Training Your Abdominals Part 1: Don’t Rely On Situps Alone For 6-Pack Abs!

Training Your Abdominals Part 1 – Some Common Myths

If you go into any gym, you will see a wide variety of exercises being performed that are supposed to be for training your abs. Decline boards, stability balls and various other gadgets are all employed to give you a more effective workout, and many promise to give you the kind of “washboard abs” that are always displayed on the cover on Men’s Health magazine.

First of all, let’s deal with a common myth. Including all of the sit ups in the world into your workout routines will not give you visible abdominal muscles. A 6 pack is largely the result of 2 factors, namely a low body fat percentage and genetics. In other words, some people have the type and shape of abdominal muscles that tend to be more visible. Secondly, if you have a layer of fat over your ab muscles, you can have a very strong core, but you will not be able to see clearly defined abdominals. Just because you can’t see your abs does not mean that you are fat or overweight, but if it is important to you that you can see your abs, the first place to start is to lower your body fat and the only way to do this is through a good fitness program couple with a well thought-out diet and nutrition plan.

Using a Stability Ball in Your Workout Will Add Strength To Your Core Muscles

Using a Stability Ball in Your Workout Will Add Strength To Your Core Muscles

Personally, I think that well defined abs are nice to have, but they are not the be-all and end-all. It is far more important to have a strong core as it effects so many of the things we do in our lives. Your abdominal muscles effect your overall stability, and maintaining a strong core will also help ensure a strong and healthy lower back. The abdominal element in your program should be designed to train your abdominal muscles and all the ancillary muscles that govern stability.

That is why stability balls and wobble boards have become so popular. All the adjustments that you make on the stability ball or wobble board to keep your balance help to train all the anicilliary muscles around your abdominal muscles, like your obliques. It is important that all of these muscles are trained for a properly developed core. If you concentrate too much on straight sit ups, that is basically all your body will be good at, and you will leave yourself open to weakness in other areas.

Remember also that sit ups or crunches are not the only exercise you can do to train your core. Crunches tend to emphasize the upper abdominal muscles, while leg raises emphasize the lower abdominal muscles and hip flexors. These can be done on a bench, or you can do hanging leg raises from the pull up bar with your legs bent or for more difficulty, keep your legs straight. Also, heavy, compound movements will also train your abdominal muscles. Exercises like squats rely heavily on core stability and the abdominal muscles to keep the bar on your shoulders, and to control your upper body during the lowering and raising of the weight. Other compound exercises that are good for your abs include power cleans, standing military press and dead lifts.

Sit ups are only the beginning as far as training your abdominals are concerned. Look for a healthy measure of variety when choosing exercises for your core, and you will be far more likely to train all your core muscles properly, rather than emphasizing those “beach muscles”. You may also want to consider incorporating some yoga into your program, or a couple of yoga positions to enhance stability – the plank, for example is a superb exercise to build up core strength. Variety is the spice of life in the gym – it will keep you interested, and it will allow your body to develop in a more balanced way.