There is a myth out there that I would like to bust right away. You can not burn belly fat. Do as many sit ups, crunches and any other abdominal exercises that you like and you will still not have those sexy abs. That is the frustration that many people get caught into. They buy the ab roller or some other promise of an ab producing product. They do just that exercise day in and day out and they still don't have abs. The point is you can not just improve one little spot on your body or burn fat away from only one area. Workout just that area all day long and you will not see the results that you want. Instead you need to have a full ab routine that includes the workout and the diet. Here are the major components that you will need to build the best ab workout ever.

Nutrition Phase

Your diet and nutrition is a crucial part of building your best abs workout. Without proper nutrition you will always have a layer of fat covering over your six pack. Without strict dieting and proper nutrition you will never see those abs. You diet must include the following.

High Metabolism – To really burn the fat and build muscles you want to increase your overall metabolism. The number one reasons people don't have rock hard abs is the extra layer of fat that many people carry around their stomach. The reason for the extra fat is typically is the over consumption of calories and a slow metabolism. In order to fire up your metabolism and keep it burning away at the calories you consume you should eat 5 to 6 small meals a day. This keeps food in your system and keep your metabolism high and burning calories.

High Protein – A diet with lots of high quality protein is crucial for building muscle and maintaining overall health. You should consume low fat source of high quality protein. Things like lean white chicken breast, almonds, fish fillets, steaks and even possible a protein supplement.

High Amounts Of Water – Since our body is made up mostly of water it plays a crucial role in over all fitness. It is important to not become dehydrated and keep your body healthy and full of energy by drinking water. Typically 64 ounces of water a day or more is recommended.

High Fiber – You want to consumer lots of high quality naturally occurring fiber and anti oxidants to flush out any toxins in your body. This will lead to better overall health, quicker recovery and aide the body in building muscles.

Workout Phase

Cardio – Doing cardio will help burn fat. You need to do a minimum of 30 to 45 minutes three days a week. You can choose what type of cardio to do it can be running, biking, kick boxing or anything else you want. You can do this at your house easily or you can go to the gym and use the treadmill or stair climber and other machines. It is important to participate in a variety of activities so you don't get bored and mix things up a bit. Also try to find activities you enjoy doing so you will have fun getting your cardio in.

Abs Specific - You can also do some ab specific exercises to tone and firm the area and build your stomach muscles for a ripped six pack ab look. Now don't over do it however. Do not only focus on this area at the exclusion of other body parts. But a few sets of crunches, leg raises and other ab exercises can help build the muscle in that area.

Weight Lifting – Something that is not commonly known by people is weight lifting helps burn fat also. Cardio is typically thought of as the fat burning workout. While you do your cardio you burn the fat. However with weight lifting and muscle building you aren't burning so much fat as you actually lift. However, the benefit comes in later when your body has recovered and you have more muscles. Those muscle will burn calories and fat on a daily basis and so you get a real long term benefit from lifting weights and building muscles. Also it is best if you are just starting out to stick with core muscle areas and build them up.