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Want six-pack abs? Here's how!

With superstars Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and then, TV superstar Shekhar Suman, turning super-studs in their forties, sculpting an enviable and highly displayable abdomen, it has become commonplace for the body-conscious to sweat and starve their way to their own six-pack.

However, as Shah Rukh Khan jokingly confessed, the six-pack takes very long to create but is so easy to lose -- just a few days. Here Biki Bora, Muay Thai/ kick-boxing instructor shares his secrets on how to not just create a six-pack but to maintain it.

Diet is the most important way to encourage fat loss and build muscle tone. Work-outs that include ab training, which are just as important, however comes next. To maintain your six-pack you must be extremely conscious of what you eat. Losing track of what you eat, even over just a few days, can make your six-pack disappear very fast indeed. Casual or binge alcohol drinking over the weekend, for instance, can completely ruin all your hard work. Your diet also must be carefully charted as per your individual body type. (The six-pack diet will be discussed in a later article in this series).

If you have been regular at the gym or have followed some form of intense physical activity you will be in a comfortable position to start. Whatever you do, your work-out regimen should be on alternate days only, to encourage the muscles to rest, repair and build. Thrice a week is sufficient and sensible.

Those who have never done any sort of work-out obviously will need more time; they need first to focus on getting fit, before thinking of a six-pack. Regular exercise freaks can hope to build a six-pack within six months to a year's time. Your work-out training must be in three parts. The first part: dealing with warm-ups. The rest must include a general fitness regimen, focusing on cardio work-outs and weight training. The most important part of your work-out must exclusively focus on the abdomen-toning exercises or the abs exercises. Often trainers place the abdomen exercises towards the end of an intense work-out. It is better to start off with these, immediately after your warm-up. Otherwise, invariably most people become too fatigued to do the abs, which do require a lot of stamina and energy.

It is important to work your breath wisely while working your abs. Most people tend to hold their breath while focusing on the exercise. That is counter-productive. You must learn to completely exhale by breathing out deeply from the mouth. Then draw air deeply in. When you exhale, you must feel your stomach draw back in, caving deeply.

Ab exercises
Initially, start off with three sets with 15 repeats in each set. Later you may increase the number of repeats you do, to even 25, depending on your stamina. You can either do the same set of exercises or keep changing. You may have to do the latter if the exercises become or feel easy. Just changing your hand position or leg position slightly can up the challenge. The challenge has to keep increasing to work the muscles effectively. However these changes need to be tailored by your personal trainer.

The series on 'How to get six-pack abs' has been co-ordinated and photographed by Shameem Akthar, yoga instructor.

For more on Biki Bora's health and kick-boxing tips visit http://bikiboxing.blogspot.com

Disclaimer: Kindly note that aiming for a six-pack presumes that you in good physical shape. Also, the regimen has to be tailored to individual needs for which you must work in tandem with your own trainer and dietician. This series only provides broad guidelines.

Stomach crunches

Lie on your back. Place your feet about two feet apart, pointed straight in front. Interlock your fingers and place them behind your head, as shown. Keep your feet flat (you may ask your trainer or exercise partner to hold them down) and breathing out raise your torso. Curve your upper back slightly as you do, dropping your head to look at your stomach. Feel your stomach cave in. Your elbows must also come closer to each other.

Next, breathing in deeply move your torso back to the ground as you open your elbows out.

This is one move. Start with five, increase it over a few weeks to 10 and then to 15. Later, you can increase the challenge even further, one by doing each movement very slowly. Then, by ensuring that your back does not touch the ground as you move your torso back down, but keeping it a few inches off the ground. Bringing the feet closer also makes the exercise more challenging. Introduce these changes only after a few weeks, however. This rule applies for all the following exercises.

Long arm crunch

Lie on your back, placing your feet two feet apart. Place your hands out in front, one on top of the other, as shown. Breathe in deeply. Exhale, feeling your stomach cave in, as you move your torso up, with hands moving ahead simultaneously. Cave the shoulders in as well.

Then, breathing deeply, drop your torso gently back, opening your shoulders as you do so.

This is one move. Do five initially, working up stamina towards 10 to 15 over a few weeks. To increase the challenge, the suggestions in the first exercise apply here as well.

Cross crunch

Lie on your back, fold your legs at the knees, placing your feet close to your hips. Lift your folded left leg, and place your left ankle at your right knee, as shown. Fold your right arm at the elbow, placing your right hand behind your head. The left hand hould be placed on your stomach.

Breathing in deeply, and exhaling move your torso up to touch your right elbow to the left knee. Continuing to breathe, drop your torso back. Rest and repeat for the other leg.

This is one move. Do five initially. Then as you increase your stamina over a few weeks, increase the count.

Points to note: Your right foot must remain flat on the ground and not lift off. Remember your torso must lift up towards the folded knee (and not the other way around). Initially this may be difficult. You can involve a trainer or exercise partner to help you up, by holding the resting foot down, or proving your torso with some support while lifting up.

Vertical crunch

Lie down and cross your legs, right leg over the left, folding them at the knee. Place your hands behind your head, and interlock your fingers.

Breathing deeply and exhaling, move your torso up, caving your upper back lightly in, looking at your stomach, moving your head towards your feet. Initially you may need help: involve a trainer or exercise partner to hold the feet in position.

Move your torso back to the ground, again continuing to breathe deeply. This is one move. Do it thrice, then switch legs, so your left leg is over the right, and repeat thrice.

After a few weeks, keep increasing the repeats and include suggestions to up the challenge.