Getting into shape is quite a task when it comes to getting stronger, leaner, and more fit. Many people flock to the gyms at the beginning of every year in an effort to lose weight, feel great, and look better. However, many tend to fall off their exercise routine within a month or two.

For many people, getting into shape tends to result in endless hours of cardio followed by hundreds of crunches, in an effort to tighten the abs and gain a six pack. Abs are by far the number one area that people look to improve in the gym every year and many fail. But why do a large percentage of people fail to get six pack abs? Below is a checklist to ensure that you will not fall victim to the failure bug, and effortlessly get six pack abs.

Six Pack Checklist

Create a Schedule
If you are going to get effortless six pack abs then you need to have a well-thought-out plan to help you succeed. This can be a written schedule or calendar, or something that you input into your calendar on your phone. Your plan needs to have room for five days per week of exercise in general. Your abs will be a part of this schedule.

Change out your Diet.
Statistics show that diets tend to not work in the long run when you eliminate certain food groups. This is why you will need to learn to observe moderation with your eating habits. You will need to change your diet so that you consume the correct amount of calories daily. Use a phone app to figure out how many calories your body needs and track everything you consume. A proper diet is the only way to regulate how much fat goes into your system and it will help you to lose subcutaneous fat in your entire body (which is the most abundant kind of fat).

You Do Not Need to Work your Abs Every Workout
A common issue with people looking to get six pack abs is that they overdo exercising the abdominal muscles. You actually do not need to work your abs as much as you think to get a six pack. Consider direct abdominal exercises no more than two or three times per week.

Supplemental Exercises
These are the kinds of exercises that work other body parts indirectly. To work the abs, you should use free weights as much as possible, and forget machines at all cost whenever you can. In addition, deadlifts, squats, and power cleans are three ideal exercises that body-builders use to indirectly work the abs, so consider learning all of these lifts and focus on reps and sets.

Lose Body Fat Immediately
You can work your abs correctly all the time, but unless you lose body fat, you will not develop those defined muscles. Consider doing cardio at least three times per week. Intervals are the most efficient way to lose fat around the entire body. An hour of interval running, or spinning on the bike three times per week, will help you achieve your goals.

Work the Abs
Working the abs is certainly something you will want to focus on two to three times a week. Consider crunches (wherein your spine bends to a 30 degree angle), trunk twists, planks, bridges, and secondary exercises to get your abs stronger. You can even try to isokinetically tighten your abs to make them stronger.