“Sample Abdominal Workout Routine”Ever notice that no matter what men’s magazine you look at, chances are, your going to see a cover model with strong, ripped abs. It’s no surprise since a well defined abdominal area shows everyone around that you are 100% serious about your body. I mean, big arms and a broad chest are great to have but if you really want to turn some heads, you must have a chiselled and well defined abdominal area.
If abs are this important why do most people avoid doing them or devote so little time to training them? I think it has to do with a combination of the actual work involved and comfort levels. Let’s face it, doing the bench press and dumbbell curls feel so much better. Also, unlike doing the bench press or dumbbell curls, which show an immediate increase in size, the abs don’t respond in such a way. When you train abs, they don’t puff up like your biceps or your chest. Crunches and other abdominal exercises produce more subtle results as time progresses. For most people, this is boring and unexciting and one of the main reasons why most people don’t train them. However, if you truly want to possess a strong and powerful physique, your going to have to train your abdominal muscles. Abs are your bodies core and it needs to be trained on a regular basis, just like your shoulders and back. If you can train your abs on a regular basis, you’ll be well rewarded with a strong and powerful core that improves your overall strength, appearance and posture. However, before I present the sample abdominal workout routine, I’d like to point out something that is of the utmost importance. The only way those abs will ever show up as ripped washboards, is to trim your body fat. You can do hundreds of sit ups, crunches, and side bends, day in and day out but until you strip away the top layers of fat, the muscles themselves will stay covered. Watch your diet, including calories and the kinds of foods you eat and you will be well rewarded with well defined abs. The following sample abdominal workout routine is an intermediate routine that will effectively train the whole stomach region. This sample ab workout routine is very similar to a traditional circuit routine which is very effective for burning fat. I would suggest that you do this sample ab routine, two times per week with at least two to three days rest in between each workout. Start out doing 1 set of 10 to 12 repetitions for each exercise. Perform all exercises in a row without resting in between sets. That is, as soon as you’ve completed the first exercise, proceed to the next exercise without rest, and perform the prescribed repetitions. You will do this for all the exercises. Once you’ve completed one circuit, rest for about one minute and than repeat a second circuit. To start, try and do 2 circuits at 10 to 12 repetitions each. Ultimately, you want to reach 5 to 7 circuits for 20 repetitions each. Let’s take a look at the sample abdominal workout routine: 1) Crunches 2) Hanging leg raise 3) Incline knee raise 4) Standing torso twist Here are the illustrations and descriptions for each exercise in the sample abdominal workout routine:  Position 1. Lie on the floor with your arms across your chest or your hands clasped behind your head. 2. Keep your feet on the floor or raise them. Execution 1. Tighten your abs and slowly curl your shoulders up off the floor. 2. Curl your shoulders up toward your knees until your shoulder blades come one to two inches off the floor. 3. Hold this position for a second before slowly returning to the starting position. 4. Repeat.  Position 1. Grasp the handles of the leg raise apparatus to support your body. 2. Hang your body straight down. 3. Keep your knees slightly bent throughout the entire movement. Execution 1. Raise your legs until they are just past parallel to the floor, lower and repeat. Do not swing your body. For those who are unable to perform this exercise with straight legs, try bending your knees and tucking them into the waist at each repetition. Remember to try and point your toes downward. After a few weeks, you will be able to do this exercise with straight legs. 2. Keep the movement fluent, slow, and controlled.  Position 1. Lie back on an incline bench, and hold on to the top bars (or suitable place). Keep your legs straight and back flat on the bench. Execution 1. Raise your legs, bending at the knees as they raise and slowly lower your legs back down to the straight leg position. Repeat. 2. Keep the movement fluent, slow, and controlled. This exercise is all about the mind/ab connection. You really have to concentrate on “feeling” the abs work on this exercise to get the most benefit from it. Let’s get into position for this exercise. First, your going to have to use a light bar like a broom stick to perform this exercise. Click play to see on the video player below to see how this exercise is performed.
Place your feet about 2 feet apart, with your arms over a light bar like a broom handle. Allow the bar to rest on your shoulders. Start the actual motion by tightening the central part of your abdominal muscles. Pulling first, the right side of the abs, deliberately swing your shoulders and arms to the right. Hold the position there while you once more tighten the abdominal muscle. Slowly release to return to the forward facing position. Move to the left using the left side of the abs. Remember, the entire motion should be slow and with no bounce at the end. So there you have it. Do this routine for at least two months and I'm sure you'll see the results your looking for. Remember, try and get up to 5 to 7 circuits of 20 repetitions per exercise. |