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What You Really Need to Know About Abdominals: Two Key Concepts You Must Meet to Let Out the 6 Pack
Introduction - Understanding the Abdominals
Congratulations!
You are about to learn about a region of the body that almost everybody wants but somehow the secrets escape them. The weight loss industry may be a billion dollar a year market but a close second is all the late night infomercials about abs, 6 packs, 6 second abs and how to get ready for the beach and show off that region.
When it comes to abdominal training there are two basic areas of confusion. First, the myth exists that a ’specific’ region exists like the ‘lower abdominals.’ Many people will claim their upper ab region is developing just fine but the lower abs are not responding to training. They are looking for a magic lower ab exercise that will target that region. If you do a search for any muscular images of the abdominals, it’s clear that the rectus abdominus (a long winded name for the abs) is just a single muscle running from the sternum to the pelvis. These ‘lower abdominals’ simply don’t exist.
The reason the lower region seems to be less responsive to training is that it is a natural fat storage area! Simply put, your entire ab region is probably responding to overall training but the lower region is simply not showing because it is covered up by a layer of fat. That area just happens to be the place that fat is the last to go. Very simply, the lower abdominal area is benefiting from your crunches and reverse crunches. The problem is, you just can’t see it!
TEST: If you don’t believe this then try this simple test: lie down on the floor in a typical crunch position. Place one hand on your lower abdominal area and the other on your upper abdominal area. Now perform a slowing crunching movement. You will feel both areas contract simultaneously as you curl up.
The second area of confusion revolves around exercise selection. Almost everybody still continues to perform hanging leg raises, knee-ups or similar exercises in an attempt to target the ‘lower abs.’ While these exercises do affect the abdominal area, they are not the best selection.
It’s easy to clear up this exercise selection confusion if you understand the differences between the hip-flexion and trunk-flexion. A muscle called the psoas and related muscles (this is located deep against the spine) are responsible for hip-flexion while your abdominals are responsible for trunk-flexion.
Hip Flexion: Occurs when your lift your knee (or knees) towards your chest. For example, when you do a hanging knee-up, you will feel a burning sensation in the lower abdominal region (this alone convinces most people it’s working that area). What is actually happening is the psoas is being stressed. You’ll never be lean enough to see this muscle! Of course the abdominals are involved in this exercise for stabilization but it’s not the primary muscle and so it’s not the most effective. Other concerns revolve around the psoas being overworked that can lead to back problems.
Trunk Flexion: Occurs when you perform an exercise where the pelvis and sternum approach each other during the movement. At this point, you are in a state of maximal trunk flexion. Going any further and you’ll engage the psoas muscle and you will be using hip-flexion (like in a full sit-up). When you train your abdominals you need to flex (or contact) your trunk.
FACT: For effective abdominal training, stick with trunk flexion movements (crunches and reverse crunches).
This series will focus on trunk flexion exercises so that tension is directly on the abdominals as that is the primary muscle we want to work. [Other muscles involved in stabilization will be involved but will not be the primary focus.]
That’s all! The abdominals are just a muscle like everything else. There’s nothing special about them that makes them any harder to obtain or develop then any other muscle group. Still, there are thousands of messages on community forums and fitness gurus everywhere get hundreds of messages a day regarding this. Not to mention the countless ab technology products that appear in stores every year promising a faster, easier way to get ripped abs. The purpose of this report is to tell you exactly step-by- step what you need to do to get ripped abdominals.
The Myths of Ripped Abdominals: - Countless crunches - Working them out every day - Strange machines or dangerous exercises - Fad diets - Fat burner pills - Marathon cardio sessions - Targeting lower and upper regions
The Secret of Ripped Abdominals: - Low percentage of body fat - Having the muscle to show
Did I just blow the end of the story for you? Hopefully not.
Key Concept #1: You Must Have a Low Percentage of Body Fat For starters, if you have a layer of body fat covering the region, you will never be able to show the abs. For men, this is the LAST place the fat will disappear from which makes it the hardest body part to show.
You “get abs” from reducing your body fat and you reduce body fat mostly through diet and cardio..
