10-21-2011, 05:06 AM
Training abs is easy. Training them right, and supporting their development... not so much.
We've given you more than a few solid ab routines to help get your midsection looking sharp over the years. Now, here are seven tips to make sure you donât inadvertently become your abs worst enemy:
1) Donât eat fast-digesting carbohydrates. Fast carbs spike insulin, which halts fat-burning and boosts fat storage, particularly on top of your abs. Carbs to avoid are white bread, white potatoes, regular sodas, sports drinks, table sugar, etc. Instead, choose whole-wheat, rye or sourdough breads, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, fruits, vegetables, quinoa, legumes and brown rice. One exception here: You can eat fast-digesting carbs right after workouts when theyâll be put to work boosting muscle recovery and growth.
2) Donât neglect isometrics. More formally known as the Weider Iso-Tension Principle, this means flexing a bodypart, such as the abs, and holding that position (much like bodybuilders do when posing). To do this, tense each muscle for 6â10 seconds, then relax for 6â10 seconds. Repeat for 10â20 sets. This is a great way to hit your abs while sitting in your car, on your couch or at your desk.
3) Donât forget about your breathing. When you perform an ab exercise such as the crunch, exhale when you reach the finish or top position. This is important because it helps you better contract your abs. Holding the position for a second or two will maximize muscle-fiber involvement.
4) Donât stop. You typically train in specific rep ranges, such as 8â10 or 12â15 reps per set. Yet when doing bodyweight ab exercises, you canât alter the weight to match a predetermined number of reps. Therefore, rather than doing crunches or hanging leg raises for a set number of reps, do as many reps as possible until you come close to failure.
5) Donât forget to weight. Many guys worry that if they do weighted ab exercises, their abs will become thick and blocky. Yet abs are muscles just like biceps, so they need definition and separation to stand out. Do some weighted movements in the 8â10-rep range for optimal ab development.
6) Donât do abs first. Some trainers recommend that you begin your workout with ab training to make sure you donât skip it. We disagree.
A recent study by the Weider Research Group found that when trained lifters did abs before legs in a squat workout, they completed fewer reps of squats than when they trained abs after the squat workout. This is because the abs, obliques and transverse abdominis work together to stabilize the core, which allows you to produce greater force. Training abs first fatigues them, which lessens your core stability and weakens your base, as well as your ability to generate force.
7) Donât train abs always at the same speed. Regular readers are well aware that m&f recommends changing up your rep speed from slow and controlled to fast and explosive, allowing you to utilize more fast-twitch muscle fibers to build more power, strength and size.
According to new research from Spain, scientists tested the muscle activity of subjectsâ rectus abdominis, external and internal obliques, and spinal erectors while they did crunches at rep speeds of four seconds, two seconds, 1.5 seconds, one second or as fast as possible. They reported in a 2008 issue of the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research that as the rep speed increased, so did the activity of all four muscles. The greatest boost occurred in subjectsâ external obliques, which were hardly involved in the crunch at slower speeds but increased by more than six times at the fastest speed.
So donât fail to vary your rep speed. The fast reps will help recruit more muscle fibers in the midsection and turn the crunch, which targets the rectus abdominis, into an effective oblique exercise
We've given you more than a few solid ab routines to help get your midsection looking sharp over the years. Now, here are seven tips to make sure you donât inadvertently become your abs worst enemy:
1) Donât eat fast-digesting carbohydrates. Fast carbs spike insulin, which halts fat-burning and boosts fat storage, particularly on top of your abs. Carbs to avoid are white bread, white potatoes, regular sodas, sports drinks, table sugar, etc. Instead, choose whole-wheat, rye or sourdough breads, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, fruits, vegetables, quinoa, legumes and brown rice. One exception here: You can eat fast-digesting carbs right after workouts when theyâll be put to work boosting muscle recovery and growth.
2) Donât neglect isometrics. More formally known as the Weider Iso-Tension Principle, this means flexing a bodypart, such as the abs, and holding that position (much like bodybuilders do when posing). To do this, tense each muscle for 6â10 seconds, then relax for 6â10 seconds. Repeat for 10â20 sets. This is a great way to hit your abs while sitting in your car, on your couch or at your desk.
3) Donât forget about your breathing. When you perform an ab exercise such as the crunch, exhale when you reach the finish or top position. This is important because it helps you better contract your abs. Holding the position for a second or two will maximize muscle-fiber involvement.
4) Donât stop. You typically train in specific rep ranges, such as 8â10 or 12â15 reps per set. Yet when doing bodyweight ab exercises, you canât alter the weight to match a predetermined number of reps. Therefore, rather than doing crunches or hanging leg raises for a set number of reps, do as many reps as possible until you come close to failure.
5) Donât forget to weight. Many guys worry that if they do weighted ab exercises, their abs will become thick and blocky. Yet abs are muscles just like biceps, so they need definition and separation to stand out. Do some weighted movements in the 8â10-rep range for optimal ab development.
6) Donât do abs first. Some trainers recommend that you begin your workout with ab training to make sure you donât skip it. We disagree.
A recent study by the Weider Research Group found that when trained lifters did abs before legs in a squat workout, they completed fewer reps of squats than when they trained abs after the squat workout. This is because the abs, obliques and transverse abdominis work together to stabilize the core, which allows you to produce greater force. Training abs first fatigues them, which lessens your core stability and weakens your base, as well as your ability to generate force.
7) Donât train abs always at the same speed. Regular readers are well aware that m&f recommends changing up your rep speed from slow and controlled to fast and explosive, allowing you to utilize more fast-twitch muscle fibers to build more power, strength and size.
According to new research from Spain, scientists tested the muscle activity of subjectsâ rectus abdominis, external and internal obliques, and spinal erectors while they did crunches at rep speeds of four seconds, two seconds, 1.5 seconds, one second or as fast as possible. They reported in a 2008 issue of the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research that as the rep speed increased, so did the activity of all four muscles. The greatest boost occurred in subjectsâ external obliques, which were hardly involved in the crunch at slower speeds but increased by more than six times at the fastest speed.
So donât fail to vary your rep speed. The fast reps will help recruit more muscle fibers in the midsection and turn the crunch, which targets the rectus abdominis, into an effective oblique exercise
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