Training Anatomy – Abdominal Exercises
Working out your abs is one of the toughest things on earth, and by "tough" I mean difficult. I personally hate ab workouts, and I think I can safely say that I've tried everything to skip them and still get a six-pack. It didn't work.
Just as fiddling with your diet doesn't lead to results, unfortunately, you can't skip abdominal muscle development exercises if you want defined, deeply sculpted, and beautifully shaped abs. Translating this into "women's language," I would put it this way: your body without well-defined abdominal muscles is like your home without curtains, scented candles, Hello Kitty trinkets, and throw pillows.
Strengthening the core muscles, also known as the trunk muscles, is a basic prerequisite for healthy movement. If you want to achieve good results, you cannot neglect the muscles in the middle of your body, as they are essential for all exercises requiring complex movements. If your core muscles are not strengthened, you will not be able to control your movements properly. If your lower back muscles and abdominal muscles are not sufficiently strengthened, you will sooner or later suffer injuries, not to mention the health of your spine. Even if the focus is seemingly on your arms and legs, no matter what movement you do, your core muscles are working primarily, and never forget this. Training your core muscles comes first, everything else follows, and last but not least, it's another strong argument that you need to work on your entire body, not just the parts you're unhappy with.
So don't skip your ab exercises. Don't leave them for the end of your workout, don't leave them for when you're already tired, because ab exercises are very difficult and exhausting. Put them at the beginning of your workouts so you won't avoid them. If you leave them for the end, you won't do them six out of ten times. Now you think I'm talking nonsense, but when you're in the gym utterly exhausted (that is, if you haven't been on Tinder throughout the workout), you'll tell yourself, "Okay, next time, I'll do it at home :)))))))))." We both know you won't, so put it at the beginning of your workout, and no more arguments.
And since we're on the subject of "always tomorrow" and "I'll start on Monday" people. There is a subset of humanity who generally consistently ask the dumbest possible questions in a given area. These usually sound like this:
- Won't protein make me bulky? – No.
- Won't weightlifting make me too big? – No.
- Okay, 30 grams of protein is the recommended amount per day, but how long will a 1-kilo package last? – Damn it.
I encounter such wisdom daily for the fourth year now, but to answer a particularly popular question regarding abs:
- How many sit-ups should I do to get a six-pack?
LOL. Most people think that the more sit-ups they do, the more defined their abs will be. But unfortunately, it doesn't work that way, because just as with food, the proper proportion of nutrients, and not necessarily calories, matters, so too with ab exercises, effectiveness is not a function of repetitions, but of proper execution of the exercises. But this is only one part of what will make the muscle develop.
What's truly important is that the muscle actually shows, because no matter if you have ridges that put waffle makers to shame, if they're covered by 4 cm of fat, you'll just be a fat person, nothing more.
So my answer to the question "how many sit-ups should I do to get a six-pack" would only be this, and will continue to be this in the future.
Diet yourself down, and it will show, because the lower your body fat percentage, the more defined your body's contours will be, and this applies to your entire body, not just your abs.
For men, contours become visible around 10-12% body fat, and for women, around 15-16%. However, truly significant results appear below 8-10% for men and 12% for women. I must note here that women should generally not go below 15% body fat, as it can severely disrupt their hormonal balance, and consequently their endocrine system, but for those who don't care, feel free to go lower.
We've already clarified the basic rules in the first part of the post, now let's get to the specific exercises.
Lower abs
Let's start with the most problematic part of the abdomen, the lower abs. This is the area that just won't disappear, even when the upper abs start to show, but there's still fat underneath, which is incredibly annoying, and you'd love to cut it off with a kitchen knife. This is where fat will disappear last, and where it will return first. This sounds pretty sad, but I assure everyone that it not only sounds sad, but it truly is.
Beyond the divine DIET, however, there are a few exercises that specifically target and adequately work this area, but I would like to reiterate that without DIET, you will never be able to get rid of this sneaky layer of fat on your lower abs.
