Everyone wishes that underneath their shirt sit 6 perfectly
placed ab muscles, all glistening with the hard work that it took to earn them.
Each ridge is like a badge of success waving its flag of war against fat. Yes,
the glorious six pack trumps most any successes when it comes to aesthetic
success.
However, the path to abs is not paved with good intentions or
thousands of crunches. No, abs are a delicate beauty that have to be nurtured.
If you neglect you abs for even a day, you could lose them and all of their
glory. So, if abs aren’t the product of a bunch of crunches and an iron abs
DVD, what are they?
What Makes
Abs?
The Kitchen
First and foremost, abs are made in the kitchen. Cliché, I
know, but it’s true. Men especially, but even women, store body fat around the
abdominal area. High amounts of bodyfat around the abdomen are shown to
increase a person’s mortality. Which means a big belly is unflattering and
unhealthy. No amount of crunches will
make up for 3 inches of adipose tissue. Abs start and stay when a good diet is
used. Dropping things like processed food, high sugar foods, high calorie
meals, and overconsumption of calorie laced beverages can help reveal your
hidden six-pack.
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not going to help with your ab reveal |
To figure out how many calories you burn daily just by being
alive you can use this formula. (h = height in cm; W = weight in kg; a = age )
The Harris-Benedict equation for BMR:
- For men: (13.75
x w) + (5 x h) - (6.76 x a) + 66
- For women: (9.56
x w) + (1.85 x h) - (4.68 x a) + 655
Just by simply reducing your caloric intake, you will add a
stressor to your body which will aid in weight loss.
The
Resistance
Let me ask you a few questions. You have biceps right? Most
people do. When you do curls, do you grab a weight and knock out a few reps, or
do you move your hands hundreds of times until your arms get tired? No body
builder would ever recommend that you flop your hands around; you need some
resistance! So why do people do thousands of sit ups without any weight? Ab
regimens should always revolve around a core weighted exercise. Likewise
lifting heavy weights will strengthen your abs. When we squat, deadlift, or
Olympic lift heavy barbells our abs fully engage to support out spine. This
heavy resistance is like doing a max crunch for each rep. If you aren’t
satisfied with that, feel free to add in some more exercises!
I break the workouts into 3 categories; easy, intermediate,
and hard. If you were to do an ab workout containing 5 ab exercises I would do 1
weighted 2 easy and 2 intermediate. I’d only try Hard when you’re looking for a
serious challenge. Perform all ab exercises with several sets and reps between
15 and 25.
Easy:
Slide Crunch
Sit on the ground and bend your knees. Slide your hands up
your quads to the top of your knees and hold them there for a count.
Crunch
Lay on the ground and put your hands behind your head. Bend
your knees and crunch your elbows to the top of your knees.
Leg Raise
Lay on the ground and place your hands under your butt. With
legs locked out raise only your feet by flexing your abs. Raise them from the
floor to perpendicular to the floor.
Flutter kicks
Lie on the ground and place your hands under your butt. With
legs locked out raise them six inches
from the ground and kick them, with rhythm, for reps. Start by kicking right up
first, and left down then switch.
6-12-24
Lie on the ground and place your hands under your butt. With
legs locked out raise them six inches and pause, then raise them to 12 inches
and pause, then raise them to 24 inches and pause, then back down to 6 inches
and pause. That’s one rep.
Toe Touches
Lie on the ground and lock your legs out, then raise them
perpendicular to the ground and raise your shoulders up to touch your toes then
back down.
Side Crunch
Lie on one of your sides and bend your knees. If you’re
laying on your left side raise your right elbow up and your knees up to meet.
Flex your side.
Reverse Crunch
Lie on the ground with your hands either under your butt or
behind your head. Extend your legs so that they’re locked out, then crunch them
in bringing your knees to your chest and push them back out.
Bicycle Crunch
Lie on the ground with your elbows behind your head. Pick
your knees up and, as if you were riding a bicycle, bring one knee up and to
your opposite elbow, then kick it out and switch to the next leg and elbow.
Plank
Lay on the ground, stomach first, and place your elbows
underneath you. Flatten your back and try to pull your belly button into your
spine. Make sure your chin is over your hands.
Walking Plank
Get in the plank position and, one arm at a time, walk into
the pushup position. Then drop your elbows and go back into plank position.
Ankle Touch
Lie on the ground and raise your knees up, keeping your feet
on the ground. Place your hands past your butt and with your right hand grab
your left ankle, then with your left hand grab your right ankle.
Intermediate:
Bridges
Get in the pushup position and walk your feet towards your
hands until your butt is in the air, and then walk back down.
Caterpillar Crunch
Get in the pushup position and walk your hands towards your
feet until your butt is in the air, and then walk back down.
Vertical Leg Crunch
Lie on the ground in the toe touch position, but putt your
hands under your butt. Use your abs to lift your lower back off the ground to
raise your feet into the air.
VUp
Lie on the ground with your legs locked out and your hands
stretched out past your head. Raise your feet up and your shoulders off the
ground. Touch your hands and your feet together.
Frogger Crunch
Lie on the ground
with your legs locked out and your hands stretched out past your head.
Raise your shoulders off the ground
while you bring your knees into your chest and grab them, extend out and
repeat.
Weighted Situp
Hold a weight to your chest and get into the crunch
position. Sit up and put your elbows on your knees, all while keeping the
weight high on your chest.
Plank Jacks
Get in the pushup position, making sure to keep your feet
together. Then hop your feet apart and back together, making sure to keep your
body as tight as possible.
Plank Oblique Crunch
Get in the pushup position and take your knee, lift it to the side (like a
dog going on a hydrant) and then drive it as close to your armpit as possible.
Put it back and repeat with the other.
Superman
Lie on your stomach and place all of the weight on your
abdomen by raising your hands and feet off the ground for either time, or reps.
Cross Hypers
Lie on your stomach and simultaneously raise your right hand
and left foot off the ground; trying to get your entire leg and arm/shoulder up.
Switch leg/arm and repeat.
T Raise
Get in the plank position, on elbows, and lift your left arm
up and rotate so that you can point towards the ceiling; hold for a second. Go
back down and switch arms.
Wood Chops
Find a med ball and raise it overhead in a oval motion, as
if you were chopping wood, then slam the ball into the ground as hard as you
can. Then switch which side you swing and throw from; crunch your abs as hard
as you can.
Lateral Toss
Hold a med ball near a wall, and make sure your feet are planted. By rotating
your torso (feet don’t move) use your abs to crunch towards the wall.
Hard:
Toes To Bar
Hold the pullup bar and be fully extended. Raise your toes
as high as you can crunching your body and putting your toes towards the bar.
Knees & Elbows
Hold the pullup bar and be fully extended, bring your knees
up and crunch your body so that your knees and elbows meet.
Hanging Knee Raise
Hold the pullup bar and be fully extended, bring your knees
up as close to your chest as possible and hold for a count and then lower.
Med Ball Throw
Lie on the ground with your knees bent and feet on the
ground. Sit up and toss the ball in the air, or at a partner. When the ball
falls back or is thrown back catch it and sit back down.
Trunk Extension
Lie on a bench with someone holding your feet, or on a
hyper/GHD machine, with a small weight in one of your hands. Raise your arm
towards the ceiling with the weight in your hand, and lower your body towards
the ground (making sure to keep your body facing towards the wall) then raise
the weight up and crunch your side.
GHD Situp
Hold a weight and either have someone hold your feet, or get
on a hyper/GhD machine, and lower your body trying to get your head as close to
the ground as possible (You’re facing the ceiling). Then Crunch up as high as
you can and touch your knees to your elbows.
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