Abs Workout: Total Hit
by Emily McIntyre
Filed under Core Body & Abs, Workout Routines
The aim of the Total Hit Abs workout is to attack all of your ab muscles in one session. This is an ideal workout to do on one of your cardio days and is best done after your cardio session so you're nicely warmed up.
Before we dive into the workout itself, let's have a quick reminder of what we mean by your abs. Whether you call it your 6-pack, your belly, you gut, your midsection, the simple fact is that your abdominals are made up of several groups of muscles and not just 6 blocks as some would have you believe.
Now, if you're a regular reader of the Get Fit Fast blogs, you'll know that you haven't a hope in hell of getting a six-pack by just doing abs exercises. A combination of a good nutrition plan plus a mix of cardio & weight training will all come together into a mid-section that others will gasp at in admiration.
Basic Abs Anatomy
What muscles does this target?
Looking at it at it's simplest, this workout targets the abs in the following groups:
- Upper
- Lower
- Obliques
- Core
Most people only work the upper abs by doing crunches or situps but as you can see, there's more to it than that!
Ok, enough education! Lets get to the workout.
We start the workout with the lower abs as these tend to be the weakest in most folks so you'll be able to call on the other ab muscles to help support you.
The Workout
Warmup: If you've not already done a cardio session, do a 5 minute warmup on the treadmill,exercise bike or cross-trainer.
Lower Abs: Hip Thrust – 2 sets; 10 reps to failure (i.e. do a minimum of 10 reps)
Upper Abs: Crunches – 2 sets; 10 reps to failure
Obliques: Oblique Crunch – 2 sets each side; 10 reps to failure
Core: The Plank – hold for 60secs twice
Repeat the above sequence at least one more time
At the end of this workout, you'll certainly know you've hit your whole midesection. The next day to 2 days, you'll experience some soreness – especially if you're a relative beginner. Don't worry, this is just delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) which is simply your body adjusting to the demands you're now placing on these muscles.