And yet, somehow this concept escapes people. In order for the abs to show proudly, you must have a low percentage of body fat! There’s really not a whole lot more to it.
Men: 10% or lower Women: 15% or lower
Why is that so difficult for most people?
Simple. In order to get your body fat that low you must be absolutely focused on your diet and fat burning metabolism. 99% of people (including myself) are not as perfect on the diet as to burn off our natural body fat stores. So in order to get rid of that last layer, you must burn off the last remaining body fat stores. And to do that you must have great nutrition habits (above and beyond just being active).
Key Concept #2: You Must Have Abs to Show
First off…
If you are 110 lbs and just skin and bones and 3% body fat but no muscle really, then it’s not a surprise why your abs aren’t popping out every time you take off your shirt. There are a few people I’ve run across that are well below the 10% body fat limit and yet they are puzzled when their abdominals don’t show. That’s almost as easy as 1+1. You MUST have abs to show!
You can have a low body fat percentage but if you don’t have anything to show, you’ll just see a flat stomach (which is good) but no definition and certain no ‘packs.’ There are also individuals who have 15% body fat but their abs are so developed they can show off a 4-pack. While they don’t have that low of a body fat percentage to classify as ‘ripped’ they do have great development and certainly the muscle is there. Just think what it might look like on them if they were to be 10% or lower?!
That’s where ab exercises come into play. Performing key abdominal exercises is a key to developing the trunk region to the fullest. Many people are looking for the illusive lower ab exercise or performing exercises they believe to target a certain region but are really working the wrong muscle. Having abs is as simple as doing the right core exercises. That will be part of the 6 months of ab training at the end of this series.
Now that you understand some key concepts in order to get the abs to show, let’s figure out how to eliminate that annoying layer of fat around them…
Stay tuned for Part 2 that will discuss why nutrition is 90% or More of Your Success.
Copyright 2006 Marc David
If you can’t wait, the Beginner’s Guide to Abdominal Training is just one bonus book in the Beginner’s Guide to Fitness and Bodybuilding http://www.beginning-bodybuilding.com
Effective Chest Training, Like Everything Else,
Begins With The Proper Mindset
An attitude of always wanting more, never being
satisfied, is a key element in becoming successful
in whatever you do. There’s always a higher level
of development to achieveif you’re constantly
searching for it.
Having that mindset is essential to lasting
success. It’s also the cornerstone of the habits
you need to develop if you want to maximize your
chest training. You’ll also need to cultivate such
winning characteristics as optimism, patience,
perseverance, determination and flexibility.
A number of physical factors can also affect your
mental attitude, including the frequency of your
chest workouts, the number of sets you use, the
number of repetitions you set out to perform on
every set, the amount of weight you use and the
length of time you spend in the gym. When you
overtrain physically it gives your mental well
being a serious blow, too.
Train to Absolute Failure The ultimate goal of
every single set in your chest workout must be to
train to absolute failure.
By that I mean you must give 100 percent effort
during every set. You shouldn’t have anything left
in reserve at the end of the set. This is very
taxing, mentally and physically, which is why you
can’t withstand many sets and why you need to work
on your mindset. You need to control or get rid
of that litte voice in your head that is always
telling you to settle.
That requirement is crucial to efficient chest
training.
Obviously, you’ll need a training partner, or
the proper equipment such as a power rack, a
machine, or using dumbbells, if you’re going to
train to absolute failure and train safely.
For now, let’s throw out any well-known, legitimate
reason you could come up with that takes your
training success or failure out of your own hands.
Whatever program you use, the important thing is
to put all the effort you can into your training.
One thing that is very important is to go over what
it is you are trying to accomplish. I briefly review
in my head what I want before I do each set of my
workout. What’s my goal in the set? What will
accomplishing the set goal mean to my other goals?
Now, about that intensity - you probably think you
know what intensity is,right? You train hard, right?
But is training hard the same as training with 100%
intensity of effort? If you polled the people in your
gym, 99% of them would tell you they workout extremely
hard.
I’m the same way. And yet when I look back on my
workouts, I always realize I could’ve trained a
little harder. But that’s okay, because I am
constantly improving my effort every time I workout.
