You have a six pack when your stomach shows six defined areas of muscle. It is true that abdominal exercises are necessary to achieve this look, but there's more to it than that. The easiest ways to have a six pack are to include other exercises and make lifestyle changes.
Work All Areas
The rectus abdominis is the large muscle that runs from the chest to the pelvis. The inner and outer obliques are found on the sides of the stomach. To effectively develop a six pack, perform exercises that target the upper and lower rectus abdominis and the obliques. If you were to only target one area, you would only develop that area. Leg raising exercises like leg lifts, reverse crunches and hanging knee tucks target the lower abs, torso lifting exercises like crunches, sit-ups and stability ball sit-ups work the upper abs, and lateral and rotational exercises like side bends, Russian twists and bicycle crunches work the obliques.
Use Added Resistance
Performing ab exercises will tighten and tone the abs, but if you want to easily develop a six pack, add resistance with your exercises. This will cause more muscle fiber recruitment and ultimately fuller looking abs. Use resistance like weight plates, dumbbells, barbells, medicine balls and ankle weights with your exercises.
Use Proper Form
When it comes to ab exercises, form is very important. When you execute a repetition, squeeze your abs forcefully. Take the standard ab crunch for example. While lying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat, lift your shoulders off the floor, tuck your chin in toward your chest and squeeze your abs forcefully. Hold that contraction for a full second, lower yourself back down and repeat. Fast, sloppy reps will not adequately work your abs and will also increase your risk for injury.
Proper breathing is another important aspect of ab exercises. Exhale when you exert force and inhale as you lower yourself down.
Go For Quality
Doing endless amounts of reps with your exercises will not get you to a six pack any quicker than doing fewer reps with good form. Quality is more important than quantity. Aim for 15 to 20 reps and three to four sets with each exercise. If you are using added resistance, this is all you should be able to perform anyway. Once you can easily do 20 reps with an exercise, increase your resistance even more.
Rest Your Abs
Doing ab exercises every day will overwork your muscles and not allow enough time to recover. The abs are no different than any other muscles. They need to be worked hard and then rested. Take at least one day off in between workouts to allow for proper recovery. Also make sure to get enough sleep every night. According to the Centers for Disease Control, adults should get seven to nine hours of sleep a night.
Member Comments