Currently, there are a huge number of workouts focused on training the abdominal muscles. This article will tell you everything you need to know about building a beautiful, sculpted body.
You can be strong... you can be big... but all the really tough guys have incredibly awesome abs. If you want to get abs like Arnold Schwarzenegger, that's great.
If creating a sculpted figure is so easy, why doesn’t everyone have a toned and sculpted stomach? This means there is some kind of problem.
You know what happens when millions of people want something so badly that it forces them to scan Google for what they want late into the night, with their wallets at the ready.
Of course... it's a siren call for the savvy marketers hiding in the shadows. Perhaps it is better to call them eagles, soaring overhead, searching for weakened prey.
Okay, okay, this is going to sound a little dramatic, but my point is this:
- Some people will tell you that you only need to do a few exercises a day to get ripped abs... but that's a mistake.
- Some will say that you must do squats and deadlifts, otherwise you will not be able to form a beautiful torso... but this is a mistake.
- Someone will say that you need to eat only certain foods, and everything else is absolutely forbidden... but this is a mistake.
- Some will say that you just need to lose weight... but this is a mistake.
- And some will say that it’s all about food additives... but they are also wrong.
There are really only two things you need to do well:
How to get ripped six-pack abs in 2 easy steps
Getting six pack abs is easier said than done. Although it is quite simple if you follow certain instructions.
1. Lose weight
I think this is obvious.
The first reason why six packs are not visible is the presence of a large layer of fat covering the muscle layer.
By losing fat, you will be closer to your goal, if you are not already there. However, it follows next question: how to lose weight?
First, you can't get rid of belly fat directly. Losing weight in limited areas of the body is a myth.
Targeted fat loss or "limited reduction" has long been a hot button for selling fitness books, magazines, DVDs, nutritional supplements and more.
One workout is for “slimming” your thighs and the other is for “sculpting” your midsection. This food is supposed to reduce belly fat and this food can somehow make your thighs look slimmer.
I wish it were that simple.
Research showed that muscle training does lead to increased levels of blood flow and lipolysis (the breakdown of fat cells into usable energy) in the area of the trained muscles, but the effect is so small as to be of no significance.
Training muscles burns calories and thus promotes muscle growth and fat burning, but does not directly reduce the amount of fat formed on those muscles.
Thus, fat loss is a process that involves the entire body.
For effective weight loss necessary maintain a calorie deficit, which causes the body to reduce the overall volume of its fat reserves. Contractions occur everywhere, however, some areas dry out faster than others.
The point is, you can work out as much as you want until your abs explode, but you will never see the result until you send body fat percentage to the required ratio.
This ratio should be: 15% or less body fat for men and 25% or less for women.
Here is a visual image that shows what abs look like with different amounts of subcutaneous fat:
As you can see, the abdominal muscles become visible at 15% and 25% in men and women respectively, and especially stand out at 10% in men and 20% in women.
It was mentioned earlier that some areas of the body lose fat faster than others.
Unfortunately, the layer of fat that covers the muscles of the core, especially its lower parts, is terribly resilient. And the point is not in the individual characteristics of the body, but in physiology.
There are scientific reasons why fat cells in this area of the body are more difficult to burn than others. And fortunately, there are various strategies to improve this situation.
2. Develop all abdominal muscles
In other words, you need to pump all the core muscles. There is a common belief that people who do a lot of weight-bearing exercises (squats, deadlifts, weight training exercises, etc.) do not need to train their abdominal muscles.
One may not agree with this. Let's take a quick look at the muscles that make up the abdominals.
Firstly, this rectus abdominis (rectus abdominal muscle). This is the name for a group of muscles that look like six “packs”:
Then several other abdominal muscles that complete appearance torso, these include the oblique and abdominal (or transverse, as it is usually called), as well as the serratus muscles:
Don't discount the need to develop these muscles other than the "pretty" rectus muscle.
Here is an example of abs, with poorly developed lower layers of core muscles:
Yes, it doesn’t look bad, but there is no relief of the oblique abdominal muscles, the serratus muscle is underdeveloped and there is no line of the transverse muscle.