I’m always striving for a higher level of effort and
increasing the quality of each workout.
You Can Increase the htensity of Your Chest
Training Now
Before we can achieve more we must constantly
be raising our own standards.
Train Your Chest Less Frequently
I know, the thought of training less worries
many people that they will not only stop progresssing
but will lose what they have. This just isn’t so.
Use it as a powerful motivating tool. The thought
of training your chest less frequently creates a
feeling of uneasiness, or what I call a sense of
urgency. It dramatically increases the magnitude
of every workout.
The benefits have a far greater effect than just
bolstering my mindset.
Training less gives you adequate time to recover
from your intense workouts.
Use Fewer Sets
Knowing that you’re going to do only a few sets
in your chest workout creates this same sense of
urgency, allowing you to bring a lot more focus
into each rep and set that you do.
Although I always change things up from time to
time, a typical chest workout for me is as follows:
After warming up sufficiently and doing two heavy
sets of bench presses, I complete my chest workout
by doing one set each of three different chest exercises.
Many lifters give themselves two, three or even
four sets of a particular exercise to get it right.
If you give yourself four chances at anything,
you’ll have less of a sense of urgency to get it
right the first time. You will pace yourself and
hold back for those other sets. It’s only human
nature.
Anything less than 100 percent effort is a
wasted set in my opinion. Have you ever noticed
that when you get yourself in the right mind-set,
you can pump out more reps on the last set of an
exercise than you did on the first one?
It should be just the opposite. If you were really
giving your all during the first couple of sets,
you wouldn’t have nearly as much energy left to
meet or exceed that rep range on the last one.
If you truly train with the proper mindset, then
you’ll need less training to build your chest.
If your training is less than animal-like, you’ll
need more sets. Be honest with yourself. Only you
can determine what’s best for you.
Spend Less Time in the Gym on Chest Training
The ability to focus and put forth your best
effort in chest workout after chest workout, month
after month is what will bring you results.
The less time you spend in the gym, the easier
it becomes to focus, and because you’re training
chest less frequently, using fewer sets and fewer
reps, your time in the gym will be much shorter.
It will surely make it a lot easier to focus on
building an awesome chest. Now, all you have to
do is shut up and train!
Proper Recovery Is Critical
Recuperation is probably the most important
yet most-often-neglected component of
building muscle efficiently. Recuperation means
to recover fully from your intense
workouts. Only when your muscles have fully
recuperated are they ready to grow larger and
stronger. If you train again before this process
is complete, you will short circuit the growth/recover
mechanism and your gains will come to a
screeching halt and that’s exactly what you want
to avoid.
Develop your new chest routine with these steps
in mind and see if you don’t ignite new growth
and more strength in your chest.
Written by: Gregg Gillies, www.buildleanmuscle.com
Gregg Gillies is the founder of http://www.buildleanmuscle.com where he publishes a free newsletter available. He is the author or two books, as well as being a regular contributor to Body Talk magazine. His writing has also appeared in Ironman Magazine.
Dumbbell workouts have been around for many years, especially as part of weight training equipment and programs. Fad workouts and equipment have come and gone, but dumbbell workouts have remained an easy, inexpensive way to get in shape and strengthen muscles. Their reliability and effectiveness are just some of the reasons for the longevity of their popularity. Add in the fact that they take up little space and cost far less than many other types of equipment, and it becomes clear that they are a perfect choice for many fitness fans, especially as part of a home gym. There are many different dumbbell workouts that can be done at home.
Advantages of Dumbbell Workouts
Working with dumbbells has several advantages over other types of equipment that use resistance. For instance, by their very nature, dumbbell workouts require you to use stabilizing muscles that are important to strength, balance, and posture. Unlike some exercise equipment that utilizes movements that may take some getting used to, dumbbell exercises use many of the body’s natural movement patterns and also incorporate a greater range of movement than many other types of fitness equipment. And the flexibility of dumbbell workouts means that you can target specific areas of the body very effectively.
