Every single fitness magazine you grab always has a picture of a guy who is absolutely shredded. Every single ab popping out, and it draws your attention in because this is what you want, hell it’s what I want.
So how do you get to be this ripped? What are the best abdominal exercises and how should I structure it into my week to get the best results?
Do I train with low reps?
Do I train with high reps?
How many times per week should I train abs?
Should I train obliques separately to the rectus abdominus?
click here to receive you free ebook – Strip belly fat without doing endless hours of cardio
I have to start this blog by clearing up a quick fallacy. You can do all the ab exercises in the world, every day, but your abs will not show if there is a layer of body fat sitting on top. In the ebook here, I go through the entire package of what you need to do with your nutrition, weights training, cardio and abs routine in order to strip belly fat and get your abs to POP.
We’ve all seen the tv advertisements for the arc trainer or the ab king pro, or back in the day the classic ab roller. Those ads are convincing and who hasn’t been convinced to make the purchase, use it for a month (max) and then let it collect dust. The saddest part of all, is that before you bought it you knew deep down somewhere that simply doing your abs routine wasn’t really going to get you ripped
With all that said, there is a definitely a place in your exercise routine to make sure that you do your ab training, because when you do strip the fat from your stomach you will need to have a strong muscular mid section to show off.
Where does abs training fit in to your weekly training routine?
You should train your abs 2 times per week. Your ab routine will be placed at the end of your weights training routine. A common place to put ab training is after your 45min session on the cardio. It is my experience that you are far better off training your abs alongside your weights training session.
How many reps should I use to train abs?
Your abdominals are composed of both slow twitch and fast twitch muscles. Therefore to get the most out of your training you would be best suited to train across the full spectrum of rep ranges. This means you would want to do low rep heavy sets and high rep lighter sets. Please see below to see what this would look like.
Should I train rectus abdominus (6-pack) and obliques (side abs) separately?
The best scheme I have come across is to train in the following tri-set sequence:
Ab Tri-Set 1 (low reps):
- Lower Abdominals
- Upper Abdominals
- Rotation Exercise
Rectus Abdominus
Ab Tri-Set 2 (higher reps)
- Lower Abdominals
- Upper Abdominals
- Rotation Exercise
Obliques
Example Ab Routine
A1. Swissball Pike – 6 – 8 reps
A2. Cable Crunch – 6 – 8 reps
A3. Decline Russian Twist – 8 – 10 reps per side
Perform all 3 exercise in a row and then rest 90 seconds – repeat for a total of 3 rounds
B1. Hanging Leg Raises – 10 – 15 reps
B2. Decline Push Sit Up with Barbell – 15 reps
B3. Horizontal Woodchop – 15 per side
Perform all 3 exercise in a row and then rest 90 seconds – repeat for a total of 3 rounds
The funny thing for me when it comes to abs, is that I share a love hate relationship with them. I love the feeling of sore abs then next day, but I hate doing them. I programme them in at the end of my workouts, and when I write them in to my programme, I often feel as though,
“hey, I wrote it, I can take it out”.
I get to the end of my routine, completely exhausted, look at the fact that I have to do my abs, and often find myself heading to the changing room without doing them. Yep, it happens to all of us, EXCEPT, when I outsource my programming. When I am following a programme that is written for me, I do it to a T. No skipping exercises, no heading to the changing room early. My coach has put it in for a reason, so I have to do it. It is there for a reason, so my arse better be doing it, no excuses. It is this very reason that outsourcing my training gets far better results for me than when I write my own. It doesn’t mater how much you know, it is best to get someone else to write your training programmes. The top sportsman in the world all have coaches. Why should I be any different?
Here is a list of abdominal exercises broke down so that you can programme them in using the format described above
Lower Abdominal Exercises
Hanging Leg Raises
Swissball Reverse Crunch
Decline Double Leg Lowering
Lying Cable Pull-Ins
Upper Abdominal Exercises
Cable Crunches
SB Crunches
V-Up
Decline Push Crunch
Obliques Exercises
Back Extension Side Crunch
DB Side Bend
Woodchop
Swissball Oblique Crunch
If you want to learn more about how to strip belly fat that will help display your abs, click here for your free ebook.
In this ebook you will learn:
- resistance training exercises
- high intensity interval training
- nutrition
- understanding how hormones influence abdominal fat and what you can do about it
