The majority of beginners and teenagers most commonly
asked question is "how do I get abs?" Everybody
always wants to know how to get "abs." After all, abs
are the finishing touch to a perfect portrait. In
order to know how to make your midsection look it's
best it is a good idea to have a basic understanding
of it. There are three main parts to a complete set
of abs. First there is the rectus abdominis, or the
main center part of the stomach area. This is what
people call the "six pack." Secondly there are the
external obliques. These are the muscles on the sides
of the rectus abdominus. Lastly are the intercostals
and serratus anterior muscles. These are located
above your external obliques and cover part of your
rib cage. The intercostals look extremely impressive
when well developed so do not neglect them or any
other part of your mid-section and you will have
remarkable looking set of abs.
There are a few things to remember when striving
to get the abs you desire.
1. Genetics - Everybody has "abs" so the question
shouldn't be 'how do I get abs.' It should be, 'how do
I get to see my abs.' The thing is, they cannot be
seen on everybody because on most people there is a
layer of fat cells covering them. When you can
finally see them, remember that everybody has a
different abdominal structure. No two sets of
abdominal muscles look exactly the same. Some people
have lopsided abs, some have big block abs, and others
have many smaller abs. No matter what type of abs you
have, they will look impressive if you develop them to
their fullest.
2. Diet - You don't need to diet to get abs, however,
you DO need to diet to see them. It takes a lot of
hard work and willpower. If it were easy to have a
good defined set of abs, everybody would have them.
It is imperative that not only do you train your
abdominals, but restrict yourself to a diet that will
allow you to lose body fat. Only then will you begin
to see your hard work as the fat dissipates and your
abs begin to shine through. Abdominal work is only 10
percent of the ab struggle. The dieting aspect is 90
percent and without it, you will never bring your abs
to their fullest potential. If you don't have the
will to diet, then you don't have the will to have the
nicest midsection that you can possibly possess.
3. Rep Scheme - You need not do "a hundred crunches
every night" to get the abs you want. You may hear
people that boast that they do "100 crunches every
night before bed" or 500 sit-ups a day. I am telling
you right now that this is by no means necessary not
to mention usually an enormous waste of time. Treat
your abs how they want to be treated. If you take
care of them, then they will take care of you. By
taking care of them, I mean training them as if they
were any other muscle when first starting out. This
means you should be doing no more than 20 repetitions
at a single time. Any more than this and you are just
building muscular endurance. To have a showy
midsection you do not need endurance you need abs! If
you can do more than 20 sit-ups, chances are that you
are doing them too fast anyway. This is not to say
that you can not do hundreds of sit-ups, crunches, leg
raises, or anything else if you want, but it is to say
that the latter is not what your workouts should
consistently consist of. If need be (for shocking
purposes or otherwise) do your 100 sit-ups before bed
if it will make you happy, but don't let it take over
your normal training. Use it for variation in your ab
session only.
4. Variety - You are the army and your abs are the
enemy. Attack your abs from every angle and you will
have the advantage over them. Sit-ups and crunches
are great, but you must remember that they are
targeting the same areas of your overall midsection.
To have a complete and striking set of abs, you want
them to be ripped from intercostal to intercostal.
The only way you can accomplish this is by not
neglecting any one part of the midsection. The
intercostals and external obliques (side abdominals)
are what are going to make you stand out from the rest
of the crowd. All you have to do is throw some
exercises for them into your abdominal routine and you
will look incredible!
5. Proper Use of Exercises - To get the most out of
every workout, it is critical that you know exactly
how your movements affect your muscles. For example,
when doing a crunch you are not lifting your lower
back off the floor. This is isolating the upper
portion of your rectus abdominus. As you start to
bring your lower back off the floor, your abs are
still being hit but you begin to use your hip flexors
to help move you up. This is what constitutes a sit
up. Know what you are doing when you are doing it.
Don't just go through movements for the sake of going
through them. Feel every single inch of them. Know
what's going on inside you and you will be well on
your way to seeing the results you want and deserve!
One last note: PLEASE do not fall for any exercise
contraptions that you see for sale on TV in the middle
of the night. They are overrated, overpriced, and
overused. They are NOT necessary to make any gains
whatsoever. They are simply sold for someone to make
money and they are NOT as beneficial as they claim to
be. No machine in the world can take the place of
good old fashion abdominal movements such as crunches,
sit ups and leg lifts. Don't waste your time, don't
waste your money, and don't waste your abs on these
wastes of space.
Good luck in your training efforts. Train hard and
never give up!
anthony@anthonychurch.com
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