Dumbbell Safety
Before getting started with dumbbell weights, there are some basic safety rules to follow. As with all forms of exercise, it is best to start with some stretches or warm ups to loosen and prepare each muscle group. Failing to stretch the muscles can result in strains, tears and other injuries. It is also important to learn how to do the exercises properly, using correct form and technique before moving to heavier dumbbell weight sets and more difficult dumbbell workouts. There is a wrong way to do the exercises, and this too can result in injury or at a minimum, a lack of conditioning or effectiveness. Using a mirror helps you to see if you are using correct form.
In addition, experts recommend that with any type of weightlifting program, you have someone spot you at all times. Spotting entails having a person who watches every step of your workout to be sure you are not overextending yourself and to provide support and encouragement at critical points. A properly executed dumbbell workout will push your muscles to their limits and even a lightweight dumbbell can hurt like heck if you drop it on your head or toe. Lastly, it is a good idea to check with your physician or fitness professional before beginning exercises if you have health concerns or have experienced an injury, especially in the back or shoulder area.
Dumbbell Workout Exercises
When people think of dumbbell workouts, they often think of working the biceps and triceps. And in fact, dumbbells are ideal for strengthening and growing these muscle groups. However, there are exercises that incorporate dumbbells in ways that work every major muscle group in the body. The following six exercises each tackle one area of the body. They are some of the most common and easy to understand.
1.) Build those biceps
Hammer Curls - Stand straight and slightly loose with a dumbbell in each hand. Extend your arms on each side of your body with your palms facing each leg. Keep your elbows tight against your body, curl the weights up in a hammer motion and slowly return to the starting position. You can work both arms simultaneously or alternate the two. Repeat as many times as possible. Remember the goal is to fatigue the muscle.
2.) Try your triceps
Press - Lie flat on a mat or weight bench. With a dumbbell in each hand, extend your arms straight above your head, palms facing each other about two inches apart. Keep your shoulders pressed flat and avoid moving them. Bend your elbows and slowly lower the weights until your hands are on either side of your head. Push your arms back to the extended position and repeat for the desired number of reps.
3.) Shoulder the load
Shoulder Press - Can be performed sitting or standing. Sitting is recommended for beginners, as is a chair or bench with back support. With a dumbbell weight in each hand, extend your arms directly over your head, keeping elbows slightly bent to avoid locking. Slowly lower your arms until they are bent in a 90-degree angle, then push back to extended position and repeat. It is important to be sure you are pressing straight overhead as the tendency is to move at a diagonal.
4.) Best Chests
Flies - This exercise can be done lying flat or at a slight incline with back supported. With a weight in each hand, extend arms above your chest with palms facing each other. Bend your elbows slightly and be sure to keep that bend throughout the exercise. Lower your arms to either side until your upper arms are parallel with the floor. Push back to the extended position and repeat.
5.) Back to basics
Bench Rows - This exercise requires a bench set at a 30-degree incline. Adjust the height of the bench so that when you lie face down on the bench, your hands just barely touch the floor. Grab a dumbbell in each hand with your palms turned toward your feet. Bend your arm at the elbow and lift the dumbbells to your sides so that your upper arm is parallel with the ground. Slowly return the weights to the starting position and repeat.
6.) Get a leg up
Lunges - This is an exercise that is often included in an aerobics workout. Adding a dumbbell helps target the leg muscles and increases the strengthening effectiveness. Stand straight with feet about 12-18 inches apart. With a dumbbell in each hand, held at your sides, step forward with one foot, bending the knee at a 90-degree angle. Allow the other leg to bend automatically and that knee to just barely touch the floor. Push back to an upright position with the original foot and repeat. Do a set leading with the opposite foot as well, or alternate after each lunge.
These are just a few of the different dumbbell workout options. Trainers and fitness professionals have developed dumbbell exercises for all levels and situations. Dumbbells are an inexpensive, versatile way to burn calories and target specific muscle groups. They work well for people with limited space and for anyone who wants to add difficulty to an existing workout.
About the Author:
C.J. Gustafson is a successful writer for Best-Home-Gyms.com, providing
consumer information and reviews on the
best home gyms, strength
training equipment,
adjustable
dumbbells and the
best ab machines.
Copyright 2005 Best-Home-Gyms.com
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