Pro Tips For Achieving The Ultimate Abs & Booty Combo Through Diet And Exercise

What you need to know

• To lose fat and tone abs, you need to be in a calorie deficit
• To grow your booty, you need to be in calorie surplus
• Targeted exercises don’t work for weight loss
• Your diet must match your goals
• You may have to compromise

According to dietitians, achieving a rock hard six pack and a perky, plump booty at the same time is much harder than the Kardashians make it look. Not only do the different muscles require different exercises, they can also require different diets.

For those of you who have been tirelessly working on increasing your squat count and ab workouts, take a quick look at this handy information which will point you in the direction of the ultimate ab & booty plan.

To find out exactly what we need to prioritise, we reached out to MACROS Fitness Ambassador and Acero Fitness’ strength and conditioning coach, Ben Putland, who was happy to put some common misconceptions to bed and to offer up some very helpful tips for achieving our dream abs and booty.

Ben became a PT five years ago and is now a keen MACROS fitness ambassador and founding personal trainer at ACERO Fitness in Sydney, where he helps health seekers hit their ultimate fitness goals. With a Personal Training Certification 3 & 4, Strength and Conditioning coach, Ben helps men and women across Sydney reach personal success through customised training and advice.

Is it possible to achieve abs and a booty at the same time? If so, what’s the trick?

“Losing fat and building muscle are two separate goals, as to lose fat you need to be in a calorie deficit and to build and grow muscle your body needs to be in a calorie surplus.

“For those who are trying to achieve leaning out through their abs but also grow their glutes at the same time, there will be a compromise between the two as there will be a limit to how much body percentage of muscle can be built, just as there will be a limit to how lean you can get to achieve abs.

“In this style program, there would be a mixture of cardiovascular training through high-intensity-interval training which works very well at burning fat and incorporating resistance training, especially focussing on hypertrophy movements (higher reps) to build muscle mass and focussing on lower body compound movements and glute-isolated exercises.”

Is there a percentage of body fat that will help you to achieve abs faster?

“Body fat percentage is a measurement of your body’s composition to determine how much of your weight is derived from fat. The non-fat mass portion of your body composition is made up of muscle, bone and water weight. Each individual holds and distributes weight differently on the body due to a range of factors and therefore two people who both weigh 60kgs on paper, can have completely different body structures in real life.

“This is due to genetics, where individuals store more fat, differing ratios of muscle mass percentage and fat percentage, height etc; because of this, two individuals with the same amount of body fat percentage may not mean that they will both show abs. Unfortunately, spot reducing fat is a myth as it does not correlate with how the body naturally burns fat,” he said.

“Those that complete targeted abdominal exercises will not see a greater reduction in belly fat to those that don’t participate in abdominal exercises. In saying this there are general body fat percentage categories that can be used as a loose guide to ensure you are on the right track to meeting your required goals.”

Are there specific foods we should include in our diets?

“Stick to your clean whole foods. For carbs, I’m talking breads and cereals, legumes, and non-starchy vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and asparagus). When it comes to protein I recommend you reach for lean meats, seafood, beans and eggs. Lastly, fats are best sourced from nuts and seeds, avocado and dairy products. If you’re lacking a little inspo or feeling time poor but need to hit those targets, I would 100% recommend subscribing to a meal delivery service that suits your goals. Companies like MACROS deliver fresh, portioned meals direct to your door, and can cater to an array of dietary needs. There is nothing more satisfying than ready-made meals that taste good and are great for you.”

Do abs and booty require different diets?

“If an individual really wants to focus on leaning down they have to be in some sort of deficit so that they are not consuming more than they are burning calories in a day. For individuals who are focussing on trying to grow their glutes, a surplus diet will allow them to feed their muscles after resistance training sessions to allow sufficient recovery and growth, which is essential.”

Should we be consuming more protein? If so, how much?

“When it comes to protein intake for individuals who are active (ie anyone who engages in moderate to high intensity training per week) for men and women it is recommended to consume 1.2-1.7 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight. So, for example if you weigh 50kg you should consume between 60-85 grams of protein per day.”

So, as it turns out, achieving your dream butt and abs isn’t as simple as hitting the gym and focusing primarily on your core or booty. Finding the perfect balance eis key and isolating the body parts may help you to achieve the body of your dreams, although, it may take a little longer than you were hoping for!