Some people have a different problem: their rectus muscle is weakly expressed or unevenly expressed, while the rest of the abdominal muscles are pumped:
If the obliques are too extended, the rectus muscle is deficient, and the transversus and serratus muscles may be absent.
Now let's take a look at what a good, proper abdominal press should look like:
Of course the model (Greg Plitt) has much better genetics than those two guys, but he's no thinner than the second guy. He just has the perfect balance of development of all the core muscles.
The goal is not just to get beautiful abs, but to have great abs.
I don't look like Plitt, but I have personal experience working on building my abdominal muscle groups. This is me a few years ago:
I was about 7% body fat and, as you can see, pretty good core muscle building. It is worth noting that I did squats, deadlifts, and some abdominal exercises, but this is not what I would like to write about in this article.
(If you're wondering why I only have four abs instead of six, it's purely genetic. Some people develop better rectus abdominis muscles than others.)
This rather dramatic improvement was the result of not only training the rectus muscles, but also other major abdominal muscles.
The Real Shortcut to Six-Pack Abs
It doesn't matter whether you are a man or a woman, a thin person must have developed abdominal muscles.
You can lose weight with proper nutrition and diets, and for the development of the core muscles of the core, training of both isolated muscle groups and all muscles as a whole is necessary.
Use this workout and flexible diet program to lose up to 5 kg of fat and build beautiful muscles in just 30 days... without debilitating fasting or constant training in the gym.
The best exercises to train your abdominal muscles
I have seen and talked to many people who regularly do an incredible number of different exercises, who can plank for an impressive amount of time, but all this does not lead to results - their abs remain underdeveloped.
It is necessary to leave the “comfort zone”, i.e. it is necessary to give increased load on the muscles For their growth. It is worth paying attention to this, and, in the case of weight-bearing strength training, increase the weight from time to time.
One of huge mistakes is the lack of strength exercises with weights when working on the core muscles.
Before we talk about training routines, let's look at what individual exercises are.
There are an almost endless number of different abdominal exercises to choose from, and almost as many opinions as to which ones are best. Luckily, we're only interested in a few exercises that will help build your core.
All exercises listed in this article were selected based on certain research, and also mine personal experience, which was obtained by working with hundreds of people.
I also described several exercises that you can perform, but if you carefully follow the basic plan, then most likely they are not needed.
Basic exercises
Squats, deadlift, bench press, classic army press By themselves, they are not abdominal exercises, but they are effective for building and strengthening core muscles.
They are also the most important exercises for overall building and strengthening the muscles of the body. If you don't do them and don't intend to do them, then you lose the lion's share of progress.
Twisting on the upper block
Crunches are one of my favorite exercises and are great for building the rectus abdominis muscle.
A variant of “twisting” twists is possible, in which, in addition to the rectus muscle, there is a large load on the oblique abdominal muscles. In this case, the sequence of actions is as follows: you need to touch the left knee with your right elbow, then the usual straight twist, and the left elbow touches the right knee, back to the center and so on.
Raising the legs while resting on the elbows
This exercise is considered one of the best, which involves the rectus and oblique abdominal muscles (including their lower parts).
You can start with knee raises, but you should aim to do the exercise with your legs extended. After this load becomes small, you can add weight, for example, holding a medicine ball between your legs.
Hanging leg raises on the bar
This exercise is similar to the previous one, but requires much more effort.
Similar to the previous one, at first you can also perform it with bent knees, but strive to perform it with outstretched legs. Over time you can add weight.
Bike
Don't let this easy exercise fool you - it's a great addition to your workout routine. When performing a bicycle, the oblique and transverse abdominal muscles are involved.
Ab roller
I'm not a fan of various gadgets and other gizmos for training, but the ab roller is a really effective and cheap tool.
If you want to include this exercise in your regular training program, then you need to purchase a high-quality video, for example, this one:
Although you can use any :)
You can add weight to this exercise using a weighted vest.
