How to get better abs

How to get better abs

Dear Aden ask@askaden.com,


I liked your video on how to get six pack abs (especially the UFC in the background)! I can offer some tips that have really helped me out as well when it comes to getting six pack abs.

How to get better abs, Tip #1

Breathing: Most trainers advocate breathing out on the contraction and breathing in on the negative portion of the repetition. However, you can create stronger muscular contractions by holding your breath during abdominal workouts. For example, try breathing out only after you’ve almost reached the end of the workout.

Pose and contract your abs after you complete a full set, even if it makes you feel stupid. Posing contracts the muscles further and helps separate them to give them that more defined, ripped look.



How to get better abs, Tip #2

Warm up before and stretch regularly during your workout: You should raise your peripheral body temperature before participating in any athletic activity. Get your heart thumping and boost the blood flow to your extremities by participating in 5 minutes of low intensity cardiovascular activity. Following your warm up, stretch your muscles slowly to a point of mild discomfort, not complete pain.



How to get better abs, Tip #3

Recovery time: Unlike other muscles in your body that may take a few minutes to completely recover after a set, abdominal muscles recover within seconds. Your abs will respond best to continuous movement, because the recovery time is so short. Those people who profess to exercise their abs for any more than five minutes are taking too much rest in between sets.

Your abs are no different from the rest of your muscles. Work your abs 2-3 non-consecutive days per week, taking care to target all your ab muscles:

Rectus abdominis – ball crunches are just one way to target this muscle

Transvers abdominis – the plank is a great way to strengthen the TVA

Internal and external obliques – the bicycle works all your ab muscles.



How to get better abs, Tip #4

Develop good habits: one of the major fallacies in abdominal training is the incorrect idea that it helps to flatten the stomach. You cannot “spot reduce” any area of your body, contrary to popular belief and in spite of the outlandish assertions made in many of the late-night television infomercials. The only way to reduce your waistline is to strip away the fat covering your midsection.



How to get better abs, Tip #5

Fat loss prescription: a strict diet, five days of weight work per week and six days of cardio. Keep to a well thought-out dietary plan that provides for five small meals daily as opposed to two or three larger meals per day. Fuel your body effectively by eating small meals every two to three hours. This will permit your metabolism to function at its best possible level.

Working out without maintaining a diet rich in protein to improve muscle growth is like having a car with no engine; you get absolutely nowhere. You can workout your abdominals every day that you are in the gym, although they are already involved as secondary muscles in many different exercises, since they are responsible for stabilizing your upper body.



How to get better abs, Tip #6

Don’t leave out breakfast: it’s a fact that people who eat a wholesome breakfast are skinnier than people who don’t. And try to think outside the box. A breakfast bowl of vegetables and brown rice is an excellent way to kick-start your metabolism for the day.



How to get better abs, Tip #7

Vary your routine: for your cardio, running is great, but it keeps the heart pumping pretty fast. Try mixing in a little stationary bike, elliptical machine, power walking, or interval training.

There are many other exercise variations available, offering an infinite selection of feasible combinations. The basic crunch can be replaced with movements such as rope crunches, machine crunches, and incline crunches. Hanging leg raises, bench leg raises, and reverse curls make first-rate substitutes for the leg raise. Imaginative management of these workouts in your routine will constantly keep your body off-guard, never permitting it to adjust to a given stimulus.



How to get better abs, Tip #8

Drink water: a gallon a day if you’re intense. Eat little if any salt – it causes water retention, which makes your skin appear thicker and fattier.



How to get better abs, Tip #9

Choose a convenient time to work out: some people believe in morning workouts, while others insist it doesn’t matter. Of course, the best time to work out is when you’re most likely to do it. There are reasons why a lot of people put forward a.m. workouts, but it has nothing to do with bodily processes. It has more to do with routine and consistency and psychological attitude.

Plan your exercise routine to match your athletic objectives. A lot of athletes cycle their training according to their competition schedule. Three to four months out from a fight, a boxer might “train heavy” for strength and power. By eight weeks out, he/she has decreased the weight, increased his/her reps, and cut back on free weights to emphasize cables and machines.



How to get better abs, Tip #10

Don’t take the all-or-nothing approach: it’s better to do a little training than none at all. So, if you can only fit one strength training routine in a week, you’ll still benefit from it.

What comes to your mind when you hear the word “abs?” Your abs are connected to your spine and pelvis, helping balance your back in good posture. You would have trouble sitting, standing and walking without abdominal strength. Now that you know the value of your abs, you need to incorporate abdominal strengthening into your regular strength training.

-Mike



Dear Mike,
Thank you for the great tips on how to get better abs, you rock!

-A.