9 Rules to Follow for that 6-Pack of your dreams

Male or female, our eyes are drawn to a person's abdominals ... or gut.

1. FOLLOW A HIGH-PROTEIN, LOWER-CARB DIET. Your diet is essential in building a lean physique. It is important to consume 4- to-6 small meals per day; this helps to speed up your metabolism at an incredibly rapid rate. Although there are many different theories on meal frequencies, eating smaller meals more often will help the average person avoid overeating and will curb hunger.

2. FOLLOW A CONSISTENT WEIGHT-TRAINING AND

CARDIO REGIMEN. This will allow you to burn fat through
the day. Weight training helps you to burn calories after the
workout and throughout the day while cardio burns calories
during the workout. A combination of cardio and weight training
will give you the optimal fat burning rate you need to stay lean.

3. DRINK A LOT OF WATER. If you're completely
hydrated, your fat-burning rate will be optimum. Remember: the less water you drink, the slower your metabolism will be; the more water you drink, the faster your metabolism will be.

4. MODIFY YOUR ABS ROUTINE. There isn't a specific abs routine that will work better than all others, but changing your abs routine will maximize the results. Some of the common ab moves like crunches, old-fashioned sit-ups, hanging leg raises, broom twists and sprinting, are great for building abdominal muscle. It's important to remember that your abs will show the most development through change and confusion as opposed to stagnation.

5. UNDERSTAND THE TRUTHS AND MYTHS ABOUT ABDOMINALS. We all have abs. Unfortunately, some of us have to work harder than others to attain visible ones. Doing 1,000 sit-ups per day is not going to make your abs just magically pop out, but getting your body-fat levels very low will allow your abs to appear. For a male to able to be see his abs, he has to be roughly at 12 percent body-fat and lower. If you can get your body-fat to those levels, you will start to see your abs.

6. ALWAYS EAT BREAKFAST. A healthy breakfast is the most important meal for a reason - it jumpstarts your metabolism for the entire day. Unless you want a muffin top, skip the muffins and opt for protein, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates. Emphasis on the protein.

7. BE COGNIZANT OF THE FREQUENCY OF YOUR ABS TRAINING. It is important to train your abs at least three times per week for a beginner and intermediate fitness enthusiast. For the advanced gym guru, train your abs about every other day to build them properly. I would implement at least 3-or-4 different abs exercises every other day for 25-to-30 reps per set. You'll really feel the burn with this minimal rest. If not, you aren't working the exercise properly. Muscle grows when you apply shock to that body-part.

8. DON'T GET SMACKED BY SUGAR, STARCH AND SALT. Also, stay away from foods that are high in unhealthy fat and high in carbs.

9. IMPLEMENT A VARIETY OF
CARDIOVASCULAR EXERCISES.
Cardio helps you lose fat. There is a
variety of different cardiovascular exercises you can implement. Long-distance running, sprinting, swimming, climbing stairs, cycling, elliptical, treadmill, etc.

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Your mind will help guide your fitness goals and if that goal is to attain great abs, then, provided you do the necessary work, it will happen for you.

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Deadlift Guide

This Deadlift guide will show you how to perform conventional Deadlifts with safe and proper technique if you're a beginner. You will also discover strategies for experienced Deadlifters to bust through any plateau, increase your Deadlift,boost your grip strength, eliminate lower back pain, and much more.

Deadlifts by Franco Columbo, Arnold's lifelong trainingpartner.

How to Deadlift.  proper technique is absolutely crucial for Deadlifting big weights and eliminating lower back pain.

Here's how to Deadlift in 5 easy steps:

1. with the bar above the center of your feet - your stance should be a bit more narrow than shoulder-width to give your arms room.

2. the bar overhand so your arms are vertical to the floor - if your hamstrings are tight, do Squat 2 stands to boost your hip flexibility.

3. Bend through your knees until your shins hit the bar which must remain above the middle of your feet. Shoulder-blades directly over the bar.

