The Scientific Approach To Building A Maintainable Six Pack
When questioned on their priorities in the gym, most men would consider something which could teach them how to get abs to be as valuable as any resource. Such is the pressure on men to have a lean, muscular midsection, it is not rare to see guys stressing over their stomach.
Conflicting information is a gym user's worst nightmare. It causes self doubt, which hold you back in every aspect of your training. You begin looking for faults, rather than progress. In part, this is due to the fact that so many outdated techniques are still being widely used in gyms. These include:
* If you do 2000 sit-ups, you will get abs.
* Abs are small so they should be trained every day.
* Using weights with your abs will make them bulky and unattractive.
The fact is the techniques above are outdated and ineffective for most individuals. How many times have you seen somebody plod through a boring, long workout consisting of little other than crunches and sit-ups in the false belief that they are going to get better results? Too many times!
The techniques above do not work.
To cause a muscle to grow or develop, you must train it in a way that stimulates the reaction you are aiming for. It won't do it by request. You wouldn't do 5000 reps on a biceps curl, so don't do it for your stomach. You probably have an arm routine which targets triceps, biceps and forearms effectively. You might even split it even further, targeting the long head and short heed of the biceps effectively. But do you do that for abs, or is it just endless crunches?
Try the following three-step routine:
1. 20 x Ab Crunch
2. 20 x Reverse Crunch
3. 20 x Straight-Leg Crunch
To change your routine ever further to kick-start new results, try performing this routine as a circuit workout instead of a standard setup. That means going through every exercise in motion, before resting and going again. Four rounds of this will have your midsection crying out for help.
But why will this relatively short workout outperform long, 2000-rep workouts?
Well, the first reason it will improve results is the fact that it is well balanced. It will help you to target your upper, lower and oblique abdominal muscles rather than just focusing on the top portion.
The second reason this yields results is, of course, the high intensity which is set. Fat loss will improve drastically and, at times, it will feel like you are performing an abdominal cardio routine.
The key to continuing the results you enjoy is variety. You will adapt to even the toughest of situations. Think back to the first time you did maths as a kid, and how easy those first sums would be if you attempted them right now. Your body does the same thing in the gym, so you must change it up from time to time. It will not change by request, you must force results from it.
Learning how to get abs is not as difficult as it once was. There is quality information out there and I encourage you to go find it in your own time. Look to develop your routines even further by adding weighted exercises into your workouts. Ignore the myth that weighted exercises will give you big, bulky, unattractive abs - the reason bodybuilders have bulky abs is the fact that they are using human growth hormone, which causes the intestines to bloat up and push their abs out, it has nothing to do with using weights during their abdominal workouts.
Conflicting information is a gym user's worst nightmare. It causes self doubt, which hold you back in every aspect of your training. You begin looking for faults, rather than progress. In part, this is due to the fact that so many outdated techniques are still being widely used in gyms. These include:
* If you do 2000 sit-ups, you will get abs.
* Abs are small so they should be trained every day.
* Using weights with your abs will make them bulky and unattractive.
The fact is the techniques above are outdated and ineffective for most individuals. How many times have you seen somebody plod through a boring, long workout consisting of little other than crunches and sit-ups in the false belief that they are going to get better results? Too many times!
The techniques above do not work.
To cause a muscle to grow or develop, you must train it in a way that stimulates the reaction you are aiming for. It won't do it by request. You wouldn't do 5000 reps on a biceps curl, so don't do it for your stomach. You probably have an arm routine which targets triceps, biceps and forearms effectively. You might even split it even further, targeting the long head and short heed of the biceps effectively. But do you do that for abs, or is it just endless crunches?
Try the following three-step routine:
1. 20 x Ab Crunch
2. 20 x Reverse Crunch
3. 20 x Straight-Leg Crunch
To change your routine ever further to kick-start new results, try performing this routine as a circuit workout instead of a standard setup. That means going through every exercise in motion, before resting and going again. Four rounds of this will have your midsection crying out for help.
But why will this relatively short workout outperform long, 2000-rep workouts?
Well, the first reason it will improve results is the fact that it is well balanced. It will help you to target your upper, lower and oblique abdominal muscles rather than just focusing on the top portion.
The second reason this yields results is, of course, the high intensity which is set. Fat loss will improve drastically and, at times, it will feel like you are performing an abdominal cardio routine.
The key to continuing the results you enjoy is variety. You will adapt to even the toughest of situations. Think back to the first time you did maths as a kid, and how easy those first sums would be if you attempted them right now. Your body does the same thing in the gym, so you must change it up from time to time. It will not change by request, you must force results from it.
Learning how to get abs is not as difficult as it once was. There is quality information out there and I encourage you to go find it in your own time. Look to develop your routines even further by adding weighted exercises into your workouts. Ignore the myth that weighted exercises will give you big, bulky, unattractive abs - the reason bodybuilders have bulky abs is the fact that they are using human growth hormone, which causes the intestines to bloat up and push their abs out, it has nothing to do with using weights during their abdominal workouts.
About the Author:
Info from: You can discover how to get abs with the complete video guide from Russ Howe PTI. Russ is an in-demand trainer who answers tough questions such as should you train abs with weight and more on his fitness and nutrition blog each week.