The School of Fitness - Lesson 5: The Iron Law of the 6 Pack
Mr Delia Steele
This is the simple truth for anyone who wants a six pack. If that's you, read accept and remember this.
This is another fundamental lesson which is beyond simple, but many people, lacking a fundamental understanding of this have repeatedly performed many dumb-ass behaviours.
Losing fat is probably the number one reason people train. Especially non-athletes. It's a shame it's so bloody misunderstood, fat loss can be complicated, but for most folk, it only needs to be simple. If you want a visible six pack - always remember this rule:
THE IRON LAW OF THE 6 PACK STATES:
That unless your overall body fat percentage is below 12% for a man and 15% for a lady - you ain't having a six pack. The muscle is there, but you can't see it because it's covered in fat.
It also states that - YOU CANNOT SPOT REDUCE FAT WITH EXERCISE SELECTION - you need to train the whole body.
ACCEPT IT
No students of the school of ļ¬tness are ever to fall foul of this. If you want success, you must understand and respect the iron law of the 6 - Pack.
Trying to crunch off belly fat should be illegal, punishable by a year in prison followed by 3 years in a lunatics asylum. If you want a six pack, the best way to do it is to focus on your nutrition, train your whole body to maintain muscle mass and burn calories. In other words, focus on performance - train to get More-Athletic, then eat for fat loss.
THE LAW IS COLD HARD & UNFORGIVING
There are no short cuts, there are no magic exercises and there is NO MERCY. Your body must be comprised of less than this percentage of body fat or you will not have toned abdominals because you will have too much fat.
Again. The law is cold, it is hard and it is unforgiving. You must embrace it.
If you can't see your abs; If you don't see rectus abdominus, if you don't see the linea alba - the tendinous vertical line running from sternum to pelvis - then your body fat percentage is too high. The muscles of course are still there, they still do their job, but you can't see them!
Without reducing your body fat percentage to a lower level, you will never see them again. It's not about where the fat is stored, without hitting a low enough overall percentage, you simply won't uncover the goods.
HAMMERING HOME THE POINT
There is no use targeting the fat bit. No matter how many reps you do, the body fat over a particular area simply cannot be burned by focusing on that area.
Although to a degree, certain hormonal factors can affect where your body stores fat, there is nothing you can do with exercise selection to alter where your body stores that fat. There are more complex mechanisms at work. It defies logic that working one area will tone that area more than any other, don't be a sucker to the 'tummy toning' industry.
Have you ever seen anyone with big fat arms and a lean toned abdomen? No? me neither.
It's like trying to push water out of one end of that bath into the other without taking the plug out - it ain't gonna work. If you want the water level to be lower in one half of the bath, you have to take the bloody plug out and get rid of some water.
You can still train your abs, but do so in the right way, for the right reasons. Training your abdominals simply will not make them visible. Losing enough fat will.
Take home message:
Where your body stores fat is controlled globally. Focusing locally will make no difference and will waste your time. If you want a 6 pack, you have to reduce your total body fat percentage.
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