The key to 6-pack abs

Everyone wants 6-pack abs and if you’re like most people, attaining a washboard stomach seems impossible. You do all the crunches and perform multiple sets of sit-ups, yet your abs are still nowhere in sight. So what do you do?! Well, it may be easier than you think.

Here are 5 tips to help you get that flat stomach you’ve always wanted:

1. Nutrition

You’ve probably heard it a million times, but it’s true; abs are made in the kitchen. You need to ‘fuel up’ properly before and after hitting the gym. You need quality protein (chicken breast, egg whites, beans, nuts and protein powder) and fibre rich carbs (oatmeal, yams, fruit and whole wheat grains) to keep your body in top form. Doing 500 crunches is great, but if you’re eating a pound of pasta and pizza every day, forget about seeing that flat mid-section. Make sure you’re eating 6 small meals a day, full of quality protein and fibre rich foods. Nutrition is vital to exposing your abs.

2. Exercise variation

Vary your ab exercises. Crunches and sit-ups are thought to be the best ab exercises, but these 2 alone, won’t get you abs. You need to vary your routines and keep your mid-section guessing. If you perform the same exercises each time, your body gets used to the exercises and your results will plateau. You need to change it up and make sure your taxing all parts of your core. Click here for some great ab exercises to get you on your way.

3. Proper form

A million reps of one exercise done incorrectly won’t get you six-pack abs. Pay close attention to your form and make sure you’re doing each rep properly. Don’t forget to breathe during each exercise and flex your abs at the top of each movement. Don’t get caught up on total reps, instead, focus on proper reps. 20 properly performed reps are much more effective than 200 incorrectly performed reps.

4. Don’t over-train

You shouldn’t train one muscle group more than 3 times a week and the same goes for your abs. Target your abs 3 times a week, no more. If you train your core more than 3 times a week, you won’t be able to properly rest and grow your ab muscles. And don’t forget, abs are muscles. They need rest and time to heal and grow. I like working my abs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. But feel free to work your core on any combination of days; Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays is also a good routine. Try not to work your abs on consecutive days.

5. Full-body exercises

Compound exercises like pull-ups, dips, push-ups, squats and dead-lifts do much more for your core than concentrated crunches. These exercises target your entire core and help build your obliques and smaller stabilizer core muscles. Building these muscles will help build those bigger 6-pack muscles. Why? Because they help with your form and keep your entire core strong. Check out my older post on the benefits of compound exercises.

There you have it, 5 tips to get you that rock-hard mid-section.

Free weights vs. machines

I get asked this question all the time, “what is better, using free weights or machines?” And the answer is always the same; free weights!

Now, doing any sort of resistance training, with free weights or machines, is good for you; you’ll get results either way. But the difference is that free weights will help you reach your desired results faster.

Why are free weights better? Well, it’s simple. When you use free weights, you work several muscles in one specific movement. Free weights allow you to work your stabilizer muscles, your core muscles and those primary muscles specific to each exercise. For example, barbell chest presses targets your chest but will also work your grip, back, shoulders, core and all the stabilizers in your arms. To hold the barbell straight and in a controlled fashion, all your muscles in your upper body are put to work so that the weight doesn’t come crashing down on you. Now, if you performed the chest press with a smith machine, you would only be targeting your chest, since the stabilization of the weight is being done by the machine.

Smith Machine Chest Press


Free Weight Bench Press



With free weights, you can work the same muscles that a machine works, but in a more complete and efficient way. With a machine, all you have to do is press against the resistance the machine produces; you don’t need to stabilize the weights or control the grip. But with free weights, you have to engage more muscles in order to perform the exercise.

Next time you’re in the gym, look at the fittest people and take note of the exercises they are performing. 9 times out of 10 you will notice that they will strictly be using free weights.

All you need to use is a set of dumbbells and weighted barbells to get fit. Free weights are extremely versatile and require you to engage dozens of muscles in a single movement.

Here’s a good dumbbell exercise that targets several muscles:



Dumbbell chest press works your chest, grip, core, shoulders, back and all the stabilizers in your arms.

So next time you’re in the gym, walk past the machines and focus on using free weights for all your exercises.

Stay tuned for the next post on healthy breakfasts.

Fit New You - the beginning

Welcome to Fit New You! Before we get started on getting you fit, I should tell you my story.

I was always over-weight and out of shape. I blamed it on genetics, metabolism and just an overall misunderstanding of what it takes to get fit. But one day, while sitting on a couch eating a family size bag of chips, my best friend and I decided to stop this insanity and start looking and feeling good for a change. So from that point on, we both decided to change our eating habits and start exercising.


(The Before... 4 years ago, out of shape and oblivious... me left, Steve right)

Well, that was 4 years ago and since then we have both dedicated ourselves to fitness and good nutrition. We have found our fit new bodies.

We researched good workouts and nutrition tips. But along the way, I noticed that there was a lot of crap on the internet that simply, wouldn’t work. We took a select few tips to heart and starting compiling workout and meal plans. The rest is history.


(The After...this past summer. Steve left, me right)

We lost a combined 110 pounds and feel great every day.

Now, after helping out a dozen or so friends and family members with their personal fitness and nutrition goals, I’ve decided to bring my findings to you!

Every week I will post some tips on good nutrition, good fitness exercises and overall strategies for getting you fit. I will also debunk several fitness and nutrition myths that are keeping you ‘un-fit’.

Just remember, check back frequently, ask questions and prepare to work hard.

Get ready to discover a Fit New You.

Andrew