake calculator for weight loss which is a good guide to determine your target daily calories to lose weight and get lean.
STEP #3: Focus on Building Lean Muscle
Getting to 10% body fat and losing your belly fat is really a simple process.
But it is certainly not an easy process. The simple part is this…
- Eat More Calories than You Burn = GAIN Weight
- Eat Less Calories than You Burn = LOSE Weight
So, this is why building lean muscle is just as important as doing daily cardio.
Building lean muscle is a key to creating a fat-burning furnace within your body. The reason is simple…muscle burns more calories than fat. It is a scientific fact. There is a wide range of debate on how many more calories each additional pound of muscle will burn, but the important thing is that you will burn more fat, and be on your way to ripped abs. (2)
The general consensus is that each additional pound of muscle burns 10-15 calories per day.
So if you consistently are building lean muscle through resistance training, than you will always be improving your furnace-like activity, and on the path to ripped abs.
STEP #4: Have a Great Ab Workout Routine
To get ripped abs, it is true that you don’t need to spend hours doing crunches. However, you do want to have a well-rounded ab workout routine. Don’t believe the hype that it is all diet, and that you can completely ignore your workouts (see #3 above).
Overall, it makes sense to work your abs as part of an overall workout strategy. There are many benefits to doing this:
- Build abdominal lean muscle to see more definition
- Strengthen your core muscles
- Reduce lower back pain and also reduce the chance of lower back injury – ab work does reduce lower back injury
Click for a very effective and simple ab workout at home to build your ripped abs.
STEP #5: Cheat Days are OK, but…
We all have cheat days on our way to 10% body fat. They’re unavoidable, and realistically, they are absolutely necessary for mental sanity. They are also a good way to “fool” your metabolism as you diet down.
When you are cutting weight you will need to be burning more calories than you consume, most of the time. Without the occasional cheat day, your body goes into starvation mode. So cheat days are a good thing, usually one day a week to keep your metabolism burning calories. Click to learn about the power of counting calories.
Here is the KEY – keep your cheat days somewhat in check.
It’s good to load up on a cheeseburger, pizza, ribeye steak, or some great cocktails. However, if your BMR is 2,500 calories, then shoot for 3,000 to 3,500 calories on your cheat day. That’s still a good eating day.
But don’t go nuts and hit 6,000 calories. That is gluttony, and it takes an extra couple of days during the week to make it up when you go crazy with a whole box of cookies in a late night binge.
You can have have just as great an eating experience at 3,500 calories as you can at 6,000. And you’ll feel much better the next day. Have a great cheat day, just set some reasonable boundaries.
Follow these 5 proven steps, and before you know it you will be at 10% body fat and have those ripped abs to show the world! The key is to stay consistent, and adhere to your plan most of the time.
Click to return to other tips on ripped abs, and also ab workout videos.
David Williams
A diet and fitness enthusiast, David Williams is an ex-Army Airborne Ranger and Infantry soldier with decades of fitness and wellness experience. A West Point graduate with a degree in engineering, he focuses on technical research related to fitness, nutrition, and wellness. He loves the beach, and spending time with his wife and daughters.
References
- Wikimedia Foundation. (2022, January 20). Thermogenics. Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermogenics Waehner, P. (2021, November 17). How many calories does muscle really burn? Verywell Fit.
https://www.verywellfit.com/how-many-calories-does-muscle-really-burn-1231074
