Instagrammer reveals how long it really takes to get visible abs with side-by-side photos
With pool season upon us (well, those of us in the northern hemisphere), many of us are hitting the gym in a last-ditch attempt to get "bikini-body-ready". But while any workout is good for you, I'm sorry to break the news that slimming down and toning up is not something that you can achieve in a few weeks.
Especially when it comes to the ever-elusive abs. Having a flat tummy and defined, visible abs is something many people set as their fitness #goals, but one Instagram fitness model is here to tell you that it isn't easy.
Getting abs doesn't just involve eating lettuce leaves and spending three hours a day doing crunches. Many people have pointed out that while tummy-targeting moves like planks and crunches do help strengthen your core, it's just as important to do total body workouts in order to see results.
Cass Olhom adds that it's all about "hard work and consistency", revealing in side-by-side photos just how long it's taken her to get visible abs. The 27-year-old has always been into fitness, but it was only once she got into Crossfit that she really started seeing her muscles become properly defined.
A recent Instagram post shows the Australian nutritionist and trainer one year into her strength training, next to an image of her after five years. The difference is phenomenal – she still has the same slender frame, but those abs are undeniably poppin'.
"People say to me 'oh you're so lucky that you're so fit' or 'you're so lucky that you're so strong'," she wrote in the caption of the post. "The thing is luck doesn't get me out of bed at 4:00am morning. Luck doesn't put my trainers on. Luck really doesn't have anything to do with it."
Cass reflected on the fact that she came from a "competitive running background", saying that getting into weight training was a daunting thing due to the fact that she had such a long way to go.
"I had little to no upper body strength," she said. "I could barely do a push up on my knees let alone my toes, and the idea of doing a pull up was just insane."
Since then, she's developed a healthy routine, and hits the gym on a regular basis - and sticking to this lifestyle over the course of five years is what helped her sculpt her abs.
Apologies if you were hoping for your own visible abs to miraculously appear in time for summer – it seems that you might have to wait a few years.