Building a Better AB Routine
Waisting away? Here are the 10 essential tips you need to create a rock-hard ab workout.
By Dan Solomon
Eat right and do crunches. So many crunches, in fact, that you might start to think about potato crisps. Well, perhaps that's too many crunches. Maybe twists . . . leg raises . . . crossovers . . . sit-ups. Heck, why not just do 30 minutes of various ab exercises? There must be hundreds of variations. Do 'em all - don't stop. Grooaan!
That's one way to train your abs, though it's not a particularly smart one. Sure, you can train your abs in countless fashions, putting together various exercises with sets-and-reps combinations, but some strategies are far superior to others. Truth is, like the other major muscle groups, the midsection requires a basic understanding of anatomy before you can put together a solid training routine. After we discuss that, we'll explain the most important considerations in putting together an effective ab workout, one that's far more likely to help you realise your goal of a chiselled six-pack. And remember, that six-pack doesn't go with a bag of crisps!
1) Understand the Anatomy of Your Midsection
The muscle group most commonly referred to as the abs is composed of four separate muscles - the rectus abdominis, the internal and external obliques, and the transverse abdominis. They support and assist in moving the torso through various motions, including flexion and rotation. By understanding how each abdominal muscle functions, you'll be able to work your abs in the most efficient manner to develop the area to its full potential.
Rectus Abdominis
Location: This relatively wide, flat sheath of muscle, commonly referred to as the six-pack, lies between the sternum and pelvis. It appears to be many muscles, but in fact is just one muscle segmented in most people by three fibrous bands called tendinous inscriptions.
Function: The rectus abdominis is responsible for trunk flexion, or moving the torso in a forward motion and drawing the pelvis upward. Movements like the crunch, pelvic tilt and cable crunch best develop this area.
Internal & External Obliques
Location: Located along both sides of the torso, the obliques consist of two muscles. The external obliques are the outermost abdominal muscles and form a "V" shape from the ribs down to the pubic bone. The internal obliques lie directly underneath the external obliques, forming an inverted "V" that runs basically the opposite direction.
Function: Both the internal and external obliques are responsible for trunk rotation and lateral flexion of the torso. Torso rotation occurs when one internal oblique and the opposing external oblique contract. Lateral trunk flexion, or bending to one side, occurs when both the internal and external oblique on one side contract simultaneously.
Transverse Abdominis
Location: Making up the deepest layer in the abs, this thin muscle's fibres run horizontally across the abdominal wall.
Function: The transverse abdominis is primarily involved in abdominal compression, which occurs during forced expiration. Because this muscle doesn't provide much movement, development need not be a primary concern.
2) Your Goals Dictate Your Training Approach
Unlike most major muscles, the abs are almost always in a state of contraction as they work to maintain good posture (both in daily activities and in the gym) and hold in the internal organs. That's why they have a greater endurance component than most muscle groups, which may explain why they're often trained more
Frequently with higher repetitions.
If your goal is to have a strong midsection with muscle tone, use moderate resistance to perform about 25 reps per set. (One important reminder: because you can't spot-reduce, don't expect to build definition - that is, an extreme degree of leanness - in your abs this way.) If you want thicker abs with noticeable peaks and valleys, stick to a traditional regime of heavy resistance with lower reps. Choose a resistance or an exercise that allows you to do 12-20 repetitions, which is slightly higher than for other bodyparts. The last couple of reps should be difficult and cause a burning sensation in the ab muscles.
One important point that affects how many reps you do relates to how hard you "crunch" your abs at the top of each movement. Unless your abs are extremely tired, you should probably get at least 10 reps. If you can do more than 25-30, you probably aren't getting enough intensity in each rep. Slow down and really focus on contracting your abs at the top of each rep.
3) Target Particular Areas of the Midsection
Although the rectus abdominis is a single muscle, you can work it from different angles to better target particular areas, somewhat similar to how incline presses emphasise your upper chest. Though you can never truly isolate the upper-ab region from the lower, particular exercises more effectively work one or the other. The difference isn't dramatic, but this differential shortening is enough to suggest doing a variety of ab movements.
In general, stabilising your upper torso and raising your pelvis (and feet) will work the lower-ab region more strongly, while curling your shoulder blades/ ribcage toward your stabilised pelvis and lower body works the upper abs more strongly. A third portion of
a good ab workout is often dedicated to the external obliques. They're typically involved in movements in which one shoulder crosses toward the opposite knee.
4) Start Your Routine With Lower Abs
Though this technique is still subject to debate, working the lower-abdominal region first is a smart idea because it's generally weaker, requires more coordinated movement patterns and must be stabilised by the stronger obliques and upper-ab area. The lower-ab region's weakness is due in part to less-
frequent training but more so to the involvement of the hip flexors that assist with many lower-abdominal movements. Additionally, the obliques and upper abs are needed to stabilise and immobilise the upper abs during lower-ab training, so they need to be fresh and strong to ensure that you can maintain proper form (which wouldn't happen if you did upper abs first). Good form for lower-ab movements means minimal hip-flexor movement and maximal contraction of the lower-abdominal region.