How to create an effective training program and pump up your abs
The rules for creating a workout focused on shaping the abs are very simple:
1. Combine weight-bearing and body-weight exercises into one workout.
Abs capable of deep, separate contractions of individual muscles require much more preparation than many might think. In this case, the approach periodic» exercise is the most in an efficient way to achieve this goal.
2. Exercise regularly
Optimal training frequency is a subject of endless debate. However, the main rule can be identified: The smaller the muscle group, the faster it recovers.
So, general exercises like deadlifts or squats take longer to recover than isolated exercises like biceps curls.
So I noticed that, just like the calf muscles, the abdominal muscles can do more contractions than larger muscle groups.
I noticed that 2-3 ab workouts per week, and at the same time general strength training, is the “golden mean” for getting maximum results And preventing overtraining .
If we consider the question required quantity abdominal workouts per week, then you should leave 1 to 2 days of rest between workouts. If I plan three workouts a week, I prefer to train on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, or Tuesday and Thursday if I plan two workouts.
3. Make sure progress is not stagnant
As with any other workout, the main goal of the workout is to become stronger, with beautiful, toned muscles.
The weight used during training should gradually increase as the number of times you can do the same exercise with the weight equals the number of times you can do the same exercise without the weight.
Now that we know the “rules,” let’s take a closer look at how to plan your workouts.
The training scheme is elementary. It is necessary to do the exercises cyclically. One cycle contains 3 exercises that must be performed continuously one after another. We rest only between cycles; we do not rest between exercises within a cycle.
Abdominal training program
How to build a loop:
- The first set should include a strength exercise, such as crunches, elbow raises, or hanging leg raises on the bar - 10-15 repetitions in total.
If you cannot do the exercise at least 10 times, then you need to reduce the weight. If you do it 15 times, it’s time to add a couple of kilograms.
- We immediately move on to one set of exercises without weight and do it maximum quantity once.
- We move on to another set of exercises without weight and do it as many times as possible.
- Rest 2-3 minutes before a new cycle.
For example, here's one of my favorite loops:
- 1 set of crunches in the upper block, 10-12 times
- 1 set of leg raises resting on the elbows as many times as possible
- 1 bicycle set maximum number of times
Rest 2-3 minutes
I usually insert ab circuits between sets of common muscle groups to save time. For example:
- 1 set of deadlifts
- 1 cycle per press
- Rest 60-90 seconds
- 1 set of deadlifts
- 1 cycle per press
- Rest 60-90 seconds
It’s better to set yourself a goal of 3 abdominal cycles during one workout (and 2-3 workouts per week). It's actually not as easy as it seems!
Can sports nutrition supplements help you get bigger abs faster?
No natural substances can “burn fat,” no matter how complicated or pseudo-scientific the explanation may be.
Supplement companies most often talk about increasing fat oxidation levels (while muscle mass preserved) while supporting the thyroid gland, inducing thermogenesis, blocking enzymes related to fat storage, inducing enzymes that cause fat loss, managing hormone and neurotransmitter levels, reducing water retention, improving nutrient absorption and much more.
Okay, while these aspects do have an impact on weight loss, this type of marketing is nothing more than an attempt to blind us with terminology and scientific half-truths in hopes that we will believe it.
If you look at the science of fat loss, you'll find that the right supplements can help, but they won't compensate for poor nutrition and exercise. If you follow the advice in this article, and don't torture yourself with exhausting diets and workouts, you can reap benefits from supplements that will truly accelerate fat loss.
Let's summarize the ab training
Almost every fitness guru and workout program promises to give you a six-pack for a very short terms, but few can actually deliver on that promise because it's not really that fast of a process.
There is no panacea for creating a beautiful torso. If you want a lean, sexy belly, then you need to be patient, eat right and exercise. If you are willing to wait months rather than days, you will get the results you want.
Now you know everything you need to eventually get a six pack, get out of your comfort zone and get to work!
Exercise No. 1: sit-ups.
Purpose of the exercise: to develop the upper section of the rectus abdominis muscles.
