A six-pack is a phrase that describes well-defined abdominal muscles. It requires consistent abdominal training and a healthy body fat composition. Although it may take time, women can build a six-pack by training regularly.
Six-Pack Muscle
The abdominal muscle that when built and defined is referred to as the six-pack is the rectus abdominus. It consists of a pair of muscles that run down the front of your abdominal region. It assists with maintaining posture and with flexing at the lumbar spine, as when you're completing a crunch.
Building a Six-Pack
To build up the definition of your rectus abdominus, participate in a hypertrophy, or muscle-building strength training program that focuses on your abs. A hypertrophy program is one that is of high frequency and high volume. Complete a workout program three days per week, with a day of rest between sessions. Complete three sets of maximum repetitions of each exercise. You must overload your rectus abdominus during each training session, which will stimulate it to heal and build back up bigger and stronger.
Training Session
Target your rectus abdominus by choosing the most effective exercises. The American Council on Exercise lists the bicycle maneuver, crunches on an exercise ball, vertical leg crunch and reverse crunch as exercises that require the most activity of the rectus abdominus and that you can do at home.
For the bicycle maneuver, lie on your back with your knees bent and feet up, and with your hands behind your head and elbows flared out. Crunch up and twist to your left, bringing your right elbow up to meet your left knee. Lower down and repeat on the other side. To complete crunches on a ball, lower yourself down on the ball so that your lower back rounds around the ball. Keep your knees bent and feet securely on the floor hip-width apart. With hands behind your head and elbows flared out, curl straight up towards the ceiling. To complete a vertical leg crunch, lie on your back with your legs straight and pointed up towards the ceiling. With hands behind your head, crunch straight up. For a reverse crunch, lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, and your arms straight and resting down by your side. Pick up your hips so that your bottom comes up off the floor, and lower yourself back down slowly, maintaining control.
Body Composition
Your abdominal muscles rest underneath your layer of body fat. If you possess too much body fat around the stomach, the muscle definition that you build with abdominal exercises will go unnoticed and hidden. If you have excess fat at your stomach, reach and maintain a healthy body composition through regular cardiovascular exercise and eating healthy.
Gender
Because of hormonal differences, women have a more difficult time developing muscle definition than men. Men possess significantly more growth hormone and testosterone, allowing them to build muscle. Because of this, women require more time to create a six-pack and are limited in the definition that they can achieve. Certain women may have more difficulty because of their higher body fat percentage.
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