Excerpt: 'The Abs Diet' Chapter 12

July 21, 2004 -- In chapter 12 of The Abs Diet, authors David Zinczenko and Ted Spiker present what they call the most effective workout plan.

Chapter 12: The Abs Diet Workout

The Easiest, Most Effective Workout Plan EverYou see every kind of person in the gym. The guy with no fat. The guy with no neck. The guy with lots of fat. The guy with lots of necks. And it seems they all get there a different way. I know that guys have as many different workout philosophies as they have pirated MP3 files, but the one guy I really know I can help is the overweight man who's working his forearm muscles by doing wrist curls in the corner. He's like a guy who has totaled his car but wants to get the radio fixed first. There's no point working on the fine points until you've taken care of the bigger issues.

That's why I've built a total-body strength training workout: to increase your lean muscle mass as efficientlyas possible. It's simple: To show off your abs, you have to burn fat. To burn fat, you have to build muscle. Remember that adding just 1 pound of muscle will force your body to burn up to an additional 50 calories a day, every day.

This workout emphasizes the larger muscle groups of your body — chest, back, and legs. In one workout during the week, you'll give extra attention to your legs. I know what you're thinking: My abs are up here. Why do I care about working what's down there? Because most of your body's muscle is found below your belly button. Your lower body is where you'll build the most muscle in the least amount of time; working this giant muscle mass triggers the release of large amounts of growth hormone, which in turn stimulates muscle growth throughout your body, kicks your fat burners into overdrive, and gives you that washboard stomach you want — in no time flat. Indeed, leg exercises are the key to total-body strength: