There are obviously many health benefits both long-term and short-term for losing belly fat. Of course, there are a lot of people who don’t really get motivated by the health benefits, and are really into working out for the exterior visual appeal (and being healthy is just a bonus). One of the most visually striking aspects of the physique is the so-called ‘v-cut’ which runs from the oblique muscles down to the pubic area. This is also referred to as the money maker, for good reason. Having these simple lines appear on your body can create are very aesthetic look and come about body having low body fat.
So how does one get the v-cut? I’m going to break it down from a couple aspects below.
DIET DIET DIET
The first and the most important aspect of achieving this look, is through diet. Yes, everything always comes back to what you eat and how much of it. If one has a diet consisting of sugary snacks and other greasy and unhealthy junk foods, then just be honest about it and recognize that those abs will not show. You can indeed enjoy these foods, once in a while, but that doesn’t mean every other day.
The v-cut will start to appear when the body fat percentage is low enough. Meaning, that there needs to be a lot of work put forth not only in the gym, but also the kitchen.
The absolutely easiest place to cut is in the beverage department. If you currently consume soda, juice, or other sugary drinks…STOP! These empty calories are completely limiting your gains. Hell, back in high school, I started drinking only water and cut out all sugary drinks and lost 15 lbs in within about 5 months. This was without any changes in exercise or the foods that I was eating. Just cutting soda and sugary juice, dropped 15 lbs!
From there focus on the foods you are eating. It can be a good idea to start out by replacing things slowly. Like, for the first week just make sure you eat a healthy breakfast, even if the rest of your diet is crap. Then, the next week, make sure your breakfast and lunch are on point. This way, you don’t have to go through the junk food withdrawals and cravings will be minimal. It’s a slow getting used to the new lifestyle, instead of trying to overhaul everything at once.
Replace processed foods, with natural ones. Keep track of you caloric intake and know how many net calories (net of calories burned through exercise) you need to be at in order to lose fat. For me, 2000-2200 net calories, will lose me fat a pretty fast clip and so that’s what I use as a baseline and adjust from there. Obviously, you’re not the same size as me most likely, so you’ll need to figure out your baseline on your own.
I use an app on my phone called “My Net Diary”, which keeps track of what I eat, my calories, my exercise, and my how many calories I need to consume in order to hit my weight target. So, if I wanted to lose 20 lbs in three months, it would calculate how many net calories each day that are required for me to hit my goal. Is it 100% accurate? No, but I’ve found that it is pretty dead on, though I still need to adjust things to my personal requirements.
Workouts
Losing fat is the most important aspect of getting the money maker. However, there are tons of people on the planet, who are skinny but don’t have a well developed v-cut. That being the case, the abdominal muscles will have to be increased in terms of volume and for definition.
One way to do this is by working the oblique muscles. The key is not to use too much weight, which can make this area thicker, and sort of distort the lean look that we want to achieve. Side bends and twisting crunches are some of the exercises that I have found effective for this goal.
Training the abdominal muscles with some weight is obviously important in developing this area. Like any other muscle group, the abs need to be worked to develop strength, and get the right aesthetic. 2-3 days worth of work each week is sufficient to build this group while ensuring proper recovery is allowed to happen.
One more effective tool for getting the v-cut is cardiovascular exercise. Cardio is a great way to burn through the stores of fat covering abdominal muscles and should be used in conjunction with a resistance training program. When cutting I personally step up my cardio workouts to 4-5 times a week to shed the fat.
Need A Program to Get the Results you Desire? Try this!
What is Visual Impact Muscle Building?
The original VI program is a 3 phase program which lasts a total of six months designed to get you that lean and cut look similar to Brad Pitt in Fight Club, Taylor Lautner, and other Hollywood actors. This program is NOT about adding bulk in whatever form it may come. Rather, the goal is to create as Rusty says, “a sharp-angular look” not the standard bulky ‘meat head’ physique.
I think that most guys want to have some decent muscle mass and have the cut physique that drives women wild and not the huge, steroid monster look that will have them running in fear. Getting in shape isn’t all about the chicks but why not take the benefits that go along with it?
Phase 1 of the program is broken down into 3 separate days and has more of a focus than the other two phases on gaining proficiency and mass. I think that naturally skinny guys would do well to repeat phase 1, so that they could add more muscle before really cutting down in the latter phases. For me, I had to skip the deadlifts and squats in this phase due to an old back injury.
What really changes in between the phases besides some of the exercises is the rep schemes, which is designed to create a certain type of physique and not just add muscle randomly. Below is a link to a video where Rusty Moore explain this in more detail:
Who is this program for?
I think that skinnier guys who want to gain some muscle yet retain their leanness would do well with Visual Impact Muscle Building and probably won’t need the cardio program.
Guys who have fat to lose would do well to combine this program with the cardio program, like I did, to really help create a great physique.
What does this program cost?
$47 for Visual Impact and $37 (as of now) for the Cardio program…when purchased individually. Buying both programs usually results in a huge discount for the second one. Really for six months worth of workouts that works out to roughly 26 cents a day in order to help transform your body.
Is the cardio program difficult?
It can be brutal sometimes. It builds up over the program and the last few weeks look pretty damn challenging. There will be weeks in which 5 days a week is commonplace, so it is important to monitor your body and know when to take a break. Overall, I love it. I love having to push myself through workouts because I know that the results are already taking place and I cannot wait until I’m completely chiseled.
Here are some of the perks of Visual Impact Cardio:
- No more guess work. Specific workouts you can tailor to your own fitness level.
- Special Advanced cycle designed to help you get really cut.
- Intense workout to help build stamina and endurance.
- 3 separate, 8 week cycles, which can be repeated and modified as you get stronger.
- The reasoning behind everything is explained in simple, easy to understand terms.
- Can be downloaded instantly, you start right away.