There are certain key elements that must be a part of your ab workout routine if you are to get the best results from your ab training. As with most things there is definitely a wrong way and a right way to train your abs. If you desire a chiselled set of six pack abs without the risk of injuring yourself in the process or at the very least working hard for not much gain, then you may want to consider these important tips.
Sit-Ups
Firstly you need to dump conventional situps. Not only are they totally ineffective in the building of your six pack they can be responsible for muscle strains in the hip flexors and lower back.
Very few people actually do sit-ups correctly anyway. There is the tendency to do the reps too fast, creating momentum in the movement that allows you to cheat and lose whatever benefit (minimal in the case of sit-ups) that the exercise may give. Additionally many people will put the focus of the movement on the neck and shoulders rather than the abs, pulling themself up rather than curling up using just the abdominal muscles.
While the crunch is not perfect it is a quantum leap ahead of conventional sit-ups and should be the only type of sit up style movement you use in your abdominal workout routine
Knees Bent Rather Than Straight
When you are doing any type of ab exercise that has you laying on your back, your legs should be bent and not straight. Straight legs will lead to recruitment of your hip flexors most notably the psoas muscle which can often lead to lower back strain and even when injury does not occur as we have already stated the wrong muscle is getting the focus of the exercise. Net result….no results.
An exercise that you really need to avoid that goes with this tip is the straight leg raise. At the risk of repeating myself straight legs in abdominal workout routines lead to recruitment of muscles other than the abs. Possible outcome….no abdominal development and possible lower back strain.
A far better, and considerably more difficult, ab exercise is the reverse crunch. This should always be used as a lower ab exercise instead of the “EVIL” straight leg raise.
In the reverse crunch, you keep the legs bent (thighs at 90 degrees to your body) and by focusing on and contracting the lower abs you curl your pelvis up wards, lifting the sacrum and glutes off the floor. The pelvis is then lowered to the floor and the next rep is performed.
Working The Abdominal Muscles Too Hard And Too Frequently
This one is a real “die hard”. Many people still think you need to do 100s of reps of crunches and other ab exercise to get the six pack of your dreams. Not so. The abs are muscles like any other and respond the same way as other muscles. In order to create muscle you need resistance and progressive overload not more reps.
Even those ab training authorities who understand this concept still overdo the reps for the ab exercises. Rep range should be no higher than 12. If you can do 12 easily increase or add weight to the exercise or increase the intensity and/or difficulty in some way until 12 becomes impossible and begin working up to 12 reps.
If weights are not practical for the particular exercise then some other method must be used to increase the intensity. Use a Swiss ball, rubber training bands, decrease the leverage potential in a movement, do the movement slower. There are many ways to increase the intensity of your ab workout routine. And its an absolute must. Without progressive resistance you get no muscle growth
This should be repeated no more than 3 times a week
Not only is this method far more effective it is far quicker to actually perform. A good thing J
In order to develop an impressive set of six pack abs you need to understand the function of your abdominal muscles and understand thoroughly the correct technique of the exercises you are performing.
Time spent learning not only how to correctly do a particular exercise but also understanding why you do it that way will lead to safer and more productive abdominal training sessions
Looking for ways to build a six pack FAST!!!!!
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