Allowing Your Six-pack To Show

Believe it or not, we all have a six-pack (and I’m not talking about the cold beverage type). Most of us, including myself, just have it hidden under belly fat.

“The general rule of thumb is that the six-pack is made in your refrigerator, so it’s a lot to do with diet,” says MMA champion Egan Inoue. “One tip I give my boot campers is to watch your protein level. Most people don’t eat enough protein. Also, almost no carbs (such as breads, pasta, rice or anything that turns into sugar) after 2 p.m. (or if you’re a late sleeper like me, no carbs six hours before bed). And no food and no alcohol two to three hours before bed.”

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The Jackknife - 1) Start by lying on your back with your arms flat on the floor above your head and legs straight, 2) bring your body up and reach for your toes, 3) lie back down and roll to your side, making sure your shoulder and feet are above the ground and then roll back, 4) jackknife up again, go back down and roll to the other side. Repeat, rotating side rolls, and continue for one minute.

But in addition to what you eat and when you eat, it’s also important to exercise regularly.

“For my ab routine, I truly believe that you can’t just do sit-ups or just do crunches,” says Inoue. “It has to be a combination of exercises that work in synergy with each other. It’s about strengthening your whole core.”

Here, Inoue shows us three of his favorite ab exercises – The Jackknife, The Sit-Up and The Bicycle. Each should be done for one-minute back-to-back for one set. Rest for about 30 seconds, and then do a second set.

“You should be maximizing your exercise as much as possible in the shortest amount of time,” he explains. “All my ab workouts are short-spurt stuff. So (with these exercises) you do as many reps as you can for one minute, and then when your timer goes beep, move straight into the next one. Two sets a day is a good start, in addition to dieting and exercising.”

Inoue shares more knowledge through his MMA Bodyweight System e-books, including his newest one titled Fighter’s Abs. For more information, email aloha@hawaiifitcamp.com.

He also has a training center in Manoa, and offers fitness classes known as Egan’s Fit Body Bootcamp in Kailua, Manoa, Waipio and downtown Honolulu. For more information, visit hawaiifitcamp.com or call 271-3779.

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