Written By Simon Hayes, BJJ black belt and instructor at Carlson Gracie London, UK.

“I’m doing lots of toning exercises because i want to see my Abs again”.

A common mistake. There is nothing wrong with doing exercises for your abdominal and oblique muscles, infact i recommend it.

However, they will not reveal a 6 pack however long you spend doing them.

Why? Because it doesn’t matter what your Abs look like, no one is going to see them if they are covered with a layer of fat.

If you want to see a 6 pack it is purely a calorie issue. The easiest way of reducing calories is to eat less (far, far easier than running or cycling or any other cardio).

If you get your diet on point, usually within 12 weeks your Abs will start to be revealed. To have the sort of Abs you see in fitness magazines is going to take 24 weeks of being strict with food.

We all have Abs, we all have a 6 pack. Some people have much prettier 6 packs than others but that is mainly down to their genetics. We CAN however make the most of what we have got with crunches, sit ups, side bends, knee raises etc but we can only increase our own genetic potential, not rebuild Rome.

Most people, without training Abs at all will have a decent 6 pack just waiting to be revealed as soon as that layer of flab is removed.

So if you want to see your Abs, adjust or completely re-think your diet. I find a keto based diet works for me but others will do it in different ways, the one common factor being reducing calories.

If you want to have a 6 pack in Ibiza this summer the diet needs to change NOW. Not in a month, or at the start April, NOW!