RACHELL DURDEN'S FIT CLUB

“How Do I Get Abs?”

Hello! I hope this meets you well and that your week is off to a swell start. Today was really pretty hot, considering how nice and breezy it has been here lately. It is hilarious to me that I have the nerve to be picky when the weather is actually pretty gorgeous in comparison to many places haha. :X

I would say when it comes to the cat’s curious mind, one of the most popular questions is, “how do I get my abs to show up?” and things of that nature. There are many ways to skin this cat, so I am going to cap the few contributours that I think are most important (and as always, I encourage you to continue reading, trying things for yourself and seeking advice from others, and listening to your own body).

I am totally willing to bet you have a fancy set of abdominals….no doubt in my mind. With as many articles and tools there are that focus soley on “ripped abs” and “flat mid-sections” in the modern world, I bet you (over)train your core regularly until you feel like a noodle. So why aren’t you seeing any results??!!
There could be a few reasons, but a likely one is the thought that training the abs will get rid of any excess (even if it is juuuust a tiny layer) fat covering up those golden nuggets and expedite the visual reward. You cannot target fat loss, but you can keep in mind that for a lot of folks, that mid section (particularly the lower abs) will be one of/the last area to lose fat. If you notice you are trimming up elsewhere, just keep pushing forward and perhaps take some of these tips to get those beauties out. ;) To read more about cutting excess body fat, cast a peeper on an older article by clicking here! :)

First thing is first, you have to set your mind up. You are always going to do your best work when you are focused and cycling positive thoughts about the task ahead….that is simple science as a human being. Every action (and therefore behaviour) starts with a thought, even if it is so deeply subconscious that you do not realize you have to think about it before acting. The value here is to take advantage of that mental process and make it positive. If you wake up ready to succeed and put out fires, you are much more prepared to do that than if you wake up feeling sorry for yourself or allowing yourself to make excuses. Arm yourself with a positive mind and imagine yourself the way you want to be. Picture the outcome and know that you will get there.

While all of that is definitely nice and relevant, my main point here is actually a little different.. I want you to focus on making a mind-to-muscle connection. Every time you are training, THINK about EXACTLY what you are doing, and really FEEL your body responding when you move. My favourite muscle group to train lately is my back. I love it because it is one of the areas I cannot see while I actually perform the exerices, so I REALLY have to focus to feel like I am getting the most out of my training. All kiiiiindza gains more recently once I started to pay attention to that mind-to-muscle connection. The great thing about developing the core (abs/back together) is that you can ALWAYS have that mind-to-muscle connection. If you really pay attention, you have the opportunity to engage your abdominals in every exercise. You can flex and stabilize those muscles constantly, whether while doing curls, box squats, the stepmill, or even running.

To read more about focusing and making that connection, cast a peeper on an older article here!

Aside from the fact that you can make any exercise a core acceleratour, I cannot tell you which specific exercises are going to be the best for you. That is going to be up to you to decide based on what you like (and sometimes even what does not hurt! If you have lower back or tailbone problems, you might not be so comfourtable doing a lot of the grounded “ab” exercises!) and what you feel works for you. I am going to tell you some I like anyway, though, haha! Please use resources such as youtube.com (reference) to find videos demonstrating each exercise. I wanted to publish this article as soon as possible, so I did not have a chance to take photographs.

Pulse crunches
Leg lifts
Decline mason twists
Knee raises
Heels to the heavens
Accordians
Superman/bananaman
Planks of any variation
Flutterkicks
Cable pulls (from knees)

These are a few simple movements you could do with or without weight, which also means to say you could do most of these at home. I used to tack on abs training (about 10-15 minutes) to each session I lifted, but I have scaled back some and I am doing alright with that because I realized that my abs are being worked no matter what I am training. It is up to you how often you want to train abs specfically (will say that I have had more positive gains in ANY aspect just lifting and not worrying about isolating muscles so much….goes back to the concept of engaging the entire body as often as possible) but just keep in mind: you can never out-train a poor diet. If you are in the gym giving it your all then you go home and either do not eat NEARLY enough or eat too much of a negative thing, you can kiss any dream of seeing those abs goodbye. That brings me to my next point, nutrition…. ;)

Have you ever heard anybody say, “abs are made in the kitchen!”? Abs are made in the kitchen. There….now you definitely have! ;)

This may be one of those dreaded bullets you hoped to not see in this article. Wouldn’t it be nice (or at least easier) if we could just skip over this section and avoid it all-together? I understand. I truly do!, but I can tell you from personal experience that it is worth the effort and discipline it takes to get your nutrition in line for those abs. I am still working on making mine a more notable part of my physique, myself!, but I can definitely attest to the fact that I would not have anything to show if not for proper nutrition!

Something you need to ask yourself before we get into specific foods is, “am I eating enough?” Calories in/calories out and whether or not you are consuming enough is something for another article in itself, so to keep it simple here: you probably KNOW if you are depriving your body too much or straight over-eating.

Calorie means energy. Energy is used up all day long….while you are lying in bed breathing, while you are folding linens, while you are lifting weight and making all kiiiindza gains, etc. Your body never really stops using energy; therefore, your body needs a bank of energy to pull from in order to function to its best ability and have a little left over for the times you need more. If you do not provide your body with enough calories, your body will resort to that delicious biceps and quads to get the energy it needs to perform. Did I mention your body will skip over the fat when it eats itself? I mean would you rather eat a nice lean steak (or tofu hehe) or a bowl of butter? I will take the protein, please, which leaves the butter on my stomach covering up those abs I thought I was working so hard for.

