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How To Get Razor Sharp AbsAbdominal Exercise Program
By Vince DelMonte
If you could sculpt one body part to perfection for next summer, what would itbe? Let me guess – six pack abs! I don't know anybody who does not want toshrink their waistline, lose body fat, eliminate lower back pain and develop a jaw-dropping set of rock-hard six-pack abs. Building eye-popping abdominalsis not the hardest thing to achieve in the world but it's definitely not theeasiest either.Before you can start learning how to get six-pack abs and discover the truthabout what it really takes to build a beach-worthy abdominal section, youmust first expose the lies, myths and rumors. Before we talk about how to getsix-pack abs, the right way, we must re-program your hard drive and emptythe trash can of garbage you have been fed.Because of all this hyped-up and misguided information – even among so-called 'fitness experts' – you should be skeptical of all abdominal trainingequimpment and programs. Let's first eliminate the top four ways not to get asix-pack:Learning how to get a six-pack does not require expensive workout equipmentpromoted through obnoxious infomercials. You can't flick on the TV anymorewithout seeing two new abdominal exercise machines being promoted atonce. There are so many of them that if you get suckered into these 'abworkout' gimmicks, you will be broke quicker than Ben Johnson sprints the 100meter dash! And get this: Of the $520 million dollars a year spent onexercise equipment, abdominal machines get a $208 million dollar piece of the pie!Learning how to get a six-pack does not require thousands or even hundredsof crunches a day. So much for the Brittany Spears ab workout! Crunches aredecent but totally overused and associated with more being better. Crunchesare a very general exercise, and general exercises get general results.Excessive floor crunches shorten the abdominal wall, pull your head forwardand emphasize poor posture. They also involve a very low level of stimulationwhich neglects adequate muscle-fiber recruitment.Learning how to get a six-pack does not involve starvation diets. Starvationdiets starve the muscle when you should be feeding the muscle instead.
Guess what happens when you starve your body? Your metabolism shutsdown out of survival and causes your body to store fat. Your body must getenergy from somewhere, so guess what gets sacrificed? That's right, yourprecious muscle which is, in fact, responsible for maintaining a highmetabolism. Starve your muscle - great logic!Learning how to get a six-pack does not require fat-burning pills. What did thelast weight loss pill you bought do for you? The same thing the next one isgoing to do – nothing! Except give you a thinner wallet but not a thinner waistline. The entire concept of taking pills to 'burn fat' is built on a sandyfoundation and misleading because diet pills only treat the symptoms and notthe root cause. Without focusing on the root problems of a flabby mid-section, like poor nutrition, a crazy lifestyle and improper training, you will justend up where you started – farther away from having a six-pack for summerinstead of closer.
Just Because You’re Skinny Does Not Mean You Will Have A Six-Pack
The volume of interest I receive from skinny guys who wish to build their mid-sections is more than enough evidence to disprove the false reality of “Ishould be able to 'see' my abs if I have low body fat.” I'm sure you know of afriend who is completely scrawny, yet, without a shirt on he, has zeroabdominal definition! To me that would be salt on an open wound.
Abdominals Are A Muscle, Too!
You want your arms to be bigger, your shoulders to be broader and your chestto be fuller, correct? And what is the solution to making these muscle groupsincrease in size? High intensity weight training, overload, consistency and ahealthy surplus of calories. Starting to sound familiar? The same goes for your abdominals. Your abdominals are a muscle group thatrequires the same formula and attention and are not any different from othermuscle groups. For some reason many consider abdominals to be a 'special'body part that requires a different set of rules and a completely differentformula for training. Abdominals were not given a 'secret code' to crack. Toget thick, dense abs – the ones that 'pop' out - you must train them withintensity and overload. Here are some practical tips you can apply to yourprogram so that you can be the 'man' or 'gal' at your gym with a ripped andmuscular six-pack. Then I will provide a sample program!
Prioritize By Sequence
If your abs are your worse body part, then why do you keep training themlast, at the end of your workout? Which muscles group will receive the highestpriority when you train? The ones done at the start of your workout or theones done at the end of the workout? Of course, the exercises done at thestart of the workout while you have the most energy and focus. If abdominalsare the muscle group you wish to prioritize, then don't be afraid to disagreewith the 'experts' who say “Never train your abdominals first because you'llweaken your core muscles for the rest of your workout...”. I completelydisagree with this and often reply, “Show me the evidence.” The typicalresponse is “Nobody does abdominals first...”. That is pure BS. This justsupports the notion that many people who work out don't ever question whatthey hear or do. They want to be spoon-fed answers and follow the trends of others without thinking for themselves. I ALWAYS train abdominals first in aworkout if they need the highest attention.
Prioritize By Frequency
What's going to receive better results? A muscle group that is trained onetime a week or two times a week (assuming you recovered prior to the secondworkout commencing)? Of course, the muscle that is trained 2x a week. Themore stimulus on a muscle, the more growth. That is why professionalathletes are professional athletes. They have conditioned their bodies to sucha high amount of stress that they are able to train more frequently.How often you train your abdominals is based on the inverse relationship of intensity and volume. The harder you train your abs, the more rest they need. The less intense you train your abs, the more frequently you can train them! If your goal is rehab or injury prevention, then you will be able to train themoften with more frequent and lower loads. If your goal is to make your absmore muscular and dense, then a higher load and less frequency would beideal. If your goal is maintenance, then a medium load and frequency wouldbe ideal. Refer to this table:
PurposeFrequencyIntensityVolumeReps
Endurance/Conditioning5-7x a weekModerate 1-4 sets50-100Hypertrophy4x a weekHigh6-12 sets8-12
If building a sexy six-pack is on your 'to do' list for 2008, then start trainingabdominals 2-4x a week. I will teach you in a moment how to split yourabdominals up into two different days based on movement.
Your Genetics and Abdominals
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