4. Lift your chest but don't squeeze your shoulder-blades like on Squats.

5. Pull - keep the bar close to your body, roll it over your knees and thighs until your hips and knees are locked. Lower the bar by pushing your hips back first, and then bend your knees once the bar reaches knee level (NOT before otherwise the bar will hit your knees). 

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How to do the "Perfect Bench"

The Flat Barbell Bench Press is one of the most popular exercises in the gym, yet how many people know the most important techniques for maximizing strength and power during each rep?

STEP ONE

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HANDSPACING

The perfect bench press rep starts without any weight on the bar. Why no weight? Lie down on the bench and unrack the bar as you normally would. Lower the bar to your chest and have a partner take note of the orientation of your forearms. The reason for this is simple: if your hands are placed wider, some of your pushing power will be expended pushing outwards rather than upwards. If your hands are placed closer, power is expended pushing inwards. When your forearms are vertical, the vast majority of your power goes to pushing the bar directly up.

STEP TWO

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LOCKING DOWN

Now that you have your grip properly positioned, put some weight on the bar. Lay back on the bench and plant your feet firmly on the floor. DO NOT place your feet up on the bench. You will lose stability and potential power by doing this. Place your hands on the bar in the grip width that you determined previously.

A technique that I like to use to lock my shoulders into the position for maximum strength and stability is as follows:

Instead of placing your palms on the bottom of the bar, place them on the back of the bar. Now, without removing your grip, rotate the bar down so that your palms are now directly under the bar. As you are rotating the bar and locking down your shoulders, lift your torso slightly off the bench and force your shoulder blades together tightly underneath your torso. STEP THREE

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LOWERING THE BAR

Remove the bar from the racks and tighten up the muscles of your torso. Begin lowering the bar under complete control to a point at the bottom of your sternum (about even with the bottom of your sternum, a.k.a. the breastbone).

Inhale as you lower the bar and feel it tightening up your chest.

Lightly touch the weight to your chest. DO NOT bounce the weight off your chest! STEP FOUR

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DRIVE WITH THE LEGS

As you start to change the direction of the bar and begin the press up, drive with the legs. It's strange to think about it but your leg power can actually help you bench press more weight!

This technique should be practiced with an empty bar before attempting it during a regular set. Start by planting your feet flat on the floor with your knees bent about 80 degrees. Lower the empty bar to your chest. The moment you start to push the bar back up, push hard with your legs as though you are trying to slide your body up the bench.

When you have a loaded bar, however, the weight will keep you from sliding and the pushing power from your legs will get transferred through your body and into pushing the bar up. STEP FIVE

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RAISING THE BAR

If you have a tendency to shift your feet around, try placing 2.5 pound plates on your feet. If a plate falls, your foot has moved. FINISHING AND COMPLETING

Power the weight up to lockout.

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How to Do the "Perfect Squat"

Squatting in gyms today is one of the most elusive exercises to get right.  I see people doing all types of things.  There is the people who don't go low, they kind of bend their knees with 600lbs on their back, wobble a little bit, and call that a rep.  Or there are the people who are a little better and they go almost to parallel, but they just aren't quite there.  Then there are people who's form is just atrocious.  But, then there are a few people who get it right.  To do the "perfect squat"

1. Get your feet slightly wider than shoulder width

Credit Goes to Men's Health

Start with your feet about shoulder width, and the widen them slightly until you get into a position that is comfortable.
2.  Put a reasonable amount of weight on the bar
Ok let's face it.  I love squatting, and I love doing a lot of weight.  However, if you have 600lbs on your back and you have horrible form, it doesn't matter how much weight you have, you will end up hurting yourself.
3. Move down with all of your weight on the heels.
Once you put the bar on your back with the bar resting on your traps go down slowly with all your weight on your heels.  Don't put any weight on your toes (except maybe when racking the weight)
4.  Go down to at least 90 degrees
Now here comes the most important part.  You need to go through the whole range of motion to make the squat count.  You need your legs to go at least 90 degrees or lower.  I like to go as low as I possibly can to get the most out of the squat. Just remember that you need to go "ass to grass".
5. Stand up straight
Well that's it once you go down, stand up straight, and you just completed the "perfect squat"

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