Everybody wants a flat stomach or six pack abs. This is why there are so many books and DVDs on flat abs and so many products and “exercise” tools that swear they’ll help you to get a flat stomach.

The only programs that sound real are the ones that say there are no shortcuts or easy ways to get six pack abs. Because of this, Six Pack Shortcuts by certified trainer Mike Chang sounded like hype to me right off the bat. That was until I really checked it out.

No Empty Promises, Just a Reality Check

The name of the program is a little deceiving. Mike Chang isn’t presenting super-secret “shortcuts”, he’s explaining how 90% of the effort we put into getting flat abs is a waste of time. When you cut out the stuff that doesn’t really work, then you can actually see some real results (some very good results, actually) in far less time.

Maximizing the Potential of Everything You Do

With the Six Pack Shortcuts program, first you cut out the 90% of what you’re doing that doesn’t work, leaving you with 10% that does. Then, you maximize the potential of every bit of that 10%. This means eating the foods that will actually help you burn fat instead of eating the so-called “health” foods that signal your body to store fat around your abdomen. It also means paring your workouts down to the moves that get the best results in the least amount of time.

Building Muscle the Right Way

One of the main principles of the Six Pack Shortcuts program is to use free weights rather than machines for building muscle. Chang explains in very easy-to-understand terms that when we use machines to weight train, we look like we’re doing something impressive, but we aren’t building the stabilizing muscles that will give us the look and the strength we need. This is because the machines do the stabilizing for us.

Losing Fat the Right Way

Chang also blasts the whole concept of long cardio workouts out of the water. This is one of the most important things about the program. A lot of people just don’t have a lot of time to devote to cardio and we’re not too motivated to do it, either, when we don’t see the results we’re looking for, no matter how long we run on the treadmill. Chang explains why long, static cardio doesn’t work and how interval training does get you the results you want in much less time. The cool part is that the research backs up everything he says.

Eating More, Not Less to Lose Fat

This was a huge deal for me. I have a small frame and my calorie requirements are already low. Trying to cut calories to lose fat is extremely hard for me and it never works for very long. I get hungry and fatigued and go back to my normal eating patterns. Change teaches us that we actually have to eat more if we want to boost our metabolisms and signal our bodies to burn stored fat. Of course, he’s talking about healthy food choices, but he’s also talking about more calories, bigger portions and lots of small meals. No hunger, no fatigue. In fact, sometimes you have to remind yourself to eat something and because the constant small meals keep your blood sugar steady, there’s no fatigue. What you get is a ton of energy.

One (or Two) Steps at a Time

One of the really different things about Six Pack Shortcuts is that it doesn’t ask you to change all of your old habits at once, learn all your new habits at once or turn your life inside out all at one time. Chang walks you through focusing on one or two changes at a time so that stay motivated instead of getting discouraged and so that you can really nail one thing before you move on to the next. This alone makes it very different from other programs.

What You Get With the Program?

With Mike Chang’s program, you get a multi-phase workout program called the “After Burn Effect” program. These are all delivered by streaming video from a members-only site. Each phase focuses on one thing, such as burning fat or building lean muscle. You also get a series of videos on Chang’s “Zero Willpower Eating Plan” which is a really awesome approach to food. It leads you through a week’s worth of eating, yet only cooking 60 minutes for the entire weeks’ worth of fat-burning foods.

You also get access to help and support through the members-only web platform, which is extremely motivating and answers a lot of questions that commonly come up.

What It’s Like to Follow the Program

One of the great things about the Six Pack Shortcuts program is that you don’t have to go to the gym-in fact; it’s easier to do the workouts at home with the videos and your own free weights. Just be prepared to really work out, 30 minutes a day, four days a week. The eating plan is extremely easy; especially when you factor in how much time you don’t spend cooking every day. On this plan, you end up with a lot more time leftover in your week. The videos are very good, and explain things in an easy to follow format and style, but you do have to give yourself some time to get used to the workouts.

Mike Chang’s Six Pack Shortcuts is extremely effective, very user-friendly and is something that even rank beginners can use to get great results.