Execution:
1) Lie with your back on the floor and place your feet on a bench in front of you, bending your knees. You can put your hands behind your head or hold them in front of your body, whichever is more convenient (Fig. 1).
2) Bend your torso towards your knees, arching your back. Don't try to lift your entire back off the floor, just lean forward and bring your chest closer to your pelvic area. At the top of the movement, specifically tighten your abdominal muscles to achieve a full contraction, then relax and lower to the starting position. This movement should be performed slowly and under full control.
You can change the angle of stress on the abdominal muscles by changing the height of the bench. Instead of a bench, try resting your feet against the wall at whatever height you find comfortable.
Figure 1 - Hull lifts
Exercise No. 2: sit-ups with rotation.
Purpose of the exercise: to develop the upper abdominal and oblique abdominal muscles.
Execution:
1) Lie with your back on the floor and place your feet on the bench in front of you, bending your knees (Fig. 2).
2) Place your hands behind your head and bend your torso towards your knees, arching your back. At the same time, bend your torso sideways so that your right elbow goes towards your left knee. Relax and return to the starting position.
3) Repeat the twisting movement in the opposite direction so that the left elbow goes towards the right knee. Continue alternating movements until the end of the series.
Figure 2 - Body lifts with rotation
Exercise #3: Roman chair crunches.
Purpose of the exercise: emphasizes the load on the upper rectus abdominis muscles.
Execution:
1) Sit on a Roman bench, place your feet under a support and fold your arms in front of you (Fig. 3).
2) Keeping your stomach pulled in, lower yourself at an angle of approximately 70°, but not parallel to the floor. Rise to the starting position and bend your torso forward as far as possible, feeling the contraction of the rectus abdominis muscles.
You can experiment by lifting the front of the Roman bench to create an incline and increase the intensity of the exercise. This exercise can also be done with variable resistance by starting on an elevated bench and then lowering it to the floor as you begin to tire and continuing the series.
Figure 3 - Roman chair crunches
Exercise No. 4: reverse crunches.
Execution: This exercise is best performed on a bench press bench with a rack at one end.
1) Lie on your back on a bench, stretch your arms back and grab a counter or the edge of the bench for balance. Bend your knees and lift them as high as possible without lifting your pelvic area and lower back from the bench (Fig. 4).
2) From this position, lift your knees even higher and pull them as close to your face as possible, arching your back and bringing your pelvis closer to your chest. Pause for a second at the end of the movement and specifically tighten your abdominal muscles to achieve a full contraction. Slowly lower your knees until your tailbone touches the bench (do not lower your legs, otherwise the exercise will become a variation of the leg raise).
Repeat this movement slowly and under complete control.
Figure 4 - Reverse crunches
Exercise No. 5: grouping on a horizontal bench.
Purpose of the exercise: to develop the upper and lower abdominals.
Execution:
1) Sit on a bench and grab the edges for balance. Raise your legs slightly, bend your knees and lean back at an angle of approximately 45° (Fig. 5).
2) In a counter motion (sometimes called a scissor curl), bend your torso forward, arching your back, and at the same time pull your knees toward your chin. Feel the contraction of your abdominal muscles as your chest and pelvis come together. Then return to the starting position.
Figure 5 - Grouping on a horizontal bench
Exercise No. 6: twisting the torso in a sitting position.
Execution:
1) Sit at the end of a bench with your feet flat on the floor and your legs slightly apart. Place a broom stick or a light metal rod on your shoulders and grasp its ends (Fig. 6).
2) Keeping your head still, turn your torso to the side as far as you can. Pause for a second at the extreme point of the movement, then turn your torso in the other direction. The movement should be smooth, without jerking or swaying. Because this exercise contracts the obliques but is performed without weights, it tightens the muscles without adding bulk, which can make your waist appear wider.
Figure 6 - Torso rotations in a sitting position
Exercise No. 7: standing bends with torso rotation.
Purpose of the exercise: tighten the oblique abdominal muscles.