To put it into clear focus, your body needs a certain amount of energy (or calories) day in and out in order to function and support a healthy metabolism, regardless of if you are looking to cut fat or make all kiiiindza gains. You have GOT to eat!, just pay attention to what you are having. On another note, no, it is not necessary for your diet to be 100% clean 100% of the time….absolutely not!! Some people do well with carb cycling, some with fat cycling, and some with having some dirty food every few days or weeks to keep the body guessing. You have to figure this out for yourself! I have a girlfriend who does really well with her clean diet and will see amazing benefits from having an extremely high-cal meal of nothing but dirty food. That worked for my after my competition last weekend, too! Abs came thru like CRAZY the next morning and lasted for almost three days! Figure out what works for you - this is going to require you to be patient and not so hard on yourself so get ready for that. Be in a good place with yourself and your body before you put yourself into a position where you might flub a little and have to try something else. This is all about learning.

Now, some of my favourite foods to eat that have helped me really cut fat and trim up:

+ + + + Lean protein
I have protein with every meal. Lately, I am loving tuna to no end. It has been a staple in my diet for the greater part of 8 months (it was the first thing I ate when choosing to no longer be vegan) and I am still not tired of it. You have GOT to have protein in your diet. Read more about getting enough protein by clicking here!
I enjoy whey isolate protein, as well, for a treat whether I am cutting or looking to gain. You can find some really pure blends of whey that respect a clean diet. :) My choice is Syntrax Nectar.
Favourites:
- lean meats (chicken, turkey, fish)
- tofu
- tempeh
- eggs / egg whites
- whey / hydrolysate blends
- beans
- soy beans

+ + + + Complex and fibre carbohydrates
I am currently carb-cycling for my on-season diet, so my carb intake varies on a daily basis in respect to my training, etc. I have carbohydrates with each meal, though, whether intentional carbs or nonintentional carbs. Carbohydrates are your bodie’s favourite source of energy. It is all about choosing the sources that will help you out, though. If you are looking to see those abs, you might need to cut a little fat, in which case: I like pure oatmeal, brown and long grain rice, sweet potatoes, and sometimes a dark bread as my intentional carb sources. I currently have foods like this on my high-carb days, otherwise I focus on non intentional carbs, such as green & leafy vegetables. My favourites are asparagus, spinach, green beans and sprouts, and bell peppers. Brocolli is great, but my body does not agree with it so I currently do not eat it. If you feel like you are not getting enough fibre (very important!) or are feeling bloated, try taking fibre supplements. I currently really enjoy a chewable tab that is without added sugar and has 4g of fibre per serving. I take two each day. :)
Favourites:
- whole grain pastas / rices
- oats!
- dark breads
- vegetables
- sweet potato
- berries
- non / low-fat yogurts
- non / low-fat cheeses
- non / low-fat milks

+ + + + Fats
I love fats. I am ultra-sensitive to carbohydrates (meaning I can physically tell if I have too many/the wrong kind at the wrong time and on the flip-side, when I have the right kind at the right time!) in a way that can sometimes kick my own booty. I am also sensitive to fats; however, it seems like my body usually responds positively more often than negatively when I fat-load. My fat-load days would include tons of almonds or exstra flax seed (unfortunately I did not mean loading on poptarts or pizza, HAHA!) and my body loves it. This might be something your body would do well with, too, but again, it is all about trying things out.
I have fats at each meal, generally, as well. I like to have a little more first thing in the AM as well as at the last meal in the PM, as the fats digest really well overnight when the body is inactive.
Favourites:
- flaxseed
- fish oil supplements
- raw nuts (almonds, cashews, etc)
- all natural nut butters
- olive oil
- avocado

Of course this is not all-inclusive, but these are some ideas of nice clean foods that I like to keep as staples in my own diet. I eat about 6x a day, now that is another thing up to you. It works for me! I prep all my meals in the morning so it is all fresh (unless I am traveling and need to prep more in advance) and ready to go. This keeps me from making excuses like “I did not have anything healthy to eat so I got X instead” or “I had to wait 7 hours between meals because I had nothing to eat.” because for my lifestyle, I have absolutely NO time for excuses. Neither do you. :) :)

I also swear by tons of water, so pound that down as much as you can handle! Feel bloated? Water might help! Speaking of water, should I be gulping anything down with it, like, O, say some kind of pill? Good question ;) brings me to my next point….

I am never going to tell anybody that any supplement is necessary to reach his or her goals. Supplements have not been around forever the way the are now anyway, but there HAS always been somebody in the world who was fit to the capabilities and standards of that time period. There are plenty of things you can take to improve your physique, energy, and performance, sure!, but I am not going to tell you it is NECESSARY. This is a preference point and you have to decide what you want to do. I am going to be brief with this one because it can get messy pretty quickly…. there is no magic pill or powder that will ever replace elbow grease and hard work, but if I had to pick one thing that I feel has made a difference in my cutting experience, I would say CLA. Please continue reading about Conjugated Linoleic Acid by clicking here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conjugated_linoleic_acid

When it comes down to it, supplements that aim toward fat loss are generally going to be a thermo and something to give you huge energy and claim to improve metabolism. If you do something with all of that energy, GREAT! If it makes you train harder and make all kiiiindza gains, GREAT! On the other hand, if you take the pills and expect results while doing nothing, you hopped on the wrong boat. One way or another, you are going to have to work for it. :)

That sums me up for now. This is a huge topic and I could write about it forever, but this was getting lengthy and I did not want to lose you or get too carried away. If you have anything you want capitalized on more, please let me know!
Thank you for your interest and time, and please enjoy your week!

Rachell :*

Nothing can measure me.

I am going to work harder, faster, and longer than I have EVER worked.

Everything I do will be with love in my heart and peace of mind.

NOTHING can keep me from becoming who and what I want to become.

 What about you?