Get Summer Ready (Abs for the summer)

Summer is fast approaching and holiday season is already kicking off. It's that time of year when you begin to panic and look for shortcuts to that sexy beach body you want.

A lot of people that to get a great stomach they just have to do thousands of sit ups, but the truth is that's only part of the equation. Having great looking abs does take time, training hard, cardio and, of course, eating clean meals. Great abs, therefore, start in the kitchen. It's important to try and cut out fried foods, sugars, refined and processed foods, alcohol, and even dairy, which is high in saturated fats. That means eating more natural foods like fruit and vegetables protein (such as lean meats), lentils, brown rice, wholegrain breads, nuts and of course drinking lots of water.

Of course the other key to looking lean and showing stomach muscles is a hell of a lot of cardio and high intensity training! We suggest mixing up your routine and doing intervals instead of lots of slow steady cardio. That way you can achieve more results in a shorter period of time. For great abs, full-body workouts that also target the abs are great. Here's a simple 12 minute ab workout:

1 Minute: High Knees

1 Minute: Plank

30 Seconds: Crunches

30 Seconds: REST

1 Minute: Floor Runs 

1 Minute: Sit ups 

30 Seconds: Ab Scissors 

30 Seconds: REST

1 Minute: Heel Flicks

1 Minute: Lying Leg Raise

30 Seconds: Bicycle Abs

30 Seconds: REST

1 Minute: 2 Press ups followed by 8 floor run (Repeat for 1 minute) 

1 Minute: V Sits

30 Seconds: Flutter kicks

30 Seconds: REST

For Great Abs Use These Tips:

Perform cardio as often as you can, ideally 5-7 days per week
Drink lots of water
Take fried foods out of your diet
Take sugars out of your diet
Eat lots of veggies
Eat lots of protein
Full-body workouts (this includes abdominal exercises).
Keep a good posture

Good luck!