|
Whether you're just starting an exercise program, or you've been at it for years, there is one thing on everyone's wish list: a toned stomach. Well-defined abdominal muscles are glorified as being sexy, healthy and youthful. You may have seen one once—the rare person who seems to know the "secrets" of perfect abs. Does he know something that you don't? Is it possible for you, a regular person, to achieve the abs of your dreams? You may be surprised to learn that you can train less and see better results—yes it's true! And you don't have to buy any special equipment. All you need is your body and the proper training knowledge. But first, it’s important to understand the anatomy of the rectus abdominis (or abs, for short). They run down the front of the torso, from the center of the ribcage to the pubic bone. It's a common myth that the abs are made up of several different muscles (such as upper and lower abs). The fact that the word "abs" appears to be plural doesn't help this case. But in fact, it is one long sheet of muscle that just happens to look like several small muscles. This is due to a unique feature called "tendinous inscriptions." These inscriptions run across the muscle and down the center, giving it that "6-pack" (but more accurately, 8-pack) appearance. "If the abs are one muscle," you may be wondering, "then why do certain exercises seem to target different areas?" Actually, all abdominal exercises target the entire muscle, but during some exercises, you just happen to feel it in one region of the muscle a little more. The abs are grouped with a few other muscles that are collectively referred to as the "core," which also includes your obliques (which run diagonally across your middle), transverse abdominis (a long muscle that runs horizonally beneath the rectus abdominis), and lower back (erector spinae muscles along the spine). Some experts also consider the hips to be part of the core. Many people focus on training the abs but forget about these other muscles, which are also important. A good rule of thumb is that every time you train your abs, you should also target the obliques and lower back as well. When it comes to training for abs of steel, here's what you need to know: Burn fat. You may be surprised to know that most people actually DO have strong, defined abs…they just happen to be covered by a layer of fat. This is because the abs are actually involved in balance and stabilization during all kinds of every day movements and exercises. All the crunches (or other exercises) in the world won't burn the fat on top of the muscle. To accomplish this, you need a combination of regular cardio (aerobic) exercise and a healthy diet to create a caloric deficit necessary to lose weight. Your SparkDiet and exercise program will help you achieve your weight loss goals. Don't crash diet. Some people will swear that a key to their flat abs is what they eat—or don't eat. Whether they omit dairy, milk, wheat, sugar, or something else, you do not have to drastically change your diet (or limit certain foods or food groups) to lose the belly bulge. Simple, healthy eating habits (not deprivation) will help you drop excess weight from all over the body. Be realistic. For visible abdominal definition, your body fat percentage has to be pretty low—that's about 8 percent body fat for men, and 14 percent body fat for women. To put this in perspective, "healthy" ranges of body fat are 14%-17% for men and 21%-24% for women. It may be impossible for some people to reach such low percentages without going to extreme measures. Remember that women are genetically predisposed to store more fat around the belly and need minimum levels of body fat to be healthy and menstruate. You'll have to decide if washboard abs are worth going to extremes or not. For most people, simply flattening the stomach and losing a few extra pounds is a realistic, attainable goal. Train the abs like you would any other muscle. You should strength train all of your major muscle groups, which typically involves 1-3 sets of 8-15 repetitions per exercise. There is no need to do 50, 100 or thousands of crunches each day. In fact, if you are doing your exercises correctly, 8-15 repetitions are all that you need to feel the muscles working and get results. The key is to focus on your form, by deeply engaging your abs throughout each movement. This is commonly described as "pulling your naval towards your spine," or "scooping" the abs inward and it will help you engage more muscle fibers (especially the transverse abs), making each repetition more effective. Just like you should allow your biceps, for example, to rest 1-2 days between workouts, the same is true for the abs. They also need time to rest, recover and rebuild to get stronger. Aim for no more than 3-4 abdominal training sessions per week. Vary your program. Every exerciser should add variety to their exercises to keep the body surprised and continue seeing results. Try to change up your exercises (both cardio and strength) at least every 4-6 weeks, if not more often. This will help prevent plateaus and allow you to progress from easier to more advanced exercises as you become stronger. Here are some of my favorite abdominal exercises. Be sure to read and follow the instructions for each to ensure proper form and effectiveness.
|
|
SparkPeople advertisers help keep the site free! Learn more
Fitness Articles › Focused FitnessHow to Get Six Pack AbsFitness Secrets for a Flat, Toned Tummy-- By Nicole Nichols, Certified Personal Trainer and Fitness InstructorSparkPeople advertisers help keep the site free! Learn more
 You will earn 3 SparkPoints
Page 1 of 1
Return to main fitness page »
Related Content
Stay in Touch With SparkPeople
About The Author
Nicole Nichols
Nicole was named "America's Top Personal Trainer to Watch" in 2011. A certified personal trainer and fitness instructor with a bachelor's degree in health promotion and education, she loves living a healthy and fit lifestyle and helping others do the same. Her DVDs "Total Body Sculpting" and "28 Day Boot Camp" (a best seller) are available online and in stores nationwide. Read Nicole's full bio and blog posts. Follow Coach Nicole Online:   
|
Summer produce is overflowing--and cheap! Whether you grow it or buy it, it's easy to preserve your food so that you can save money and eat better long after the harvest is over.
Read More
Get a personalized diet and fitness plan, great newsletters, post to our message boards, and even your own personal SparkPage!
Join Now For Free!
Join Now For Free!
Member Comments
Need to build your ABS, I found a very nice fitness program to burn your stomach fat try this : http://tinyurl.co
m/7h88fl2
- 9/18/2012 6:55:55 AM
dietbestplans.c
om
- 9/13/2012 3:39:51 AM
Not impressed with big abs at all. Being able to walk up and down stairs is of more importance, really. - 9/12/2012 10:21:43 PM
Wow, 8% fat for us guys to really show them.... think that's going to be darn hard for me to reach ... I'll be happier then with a slimmer healthier me in any case ;-)
Thomas - 1/4/2011 8:22:13 AM
In the past cardio is king when it comes to seeing your abs.... after that, concentrating more on your core for better definition will refine your abs... but you really do have to burn the fat in order to see your abs... so do a lot of cardio now and core exercises, 3 sets of 35 is extreme, if you are really holding your abs in and doing the core work correctly, you would really be challenging yourself to do even 1 set of 35...
Burn the fat, maintain the muscle... goal weight... concentrate more on that area...
~ Dee ~ - 12/6/2009 11:35:37 AM