Fix your six

A toned SRK and an even more toned Aamir Kahn sent the print and electronic media into a frenzy sometime back.
Because of that, gyms started getting ‘packed’ with enthusiasts who were ready to do anything for the chiselled look. Though the actors lost their packs later, but the madness continued (and still does).
One of the participants of the mad race was Josh Kapoor, whose attendance at his gym seemed to outnumber that at his college.He says, “I hate accepting it, but yes, I wanted to have a six-pack. But, soon it became so tough for me that I dropped the whole idea. Though I’m a regular at the gym, but I no longer dream about those abs.”
Just like Josh there were many youngsters (and others) who found it tough to abstain from streek food and junkies and dropped the idea of the six-pack abs. Fitness trainer Amit Banahatti feels that the reason for it is that it’s easy to get those abs but tough to sustain them. He explains, “The whole story starts with genetics. There are basically three body types; ectomorphs, mesomorphs and endomorphs. The Basic Metabolic Rate (or BMR) depends on that and based on this we suggest people how much dieting they should do.
Some people eat anything and put on weight and they are endomorphs for whom a perfect and stringent diet is of utmost necessity. For ectomorphs, it’s the easiest to lose weight and we suggest more weight training and less cardio for them. The fat percentage in a six-pack ab is usually less than 10 per cent and that is tough to maintain.”
Recently Ashmit Patel and Hrishant Goswami went shirtless and flaunted their six-pack abs to Pamela Anderson. Women went crazy at the sight (can’t say much about Pam though) and men, got their sleeves up to take up the challenge, again. Attaining a six pack has made gymming more glamorous in recent times. But Ranjit Kotwal, ace certified fitness professional and an eight packer himself says six-packs are not made in the gym but made in the kitchen! He explains, “The most popular myth about six-packs is that eat ing nothing and doing 1000 crunches, will give you the the perfect six- pack abs. But it’s wrong. Only proper abs exercise amidst resistance helps; repetitions don’t do any good. You have to follow a strict diet, which has less of carbs and more of proteins. But you can’t maintain this diet for a long time as body needs these vital nutrients. Whether you want to lose or gain your packs, going slow and gradual is the key.” Personal trainer Subhash Narang says that the time required to gain a six-pack changes from person to person. He says, “If you have a flat stomach already, you won’t take much time. But for others, it could take upto eight months or even a year. It’s tough to maintain six-packs and I never suggest my clients to go for them for more than six months, until and unless their body is trained for it. Don’t blindly follow actors. Dedication, hard work, patience; maintaining six-pack abs requires time and a rigid routine.”
Who doesn’t want a hot bod! But Jaidev Rupani, account director agrees that one has to be genuinely ready for the process of making and maintaining them. Jaidev who has been maintaining his abs since a long time, accepts that it gets tough to maintain them sometimes. He says, “Six-pack abs is basically hiding the layers of the fat you have so that the shape is visible. It is very difficult to maintain it. We need to have proper lifestyle and good eating habits.” Six- pack is a complete package and maintaining the perfect six could turn out to be a bigger task than you could ever imagine. So, stop ogling at the hot bods on TV or working out blindly by searching tips and tricks on search engines and fix your six in style.
misha.paul@timesgroup.com