How Often Should I Work My Abs?

If you're like me, once you start an exercise routine you want to do it everyday how you can see results as soon as you can. However, this can actually hurt your body more than help it. Your abs are no different than the rest of your muscles - you wouldn't work your biceps or calves everyday, and you shouldn't work your abs everyday either. Your body needs some recovery time in order to grow stronger and change.

To get the best results at the fastest speed, work your abs 3 non-consecutive days a week. For example, do ab exercises on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Make sure to target all of your different ab muscles - the rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, and internal and external obliques. Some example exercises that target these muscles are the following:

Rectus abdominis - ball crunches
Transverse abdominis - the plank
Internal / External obliques - the bicycle

You should perform 10 - 16 repetitions of each exercise 2 - 3 times, just like any other muscle. Make sure to check your form (making sure you are not using momentum), and you can always increase the difficulty and effectiveness of your workout by slowing the movements down.

You need to be careful not to work your abdominals too much or too frequently, otherwise they will not repair between exercise sessions. It is critical that you let your body heal properly between workouts how you can maximize your muscle gain and minimize the possibility of injuring yourself. Remember, it takes a very long amount of time to recover fully from an injury.

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How Can You Get Your Abs Best Workout?

The most important thing that you need to realize in order to get your abs best workout is that the main focus is to lose the belly fat covering your abs first and then sculpt your abs into the ripped, cut, lean looking six pack that you desire.

Losing belly fat can be a very tedious task, but a well-focused approach can streamline your efforts by targeting the right area from the start.

Here are a few things that can really help steer you in the right direction:

1.) Abdominal exercises will not burn fat away from your abs!

To burn fat away from you abs you need an effective full body training routine that maximizes both your metabolic response and your hormonal response to your workouts, which will maximize your fat-burning potential.

You should focus most of your efforts on the types of exercises, sequencing, and combinations that stimulate the biggest increases in testosterone and growth hormone response, because this will give you that lean cut look.

Crunches, sit-ups, torso twists, leg raises, and ab machines simply will not help you achieve this hormonal effect.

2.) Cardio routines can actually be counterproductive

Cardio routines are not only unnecessary, but they can actually be counterproductive if you're really trying to get as lean as possible, as quick as possible. It all comes down to your metabolic rate, how much lean muscle you have, the hormonal response in your body from the exercise, and the residual calorie burn in the hours and days following your workouts...

Moderate intensity cardio routines will not help maximizing these effects!

According to scientific research, steady-pace cardio exercise is not that effective at strengthening the heart. The heart needs to be trained in a wide variety of ranges to actually be truly strengthened and ready for all the various stresses that life throws at it. Steady-pace cardio is also proven to be far less effective in the long term at reducing body fat.

3. ) 95% of supplements are a complete waste

Real food is always better for you than processed supplements, but you must take care in choosing the right foods.

4.) Don't be conned into buying fancy abdominal machines and gadgets!

Most machines and gadgets are not the best way to develop the abdominal muscles. They may help with strengthening the abs, but they are less effective than some of the best floor, hanging, and standing abs exercises.

A strategic approach to your abs best workout program comes down to following a nutritious diet that will not only burn off that stubborn belly fat, but will also have you feeling full of energy every single day and will virtually eliminate cravings altogether. You should then follow the exercises, sequencing, and combinations that stimulate the biggest increases in testosterone and growth hormone response, to give you that lean cut look.

For more information on a complete diet plan and abdominal exercise routine, click on this link.: http://www.absbestworkout.blogspot.com

How to Get Ripped Abs Fast

This is one question that people who are interested in getting into shape want to know. Whether you are a man or woman learning how to get ripped abs fast is very rewarding. It will increase your self esteem, make you a lot healthier and also desirable. No wonder we all would love to have a 6 pack. I am sure people try various things without success. So trying is not the problem but adopting the correct methods and techniques is the key to the question how to get ripped abs fast. Here are some of the steps that you could take to help you:

Remember to do different 6 pack abs workout exercises as muscles need variety in order to develop properly. If you keep doing same exercises over and over again you muscles wont have a chance to develop.

Eat healthy - this is the key to helping you. If you are going to continue eating unhealthy fatty foods then all your effort will go to waste. Eat food like chicken, eggs, fish, whole grain bread, carbs like potatoes and yams, and of course fruit and vegetables. If you heat healthy foods then this will lower you belly fat and help you getting 6 pack abs.

