A few years ago, I decided to get six pack abs because I wanted to look good.
After putting a lot of effort, research and time into it, I managed to get what I want.
A lot of men want to know if it’s worth getting six pack abs. They don’t want to end up getting something that will not justify the price they pay to get it.
The price to get six pack abs is not paid with money. It’s paid with sweat, consistency, discipline, effort and time. Is the juice worth the squeeze?
I will try to answer this question as honestly as I can.
Here’s what I experienced during and after I got my six pack abs:
Fitness
Obviously, if you get six pack abs, you will be fit.
All fitness ads targeting men use male models with six-pack abs. A six pack is the universal marker of a fit man.
I was overweight before I started training and dieting for six pack abs. Now that I know the delicious taste of being fit, there’s no way I’m going back to my fat and out-of-shape days again.
Health
Waist size is a solid indicator of physical health. I had an ugly belly fat that wouldn’t go away given my eating, drinking and exercise habits.
In order to get six pack abs, I had to change my diet habits which led to a healthier nutrition and hence a smaller waist and little belly fat.
Additionally, I added a significant amount of muscle which contributes to my health.
Building Muscle
I’m a hard gainer. I was skinny when I was a kid and I was overweight most of my adult life with no success at adding any muscle to my frame.
While building my abs, I learned a great deal about how the muscle game works. I realized that I got the best results from compound, multi-joint exercises. I learned that I must train my whole body if I wanted to build muscle efficiently.
Losing Fat
To have a visible set of six pack abs, you should be around 8-10% body fat. It’s rare for a man to be around this level of body fat so you’ll probably need to lose fat.
Once you get into lower levels of body fat, losing fat becomes even harder. I tried many different diet approaches until I reached my goal.
I realized that most of the dieting advice out there is complete bullshit. My trials and errors lead me to figure out how to efficiently lose fat.
After getting my abs, I’ve switched to bodybuilding. I’m constantly bulking and cutting. Now, cutting is a breeze because I already know everything about losing fat.
Read more: Six Pack Diet – All You Need to Know About How to Eat for Six Pack Abs
Self-Discipline And Mental Toughness
Getting six pack abs requires a tremendous amount of self-discipline and mental toughness. Even if you have the best genetics in the world, nothing will happen without self-discipline.
Once you see first-hand results of self-discipline, it’s easier to apply it to virtually every aspect of your life.
Mental toughness comes naturally as a result. It’s impossible not to gain mental toughness when you apply self-discipline for an extended period of time.
Confidence
To succeed in a project which most steps are boring, hard and gruesome will help you build confidence.
Having a top-notch physique will undoubtedly contribute to your confidence too.
Dressing
When you are fit, your clothes will fit too.
When I was out of shape, clothes shopping was torture. Nothing I wore would look good on me. Now, almost everything I wear fits my body like a glove. Shopping for clothes is less of a torture now.
Muscular Foundation
I built my six pack abs with just 8 simple bodyweight exercises. Bodyweight exercises are good for building muscle but they won’t get you big.
After building six pack abs, I switched to lifting weights. Within 4 months, I was deadlifting 460, squatting 365, and bench pressing 275 pounds.
Alcohol
I loved alcohol, especially beer. For a long time, I tried to get my six pack abs without having to quit drinking beer. It didn’t work. Finally, I quit drinking until I got what I want.
Now, I pretty much kicked the habit of drinking. I only wanted six pack abs but I ended up cutting down on alcohol. I’m happy about it because my alcohol habit was holding me back in life.
Girls
Obviously, a fit body is more attractive to girls than an out of shape body. Unfortunately, six pack abs don’t show when you put a shirt on. So, unless you are walking around topless, your rock-hard abs won’t get you more girls than being mere fit.
But, when you bring girls home it’s a different story. When you remove your shirt, girls will be amazed. You will look great naked.
Stamina
To get my abs, I trained with high-intensity. High-intensity training is tough but it greatly increased my stamina. When I was out of shape, I dreaded even the simplest physical tasks like walking to the grocery store. Now, most physical tasks are a non-issue. I have more energy and stamina.
Posture
When you have abs of steel, you will automatically have a strong core.
A strong core means a better posture. As most men around have bad posture, it will make you stand out.
Habits
Before I started training, I didn’t realize that my life was contaminated with a lot of bad habits. I would wake up early in the weekdays and sleep until noon on the weekends. I would drink beer almost every day. I had no idea about how much protein, fat or carbs I was consuming. I ate whatever was convenient at the time I was hungry. I would eat out almost every day.
Now I wake up at the same time every day regardless of weekdays or weekends. I pretty much kicked the alcohol habit. I drink way less than before. I care about the amount of protein I eat at every meal because I don’t want to lose my hard-earned muscles. I mostly eat home-cooked meals because eating at home is a lot more nutritious than eating out and it’s cheaper.
I also acquired the habit to train regularly. It’s now an integral part of my life.
My new habits provided me a more fulfilling life so I decided to keep them even after reaching my goal.
In Summary
Building six pack abs is not easy but there may be fringe benefits you will receive which you didn’t think when starting.
When I was starting, I for sure didn’t think about anything else than looking good. In the end, I got a lot more than I originally envisioned. The benefits greatly outweighed the price I paid.
Obviously, you don’t need to build six pack abs to get all of the above benefits as there are many other ways to skin the cat. But, if you decide to go for it, I hope this guide helps you to see what you can expect. You may be surprised by how much your life changes.
PS – If you want to get six pack abs too, this book will teach you how.