Planking
Planking is otherwise the Mecca of abdominal muscle development, the most fantastic exercise on earth, affecting the entire abdominal muscle surface. The key is which part of your body you use to support yourself when planking.
- If you support yourself with your shoulders and the load is on your arms, you are working your upper abs and deltoids most intensely.
- If you support yourself with your abdominal wall, your entire abdominal muscle is working.
- If you support yourself with your legs, that's when your lower abdominal muscles are working the hardest, and in this case, that's exactly what we need.
Plank step-outs
If you want to spice things up a bit, plank step-outs are the exercise that allows you to focus on your lower abs. This involves holding a plank position, then stepping out to the side with your right leg, then doing the same with your left leg, and then returning.
It's important to know, however, that until your back muscles are sufficiently strengthened, you won't be able to plank in a controlled manner, let alone hold yourself properly. Your hips should never drop below your spine line, because if they do, your back will hurt so much that we can easily be out of commission for weeks from the pain, not to mention any resulting injuries. But this is the nature of the business; your entire body must be trained, otherwise it won't work.
Klimbling
The other very effective exercise, which requires some cardio readiness. You get into position and bring your knee to your chest. I repeat, to your chest. Not to your stomach, not even to your hip line.
Side Abs
That certain presidential diamond shape on the upper body that you will never see on yourself if there's a layer of fat covering your waist. You can't skip dieting here either, but I won't write it again. From now on, imagine it at the beginning, end, and if possible, in the middle of all my sentences. You won't achieve anything without dieting.
For side abs, any exercise that involves leaning or lateral movement.
Pendulum Swings
It's a very good, very effective exercise, but in my experience, women are specifically incapable of doing it. Make no mistake, I'm not the chauvinist, sexist jerk (oh, yes I am), but this is what my experience with hundreds of women tells me.
For this exercise, the only thing to watch out for is that your upper body doesn't move forward or backward, but remains in a straight plane when you do the leans. The difficulty of the task comes from having nothing in one hand while holding a weight in the other, and women find it very difficult to balance this while maintaining correct technical form. Of course, this movement can also be learned, but you won't learn it properly without professional help.
Twisting Crunch on Bench
I have nothing to add. Or rather, I would definitely add that you shouldn't yank your head up, but use your abdominal muscles. Your hands are behind your head so that your obliques work as focused as possible. Body anatomy, you know.
Cross crunch
A younger sibling to a twin task. Start with this, and once you get the hang of it, switch to walking crunches. However, always make sure that the opposite elbow touches the opposite knee. We're not yanking our heads here like a retarded idiot either.
Walking Crunch
Very effective, very difficult, provided you perform it correctly. Pay close attention to your breathing and ensure your feet remain at a right angle throughout, and your legs are EXTENDED. Knees and elbows MUST meet in ALL cases. We've already discussed head-yanking, and if possible, don't bring your knee to your elbow, but rather have your knee and elbow meet at the hip line.
Dracula Press
I named it this because the exercise looks exactly like a vampire lying in his coffin.
With this exercise, we've reached the world of crunches, where there's only one rule. You lift your shoulder blades, and that's it. You don't extend the movement further to engage your back.
A CRUNCH IS NOT A SIT-UP.
You don't have to sit up for a crunch, and you shouldn't, and most importantly, there's no point. In this exercise, you obviously move your upper body sideways, and if you would do me, but primarily yourself, the favor of not putting your head down when you lower back down, I would be very grateful. Later, you'll thank me, but right now I'm just a rude peasant in your eyes.
Rotated Side Press
Girls might find this move familiar if they recall their sexual escapades. I love this pose, by the way, because when a woman lies before me like this, the sight of her buttock line is simply fantastic, plus I can see her breasts in this pose, not to mention that I can sneakily grab her hips and thighs at the same time. Anyway, I got carried away, but the point is in the picture. As far as the exercise goes.
