Can You Get A Six Pack In A Week
We live in the ‘now‘ generation – we want to have everything as quickly as possible. For some things, it’s easy. Others, not so much. How quickly can we get one of the most iconic fitness trophies: a six-pack?
A week’s worth of consistent core training and dieting causes a muscle pump in your abdominals, which temporarily highlights the outline of your six-pack. However, the key factor determining how obvious it is lies in your current body fat percentage.
We base it on an average body type, as the range is so extensive for different body types. For example:
- Individuals with extremely low body fat need less than a week before they see results, although it may be considered a ‘skinny pack.’
- Plump individuals will see the outline anywhere from a couple of months to years.
People are quick to develop the outline of their six-pack, but it’s a longer, painful process for the abs to become prominent. So, even if you see the outline in a week, it may look the same for the next 3 weeks – even with constant training.
A Quick And Simple Guide How To Get Abs In A Week
A week’s worth of exercise won’t lead to a movie-star six-pack, but depending on your current fat level, it can highlight the outline. If you need a quick fix before a holiday or a photoshoot, here’s your guide:
- Nutrition
Your diet is as important as exercise – it’s the fuel to your body! So, over the week, you must minimize alcohol, sugars, processed foods, fats, and simple carbs. Replace these with foods rich in protein (eggs, beans, fish, and meat) and offer high nutritional value (fruit, vegetables, and nuts.) - Calorie Deficit
Staying on the topic of food, you want to run a calorie deficit to lose as much body fat as you can. A 500kcal defect is a healthy amount you should aim for. - Hydration
Drink a gallon of water throughout the day, ensuring at least 16 ounces of chilled water is consumed as soon as you rise in the morning. This helps to speed your metabolism, helping to process foods quicker. - Workout
Most obviously, train your abdominals. Countless YouTube tutorials have great exercises for you to get abs. It’s imperative you stick to the routine and stay disciplined with yourself for the best results. We have linked one of our favorite workouts here. - Rest
Letting your muscles repair is as important as putting them under tension. Even in the space of a week, you need to allocate time to rest your abdominals. This doesn’t necessarily mean you must stop working out – but don’t over-exhaust your core on the same day.
How Difficult Is It To Get A Six-Pack
Anything worth showing is challenging to reach; the six-pack is no different. Most of us want one because very few people have them; however, some must go through greater adversity than others.
The challenge you must go through to get a six-pack differs from person to person. Your age, body fat levels, and previous experience will influence the time and struggle it must take to get a six-pack. Nonetheless, everyone must have a balanced diet and be active before they see results.
Some people are genetically gifted; even then, hard work, commitment, and being strict with yourself are still needed to get a six-pack worth showing. There isn’t a shortcut to getting a six-pack – even if you have a headstart.
So what if the favors are against you? For example, a 55+ year old with no experience and a high-fat level. Well, put bluntly, it’s going to be herculean. But it isn’t impossible. Before you begin training, you must recognize the mental battle you must go through to get your six-pack and dig deep, very deep.
The bottom line?
When getting a six-pack, your genetics and previous experience will help, but they won’t gift you one. Hours of core training and dieting are needed before you see results; hard work beats talent, unless talent works hard.
How Long Does It Take To Get A Six-Pack
Let’s say you want more than a ‘temporary outline of your abs’ – you want a permanent six-pack. How long is this going to take you?
For a ripped, thick, permanent six-pack, you will need at least 8 months of routined, concentrated exercise. While it doesn’t have to be exclusively targeting your abdominals, six-packs are formed quickest through highly intense activities, such as athletic sports, calisthenics, and plyometrics.
Rather than focusing on the time, look at your situation. Most people need to lose at least 50% of their body fat for their abs to be visible. Some can do this in 6 months, while others could take years. It all depends on how badly you want it.
Coupled with healthy decisions, a six-pack built from 8 months of training lasts you a lifetime. However, the commitment of 8 months is why most people don’t have one. They don’t want to wait that long, or quit before they see results. Don’t Let This Be You. Stay Strong.
A key takeaway is learning to love the journey rather than the destination. Here is what most beginners will go through:
- Initially, it is a fast and seemingly easy jump where they make massive progress in a short space.
- An extended period without any visual progress. This is where most give up.
- The point where the six-pack gradually becomes more pronounced. Most tend not to notice their transformation as it blends in with other gains they’ve grown throughout the process.
- The day you compare your current body with where you first started. This is when you realize and can confidently show your six-pack.
How Long Do Six Packs Last
Six-packs last anywhere from weeks to years, depending on two things: your lifestyle and how long it took you to make your abdominals pop out. The healthier your lifestyle ( diet, stress management, and rest) and the more work you put into getting them abs, the longer they last.
As mentioned above, a six-pack can be visible by a pump. They range from hours to a few days, but ultimately, it’s only a temporary solution. In this case, the abdominals are only obvious for less than 5 days… so can you even claim a six-pack?
You should aim for a permanent solution. A set of abs that are obvious for days, even when you’re resting your core. In this case, the six-pack has the potential to last forever if you ensure you stay consistent with your training and health. If you don’t, they likely will begin to fade after a month or so.
Adding onto that point, lighting may trick you into thinking you’ve lost your six-pack, but in reality, flat light is hiding it. A gym’s mirror is tactically placed below lights so that the shadows highlight your muscles. So, sometimes they last longer than you think, but you never know it…
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