Use Instead: Baseball bat | cricket bat | old tyre | pillows. Researchers found that as long as protein intakes remain high (up to three times the RDA), and you are participating in regular strength training, you may not only be able to preserve lean mass in a calorie deficit but can help increase it slightly. Moreover, your abs are a muscle, and just as with any other muscle in your body, increasing the size of your abs and strengthening them can promote better definition in your stomach. This level of output is thought to create a significant shift in your metabolic output that continues a high calorie burn for after your done training (42). Whether you are bulking first and then cutting, or working to change your body composition all at once, controlling your calorie intake is essential. Here are ten steps, backed by science, that will assist you in getting those abs to show and the chiseled physique you're dreaming of. If you haven't been lifting weights or including any strength training in addition to your ab workouts, you may want to start. This depends on things like diet, exercise, sleep and stress, but also on things outside your control like genetics and muscle insertions. Carb cycling is the process of timing your carbohydrate and calorie intake around when your body needs it most - when you are working out, on high output days, and when you are generally more active. And you never quite seem to get round to that. Weighing your food portions will ensure you are tracking as accurately as possible and will ultimately help you stay on track better. And the amount you can lift may not matter according to studies, heavy weights for low reps and high-frequency light weight lifting are both associated with positive muscle growth (11). For effective home workouts, uplifting stories, easy recipes and advice you can trust, subscribe to Men's Health UK today, Sign Up to Fuel, Our New Food Delivery Service, Take a Look Inside Our New December Issue, Shop The Best Fitness Deals for Black Friday 2020, How to Smash Your First Ever Home Workout, Sign Up to The Men's Health Newsletter Today, 41 of the Best Deals for Your Home Gym Workout, This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. If you aren't feeling or looking leaner, consider cutting a little lower. This will help cut down on any added variables that may throw you off, including temptations and being stuck hungry somewhere without healthy food on hand. Having more muscle mass means your calorie needs are higher - because you weigh more. Based on what we know about the human body and existing research, you cannot hack your metabolism; it is largely determined by your body weight (mainly lean mass) and basal metabolic rate (BMR). And while calorie control will help counteract some of this, stress can do a number on our willpower and cravings making sticking to your diet that much harder. The type of fat you eat also matters, with research suggesting healthier, unsaturated fats are less likely to be stored as fat compared to saturated fats (29). Since your body does not regulate calories in 24-hour increments, it is more of a rolling accumulation over time, cutting carbs and subsequently calories on certain days of the week, can help you decrease your weekly calorie average. Aim to get at least seven hours of quality, uninterrupted sleep each night. Genetics can also play a role. Even if you are meal prepping and tracking all of your intake, it can still be a challenge to get accurate portion control if you are not weighing or measuring your food. Handy. This macro is key in supplying the necessary nutrients to build, repair and maintain your lean tissue - all of which is needed when strength training (21,22). Overall, you should aim to cut calories for about six weeks to three months at a time and then take a break if needed - this will keep you from getting diet fatigue and make the process much more sustainable. Fat burning supplements are often dangerous, ineffective, and expensive. Here's our guide to getting shredded - from the comfort of your own living room. Eating fat will not make you fat unless you are eating too many calories. Especially if you struggle with stress, time, family and other outside factors that can hinder your motivation or block your progress. Get Ripped at Home Just because the gyms are closed doesn't mean your gains should suffer. Although this approach is likely not efficient long-term, it is difficult to achieve, and the amount of muscle gained may not be as significant as what you would experience on a traditional bulking diet.