90-degree Side Press
This is also a twin task. The key is to maintain a tilt angle of approximately 90 degrees at all times, and to perform the exercise with a STRAIGHT BACK while holding this angle THROUGHOUT.
Properly trained back muscles are essential here too, because even though it's an ab exercise, you need your back for it. You'll realize this when you perform the exercise itself. Initially, do it without weights, and later on, mess around with plates to increase the training load, because, as you know, the training load needs to be continuously increased.
90-degree Floating Side Press
A difficult exercise. Like all exercise series, this one also has a methodology on how to even get to this point, but this post will be too long as it is, so in short.
- 90-degree hold, feet on the ground
- 90-degree hold, feet on the ground, weight at chest
- 90-degree hold, feet on the ground, weight at chest, with rotation
- 90-degree hold, feet in the air
- 90-degree hold, feet in the air, weight at chest
- 90-degree hold, feet on the ground, weight at chest, with rotation
Side Plank
I saved the best for last. Side plank hold. If you only do one exercise for your obliques, this should be it. But don't do just one.
Upper abs
Most people think that leg raises work the lower abs. This is amusing, if only because leg raises specifically focus on the very top part of the abs.
Leg raises
Hanging leg raises
Molnár Peti's favorite exercise.
Horizontal leg raises
Raise your knees at least to hip level, but if possible, they can go a little higher.
Ab training on machines
Anyone who uses machines for their ab workouts is a massive dickhead.
Abdominal wall
The divine six-pack. The number one subject of women's whipped cream fantasies. Every muscle group is beautiful, but I think this is the most beautiful. After the butt, of course.
Crunches
Alright, the basics. Lift your shoulder blades, your chest moves towards the ceiling until the point where you would need your back to go further. Small movements, but all the more effective.
Stabilized crunches
Feet down, hands by your side. When doing a sit-up, DO NOT USE YOUR HANDS to push yourself up.
Floating crunch with ball
What's good about this exercise is that holding and moving the ball forces you to exert extra effort, while also stabilizing your movement. I've seen countless screw-ups with this exercise, most often women bending their legs to take the ball and place it between their feet.
Straight legs, straight arms. More advanced users should not put their head or feet on the ground, but this requires a more serious level of fitness.
Floating crunch
Same thing, just without the ball. I don't know why I didn't start with this, but I'm not messing with it now.
Floating sit on a bench
This is a very good, very effective, and therefore not an easy exercise, but life isn't easy either, yet billions of people still do it. The exercise requires control, body awareness, and prior conditioning.
Sky-press on a decline bench
Not forward, but upwards. Do not bend your arms, do not push the weight up with your arms, but lift your shoulder blades and push your chest upwards.
Bell ringing
It requires a pulley and a body awareness so that you don't pull it down with your hands, but move the weight by focusing on your abdominal muscles.
Gym workouts start in the mind. A mental state is necessary not only for perseverance, but also to be fully "present" and focused on the movements during the exercises. This won't work with chatting and messing around on the phone.
You have to decide for yourself whether you exercise because you truly want a beautiful physique, or because you want to reassure yourself that you are doing something for your body's transformation, even though you are doing absolutely nothing, just showing what you are not actually doing. There is a big difference between real actions and showing actions. You are probably showing it, and then you send me messages saying that you are doing "everything," and really "everything," and there's still no change, asking for my help.
Do something seriously at least once in your life, and you will see results. If there are none, then you know you did something wrong, and it's not someone else's fault. This is true even if you are 100% convinced that you did everything. Well, that's the worse case, because then you're also stupid. Hope that this only applies to your workouts, but unfortunately, it most likely applies to your life too.
I hope you liked this post. If not, I don't give a damn, because all that matters is that you do it well, do it correctly, and achieve great results.
The Exercise Anatomy series continues with butt workouts.
