To obtain chiseled abs you must eat right and exercise correctly. This means that you must eat a high-protein diet and a moderate amount of carbs while also refraining from eating more calories than you use up with exercise. Your abdominal exercise program must be complete, meaning that you hit the upper and lower sections of the rectus abdominus muscle on the front of the abs and the obliques. Each portion needs its own exercises so they all become rock hard.
Upper Abs Exercises
The upper abdominals are the top half of the rectus abdominus muscle. The top four muscles seen on someone with an eight-pack are the upper abs. You isolate these muscles by flexing only your upper body. Lying crunches target the upper abs, sometimes called the upper and middle abs. To perform lying crunches, lie on your back with your feet on the floor and knees bent to 90 degrees. Support your head with your hands, elbows bent, and curl your head and shoulders off the floor.
Lower Abs Exercises
You can isolate, or more specifically emphasize, the lower abs with exercises that affect the position of the lower spine. Through having to tilt or stabilize your pelvis, you activate your lower rectus abdominus. An example exercise for the lower abs is abdominal flutter kicks, also known as scissors. To perform abdominal flutter kicks, lie on your back with your arms at your sides and your legs at a 45 degree angle toward the ceiling. Lift your head off the floor and hold it up as you cross and uncross your legs in the air. The legs are straight like the blades of a pair of scissors.
Side Ab Exercises
Besides working the upper and lower abs on the front of the abdomen, target the obliques on the sides. The obliques support the movements of the rectus abdominus and also work to bend and twist the spine. An example of oblique-isolating exercise is the seated oblique barbell twist. To perform this, sit up straight on the edge of an exercise bench or stool with your feet on the floor and a barbell held across your upper back. Maintain a straight spine and twist side to side.
Compound Exercises
In addition to exercises that isolate one section of the abs to the degree that it is possible, perform exercises that utilize a full range of motion in your entire spine and more than one muscle group, such as the hip flexors too. An example is hanging kneeups, also known as hanging leg raises. To perform a hanging kneeup, hang from a horizontal bar with your hands gripping the bar at greater than shoulder-width apart. The palms face forwards. You begin with your legs hanging straight but then curl your spine to raise your knees up toward your face. This motion also flexes the hips, activating the hip flexors.
References
- Bodybuilding.com; Four Easy Steps for a Chiseled Set of Rock-Hard Abs; MuscleTech
- Iron Man Magazine; Chiseled Abs; Steve Holman; June 2008
- ShapeFit: Abs Exercises: Ab Training & Workouts for 6 Pack Abs
- ShapeFit: Abs Exercises: Abdominal Flutter Kicks For Six Pack Abs
- ShapeFit: Abs Exercises: Seated Oblique Barbell Twists For Six Pack Abs
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