Do you wish to get six-pack abs like your favourite celebrity or simply tone your muscles to enhance your physical appearance? Exercising and consuming protein shake won’t only do it for you. There are several other factors on which your muscle gain and fat loss depend. Only an expert like Swati Bathwal can give you a deeper knowledge of how you can improve your gains through your diet. In this article, we have included six hacks for six-pack abs shared by Swati. You must read this to maximise your muscle gain
What is the role of protein in building the body?
Protein is an essential source of energy to build and repair our muscle tissues. So, does the source of protein matter whether it comes from plants or animals? To some extent it does. According to Swati Bathwal, on an average, a person needs a maximum of 1.7 grams per kg of body weight protein per day in the initial days of training. So, when you are getting trained to build six pack abs, you need to get 1.2-1.7grams per kg body weight at the time of maintenance.
Research shows that excess protein does not have any benefit in building muscles but is simply used for energy. And, the good news is that excess protein doesn’t impact or bone health or dehydrate you or impact your kidneys. Eating excess amounts of animal protein only make you gain fat. If you think plant-based protein is insufficient, you are mistaken!
Tip: When you do any weight training exercise, the body takes at least 48 hours after the exercise to build the muscles. You can evenly distribute protein throughout the day.
Why some people don’t gain muscles despite training hard?
There are many people who exercise hard but don’t see results. The notion that eating protein and training the body would make muscles, is to be blamed. Swati busts this myth that it doesn’t work like this. It is the genes that are responsible for building muscles. Bodybuilding or muscle building depends on your genes and if you don’t have genes that direct muscle building, you won’t be able to get the desired body you want.
Getting six pack abs also involves cutting of animal fat
As mentioned before, it is important whether your protein source is from an animal source or a vegetarian source. This is because animal protein is also rich in saturated fats which are bad fats. So, here are some natural fat burners that come directly from plants:
Have you heard of Thalacoids, these are not supplements but compounds present in plants that carry photosynthesis in plants. They carry chlorophyll membranes and so, when we eat greens, the membranes resist our digestive enzyme. It binds with the fat and fat-digesting enzymes and blocks the absorption of fats. So, you don’t need to pop up fat loss pills and supplements but simply add some greens to your diet to lose all that extra you have gained. So, add greens to your diet when you feel hungry after a workout.
Also Read: Do These 5 Pilates Exercises for Washboard Abs
Burn Baby Fat
Even if we grow older, we still have that baby fat and it is called as brown fat. By generating some heat, you can reduce this brown fat or baby fat. So, it slowly reduces or decreases with age but in some people, it stays for longer. The more brown fat you have, the more active it will be and leaner you will be. So, one of the easiest ways to burn brown fat or activate it using cold temperature. There are certain foods and juices that activate brown fat but these should not be consumed in excess. Some foods are:
- Onions
- Grapes
- Turmeric
- Green leafy vegetables
- Red pepper
- Dry ginger
- Green tea
- Black tea
- Black coffee
Preserve Muscles While Burning Fat
If you are hydrated, you burn fat and you conserve muscle loss while exercising. So, people who are asking you not to drink water while working out are claiming something really wrong. When we are dehydrated, our blood volume shrinks. This drop is detected by our kidneys which then releases an enzyme into our blood. This enzyme is important as it regulates our thirst. Research shows that excess of this enzyme can also cause weight gain. So, stay hydrated.
Also Read: These 4 Things Show That You Are Losing Muscles And Not Body Fat
BCAA
This is a popular supplement that people aspiring to build muscles can consume. This is an amino acid, there are around 20 kinds of amino acids and BCAA is one of them. Three amino acids- leucine, isoleucine and valine the make brown chain amino acid which is also known as BCAA. This cannot be formed into our bodies and so, we need to take them externally into our diet. This prevents muscle breakdown and also reduces any muscle damage after a workout. 2-3 grams of BCAA a day can promote maximum muscle synthesis. This doesn’t cause any side-effects.
Sleep well and control stress hormones
This is a very important part of muscle building that many people skip. Getting good sleep helps in repairing your body. Stress hormones also hinder the weight loss or fat burn process. When you sleep less or take more stress, you tend to gain weight. Just 7-8 hours a day can actually help you build that six pack. When your biological clock is fine, your body works fine.
These were some hacks shared by Swati Bathwal. If you are aspiring to build muscles or six pack abs, you must exercise them to see great results.
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