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The
Ins and Outs of Abdominal Training
By
Tim Jones - www.tjfpersonaltraining.com
Abdominal
training is very misunderstood. There is a common misconception
that doing rep after rep and set after set of abdominal crunches
every day will give you the six-pack you always wanted. It is
a fact that no matter how many ab crunches you do, you will never
be able to see your abs unless you have a low enough body fat
percentage - and since there is no such thing as spot reduction,
its pretty pointless doing all those crunches to get a six pack,
unless you plan on doing so many that it will invoke a fat burning
response. I can assure you there are many more effective ways
to burn fat than doing ab crunches!
In order to see abs, most men have to reach a body fat level of
about 10%, while women must reach about 14%. So quit wasting your
time on crunches and get busy doing some high intensity interval
training and resistance based circuit training and work on increasing
your lean muscle mass. You will see the subsequent reduction in
your body-fat level much faster, trust me!
Of course, your lifestyle and diet will also play a huge part
in determining your body fat percentage. If you want that six
pack for the summer holiday, then the next time you reach for
the cookie jar I suggest you consider the statement - "abs
are made in the kitchen". With a supportive eating plan and
a healthy lifestyle you will see your abdominals flatten and become
far more aesthetically pleasing than they ever were through exercise
alone. THAT'S A FACT.
Try these top tips for getting those flat abs you always wanted!
• Never diet
• Eat regularly to satisfy hunger
• Consume slightly smaller main meals
• Eat high quality food such as organic produce
• Drink plenty of water. Drink your bodyweight in
Kg X 0.033 of water in litres per day
• Decrease the amounts of grains you eat
• Decrease the amount of dairy and wheat you consume
• Eat a source of protein at every meal
• Reduce your intake of processed food
• Make sure you get to bed on time
AND FINALLY!!
• Move your body
Abdominal function
For you to train your abdominals properly it is important you
know the role of them in the body and how they are separated.
Your abdominals are gross and dynamic stabilisers of the spine
and provide crucial support in all three planes of motion. The
lower abdominal muscles are the deepest of the abdominal
wall and play a vital role in the stability of the low back. The
internal and external obliques are the next deepest abdominal
muscles and provide the torso with most of its rotational strength
and stability. Finally the upper abdominal muscles act
to further stabilise during more strenuous and dynamic movements.
Functional abdominal training
Now you know which parts of the abdominals do what - here are
some top tips to get a really good functional abdominal training
session.
| 1. |
Always
end your workout with your abdominal exercises as they are
very important for stabilization. If you fatigue them before
training other key movements you are increasing your chances
of injury. |
| 2. |
The
lower abdominal musculature should be strengthened first,
followed by the oblique, and finishing with the upper abdominals.
This is because the upper abdominals are generally strong
and require the least coordination to strengthen. The oblique
and lower abdominals are both respectively weaker and require
more coordinated movement patterns to strengthen. |
| 3. |
Before
exercising the lower abdominals it is important that the hip
flexor muscles are stretched as they are greedy muscles, prone
to shortening and tightening. Having tight hip flexors can
affect your posture and cause you problems with lower back
pain. |
| 4. |
Exercise
your abdominals like you exercise any other body part - don't
bother with hundreds of crunches, you should be performing
sets lasting approximately 30 seconds or 12 quality repetitions. |
| 5. |
Rest
between your training sessions and try not to train your abdominals
until your muscles have recovered. Too much exercise will
keep your muscles in a breakdown state. Not only will you
not get good results, but you may injure yourself! |
| 6. |
Do
not use any machines or the ab roller for your ab training.
They encourage poor function of the abdominal wall. Try using
a Swiss ball for core conditioning. This is an effective tool
to perform exercises with as the balance aspect of training
on a Swiss ball will stress the stabiliser mechanism of the
abdominals. |
| 7. |
When
performing ab exercises never support the neck as the deep
neck flexors are part of the flexion system and need to be
trained too. If you support the neck on say an ab roller,
you will create a muscle imbalance leading to postural problems
and neck pain! |
Try
this ab workout
1. Dynamic Hip Flexor Stretches
2. Lower Abdominal Alternate Leg Raises - 2 x 12
3. Hanging Leg Raise (bent leg) - 2 x 12
4. Oblique Crunches on a Swiss Ball - 2 x 12 each side
5. Oblique Plank - 30 second hold each side
6. Swiss Ball Crunches - 2 x till either the neck or abdominals
fatigue
A competent personal trainer will be able to show you these exercises.
Article
by Tim Jones - to find out more about
Tim and his Personal Training team go to:
www.tjfpersonaltraining.com
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