Abs

[Elfdrinkingtea]

Summer is just around the corner and i have been training abs frequently, four times a week. I have read the Muscle and Fitness magazine and they had shown me a good way to lose fat and gain muscle. I followed those plan and they do work but their two times a week abs workout does not appeal to me. Any suggestion on what routine i could do to get my abs to shown within a short period of time? I am 5.9 and weight about 130 pounds.

[Jorus Cbaoth]

Crunches are the easiest way. Do you have access to an ab machine? Those work well too. If not, get a flat bench, a 10 pound weight, put your as$ on the edge of the bench and lay down then come back up. Like doing crunches, but in the air. I have no idea what these are called. They are pretty much just crunches, but it mixes your workout up a bit. Do some cardio like running or jumproping to reduce the fat around your obliques and stomach.

[Elfdrinkingtea]

Any one here who has a six packs and has a muscular physiic? I would like to know how you did it? How did you get those six packs that you could litteraly wash your clothes on?

[stratguy620]

the funny thing about a six pack is that in reality, we all have one. Its just a matter of getting your body fat down to a fairly low level so that they can poke through. My track coach once told me that the best ab exercise is running, and I agree, just because it burns the fat that covers them up. So, hit the cardio, eat low fat.

 

As for ab exercises and routines, there are literally millions out there. For me, my personal favorites would probably have to be decline crunches with weights, hanging leg raises, oblique crunches, and lying leg raises. Try link removed; they have almost too much info on this kind of stuff, but I'm sure you'll find plenty of info there. If you have anymore questions feel free to pm me...

[iamteddybearfeelmecuddle]

I've got pretty good abs. Sit ups are great. Also there are machines you can use. At the weight room I go to, there's not one specifically for abs.

 

But the other day someone gave me a 'Curves' memberhip as a gift (It was a man who had won it and so I went there and they have a couple of machines that really work well on your abs (and your butt too ) You might try going there (to Curves), I never would have tried it without that free gift. But so far it is a great supplement to the other excercise that I do anyway.

[MacGyverRI]

Any one here who has a six packs and has a muscular physiic? I would like to know how you did it? How did you get those six packs that you could litteraly wash your clothes on?

 

I had them yrs ago and am trying to get them back now.

 

besides the normal situps etc,

 

I forgot the name of this one but it does abs and sides at same time.

you need to put a foot under something or have someone hold it down while you lay on your back w/ hands behind head. do a sorta situp but take right elbow (keep hands behind head) and left knee and bring them together in the situp like position while you twist your body trying to make them meet. do the same w/ left elbow and right leg. the spotter/helper holds the stationary foot.

do 4-5 at a time on ea side then do other side.

 

This is for sides which help the abs pull in.

stand up straight and have 5-15+ lb hand weights (what's comfortable to you, but some resistance) in ea hand. keep weight flat against hip/leg while doing side bends. you lower one weight and raise the other one.

 

aerobics help also.

[Backstroke03]

Everything listed above is great -- but the biggest key to getting abs or vascular in general is cardio and diet. It all makes a big difference.

[sir sirloin]

If you are feeling badass and have a strong back find a pullup bar, put your legs on it and do vertical crunches. Also makes you look cool.

[Elfdrinkingtea]

how many times a week i shoudl do this

[MacGyverRI]

how many times a week i shoudl do this

 

 

Every 1-3 days depending on how crazy you want to get w/ them. Don't do them every day and don't push too much since you want an aerobic heart rate and not anaerobic. Don't get the mentality that pushing too much is going to make it happen faster because you can really hurt yourself.

 

A quick search brought this up.

link removed

When you exercise at a very high intensity, you push your heart rate into the anaerobic range," explains Steve Farrell, Ph.D., the associate director of the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research. Anaerobic literally means that you've gone beyond your body's capacity to use oxygen to produce energy; that happens when you've zoomed to 75% to 85% of your maximum heart rate. It's more efficient to keep your heart rate in what experts call the aerobic range (50% to 75% of your maximum — or target — heart rate).

 

20 reps 2x's a day every other day is good to start but don't kill yourself. Do 10 at 1st if needed, 25-30 if you're not dying. Once you do them for 2-3 weeks then increase by 10-20 or so per set. Your muscles really do need a break in between so don't push it too much.

 

Plenty of low fat/high protein foods like tuna in water, eat the whole can or even eggs or egg beaters to help feed the muscles is also needed.