So, a six-pack … that’s what you really want, huh?
January 21, 2016 Ken 0 Comments
Er … of course …
Yeah, ‘course you do! Everybody wants to look their best. And a muscular and well defined midsection screams out Strong And Fit like nothing else! And apart from the aesthetic viewpoint, an all-round strong core is literally pivotal to your strength and fitness. So we’re agreed then … you not only want a six-pack, you need one!
But the truth is, you’re probably fed up doing endless sets of sit-ups and crunches, right? The boredom from that alone is enough to take the fun out of training. And the benefits are limited too, since you’re using the same muscles in exactly the same ways, time after time, week after week, forever (or seems like it, anyway). Far better to introduce some variation into your training. And boy, there’s plenty of scope for that when it comes to ab exercises!
Unlimited variations of ab exercises
Actually, there are almost limitless variations of ab movements that you can use instead of the regular ol’ ab exercises, sit-ups and crunches, and it’s worth trying out some you’re not familiar with. You can even play around with some of them and create your own variations; I mean, where does it say you’ve got to stick to certain exercises, hmm?
If you find a few that you really like, you could make them the basis for your ab workout. Or just keep chopping and changing from workout to workout to keep the interest level high. Then, when you’ve put together a really interesting and enjoyable workout (or series of workouts), there’s no excuse then for not doing them regularly, right? Hah, you walked right into that one!!
In search of the elusive six-pack …
So, you ready to try a few new ones? Here’s ten for you to take a look at, but keep in mind, there are many, many more:
(Note: Most of these exercises can be done at home just as well as in the gym, and don’t require any special equipment, or very little.)
1 – V-ups – Lie on the floor and raise both your upper body and legs at the same time, forming an inverted V with your body. Try to keep your back straight and your legs straight.
2 – Ab wheel roll outs – Support your knees on a pad or a cushion and roll the ab wheel out and back. Don’t rush it – keep the movement steady and controlled. Stretch as far forward as possible.
3 – Mountain climbers – This needs to be done on a smooth surface, such as a tiled floor. Take the push up position, preferably wearing socks not trainers, and drive one knee high up towards your chest then back down as your other knee drives upward. You can keep up a fast pace with this one.
4 – Hanging knee raises – Hang from a bar and bend your knees, raising them towards your chest. Keep your body as still and as straight as you can while doing this movement.
5 – Weighted sip-ups – Lie back, knees bent, holding a weights disk against your chest (or substitute something fairly heavy, like a backpack filled with books). Sit up and back. Basically, just sit ups, but with added weight. And do them slow enough to really make the muscles work overtime.
6 – Flutter kicks – Lie on your back, hands at your sides or behind your head. Raise your feet a few inches off the floor and weave one foot above the other alternately in a scissor-like movement.
7 – Abdominal hold – Sit on the edge of a bench or chair, gripping the edge with your hands. Take your weight on your hands and push yourself up, off the seat. Now pull your knees up as high as you can, keeping your back straight, and hold … and hold … !
8 – Gym ball roll outs – Rest your forearms on a gym ball, legs extended behind you (or on your knees). Flex your abs strongly and roll the ball as far forward as you can, straightening your arms as you do so, and then back.
9 – Bob and weave – Stand with your legs slightly bent at the knees, hands raised in front of you like a fighter’s guard. Dodge sharply to the left, then back to the middle, immediately dodge to the other side, then back to the middle again. Then dip down, bending your knees strongly and keeping your back straight, and circle your upper body forward and round in a full circle, and quickly straighten up. Dip down again and circle in the other direction, and back up again. Keep your guard up at all times – and that’s one rep!
10 – High leg push ups – Lie on the floor (or on a bench), legs outstretched, either pressing down on the floor/bench with your hands, or grabbing something behind your head for support. Raise your legs smoothly all the way to vertical, then push them up higher, as high as possible, raising your hips right off the floor (or bench) … then lower them again, keeping the movement controlled.
Beware of overkill!
Obviously, you don’t need to try to do all these exercises in one session, that would definitely be overkill. What you’ve got here is quite a selection of exercises for you to pick from. You’ll probably find just two or three exercises will give you a really good ab workout. You could do, let’s say, a set of ten reps of one exercise, take a breather for about 15 seconds, then straight into a set of ten of the second exercise. When you’ve finished that set, take another short breather, and move right onto the third exercise. That would constitute one combined set.
Give yourself a minute’s rest and do another superset, and then, after your last rest, a third superset.
Some exercises won’t fit into the 10-reps pattern, of course. With mountain climbers the movement is fast and furious and you can reasonably expect to do 30-50 in one set. Flutter kicks, you might also want to do a set of maybe 20, rather than 10. And the abdominal hold is just that … a static hold; just try to hold the position as long as you can.
Exercise isn’t the whole story
Note also that exercise is just one of the factors in creating a defined midsection. You’ll also need to pay close attention to your diet, and to getting enough sleep. If you ignore these two legs of the tripod, the whole thing falls down! Even ignore one of them and you’re making life hard for yourself.
Also, please note that you don’t need to do ab work every day. I know a lot of people cling onto that idea, but it’s just not true. Your abs are muscles, just the same as your biceps, your pecs and your quads. You wouldn’t seriously think of training those muscles every day, would you? So why treat your abs any different?
Actually, if you’re training properly you’ll be working your abs pretty hard while you’re focusing on other muscles anyway; you need to keep your torso strong and flexed during most exercises. So your abs are getting a good little additional workout even when it’s not abs day!
I’d suggest doing ab work 2 or 3 times a week, that’s all you need. And one of the simplest of all ab exercises is to just exhale as strongly as you can, expelling as much air as possible, and as forcefully as possible, and tensing your abs for dear life. Hold that flexed position for maybe ten seconds or so, and, after a breather, do a few more reps of the same exercise. If you think 2 or 3 ab workouts a week isn’t going to do the trick, add in that exercise I’ve just described as a little extra. Do it first thing in the morning and you’ll be totally wide awake inside of a minute!
And your abs will feel like sheet steel!
Wait, there’s more! Read the second part of this article on getting a hard, chiseled six-pack here,
and get the full story!
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