Have Visible Abs:

How to Have Visible Abs

An Inverview with Mike Geary
Founder, TruthAboutAbs.com

CB: Mike, let's start off with some background on the sort of people you train, and your training background.

MG: I've been a Certified Personal Trainer for almost a decade now, and in recent years, I've become certified as a Nutrition Specialist as well. As for the types of people I train... I've trained everybody from skinny teenagers looking to add some bulk to their frame, to middle-aged housewives and businessmen trying to lose body fat, to senior citizens looking to get stronger and leaner in their twilight years.

CB: You have a site, The Truth About Abs. Want to shed some light on this truth?

MG: Well, Craig, from what I see on a daily basis, one of the most common fitness goals people have is to get a flatter stomach and if possible, gain some sort of a "six pack abs" appearance to their midsection. Unfortunately, most people struggle for years without ever achieving this goal.

This is because many people waste so much of their time on worthless abs exercises, and falling for every gimmick product on their TV promising them a 6-pack in only 2 minutes a day while sitting on the couch.

To be honest, seeing so many people over the years waste their hard earned money on all of these worthless ab gadgets and bogus fat loss pills was getting under my skin.

That's why I developed my Truth about Six Pack Abs Program. Over the last couple years, this program I developed has gained popularity worldwide, and it's now recently become the most popular abs program on the internet with tens of thousands of people in over 100 countries using my system.

So what's the truth? The truth is that people are looking in the wrong direction... abs exercises are NOT the answer to six pack abs! Sounds counterintuitive, I know. In fact, ab-specific exercises are the LEAST important training aspect in getting a six-pack.

Most people think there must be some magical "underground" abs exercise that is going to finally get them their six-pack after years of struggling.

The fact is, the real solution to seeing a visible six-pack is bringing your body fat % down to a low enough level to where the abs become visible. This is generally about 10% body fat or lower for men, and about 16-18% for women from my experience.

In summary, the most important aspect to getting visible abs is actually a properly designed full body training program, combined with good nutrition that can be maintained for life (instead of a short-term gimmick diet).

CB: For someone just starting out, how much focus needs to be on the abs? What other exercises would you give them for fat loss?

MG: For beginners, I generally start them off with the most basic bodyweight exercises such as bw (bodyweight) squats, bw lunges, bw step-ups, pushups, inverted body rows, along with basic dumbbell exercises like overhead presses. We also work on body stabilizing exercises and a few stability ball exercises to make sure they've learned to properly engage their core area in stablizing the body.

CB: What type of cardio/interval training do you use for fat loss?

MG:The programs I design are almost entirely based on high intensity resistance training instead of cardio. In fact, my resistance training workouts get people sweating and huffing and puffing much more than any boring cardio workout ever will.

The bottom line, based on research as well as my personal experience, is that cardio is NOT necessary for fat loss! In fact, some of the leanest people I know NEVER do traditional cardio. Personally, I haven't stepped foot on a treadmill or stationary bike in 8 years and I maintain single digit body fat year round.

CB: What's your favorite bodyweight exercises and how you use them in a fat loss program?

MG: I like to combine bodyweight exercises and free weight exercises into what I call "tri-sets" or "quad-sets" (aka mini circuits).I pick 3 or 4 exercises that don't work the same body movements and combine them into high intensity mini-circuits for my clients.

Here's an example:

1. Mountain climbers for 20-30 seconds
2. Dumbbell squat & presses (combination squat then press overhead)
3. Stability ball leg curl-ins
4. Stability ball plank holds (a little harder than a floor plank)

This type of circuit can be done without much rest between exercises and we would repeat the circuit several times before moving to a new circuit. This yields a high intensity fat-burning workout that works practically every muscle in the body.

CB: Let's look at nutrition. What is your fat loss nutrition philosophy?

MG: I could talk about nutrition for hours and it's such a controversial subject, so I'll keep this brief...

It doesn't have to be as complicated as diet gurus make it out to be. It can be a lot simpler...

1. Whole, unprocessed organic foods, as close to nature as possible
2. High nutrient density food choices
3. Fruits and vegetables (mostly vegetables) as your main source of carbohydrates instead of grains which are so prominent in our food supply
4. Moderate amounts of high quality protein
5. High fiber intake to help appetite control and glycemic control (maintaining more balanced blood sugar)
6. Healthy fat intake from nuts, seeds, organic eggs, fish oil, virgin coconut oil and olive oils, and avocados

Once you've taken control of your diet, usually you no longer crave sweets or junk food because your body finally has all of the nutrients it needs.

CB: How do you address "lifestyle" with your clients to help them lose fat?

MG: One of the most important things I try to instill in my clients is that this has to become part of their lifestyle if it's ever going to work long-term. They need to make their health and fitness a priority in their life, and they need to enjoy it.

CB: Thank you, Mike.

Note from Chet: Wow, what a great interview. I bet if you start doing the few exercises Mike mentioned as well as incorporating healthy foods into your diet, you'll start feeling better and looking better! To enjoy the kind of results Mike talked about, head over to his website to buy his Truth about Six Pack Abs book because in it he lays out an entire system you can use to rid yourself of extra abs fat for good.