Why six-pack abs are so hard to achieve – and maintain

• André even equated the experience of trying to achieve a six-pack with being like a full-time job in and of itself.
• It requires sustained hard work and a strict diet – and may also come at the cost of good health.

Getting ripped

• Muscle protein synthesis is also increased when you eat a meal containing protein.
• But if you do some weight training beforehand, the increases will be larger and last longer compared with if you hadn’t done any exercise.
• If you weight train and eat at least 20 grams of protein per meal, this maximises muscle protein synthesis.
• And, even if you do build a six-pack, maintaining it requires just as much continued hard work and dedication.
• This is because we start to lose muscle gains only a few weeks after we stop training our muscles.

Potential downsides

• There may also be some potential downsides to trying to achieve six-pack abs – especially if you’re trying to obtain these changes rapidly.
• Low energy availability may also make resistance training less effective – meaning it will take longer to build muscle.

Exercise for health

• If this still seems like too much, the good news is even just an hour of exercise a week is beneficial.
• Exercise is only beneficial for your health if you actually stick to it.