Abs

Nowadays, the abs have taken on the role as the quintessential symbol of physical fitness. There are countless training products and books on the subject that so much of the fitness industry is now centered around this single muscle group. It is amazing how much money is being made off of people trying to get a flat, toned midsection when in reality, this is one of the easiest muscle groups to train.

This article contains information on abdominal, or 'core' training, including the steps that you must take to develop this muscle group effectively. Several of the concepts discussed are expanded upon in other articles on this website, which you may refer to through the links provided.

Body Fat Level

The real key to great midsection development is to lower your body fat level. You could train your core 5, 6, 7, or even 100 times a week but if your body fat level is too high, the impressive definition that you are searching for will not be seen on the surface. Think of it this way: everyone has a six-pack, but for most people, it is simply hidden under a layer of fat. As a general guideline, your body fat percentage should be at least 10-12% (for men) and 15-16% (for women) or lower for your six-pack to start to become visible. Even if you neglected to do any core training, decent midsection definition would become visible with a low enough body fat percentage. The best way to lower your body fat is by doing regular cardiovascular exercise. This is the type of exercise that will burn calories and allow you to lose weight. It is by losing weight that your body fat level will decrease and your midsection will begin to reveal impressive definition. Strength training is also important when trying to lose weight. It is not so much when performing the actual strength training exercises themselves (like squats, pushups, dips, etc.) that calories are burned, but during the biological processes that occur afterwards. After strength training sessions, your cells must repair and rebuild broken down muscle tissues to help you grow and get stronger. This process, of course, burns calories by using the energy from the food that you have consumed, which brings up the next point: your diet plays the most crucial role in developing your core. Simply cleaning up your diet and following basic nutrition guidelines will put you miles ahead in your quest for a great midsection. It is not uncommon for people to notice a significant drop in their body fat after simply replacing processed or junk foods with healthy, nutritious ones, even without doing any exercise. Obviously then, combining regular cardio and strength training with a nutritious diet will provide greater gains than either strategy used alone. Your goal should be to create a slight deficit, through exercise and nutrition, between your BMR and the actual amount of calories that you consume daily. This concept is explained further in the article on weight loss. On the subject of body fat, it should be noted that spot-reducing doesn't work either, as explained in the myths section This is why the "Ab-Dominator" or "Core Blaster 5000" or any other ridiculous contraptions you may see advertised are completely useless. Most of these machines simply provide assistance in performing some type of crunch movement. This makes the angle of the exercise easier and actually works your core less than if you did standard crunches on the floor.

Cardio

Fat is stored on your body according to your genetic makeup and it is removed in the same way. Doing crunches alone will not melt the fat off of your stomach. This is why it is so important to do some type of cardio activity like running, cycling, swimming, etc. Many abdominal video routines claim to burn fat at the same time as your core is being trained, and thus, serve as a form of cardio in itself. While this idea may work in theory, the realistic results are limited. Cardio sessions should consist of continuous activity for approximately 30-60 minutes. Most core training videos do not last any longer than 10-15 minutes, maximum. This is certainly too short a duration to be considered a cardio session. Additionally, ab routines consist almost exclusively of different variations of crunches and leg raises, movements that do not burn many calories compared to continuous running or cycling. For these reasons, it is apparent that when comparing a 15 minute core routine to a 30 minute run, you will burn a substantially larger amount of calories during the run. Again, this is why the value of doing cardio exercise when trying to lose weight cannot be overestimated. Once you have lowered your body fat level sufficiently, you will find that core training has become quite easy. A solid 10 minute workout done about 3 times a week will effectively condition your abs and maintain that washboard-stomach look, providing you keep your body fat low.

Anatomy

The core muscles consist of three main sections: the lower and upper abs (which together form the rectus abdominis) as well as the obliques. The actual anatomy of the midsection is a bit more complex (with the obliques being further divided into the internal and external obliques) but for all practical training purposes, only these thee main areas need to be considered. Developing the actual six-pack portion of the rectus abdominis is what most people are concerned with, but strengthening the obliques is equally important and will take your midsection development to the next level. One of the most key aspects of core training is variety. The most effective ways to work your midsection are by performing crunches, reverse crunches, and leg raises, so you should try and do as many different variations of these exercises as possible. Even small changes in the way you perform crunches, such as changing the angle of your legs, will work your core in a slightly different way and help you get the best overall development possible.

Workout Structure

The exercises below are divided according to which area of the midsection they work. An abdominal workout does not have to be particularly lengthy, as long as you are putting enough effort into training each area of your core. For an effective workout, choose two exercises from each category below and perform each movement for approximately 25 reps. This would mean that you would perform a total of 50 reps for the lower part of your core, 50 for each side of the obliques, 50 for the upper part, and 50 reps of exercises that work the entire area of the core. In total, this adds up to 250 reps, which is a good amount to aim for. You can perform more reps, perhaps in the range of 300-400 if you really want to challenge yourself, or less if you are just beginning, but around 250 reps is usually optimal. You can also take short breaks as needed when you are just beginning, but eventually, you will get to the point where you are able to complete the entire routine without any rest periods. Quality is more important than quantity when it comes to core training, so it is better to keep your routine short and perform the movements correctly rather than rush through the workout just to do an extra 200 reps. To make your routine more difficult, you can also add some more challenging movements into the mix once you have mastered the basic exercises. Refer to the difficulty rating of each exercise below to help you decide which movements to incorporate into your workout. Each exercise is rated on a scale from 1-3, with 3 being the most difficult. Most of the links below also contain several variations of the standard exercises that are listed so be sure to check them all out. The order of your workout is also important; the lower section of your core should always be worked first, followed by the obliques and then the upper part. People often neglect to train the lower abs, which are the weakest area of the core. For this reason, the lower section should be trained first, when you are fresh and just beginning your workout. Conversely, the upper part of your core is the strongest and by working this area near the end of your workout, your abs will already be pre-exhausted from the other exercises that you have performed. Performing exercises that work the entire area of the core are a good way to finish off your workout. This allows you to target each area of your midsection one last time.

Lower Abs

Hip Raises
Reverse Crunches
Leg Raises
Roll-Ups

Obliques

Oblique Crunches
Cross Crunches
Jackknives
Oblique Hip Raises

Upper Abs

Split-Leg Crunches
Straight-Leg Crunches
Crunches with Leg Raises
Butterfly Crunches

Exercises for the Entire Abs

V-Ups
Bicycle Exercise
Double Crunches
Ball Transfers
Russian Twists
Bridge Exercises




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