Due to the recent interest in the Ab Article by Todd Abrams and all of the questions I get on the subject, I have decided to bring you some more info on the subject of ABS. Whether you are a competitor, just the average fitness junky or beach goer looking to stay in shape, everyone wants a killer mid section. It is said “Abs are made in the kitchen and sculpted in the gym” which is very true.
Over the next few paragraphs I will break down the different parts that make up your abdominal area and leave you with a sample workout that targets each group. The truth is that everyone has abs. The difference is that many times they’re hidden under a layer of fat just waiting to be exposed. Once dieted down to under 10% for men and 13% for women, abs will appear.
Since your abs are a muscles, just like any other muscle group, you can train them with different movements to make them “pop” once your lean enough. There are 4 muscles that make up your abdominal muscle anatomy: rectus abdominals, external oblique, internal oblique and transverse abdominals.
They work together to flex the spine forward and sideways, rotate the spine, and compress the abdomen. Your workouts should be designed to train these muscles in isolation and in combination. Most movements involve more than one muscle.
Rectus Abdominals (The Six Pack)- These cover the length of your abdominal area from your pubic bone to the lower chest. Contraction of this muscle flexes your torso. The rectus abdominals is the primary muscle involved when you do crunches.
External Oblique- Your external obliques run diagonally down from your lower eight ribs.
Internal Oblique- The internal obliques lie underneath the external obliques and run in a diagonally opposite direction.
Transverse Abdominals- Located deep in your abdomen, underneath your obliques. You can think of this group as you built in girdle.
I personally prefer training abs three times a week with a day between workouts.
Here are 4 sample exercises that target the different areas:
• Crunch
• Hanging knee raises
• Bicycle kicks
• Incline sit up
-Chris White
National MP Competitor & Shredz sponsored athlete
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