With numerous lower-ab exercises to choose from, it's difficult to make a case for a single "best" exercise to start with. Given your goals and ability level, select an exercise that induces muscle fatigue at your target rep range. A beginning bodybuilder who wants to build thicker abs probably wouldn't choose the same exercise as a beginner who wants to build muscular endurance but little thickness; the former would instead opt for a more difficult exercise with greater resistance for fewer reps (see "Sample Lower-Ab Exercises" on page 90). Experiment with various movements to determine which feel best and challenge you. Do at least two sets to focus on each region of the abs, remembering that truly intense repetitions will generate better results than endless low-intensity reps. As you advance, you can add more exercises and sets.
If you perform more than one movement that targets a particular region, start with the most-difficult movement. A muscle is always stronger on the first exercise than on subsequent moves, so you wouldn't want to do your most-difficult movement last. For example, reverse crunches on a flat bench are typically easier than hanging leg raises, so do the latter exercise first if you include both in your lower-ab workout.
5) Hit the Obliques Next
If you train your midsection from weakest to strongest, next in line is generally the obliques. As with other areas of the midsection, use a critical eye when deciding if you want to thicken your obliques by using heavy resistance; this can make you appear blockier in the middle and works against a nicely shaped V-taper.
Oblique exercises also range in difficulty, and many of them are combination movements in which you do a crunch for upper abs with a twist for obliques (see "Sample Oblique Exercises" below). Again, try different ones to see which are most effective at inducing muscle fatigue in your target rep range.
6) Finish Off With Upper Abs
After you hit the lower abs and obliques, work your upper-ab region; the most effective exercises to do so are crunches. Here, your feet are stabilised and you curl your upper torso toward your pelvis. The actual range of motion, as in many ab exercises, is fairly small but very effective if you use a controlled pace and flex your abs hard at the top of each crunch. Don't come all the way down at the bottom of the rep, which would allow you to rest between reps. (See "Sample Upper-Ab Exercises" below.)
Remember, you can usually make an exercise more difficult by changing your hand and/or foot placement. Moving your hands from beside your knees to across your chest to behind your head to overhead increases the difficulty with each step. Moving your feet from a position flat on the floor to knees and hips bent 90 degrees to legs straight up also increases the level of difficulty. Use these various positions to continually challenge your abs into making incremental gains in strength and size.
If you do more than one upper-ab move, start with the most difficult exercise first.
7) Add Variety to Your Ab Routine
Once your lower-ab strength is on par with the rest of your midsection muscles, experiment with the order in which you train your various ab muscles. Work the upper region first one day, obliques first the next, and the lower region first in your last ab-training session of the week. Or you may try devoting a single training session to one particular area.
Another technique that works especially well for abs is performing tri-sets. Complete one set of a lower-ab move and follow it immediately with a set for upper abs and a set for obliques.
Remember, variety is not only the spice of life but it's also the golden rule of growth for bodybuilding. Add resistance to your ab exercises or choose more difficult movements as your abs grow stronger to continue the process of overload and development. Doing the same exercises and sets-and-reps combinations every workout won't provide a growth stimulus.
8) When to Train Abs
The optimal time to train your abs comes down to personal preference. Your answers to these questions may affect when you choose to train them:
a) Are your abs a lagging bodypart? If so, prioritise your ab training to bring them up.
b) Will you really be inclined to train abs after a strenuous weight workout? If you're tired after a hard weightlifting session, you'll probably have trouble dedicating sufficient energy to train abs. Instead, try doing your ab workout first. Keep in mind, though, that overly fatiguing your abs can detract from your subsequent training - the abs are stabiliser muscles that keep your body "tight" during many exercises. Starting off with abs on a heavy squat day may not be such a good idea.
c) Can you train abs on your non-lifting days? Many abdominal exercises can be done at home, and a complete workout takes just a few minutes.
9) Frontal Frequency
You often hear individuals who recommend training abs daily, but you wouldn't do that with any other muscle group, so why abs? The abs require direct stimulation and then rest in order to grow, and they can easily be overtrained.
That being said, the abs do seem to recover more quickly than larger muscle groups. A hard leg workout may have you limping around for several days, but your abs seem to be just fine within 48 hours. A good rule of thumb is that if your abs are still sore from a previous workout, they aren't ready to be trained again.
An effective training pattern might consist of three ab sessions each week, which allows for about 48 hours of recovery in between. Still, allow your recovery instincts to dictate when to train your abs again.
Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of ab training is understanding that just because you work your abs hard doesn't mean you'll see visible results. A strong midsection isn't always ripped and well-defined. Certainly, good-looking abs don't come easily, especially if you haven't been blessed in the genetics department. If you tend to accumulate bodyfat around your midsection, developing and fine-tuning your midsection takes more than exercise alone. Successful ab training is a precise combination of a healthy, well-rounded diet, a consistent cardiovascular routine and, of course, a comprehensive abdominal workout.
Dan Solomon is the founder of the Physique Management Group based in South Florida. To visit his website, check out www.ProMuscleOnline.com.
Source: UK M&F September 2002 |
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