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Can You Keep Your Six-Pack?

Jason Dinant worked out four times a week with a trainer and ate only protein and vegetables during the first half of 2009 and was rewarded in June with six-pack abs, his 2009 New Year's resolution. Dinant was chosen by CNNhealth.com last January to chronicle his journey toward his goal. But the six-pack was not there to stay--Dinant relaxed his diet and exercise routine once he had attained his ideal abs, and the muscles began to fade. He's now down to a two-pack. But he's not fretting. "I find that there's a happy medium for me. I eat healthier. I'm happier. I'm at the shape I'm happy at," he said, according to CNN.com.

If your serious about getting and keeping your six-pack, you should: Avoid carbs before going to bed, eat good fats and frequent, small meals, eat only things that come from nature, focus on proper technique when working out, and work your abs every other day to allow recovery time for the muscles to develop, says trainer Jordan Yuam, who works with Hollywood actors.

--Aileen Torres

Comments

4
Ab Guru

I'm thinking that there is one very important component that they're missing here. If you want a six-pack, continue doing the exercises shown by the trainer, but also include some form of cardio every day for a minimum of 30 minutes a day. With the exercises and a sound diet and CARDIO, only then will you achieve six-pack abs.

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shakeology

I think six-pack abs definitely comes down to 80% nutrition and 20% exercise. When the nutrition is bad, the harder it is to develop the six-pack. I agree with Jason, it is good to find a happy medium.

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Tony

Truthfully, the type of concentrated effort it takes to obtain six pack abs is way beyond a "normal" lifestyle. Actually, it would be considered extreme and at some point you have to back your routine down to a less intense level in order to socially enjoy your results. Of course, you then start to loss definition (ie your six pack starts to fade).

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John the Smart Abs Guy

I agree with the comment above that keeping the abs has alot to do with diet. The main reason his abs stopped showing is because his body fat percentage increased. Generally you want to make sure you include workouts with high calorie burns. Full body workouts are actually much better for keeping your abs trim than ab workouts alone.

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