It is possible, however to get a set of ripped abs whilst building muscle at the same time. This is achieved by structuring the workouts such that it increases the bodies metabolism to burn the fat off rather than starving the body to lose weight.

What is required is a routine that both exercises and stimulates the growth of the muscles whilst at the same time increasing the bodies metabolic load. This cannot be achieved with the traditional bodybuilding way of isolating and working individual muscle groups. A good example is the bench press which isolates some of the upper body muscle but does not stimulate the big stabilizing muscles of the abdomen and legs.

An alternative exercise would be a single dumbbell press whilst lying on an exercise or fit ball. The weights used are light, but this way will use the big stabilization muscles in the body while doing one arm presses. This is a great way for working the chest muscles whilst at the same time using nearly all the muscles in the body. Granted, you will not build Arnie sized pecs but you will increase muscle growth and mass whilst at the same time burning fat tissue.

Another great upper body workout is to perform push ups or press ups with the feet elevated on top of the exercise ball. Again, all the big stabilizing muscles are utilized which will increase the metabolic load, stimulating fat loss even without having to make changes in the diet.

If we are to lose fat and at the same time stimulate muscle growth we also need a good nutritional plan in place. To keep the metabolic rate at a high pace it is important to eat at least 5-6 times a day. This will help flood your body with fat burning enzymes and also the extra protein will help in the recovery of the muscles and ultimately muscle growth.

To build muscle it is not necessary to take in vast quantities of protein. The timing of the protein intake is what is more important. The optimum plan is to take in a fast digesting whey protein prior to exercise and then immediately after. This way will ensure that you increase muscle mass and still get ripped abs.

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High reps are not responsible for shaping the muscle:

Many people believe that low repetitions will build the muscle and high repetitions will shape them. This is not the case! All your muscles can do is essentially contract or relax. When you lift the light weight, the muscle is contracted a little to lift this weight. When you lift a heavier weight your muscle has to contract more. If anything, lifting the heavier weights will see an increase in muscle tone than lighter weights will.

You do not have to eat 6 smaller meals a day to get ripped:

I keep my body fat to about 6-8% and I eat 3-4 “average meals” per day. I can not bear to eat small meals all the time and more is just not very practical for me. My advice is to just try to maintain a relatively low caloric intake throughout the day when you try to lower your fat levels. If I drink a few beers on a Friday evening and go out to eat, I will eat very low calorie meals earlier in the day. I can even skip a meal. I assure you it works! Do not be obsessed and I think that your metabolism will slow to a crawl, if you skip a meal from time to time. You get thin quickly if you lower your daily calorie intake … no more complex than that.

Spend two thirds of your time working out on cardio training:

This is a challenge for most gym junkies, but if you want a six-pack and a body sculpted out of granite, then you have to spend much more time in the cardiovascular section of the gymnasium. If you only have limited workout hours, I recommend 20 minutes of lifting and 40 minutes of cardio. Actually it does not take much lifting to maintain the muscle you have now and the cardio will strip the fat and make your muscles look that much better. Very few guys in the gym do cardiovascular training enough and very few guys have a good muscle definition.

Throw a bit of intensity into your cardio workout!

You will have difficulty getting ripped with just walking on the treadmill, as most trainers recommend. Low intensity cardio works work well for obese people who really want to go to a half their body fat level. The problem is that once you reach a certain level of body fat you reach a point where it is difficult to lose more fat. The only way to continue to burn body fat and reach a low level is to get your body working hard on your cardio. If you’re not sweating and breathing hard at the end of your cardio workout, you’re wasting your time!

Getting that ripped muscle look is not difficult if you follow these basic principles in mind. It just takes a little time and a lot of perseverance.

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