Thursday, August 23, 2012

Abs and Why Most People Don't Train Them Properly

  Abs are honestly the easiest part of your physique to obtain. Everyone, no matter how overweight, has a full set of abs. They just protect them with a wall of fat. Your abs start to show at around 11ish percent body fat and become pronounced at around 8%. This post will give you a comprehensive guide to getting a lean and defined mid-section.

  PART 1: Training
Resistance training 3 times a week will help strengthen your core as well as bring some shape to your abs. I recommend doing upper abs on Monday, obliques Wednesday, and lower abs Friday.

Upper abs- 15 reps of hanging leg raises: 3 sets
                   15 reps of between the legs push-throughs: 3 set
                   15 reps of ball rollouts: 3 sets

Obliques (the sides of your torso)- side plank- hold it two times on each side for at least 30 seconds
                                                      25 reps of bicycle crunches- 3 sets
                                                      15 reps of Russian twists- 3 sets

Lower abs- 25 reps of straight leg Roman chair crunches- 3 sets
                   25 reps of double-leg stretch- 3 sets
                   15 reps of lying leg raises- 3 sets

  PART 2: Nutrition
Carb and fat control are the keys to great abs. When I'm dieting down for a show, I usually get between 200-250 carbs. As the competition gets closer, I cut that number even more. On my non-training days I try to take in as little carbs as possible. Always remember to get most of your carbs in the morning so you have a whole day to use that energy. Everyones body reacts differently however so if you have specific questions about nutrition please feel free to email me at jaysilver26@gmail.com.



Most people believe, for some strange reason, that abs recover faster than any other muscle group so it's ok to train them every day. This couldn't be farther from the truth. Your abs need just as much time to rest and recover as any other muscle in your body. Also, many people buy into those "insta-abs" belts I see advertised on TV 24/7. Those are complete scams! There is no substitute for hard training and strict dieting.

And guys please remember this, abs really aren't all that important. Sure they look nice but I'd much rather have great arms or a great chest. To me, abs are just something everyone's going to have when I show up at a contest so I have to have them too. And to all you guys who want to compete remember, back and legs win shows. If you've got shredded glutes and a little Christmas tree going on in your lower back, you'll win. Abs are more important to physique competitors but they still take the backseat compared to chest and arms. Don't obsess over abs! I only have good abs a few days before and durring my competitions. And that's after water restrictions which I'll cover in a contest prep thread eventually.


Thanks for reading and lift strong!

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