Carry out cardio as well as full body strength exercises. It is a common issue that people forget to do the cardio exercises and just concentrate on the abdominal muscles alone. This is a mistake and you will need to be fit all over so that you lose the excess fat so that to can get 6 pack abs. Remember, if you want to know how to get ripped abs fast, remember to do two full body workouts and two cardio sessions per week.

Further information on how to get ripped abs fast found can be found from the following resources. They are full of tips and it is well worth reading them:

Getting 6 Pack Abs Blog

How to get ripped Abs fast

Six Pack Abs - A Slight 'Tilt' And Results Sky Rocket

Here is a little something I like to get my clients to do when performing their 'floor crunches'. When on your back in a normal crunch your hips stay on the floor. Well, I have spent most of my life doing this alteration in my training. It changes the angles so slightly but the increase in tension on the abs and therefore the higher results are phenomenal. You don't need to do it every workout, but alternate it.

So, lie on your back. get into your normal crunch position and instead of having both feet on the floor and knees together, keep one in place, BUT then bring the other leg up and let it hang at 90 degrees. - IE so your knee is up, your shin parallel with the floor, AND THEN lift your hips slightly by brining one side of your 'butt' up off the floor an inch or two.

Now do your workout. 20-50 crunches with the leg held in that position. Stop, put it down then rest for a 10-20 sec break. Then repeat the next set with the other leg in the new position. I know this little elevation will do wonders for you and work muscle fibers you have not worked before by switching this exercise to a more 'core based' workout, because of the stability needed.

Best wishes, hope you like it. Like I said, alternate the legs and you will see a great response from particularly your lower core/abs and be on your way to six pack abs.

Tristan Lewis is a Certified Fitness Professional, Personal Trainer and Author of the most informative book on abdominal training on the internet. He has traveled the world training clients and has spent 15 years in over 15 Countries in the research of his book. His AbMetrics - The Global Almanac of Proven Abdominal Training was researched thoroughly and provides many new and exciting proven abdominal exercises as well as a structuring of the 'classics' that work.

Get the book now http://www.fastsixpackabs.com

3 Tips For a Successful Six Pack Abs Diet

In order to get those handsome six-pack abs you will need to pay special attention to your diet. Exercise is not enough, you need to couple it with a healthy diet and protein supplements. It is no good just sweating it out in the gym without taking care of what you eat.

1. Losing body fat, by eating a healthy diet: it is critical to your success to eat a healthy diet. In order to achieve that great 6-pack abs look, you will need to have a healthy diet high in protein and low in carbohydrates and fats. Do not cut these out of your diet but regulate them. You will also need cut out junk foods. These are foods that are loaded with sugar and salt. Chips, sodas, cookies and candies are all junk foods and will work against you. You will need to reduce body fat to a minimum to allow your great abs to show.

2. Protein supplements: in order for muscle to grow and develop you will need to increase your protein intake. Try to do this naturally rather than taking artificial supplements. Whey is a good natural protein supplement that is available in many health food stores. You can buy it in different flavors and mix this with milk to make a high protein shake.

3. Drinking enough water: it is very important to drink plenty of water when you are working on your abs. Always drink fluids after working out to flush out antitoxins that are generated when you do strenuous workouts. In the normal way a person needs to drink 8 glasses of water per day for good hydration.

Download your free report today and discover the SHOCKINGLY simple abdominal workouts, exercises and nutritional advice that will shed pounds from your stomach & transform your flabby belly into firm & flat six pack abs. Visit http://www.firmupyourabs.com to download your free copy.

Abdominal Training - ''Abs''

You can work your abs until hell freezes over, but if you still have a layer of fat, or in some cases even a beer belly, you will never be able to see the muscle. So, from a visual sense you must use proper diet & nutrition to actually be able to see your abs, and that is an entirely different article and beyond the scope of this one.

We all have abs, the technical name is Rectus Abdominis. It’s basically the “core” of your body and you could not really function without this muscle. Did I say muscle as in a single muscle? That’s right the Rectus Abdominis is a single muscle (see diagram) that attaches from along the rib cage down to the pelvis bone. However, there are two other muscle groups that complete the abdominals: the Transverse Abdominus, and the External and Internal Obliques, but these two muscles are not the visible portions of the abs that make up the “six pack” that we all desire. The Transverse Abdominus acts as a natural weight belt, keeping your insides in; and the Internal and External Obliques work to rotate the torso, and stabilize the abdomen essential for trunk stability.

