Six-pack abs from lunches, not crunches

How to develop a muscular tummy, with some help from SRK's personal trainer.

Before we embark on our discussion on six-pack abs, how Shah Rukh Khan developed his and how you can achieve yours, here is a little secret that should see you through your goal "" all of us have six-packs.

Unfortunately, though, the packs tend to hide under sacks of fat that layer up to form what we most unhappily refer to as paunches, tyres and even jelly bellies. And now that the secret is out, the pivotal question becomes not how to create six-pack abs, but how to reveal yours. A word of caution: if the six-pack has continued to evade all attempts at showing up, it might well remain that way forever, especially if you belong to the fairer sex.

Now let's get down to business.

As uncovered earlier, you've been lugging around those six-pack abs since birth. Yet, to pull them out from under the lard that covers them is one of the toughest tasks you can take upon yourself.

That said, it is not impossible, unless of course your genes are not in favour. Some of you may have been crunching those abs for many years now, but in vain. Rightly so. If your trainer told you ab crunches were the path to your goal, it's time to look for another trainer.

Just like for any other body part, spot reduction is a myth for the abs as well. Focusing on your abs alone to develop the muscles will get you nothing but frustration. The only way to coax your ab muscles into action is through high-intensity cardio exercise, strength training for the entire body, a healthy, low-calorie diet and, lastly, cooperative genes.

Fit was a word that fitted Shah Rukh Khan perfectly till he appeared on screen in a new Herculean avtar: muscular, macho and complete with six-pack abs on display.

Surely he didn't get those while training the girls' hockey team? "Not really," says Prashant Sawant, fitness consultant and also SRK's personal trainer, "he got those by training himself," and goes on to divulge the basic steps to achieving that look.

The most important role is that of your diet, whose contribution to the six-pack is almost 70 per cent. Follow a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet and especially avoid consuming carbohydrates in the evening, when your body's metabolism slows down. Indulge in fibrous foods, multi-grains and whole grains, and fruits and vegetables.

Increase your protein intake by including egg whites, fish, soya and cottage cheese. If you want to speed up your metabolism, green tea will do the trick while at the same time adding to your water intake for the day. As far as possible avoid potatoes, ice-cream (even the diet variety), sweets and white foods, all of which are sources of carbohydrates.

Now that the difficult part is over, it's time for some fun. For the next bit, you could either hit the gym or take to the streets. Sawant recommends a highly intensive cardio workout for 40 to 90 minutes on alternate days. The more variations in the workout, the better it is for the body.

"SRK used to do a cardio workout for almost an hour every other day, alternating between jogging and walking. For instance, a two-minute run would be followed by a one-minute walk and gradually we increased the time of the run to push his body further so it didn't get used to the workout."

The cardio is followed by weight training, also known as resistance training. This involves using free weights or your own body weight to push your muscles into work. Weight training, however, needs to be divided according to the focus areas where you want muscle development, and each muscle group should be given a 48-hour break.

As earlier mentioned, ab crunches are not the answer to getting six-pack abs. However, ab exercises help in strengthening the ab muscles that support the spine, "though it is imperative that these exercises be done with proper technique", says Sawant.

He advices lower leg raises for the lower abdominal muscles and upper basic crunches for the upper muscles. Again, variation is the name of the game, so keep changing your exercises every month and as you progress, include harder ones like recline crunches and hanging leg raises. Three sets of 25 repetitions for each exercise and four or five exercises on alternate days are enough.

Though it usually takes at least three months for the six-pack abdominal muscles to start peeping out, for some it could remain an unrealised dream. This is not because you're not doing your job right.

It is possible that your genes will not allow you the luxury of a six-pack. While this may mean giving up on your goal, it certainly isn't an excuse for giving up on your regimen. After all, a strong, fit abdomen never hurt anyone... not even SRK before he developed the muscular one.