The Secret to Getting Washboard Abs :

You have exercised as much as you think you can. You have spent goodness knows how much money on all the new gadgets and expensive toys. You have read about and tried all the different exercises you have seen, and you still cannot achieve the washboard abs look that you covet.

I bet that there is one thing that you have not yet tried. It is the little-known secret to great abs and strangely enough, it has nothing to do with the abdominal muscles at all. Your problem is fat. I know what you are thinking "what do you mean fat, I don't have an inch of fat on me!" Yes you do and its just under the skin on your belly.

First, lets dispel the myth that muscle turns to fat when you stop exercising. This is important because it will help us to understand both what fat is, and what it is not.. Saying that muscle turns into fat if you stop exercising is like saying that apples turn into oranges if you take them out of the fridge. It is just not true. While it is true that many bodybuilders become fat after they stop competing, cause and effect is misunderstood. While competing, bodybuilders consume huge amounts of food, possibly 5000 calories or more every day.

If I consumed 5000 calories a day I would put on a lot of fat. If I currently had any muscle, that would appear as though my muscle had turned to fat, which of course is not the case. Muscle is fibrous and attached to the bones with your tendons. Fat is an adipose tissue, which is stored in layers just under the skin, whose main job is to provide energy for the muscles. So if a bodybuilder stops competing but continues the same consumption patterns he or she will store it in the form of fat.

Now that we know the differences between fat and muscle, let have a look at why one is interfering with the other.

If you are working hard to build your muscles, and you should be doing your abs everyday because you are not trying to build bulk like your other muscle groups, you are not necessarily simultaneously reducing fat. Although you might be depending on the nature of your workout regimen, you should still build fat reduction specifically into your routine.

If you go to a gym, I recommend at least 35 minutes on the treadmill. If you workout at home then either get a treadmill or add at least 35 minute of running into your routine. By the way, of all the exercise machines available, the treadmill is the one people are most likely to stick with and continue to use. It is important to be aware that you will lose fat in the opposite order that you put it on. So for men, that means you will lose the fat on your back, shoulders and legs before the belly, and for women, it will be the butt and legs first. It will require patience to loose the fat on your belly because it went their first. But it will also be worth it because once that layer of fat is reduced and that magnificent six pack shines through, you will be a specimen worth admiring.