Execution:
1) Stand with your feet slightly apart, place a broom stick or light metal rod on your shoulders and grab the ends. Then lean forward from the waist (Fig. 7).
2) Keeping your head still and without rotating your pelvis, turn your torso to the side as far as you can. Pause for a second at the extreme point of the movement, then turn your torso in the other direction. The movement should be smooth, without jerking or swaying.
Figure 7 - Standing bends with torso rotation
Exercise #8: Reverse crunches on an incline bench.
Purpose of the exercise: to develop the lower abdominal region.
Execution:
1) Lie on your back on an incline bench so that your head is higher than your feet. Extend your arms and grab the top edge of the bench for balance (Fig. 8).
2) Raise your legs with your knees bent as far as you can, then lower them, stopping the moment your tailbone touches the bench. Inhale as you lift and exhale as you lower your legs.
Figure 8 - Reverse crunches on an incline bench
Exercise No. 9: leg raises on a horizontal bench.
Purpose of the exercise: to develop the lower abdominal region.
Execution:
1) Lie on your back on a flat bench so that your buttocks are at the very edge of the bench. Grasp the edge with your hands for balance and extend your legs forward (Fig. 9).
2) Keeping your legs straight, lift them vertically. Pause, then lower your feet to just below the level of the bench.
Figure 9 - Leg raises on a horizontal bench
Exercise No. 10: raising the body to bent legs on the side.
Purpose of the exercise: to develop the oblique abdominal muscles.
Execution:
1) Lying on your back, bend your knees and place them to the right. Place your hands behind your head, relax your neck (Fig. 10).
2) Using your left obliques, lift your shoulder blades off the floor and lift your chest toward your pelvis. Pause for a second. Then slowly and carefully return your shoulders to the starting position. As soon as your shoulder blades touch the floor, repeat the exercise. When you complete the required number of repetitions on your left side, switch positions and work your right side. Perform the same number of repetitions on the right side as on the left.
Figure 10 - Raising the body to bent legs on the side
Exercise No. 11: Lateral leg raises.
Purpose of the exercise: for the oblique abdominal muscles and intercostal muscles. This exercise develops the side of your torso and visually reduces your waist.
Execution:
1) Lie on your side and lean on your elbow, slightly bending your lower leg at the knee (Fig. 11).
2) Keeping your top leg straight, slowly lift it as high as you can, then lower it without touching the floor. After finishing the movement with one leg, turn to the other side and repeat the exercise.
Figure 11 - Lateral leg raises
Exercise No. 12: swing your legs on your side.
Purpose of the exercise: For the oblique abdominal muscles and intercostal muscles.
Execution: This exercise starts from the starting position for lateral leg raises (Fig. 12). However, here you are slowly moving your top leg forward as far as possible. The leg should remain straight from the beginning to the end of the movement. When you finish the exercise, turn onto your other side and work with your other leg.
Figure 12 - Swing your legs on your side
Exercise No. 13: Abdominal retraction (“Vacuum”).
Purpose of the exercise: to develop the ability to fully control the abdominal muscles, as well as to develop their definition.
Execution: To perform a “vacuum”, get on all fours, exhale all the air from your lungs and draw in your stomach as much as you can (Fig. 13). Hold this state for 20-30 seconds, then relax for a few seconds and try two or three more times.
The next step is to practice the "vacuum" while kneeling. Stand up straight with your hands on your knees and try to hold the “vacuum” for as long as you can.
Performing a “vacuum” in a sitting position is even more difficult task. But once you learn how to hold a “vacuum” while sitting without any problems, you will be able to do it while standing while performing various poses.
Figure 13 - Abdominal retraction
Exercise No. 14.
Purpose of the exercise: strengthening the upper and lower parts abdominal press.
Execution:
1) In a supine position, spread your elbows to the sides and clasp your hands behind your head. Bend your knees at a ninety-degree angle and press your feet firmly to the floor.
2) Raise your upper body and your bent leg, and do this at the same time.
3) Reach your elbows to your knees, using both your upper and lower abdominals. Maintain this position for two seconds, and then slowly return to the starting position. Switch legs after each lift.
