Maurice Gerard Florendo Resides: Mississauga, Canada Age: 25 Height: 5ft 7"  Weight: 165 pounds Favorite Body-part: Abs & Back Waist Size: 30" Body Fat Percentage: 8% About me and how I keep in shape My workouts usually consist of a 3 day on 1 day off 3 day on routine once a week for about 6 weeks.  I hit my abs only once a week, but I make sure to intensify my progress as I go in to the program I am on.  For Example, I would start with 30 reps of leg-lifts, 30 reps of side crunches, 30 regular crunches, and then 30 more leg-lifts for the first week all consecutively making my heart rate stay on my fat burn zone.  I try to put 5-7 more reps each week in each individual crunches.  By the 6th week I am usually doing 65 reps of each crunches and believe me it works!  It hurts like heck, but when you start to see your abdominals marking in that fitted white shirt you know it was all worth it. I was always the type to hate doing cardio workouts but I soon realized how important it is for building and maintaining that perfect six pack.  On off seasons when I'm not competing, I tend to increase my intake of calories, aiming to gain a little bit more muscle.  To make sure that I don't gain too much excess fat, I do my low intensity cardio 4-5 times a week depending on how much calories I consume that week.  I always mix it up with the elliptical, treadmill, stair-master, or the stationary bike for no more than 40 minutes with a 5-6 min cool down and stretch at the end.          I have been dieting for three years now and the longer I go the more I get to know what my body needs.  Everyone has a different reaction to different foods so there is no such thing as a perfect meal plan or diet.  The best way to do it is to really learn how your body reacts to certain foods that you eat, starting with the healthier choices of course.  But one rule of thumb that I find works the best for me is to reduce my carb intake as I go in to the evening hours which is roughly about 5-6pm for me.  I usually stick to fibrous greens and lean meats with my EFA's after 6pm specially on my pre-competition.  Another tip is to make sure that you always include a cheat meal every week as the body gets used to the foods that you eat.  Also, its a good reward for being so disciplined during the week.  Remember its only a cheat MEAL not a cheat DAY! I think the key thing to keep in great shape and to maintain those ripped abs all year long is to never judge yourself through weight.  Always by the way you look and feel.  People get obsessed with weight nowadays not knowing that it can be very deceiving.  Water retention is an example that can be misleading you most of the times.  Depending on how much your body retains water, be careful on judging what fat is and what water retention is when you look at yourself.  Also, just consume things you like in moderation and keep your cardio in your routine.  Just make sure not to over do it because there is such a thing called over training. A six pack is a sign of hard work, dedication and good self discipline that is why it is so special to have them.  Not every one has the will to do it.  When you decide to aim for the six pack, ask yourself the question "Is it worth all worth it?".  If the answer is yes then drop that bag of chips, get off the couch and join the nearest gym! My Workout Routine Monday: Back-  3x12-15 chin ups, 4x8-10 seated rows, 4x12 wide grip pull-downs, 3x8-10 T-bar rows, 3x10-12 dumbbell pullovers Tuesday:  Shoulders/Traps  3x12-15 lateral raises, 3x8-10 military presses, 3x12 front dumbbell raises, 3x12-15 reverse flies Traps:  3x12-15 hack squat machine shrugs, 3x8-10 behind the back shrugs Wednesday:  Bi's and Tri's-  3x10-12 Barbell curls superset with 3x10-12 overhead extensions,  3x12-15 alternating dumbbell curls superset with tricep press downs, 3x8-10 Preacher curls superset with skull crushers Thursday: Off Friday: Legs-  2x10 jump squats, 3x10-12 medium stance squats, 3x10-12 single leg presses, 3x10-12 stiff legged dead lifts, 3x12-15 leg extensions with the last set being a drop set, 4x12-15 single ham curls, Pyramid style of 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15 reps of standing calve raises Saturday:  Chest-  3x8-10 flat bench press superset with 3x12-15 incline dumbbell flies, 3x8-10 decline bench press superset with 3x12-15 alternating dumbbell presses Sunday: Abs/forearms-   2x30 crunches, 30 side crunches, 30 leg raises, 30 more crunches consecutively and build up form there. Forearms-  3x10-12 reverse curls superset with 4x12-25 behind the back wrist curls This cycle continues for 6 weeks. 40-45 min of cardio is done after the weight training but less likely after a hard leg work out.  Depending on the intensity of the workout cardio should be done atleast 4 times a week. Guys, I hope this gives you a valuable insight into my routine. Good Luck with your goals. Maurice