MY SIX PACK AB JOURNEY

The Beginning:

About a year ago I started with a goal to workout at the gym 3 times a week for an hour. At this time, I weighed 130lbs. which is 15lbs. heavier than my “pre-pregnancy” weight. Don’t let that number fool you…muscle weighs more than fat! It’s the body fat percentage that counts and mine was high.

6 months to make a habit:

I was told somewhere that it takes a good 6 months to make good intention into a good habit. At the 6 month marker I was making it to the gym 3 times a week on a regular basis. My workout consisted only of running on the treadmill and I had begun the “Fat Burn Marathon”. I ran about 9 miles a week. This has always been the best way for me to lose body fat. I did end up losing 17lbs. by the 10 month mark (unfortunately, along with that went most of my chest-oh well). At this point, I thought, “I’m on the right track. It’s time to add strength training.”

Cardio burns calories while you work, strength training burns calories all day long:

Where do I start? I haven’t lifted weights in over 8 years. I had no clue what to do so I went to a friend of mine who is in amazing shape. She used to compete in fitness competitions and recently tried out for American Gladiators. Anyway, she was nice enough to write up a simple 3 day workout targeting each major muscle group (Legs, Back, Biceps, Chest, Triceps, Shoulders, and Abs) to get me started. I was sore after each workout. Thank you, Marla.

New Goals for a New Me:

While this was working well, I had also begun making friends at the gym. One of which used to be a personal trainer. He knows a lot about strength training and good eating habits. He enjoys seeing people work hard and get in shape. He began working with me and 2 of the other friends I met that have the same goal to get a strong, lean body.

Because of all of our dedication, we began going to the gym 2 hours a day/5 times a week. I never thought I would be one that would spend 2 hours a day at the gym but since I began working with them, we do circuits and if one of us is not there, the program has to be adjusted. Not only do I feel a responsibility to be there but I look forward to it!

So along with the goal to go 2 hours a day/5 times a week. I am also on a 6 meal a day diet that is balanced and much healthier than the pre-packaged food I used to eat.

I will be sharing with you the meal plan and strength training program that I am currently on for one month that is supposed to produce faster results for lean, tone muscle. Will it get me closer to my Six Pack Abs? We’ll see!