Exercise No. 15.
Purpose of the exercise: strengthen the upper abdominals.
Execution:
1) Lie on your back and pull in your stomach, clasp your hands behind your head, spread your elbows to the sides. Bend your knees at a ninety-degree angle so that your soles are firmly pressed to the floor.
2) Contracting your abdominal muscles, lift your upper body slightly while maintaining the original position of your arms.
3) Hold your body suspended for about two seconds, and then slowly return to the starting position.
These exercises work all the abdominal muscles. During shaping classes, exercises No. 10, No. 11, No. 12, No. 14, No. 15 were used.
Extra centimeters on the waist confuse many representatives of the fair sex, and in order to somehow get rid of them, most girls torture themselves with diets. However, it is probably no secret that it is very difficult to get rid of extra centimeters for a long time without physical training. In particular, it is the inflated abdominal press that gives a slim waist and gives the figure beautiful contours.
The training set below contains the most effective exercises for the abdominal muscles . By doing it regularly, you can get closer to the dream of many women - a flat and toned stomach.
Follow the rules
- A set of abdominal exercises should be performed 3 times a day.
- Do not clasp your hands behind your head. This is necessary so that your head does not rest on your hands. In this case, your hands should be completely relaxed.
- The main condition positive effect for your figure - this doing the exercise regularly to strengthen the abdominal muscles. Don't quit after the first workouts.
- During exercise special attention give technology.
Abdominal exercises
For those who have decided to lose a couple of kilograms or tighten their stomach, exercises for the abdominal muscles will be a good ally. Here are the simplest and at the same time the best abdominal exercises. You can get to know them without resorting to the services of professional trainers.
Exercise 1
- Lie on your back, place your arms along your body.
- Raise your straight legs 25-30 cm.
- Smoothly lower your legs to the starting position. Watch your breathing.
- Do the exercise 8 times.
Exercise 2
- Lie on the floor, put your hands behind your head, bend your knees.
- Inhale and lift your shoulder blades and head off the floor.
- At the highest point of the climb, hold your breath for a few seconds.
- Exhale – lower yourself to the starting position.
- Perform the exercise 10-12 times.
Exercise 3
- Lie on the floor, place your hands behind your head.
- Raise your legs 30 degrees.
- In the air, start pedaling an imaginary bicycle.
- The duration of the exercise is 1 minute.
Exercise 4
- Lie on your back, arms along your body. Raise your legs perpendicular.
- Support yourself on your hands and keep your legs as high as possible.
- Hold your breath and, as you exhale, return to the starting position.
- Repeat 4-5 times.
Exercise 5
- Lie on your back and place your hands behind your head (on your chest). Place your chin on your chest.
- As you exhale, lift your upper body and try to touch your chest to your knees.
- When climbing, you can alternate turns left/right.
- Return to the starting position while inhaling. You should not lower your head.
- Do the exercise 6 times.
Also, one of the effective exercises for the abdominal press is regular squats, which can train the lower abdominal muscles.
Video
There are a number of other sets of abdominal exercises that are also effective and can be performed at home. For example, use the following video and choose the exercises that are most suitable for you:
Abdominal muscle training
The Best Abdominal Exercises
Remove belly fat in 4 minutes
Exercises to strengthen the abdominal press are not only a way to get a beautiful figure, but to always be in good shape.
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Lying on the floor, bend your legs and place your feet on the floor. Hands on the floor along the body. Raise your head, lowering your chin to your chest, raise your arms low so that they are parallel to the floor. Stretch right hand to the right heel, simultaneously lifting the shoulders and left shoulder blade (if possible) from the floor. Come back without lowering your head to the floor and reach with your left hand towards your left heel, lifting your shoulders and right shoulder blade accordingly.
Do 5 sets of 4-6 reps. If your neck gets tired, lower your chin. If your neck hurts, then support it with one hand and do it 4-5 times in one direction, and then change hands.
