AB WORKOUTS

AB WORKOUTS

Hey guys, how's it going? Today we're talking about abs, a body part that everyone dreams of, but few can get. We're analyzing anatomy of the abs, as well as the tips you should follow if you want them to show. 

To begin with, let's see what the abdominal muscles (or "abs", as they are widely known) consist of: The first part of the abs are the rectus abdominis muscles, located in the center of the belly, between the pubis and the 5th, 6th and 7th ribs. The next part are the external obliques, which are right next to the rectus abdominis, both to the left and the right. Just below the external obliques are the internal obliques. Finally comes the transversus abdominis, running "through" the torso from the ribs to the pelvis, and it mostly helps with breathing.

So, now let's go into the part that concerns most of us, and that is how to train those muscles and how to make them appear (!!) 

First of all, let's clarify that having strong abdominal muscles doesn't mean that you will have a six pack. A six pack is the result of low fat in the area. Strong abdominal muscles are the result of training. Therefore, if the aesthetic part is what concerns you, you should focus more on the kitchen than the gym. 

As far as training the abs is concerned, there are many ways to do it. And no, crunches isn't one of them. The abs are stabilizing muscles, which means that their role is to stabilize the core. Bending the core is a secondary action that they perform. So, when training them, you need to focus on exercises that use the abs the way they are supposed to be used, such as the plank, wheel roll-outs, isometric push ups. squats, and deadlifts. You also need to think of them just as any other muscle, which means that they should be trained and rested in the right frequency, although this can be higher than the rest of the muscles (say, every other day or two). 

When it comes to making them show, forget about the number one method, crunches. Also, save money and time by forgetting about "locally acting fat-burners" that the industry so purposely tries to sell to you. There is NO way you can selectively burn fat from a specific point of your body. If that were the case, there would be 300 lbs people with six-pack abs!!! When you burn fat, you do so from all around your body. You do that by doing a targeted cardio workout that helps deplete your glycogen (the fastest energy provider of your body) and going for the fat. You also do that by keeping your cardio sessions rightly timed so as not to burn the muscle you have. You also do so by keeping track of your calories and not eating processed foods which immediately turn into fat.

So, here are the basic things that you need to know about abs. Below are two workouts you should do to target them and make them stronger. In future posts we will talk about cardio and how to lose fat from all over your body. Don't forget to look for the videos on the "allaroundfitness" youtube channel for more advice on workouts.

AB WORKOUT 1: Perform the exercises back to back, for 30'' each. Do 3 circuits, with 1 minute of rest in between.

Crunches on an exercise ball - Russian twists on an exercise ball - isometric push up on an exercise ball - plank - wheel roll-outs.

AB WORKOUT 2: Perform each exercise for 20'', then rest for 10'' and jump right into the next exercise. When you finish all of the exercises, rest for a minute, and repeat 2 more times, for a total of 3 times.

Mountain climbers - plank with knees in from left to right - cocoons - bicycle crunches