How Long it Takes to Get Six Pack Abs

Both men and women are interested in developing six pack abs, and both sexes can create definition in their abdominal with consistent and appropriate training. Muscle building principles are used to increase the size and definition of your abdominal muscle. The length of time it takes to get six pack abs depends upon your sex, how consistently you train and whether or not you have an excess amount of body fat.

Six Pack Muscles
A six pack is a term that's used to describe a highly defined rectus abdominus muscle. The rectus abdominus is a muscle that runs vertically down the front of your torso. It originates down at your pubic crest and inserts at your xiphoid on the lower section of your sternum. When it contracts, it flexes your trunk, or makes you bend over from the waist. When it is developed, it appears as six defined sections at the front of your torso.
Training
To create six pack abs, you must strength train consistently and follow a hypertrophy, or muscle building, program. A hypertrophy program is defined by a high frequency of training sessions, with each session being of high volume. Your rectus abdominus muscle requires a rest from strength training just as your other muscles do, so allow 48 hours of recovery time between training sessions. You can train twice per week, but will see results more quickly if you train three days a week, such as Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. During each session, complete five different exercises, including basic crunch, bicycle crunch, reverse crunch, straight leg crunch and straight leg lowers. Do three sets of each exercise, completing each set to fatigue.

Time
With consistent training, you should begin to see significant increases in abdominal muscle definition in six to eight weeks. Men, who have more growth hormone and testosterone, are likely to see results more quickly than women.

Considerations
It's important to understand that your muscles are completely independent of your fat tissue, which is primarily located over your muscles. Therefore, training to develop a six pack not only requires increasing the size and definition of your rectus abdominus muscle, but it also requires you to reach and maintain a low body fat percentage. If you develop your muscles with strength training, but have an excess of fat, your muscle definition will be covered up and remain unseen. Incorporate consistent cardiovascular exercise to burn calories and facilitate weight loss.