Mill
The starting position is the same: you lie on your back, your legs are bent and standing on the floor. However, your arms need to be bent and placed under your neck. Lift your left knee, simultaneously lift your head, arms and shoulders off the floor and point your chest towards this knee. Lower yourself and repeat the rise to the right side with your right knee.
Do 4 sets of 10 reps each (5 on each knee).Fold
The starting position is the same. Spread your legs slightly apart. Place one hand under your neck and extend the other between your legs. Lowering your head onto your chest, raise your shoulders and shoulder blades, and stretch your straight arm forward towards your heels.
Do 6-8 times and change hands. Perform 4 such approaches (one approach is exercises on both arms).
Scissors
Lying on your back, stretch your legs, arms along your body. Lean lightly on your palms and press your lower back to the floor. Make sure that she does not leave the floor during the entire exercise. Raise the straight right leg vertically up. Attach the left one to it. Lower the right one down to the floor and follow it with the left one. Start the next movement with your left leg up. Continue like this: always lift the leg that was last placed on the floor first.
Do 5 sets of 10-12 full cycles on each leg.
Twist
Starting position - as in the previous exercise. The legs are extended, the lower back is pressed to the floor, the palms rest on the floor. Raise your legs, bend them and point your knees towards your right shoulder, with your feet above your knees. Lower your legs to the floor, straightening them, and repeat the movement to your left shoulder.
Do 4 sets of 6-8 reps (equally on each side).
- increase muscle volume;
- reduce fat percentage.
- Starting position (IP) – lying on the floor, legs bent at the knees, hands located near the chest. To increase the load, you can cross your arms behind your head and put your legs on a chair.
- Slowly raise your shoulders and upper body. The amplitude is small and is designed for a powerful contraction of the upper abdominal muscles.
- Pause for a second at the peak point, then return to the IP.
- IP - lying on the floor, legs half-bent and slightly torn off the floor.
- Maintaining the position of your legs, bring your knees towards your chest.
- After holding for a second or two, return your legs to the IP position.
- IP - lying on a bench, the pelvis and half-bent legs hang from the bench, the arms provide support.
- Bring your knees towards your chest.
- Return your legs to IP.
- on straight arms;
- on the elbows;
- with an outstretched arm and/or leg;
- Lie face down on the floor.
- Rise up so that you are standing on your palms and toes, with your body straight.
- Keeping your breathing even, stand in this position for as long as possible.
- IP - hanging on the crossbar.
- Pull your knees bent towards your chest.
- After a second pause, return to the IP.
- IP - kneeling in front of the block, hands holding the ropes, body tilted forward.
- Using your abdominal pressure, bend down so that your elbows are close to the floor.
- Return to IP.
One of the signs of an athletic man is sculpted abs. The same is true for girls - a toned stomach is both beautiful and evidence of exercise. Exercises for the rectus abdominis muscle will help you achieve great shape. There are dozens of movement options. Let's look at the most effective and universal ones - those that are suitable for both women and the stronger sex. Most of the exercises you can easily do at home, but some are designed to be done in the gym.
A little anatomy
The abdominal muscles consist of four sections. The rectus muscle is the largest. This is what is most often called the press. This muscle group comes from the pelvic bone and attaches to the sternum. The muscles are crossed by several horizontal connective fibers and a vertical tendon line, visually forming cubes. The number and expressiveness of the latter depends on the nature of the tendons. If genetics have let you down, then even millions of repetitions will not help you catch up with those to whom nature has given a wonderful gift.
The press can only be divided into upper and lower areas conditionally. It's one whole. Certain movements provide only different degrees of tension in the zones. Therefore, to properly work out the abdominal muscles, it is not necessary to include dozens of different exercises in your training program.
For cubes to appear, two conditions must be met:
Local fat burning is a myth. Fat almost always disappears evenly throughout the body. Therefore, it is important to follow a diet and perform aerobic exercise.
Women need a combination of high-repetition abs, cardio, and diet. Men in this formula need to replace the high-repetition style with a regime that involves no more than 15 repetitions per set. Otherwise, instead of cubes there will be only squares - the abs will be inexpressive. Although this level is worthy of respect.