Since the Rectus Abdominis is a single muscle it is physiologically impossible to work different parts of the abs. You often hear people say things like “I need to work my lower abs cause they’re lacking”, well they can try as hard as they want but when you train your abs you train the entire muscle. This does not mean you should not incorporate a wide variety of abdominal exercises (crunches, leg raises, trunk rotation, etc.) into your ab training, I just wanted to make the point that you are not going build or develop any one part of your “six pack” with different exercises. Now, remember that the lower area of the abs is a common problem in regards to excess fat storage for most people, especially males. So often the problem is not the abs per se, but extra body fat in that area that is covering the lower portion of the abs, again this requires dietary alterations not specific exercises.

So, you may say “how come I feel it more in my lower abs when I do hanging leg raises?” Well, this is another myth that we call the “I feel it syndrome”, which basically states that because you feel something working in a specific area it will make that area grow more. From a muscle physiology standpoint this is not possible. It’s possible that because of the angle more stress is being applied to a certain area of the muscle, which is often a result of that part of the muscle being stretched more, causing micro trauma in that specific area. However, this means absolutely nothing in regards to muscle growth and development. Do not confuse this with muscle groups that contain separate heads and tendon attachments, in those cases it is possible to stress individual heads to certain degrees, an example would be the deltoids. As far as our abs are concerned it is a single muscle and therefore it will grow as a whole. Think about it this way, if you could stimulate one area of a muscle and make it grow that would imply that you could actually change the shape of a muscle, which we know scientifically, that is not possible.

There are many exercises that can be used for the abs, the easiest and most common is a crunch, which essentially is bringing your hips and rib cage together, no more than just a flex of the mid-section. Do not confuse a crunch with a traditional sit-up; in a crunch you do not lift your lower back off the floor or bench. If you’re a beginner and are training abs for the first time I would recommend that you begin with a simple crunch on a flat surface, and some standing trunk rotation without any weight. Until you build up your abdominal muscles and flexibility do not try any advanced ab exercises such as weighted or incline crunches, or even sit-ups. Doing a sit-up has less of an effect on your abs, and more of an effect on your Iliopsoas or more commonly called the hip flexors. In fact, this is the muscle group that people often mistake for their lower abs because it’s a synergist muscle that helps stabilize the mid-section when working your abs. This is not to say that these synergist muscles are not important and do not need training, I am just pointing out that most likely that is why you think that you “feel it” in your lower abs.

Why is ab training necessary? Weak abs can contribute to lower back problems; the abdominal muscles help to improve the Erector Spinae by improving the mechanical positioning of the pelvis when it’s tilted forward. Also, if the abs are weak the lliopsoas can pull on spine during hip flexor activities causing injury. Weak abs can also be the cause of chronic low back pain, and can be responsible for hyperlordosis. So, no matter what your goals are, general fitness, bodybuilding or even power lifting it’s extremely important to have strong abdominals not just for aesthetic purposes, but functional and injury prevention reasons.

People often ask how often should you work your abs. Well, remember that the abdominals are a muscle and they require recovery just like any other muscle, although they do recover relatively quickly compared to other muscles due to their inherent fiber type. If you’re training your abs from an injury prevention perspective then you could train them 3-4 days per week using light loads, e.g. non-weighted crunches, performing 3-4 sets. However, if your goal is to develop your abs either for bodybuilding or sport performance, then you should only train them 2-3 days per week using more advanced techniques, e.g. weighted incline crunches performing 6-8 sets. As far as when to train the abs, it really does not matter; you could train them at the beginning of your workout if you’re prioritizing them. However if you plan to fatigue them it may be a better idea to work them last. Since the abs play a major role in stabilization it could hinder performance in compound lifts such as squats. An even better idea if feasible for you would be to train them on a day where you work smaller body parts and no compound lifts that involve the entire body.

Following you will find several links to animated pictures of some beginning and advanced abdominal training exercises from www.exrx.net. These are only a few of many exercises that can be used in your abdominal training.

Robert DiMaggio is first and foremost the founder and editor of IronMagazine.com LLC, an online bodybuilding and fitness magazine that has been dedicated to helping people achieve their bodybuilding and fitness goals. IronMagazine.com has been online since 2001 publishing new articles, content and a newsletter every month, along with a growing online community IronMagazine Forums.