Diet for a Six Pack

Few body parts are more ubiquitous in popular culture than the six pack. Open any fashion or health magazine and you'll see pages upon pages of models and celebrities baring washboard midsections. The six pack is actually a long, sectioned muscle called the rectus abdominus. Everyone has this muscle, but without very low body fat levels, you won't be able to see it. Lose the fat surrounding your midsection, and your six pack will be beach ready in no time.

Smart Substitutions

Do all the crunches you want, but without eating right, your six pack will stay hidden behind a layer of flab. Fat loss, according to the National Strength and Conditioning Association, comes by way of a caloric deficit. You must consistently burn more calories than you consume. To cut calories without going hungry, focus on whole, unprocessed foods. Cut out candies and pastry in favor of whole fruit. Scrap the soda and drink unsweetened iced tea with lemon. Avoid processed meats and go for skinless chicken breast, and eat all the veggies you can, which will supply appetite suppressing fiber. By eating healthier, you ingest fewer calories and keep your metabolism stoked.

Muscle Up

Muscle requires calories to maintain itself, raising your metabolism. Build up your musculature by weight training at least 3 times per week. Use exercises that train multiple body parts at once, such as squats, deadlifts, pushups and pull-ups. The training itself will burn calories, while the muscle you gain will speed fat loss. For more information on weight training, go to the American Council on Exercise.

Interval Training

Cardiovascular exercise is an effective way to burn fat and reveal abdominal definition. Interval training is a method of cardio that will give you dramatic results in less time. Interval training is recommended by the American Council on Exercise because it taps into multiple metabolic systems, providing a complete fat burning workout. A sample interval workout would be to begin with brisk walking or jogging on a track for 5 to 10 minutes. Following this warm up, sprint for 30 seconds. Next, walk or jog at your warm up pace for 60 seconds. Repeat this interval 5 times, followed by a 5 minute cool-down. Interval training will give you fast results not only due to the calories burned during exercise, but to the higher metabolic rate you'll maintain hours after the workout.

Train Your Abdominals

In order to bring out the most possible abdominal definition, end every workout with some direct abdominal exercises. Movements such as incline sit-ups, hanging leg raises and planks will build your abdominal muscles, maximizing their six-pack shape.