Note. Everything is individual: some manage to increase the volume of the press even when performing a large number of repetitions.
Exercises for the rectus abdominis muscle
Exercises for the abdominal muscles can be done in any conditions. To properly work out your abdominal muscles, you don’t need new-fangled exercise machines. But let's look at the different movements.
Exercises for home
All exercises are variations. In the first case, the torso is pulled towards the knees. In the second, the knees move towards the body.
Straight crunches on the floor
The simplest option that is suitable for both beginners and experienced athletes. To perform the exercise you only need the floor.
Reverse crunches
There are several variations of this exercise. All of them are aimed primarily at the lower abs. The simplest execution is on the floor.
Throughout the entire exercise, the legs do not touch the floor; tension should be maintained in the abdominal muscles.
A more advanced variation is performed on a bench. If you don’t have a bench at home, stools or a sofa will do.
Due to the unstable position of the pelvis and increased amplitude, this exercise is more effective. It is important to work with the press. A common mistake is to over-connect the hips. In the absence of control of the abdominal muscles, the hips are involved almost automatically. Therefore there is no point in doing more difficult option, if the athlete’s preparation allows only a simple movement to be performed correctly.
An even more advanced option is reverse crunches on an incline bench. The execution scheme is similar.
Plank
Now this is one of the most popular abdominal exercises. The buttocks, back and arms work together with the abdominal muscles. By doing a plank along with crunches, you will quickly achieve noticeable results.
There are several types of planks:
All of these variations are suitable for training the rectus muscle, with the exception of the last one.
Scheme for performing a full plank on straight arms:
Legs can be kept together or spread apart. The press should be tense all the time. At a certain stage, the abdominal muscles will turn on powerfully automatically, but at an early stage it is worth controlling the degree of their tension.
Beginners do not need to stand until they pass out. At the first stage, it is necessary to prepare the muscles. On the other hand, after mastering the straight arm plank, it is recommended to combine this option with more complex ones.
Hanging Leg Raise
If you have a horizontal bar at home, the training program can and should be supplemented. This is a more effective exercise for the rectus abdominis than crunches. As in other cases, there is variability here.
Classic scheme:
In a more advanced version, the legs are straight. The final position is parallel to the floor. Having mastered this variation, move on to V-shaped lifts - touching the crossbar with your feet or raising them to an angle of 45 degrees relative to the floor.
"Corner"
Another effective exercise is. Legs hanging on the horizontal bar can not only be raised/lowered, but also kept in a fixed position - parallel to the floor. The preparation indicator is the time during which the athlete can hold in the desired position. The exercise is aimed not so much at visual development, but at increasing abdominal strength. This is a great help for improving your performance in other exercises.
Exercises in the gym
Exercise machines allow you to diversify your workouts, but you shouldn’t get too carried away with them. The movements described above are enough for the eyes, but if you get bored, no one will forbid you to turn to modern training machines for help.
"Prayer"
From the name you can guess that you will have to bend over quite a bit. For training you will need an upper block with a rope handle. In essence, these are ordinary twists, strengthened due to increased resistance.
Technique:
The weight should be chosen to minimize the involvement of the back and hips, while still providing sufficient stress on the abdominal muscles.
Crunches in the simulator
If you have a special abdominal machine, you can do crunches in it. The scheme is similar. The difference is that the back is fixed here, and the body is located almost vertically. Despite the growing popularity of this option, a dedicated device is not the most the best remedy for pumping the press.
Training program
The training complex depends on the goals. Within each task to be solved, there are several paths to move towards the goal. Here are examples of programs that are suitable for home and hall.
Program for abdominal mass/relief (for the gym):
Program for girls (for the gym and at home):
Abdominal strength program:
The abs are trained 2-3 times a week if the goal is mass and strength. A sculpted or toned stomach is a goal, to achieve which you can exercise more frequently. In the first case, the number of repetitions is usually no more than 15. In the second, their number is increased to 20, while reducing the rest time between approaches.