Guilty as charged. I have a short mini-book on the way that expands my own “3-Minute Abs” in my book 7 Minute Muscle. Frankly there’s a demand for quality information out there in a world that’s ab-obsessed.

When my friend Mike Geary, a best-selling author and personal trainer, sent me his latest edition of The Truth About Abs, I didn’t need any coaxing to read it. Mike knows his stuff. We see eye-to-eye on almost everything. Sure, there are some key differences which I’ll cover in this review, but he’s a guy who not only walks the talk — he does, in fact, speak the truth as well.

Since I’m the guy who wrote 7 Minute Muscle, you can imagine I was a bit elated to read this:

—————————- “Truth About Abs”, Pg. 3 —————————-

“If you want to get nice visible six pack abs, why the heck are you wasting so much time doing abs exercises?”

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Yep. Someone else gets it. The ab exercises you see in the magazines are mostly worthless. Not as exercises per-se, but as exercises YOU need to do. Mike understand this, In fact, his entire “truth” is built around a singular concept: Ab training is the LAST priority when it comes to getting abs.

It sounds a bit backwards. But it’s right on the money.

That does not mean it’s easy. No easy answers in “Truth.” Just honest ones.

Mike does not focus on training first. Nor diet. Nor cardio. Like myself, his focus is between the ears. Again, someone else gets it. Mike says…

—————————- “Truth About Abs”, Pg. 5 —————————-

“The #1 reason for failure to achieve their fitness goal in most people is the general procrastination, laziness, and poor mental attitude about what they BELIEVE they can actually achieve.”

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Folks, it’s simple: Get your mind in the game, or simply stop playing it. If your mind is not ready your body will lag. If it’s prepped and ready to go, your body will follow. Mike’s advice is simple and sound in this matter.

Of course no book on abs would be worth a red cent if nutrition was not covered. “Truth” does this better than most books I’ve read on the subject… by far. And like myself, Geary is a bit on the controversial side of the fence when it comes to the truth about food.

—————————- “Truth About Abs”, Pg. 7 —————————-

No matter how hard they train, most people will never get their body fat low enough to see their abs if their diet is poor.”

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Solid, take-it-to-the-bank truth. However, Mike and I differ in some ways in our approach to nutrition that, I believe, starts with our genetic differences. He doesn’t suffer food cravings, having successfully trained himself not to enjoy fatty foods. I never mastered that one! Geary also does not have the body type nor personality type to put on a lot of bodyfat, despite eating a ton of junk food in his youth.

His focus on low-GI (glycemic index) carbs is nothing new, but Mike gives us a little known fact:

—————————- “Truth About Abs”, Pg. 9 —————————-

“Carbs are not the only food substrate that can promote an insulin response. Large doses of certain free form amino acids and quickly digested proteins such as whey protein also can trigger an insulin response.”

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While this is true, the insulin spike is far less than that of high-sugar, refined carbs. The point is still valid, as is Mike’s overall nutritional theme: Balance. He is in favor of a 20-40% healthy fat diet, and his views on fat are identical to my own. Fat has been made the villain, when in reality the villains are a bit more sneaky. (He reveals the true health-wrecking, fat-making villains later in the book.)

Healthy fats, low-GI carbs, and lean protein. Raw milk if you can get it. Grass-fed is best. Yep. Solid stuff. Yet I disagree with him re: low-carb diets being a “fad”. Far too much research has been done in the past two years to substantiate the benefits of low-carb diets for many people. But just about everyone would benefit from Mike’s recommendations of a moderate-carb diet that’s balanced and consists of whole foods. Again, differences are good. The overall picture is what counts here.

We also agree on protein intake — for the most part. For athletes his recommendations are right-on. For the sedentary, I prefer slightly lower protein if the fat is sufficient, but these are just minor differences.

We’re both right on the money with the “overfeeding principle” or what I call “feed days” in EODD. Over-feeding based on caloric staggering, and the principle is tested and sound. Mike explains some of the hormonal effects of this approach to fat loss as well as how he goes about achieving this crucial key to fatloss.

Interesting: Calcium for leanness? It’s well-argued on page 35. Check it out, along with Mike’s “hidden in your kitchen fat-burners” — very clever.

But what about the ‘exercise’? Isn’t this a book about abs? Yes… and exercise for the abs is put into ideal, crystal-clear perspective.

Ready?

—————————- “Truth About Abs”, Pg. 55 —————————-

“One of the reasons that many people who spend a half an hour during each workout doing hundreds of crunches fail to ever develop six pack abs is that after a certain point, regular old crunches just don’t provide much resistance to develop your abs…. You can complete an intense ab training session in about 5-10 minutes during your workouts.”

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There you go folks. Yet another pro speaking the truth. This fits perfectly with my 3-Minute Abs workout. Just three minutes will work for most people, and I double that for those wanting faster progress. In short, we’re saying the same thing here. Mike goes on to personally illustrate every exercise he recommends starting on page 60. Some of these you’ve never heard of… and others that will give you pause as to why on earth they’re in an “ab” book.

Examples include front squats and dead-lifts. Say what??

Say, “Right.” Both exercises train your core more efficiently than a dozen core-specific exercises ever could. Like I said, the book is called “The Truth About Abs”, not “Abs Made Easy.”

Abs are not easy… but like anything else, the process can be made super-clear and easier to understand. That makes the results you want easier to come by.

Shorter, more intense cardio replaces hours on the treadmill or glider. Brief, compound-movement exercise replaces endless crunches. You’ll need to read the book for more details. Here’s a direct link… I do not make a cent for this referral:

Read “Truth About Abs” <—- try the book here.

Enjoy this one folks, and let truth set your midsection freee.

Jon Benson

P.S. Perhaps Mike’s approach can best be summed up by my recent experience. Would you be willing to read a bit further?

I had to lay off from training for the past several months to deal with a personal issue with my family. Afterwards, returning to training was a bit challenging. The first day I did chest work along with some shoulders and triceps. Nothing earth-shattering: three sets of one exercise for each bodypart.

Get this: My ABS were sore as hell the next day. Yep. Abs. Never touched them… but you see, I “did” touch them. Hard. Lifting those dumbbells required my abs. Doing those triceps extensions required my abs.

Had I did ab-specific exercises, I would have just wasted my time.

Stop wasting yours. You only need about 10 minutes a week of actual “ab” exercise.

See for yourself:

Read “Truth About Abs” <—- try the book here.