Bodybuilding Interview on How to Get Abs with Mike Geary

HR: Mike, I'm so happy that you are sharing all of this great information with the readers. You see folks, I am not the only one who preaches all of these things. I'm glad also that you pointed out that in order to lose fat you need to eat fat which is something I still have issues getting across in people's mind.

Since we are on the topic of nutrition, what are the biggest mistakes you see people doing with their diets?

MG: One of the main mistakes I see is people eating too many processed foods that they think are healthy because the label had some fancy health claim on it. Of course, we already know most of the foods we should be avoiding such as trans fats, refined grains, sugars, sodas, cookies, cakes, and deep fried foods. However, here are some foods that many people think are healthy and eat way too much of: cereals (yes, even whole grain), breads of all kinds, pasta, bagels, processed soy (can be highly estrogenic), fruit juices (way too much sugar), and foods in general that are made with corn, soy, and wheat. The human body was never designed to eat such massive quantities of soy, corn, and wheat as has been forced on us by food marketers. I’m not saying that all carbs are evil, but sticking to a hunter-gatherer type diet is usually the easiest to see success on. This means eating mostly fruits, veggies, eggs, nuts, seeds, and meats that originated from healthy animals raised on what they were meant to eat in nature.

HR: I'm happy that you make a very detailed list of the foods that are not good as a lot of people have good intentions and think that by eating a bagel and fruit juice in the morning they are doing themselves a huge favor. However, nothing could be further from the truth! Thanks to all of the marketing out there, it is very hard for regular people to know what to eat and what not. However, that is what we are here for!

So, now switching gears into the topic of exercise, how much time do people need to spend exercising their abs on a weekly basis?

MG: For direct abs exercises, I generally never include more than 5-7 minutes of abs work 3x per week in the routines that I design. Most of the full body exercises will indirectly work the abs and core to a fairly good extent. A small amount of direct abs exercises is all that’s needed.

HR: Mike, I am happy that you mention that! I keep saying over and over again that there is no need to exercise for hours every day to achieve results. If you workout in the right manner, you can get a lot done in a few minutes!

Sticking with the topic of exercising, should people do cardio exercises do get abs? If so, which ones work best?

MG: In general, my philosophy minimizes long duration steady state cardio. I feel that most people can achieve better results with less overall training time by focusing more on high intensity training routines such as interval training, sprint work, and weight training done in high intensity fashion.

However, I also realize that some people simply enjoy long duration steady state cardio more than intense workouts. I also know that these people will never be consistent with their exercise if they don’t enjoy weight training and high intensity interval training. Therefore, steady-pace cardio may be the only exercise that they are truly consistent with because that’s what they like. For these people, cardio may be the best option. Also, many beginners can’t work at high intensity levels just yet and may need to focus more on low intensity cardio in their beginning stages.

But for people that are already advanced in training, and don’t particularly enjoy low intensity cardio, I tell them not to bother with it. I think you can get better results in shorter workout time with higher intensity training anyway.

My personal routine involves only focusing on weight training in the gym and I supplement that with wind sprints and outdoor kettlebell training during warm weather. I personally don’t do ANY low intensity cardio at all at the gym. In fact, I haven’t stepped on a treadmill or elliptical for at least 5-6 years. I get plenty of cardio work though from my lifestyle, which includes lots of hiking, mountain biking, racquet sports, and skiing.

HR: The following question is one that you and I readily know the answer to, but for the benefit of any woman who is reading this, could you please share how importnat is weight training exercise for getting abs?

MG: Absolutely! I think weight training is the single most important aspect of exercise in order to reduce body fat levels to the point of seeing visible abdominals. Weight training increases and maintains lean body mass which maximizes metabolic rate. Also, your body burns more calories post-exercise (for 24-48 hours after a workout) from a hard weight training routine compared to just low intensity cardio exercise. This is due to the fact that your body has to do much more muscle recovery from a weight training workout compared to low intensity cardio.