Bodybuilding Guide
The Secret To Great Abs
Sexy abs
Abs are perhaps the most desirable muscle group. Nothing speaks of work and self-discipline like cut and trip six pack does. In developing this highly attractive muscle group it's crucial that you use right exercises. Most people think of endless crunches when they think of abs exercises. But if you go down this road you are going to end up disappointed. In this short article I cover some effective abs exercises for building your six pack.
What most people don't realize is that the best abs exercises are those that reduce your stability. That's because in order to maintain your balance you are going to use your core muscles. So any exercises done on unstable surface will be great for your abs.
On the other hand when you perform sit-ups and abs machines you only work the superficial muscles on top. While this sounds ok without proper core muscle you'll have a hard time getting those superficial abs to show.
Some good exercises to consider. Walking on balance beam, one leg squats and single arm shoulder presses with dumbbells. And of course anything done on exercise ball works your core muscles nicely. BOSU and stability ball are also good tools to try. At home you only need a stability ball and a set of free weights and you are good to go.
For working the lower abs hanging leg raises are the best. The trick to doing this effectively is to rotate your pelvis. Lying and inclines lying leg raises and cable crunches are also excellent options.
What most people don't realize is that the best abs exercises are those that reduce your stability. That's because in order to maintain your balance you are going to use your core muscles. So any exercises done on unstable surface will be great for your abs.
On the other hand when you perform sit-ups and abs machines you only work the superficial muscles on top. While this sounds ok without proper core muscle you'll have a hard time getting those superficial abs to show.
Some good exercises to consider. Walking on balance beam, one leg squats and single arm shoulder presses with dumbbells. And of course anything done on exercise ball works your core muscles nicely. BOSU and stability ball are also good tools to try. At home you only need a stability ball and a set of free weights and you are good to go.
For working the lower abs hanging leg raises are the best. The trick to doing this effectively is to rotate your pelvis. Lying and inclines lying leg raises and cable crunches are also excellent options.
When to work your abs
This depends on your goals. If you are looking for performance from your abs then you should train them separately as with any other muscle group.
On the other hand if your goal is to build overall strength and use abs to completely your training routine then consider doing them at the end of your workout session. This is because doing them at the beginning exhaust them and reduces your performance with other exercises - since abs are utilized in almost all exercises.
So that should give you a good overview of doing abs exercises. As you can see there's much more to it than doing crunches. And crunches are actually better left for the aerobic classes.
On the other hand if your goal is to build overall strength and use abs to completely your training routine then consider doing them at the end of your workout session. This is because doing them at the beginning exhaust them and reduces your performance with other exercises - since abs are utilized in almost all exercises.
So that should give you a good overview of doing abs exercises. As you can see there's much more to it than doing crunches. And crunches are actually better left for the aerobic classes.
