A quick straw poll of the You magazine office reveals that about half of us believe that we couldn’t possibly get defined abs, even if we tried. ‘My figure just isn’t built that way’ says one colleague, while others cite hormones and pregnancies as the reasons why a washboard stomach is completely unachievable.
I’m inclined to agree with them, because even at my slimmest I’ve never had a six-pack. So I was interested to ask Grace Reuben, a personal trainer at Dare To Be Fit, whether the mega-defined ab look is actually possible for most of us.
Well, according to Grace ‘most women can get the “abs look” if they go about it the correct way’. Oh.
It requires a lot of effort though. ‘You have to be doing the right combination of nutrition, exercise and consistency, all at the same time’ she says. And, if you want to carry on drinking and going out for fancy dinners – which I very much do – then a washboard stomach might not be on the table. ‘It’s not as easy as just carrying on with your life and hoping those abs turn up without any sacrifices.’
If I’m honest, that is what I would ideally like – amazing abs with no extra effort on my part. But in reality, what would I need to do to achieve them? I asked Grace to break it down…
Don’t crash diet
‘People say abs are made in the kitchen’ says Grace. This is very true because getting your abdominal muscles to appear generally ‘requires reducing your overall body fat’.
To achieve that goal, you need to be in a calorie deficit – ‘but not too much, because extreme dieting can harm your metabolism. The one thing to avoid is a quick fix.’
‘A two-week juice cleanse might make you lose weight, but it’s also going to result in muscle loss – and you need muscle if you want abs’ says Grace. ‘When you’re looking for that quick fix, you’re actually just ruining your metabolism, muscles, long-term results and energy levels.’ Instead, slow and steady wins the race.
Prioritise whole foods
Okay, so you’re not going to adopt a crazy crash diet – but what should you do instead? ‘Focus on whole foods’ recommends Grace. ‘This includes lean proteins such as turkey, chicken breast, salmon etc, along with healthy fats and complex carbohydrates. High protein vegetarian options include eggs, chickpeas, tofu, tempeh, Greek yoghurt, nuts and beans. They are going to help with fat loss and muscle recovery at the same time.’
If you feel comfortable doing so, you can also track your calories, although Grace points out that some people find this ‘too toxic’, in which case it’s best avoided. Instead ‘work around it visually – you want protein the size of your palm and healthy fats the size of your thumb on a plate’.
Several foods that appear to be healthy on the surface are actually not great for us. ‘A big one is granola – lots of brands are extremely high in sugar’ says Grace. ‘When you have granola for breakfast your glucose goes all the way up, but it only keep you energised for one or two hours and then you crash.’ Dried fruit is another healthy-looking food that’s actually packed with sugar.
However, Grace is against banning foods from our diets completely, as it might just make us crave them more. ‘If you were to ask any of my clients, I say eat all the foods you love but in moderation. I don’t believe in cutting any foods out because we need to enjoy our lives.’
Focus on compound exercise
When it comes to your exercise routine, the most effective way to get defined abs is to focus on strength training. ‘A full body strength training session three or four times a week is going to be the best possible thing for you’ says Grace. ‘First of all, it’s essential for building muscle. Secondly, it helps burn fat even when you’re resting.’
Back in the Noughties, we were told to do a thousand sit-ups every day to get Britney-style washboard abs, but it turns out this is basically nonsense. ‘You don’t necessarily need to include any core-specific training like planks or Russian twists’ says Grace. ‘The main thing you want to be doing is compound movements; exercises like squats, deadlifts, leg presses, overhead presses and so on. These engage your whole core while you’re doing them, as well as working out the rest of the body.’
Keep it up (carefully)
Okay, so you’ve achieved your Holy Grail of Love Island-worthy abs. How do you keep them that way?
It’s time to enter the maintenance phase, Grace explains. ‘I think a lot of people could do with a coach in this phase, because you’re looking at gradually coming out of your calorie deficit, which means very, very slowly increasing your calories each week. What you’re trying to do is bring your metabolism back up so that you can consume more food while still keeping the same figure. It’s hard to do without guidance.’
Decide if it’s actually worth it
Ultimately, the whole endeavour is hard work, and does involve a fair amount of sacrifice. ‘It’s a dedication thing’ says Grace – one that even she, as a fabulously fit personal trainer, is not particularly focused on. ‘My main goal in life is not to get abs because I don’t want to give up my favourite foods. I just want to be healthy and confident’ she tells me.
After discovering what’s involved in getting a washboard stomach I’m inclined to agree. Certainly, I’ll take on board her health-boosting advice such as eating more whole foods and swapping sit-ups for compound exercises, but as for skipping all those Christmas drinks and ditching my dark chocolate habit in return for looking good in a bikini about twice a year? I’m opting out.
