Abs! How To Get Them To Show

 

It would be in your best interest to do sit-ups until you have a six pack, right? That is where multiple people fall short on their quest for abs. Sit-ups do help strengthen your core and build up the size of your abdominal muscles, but there’s something in the way of that six pack you’ve been training for. That something is adipose tissue (fat). If you truly want to see results and definition, you need to reduce the layer of adipose tissue that is covering the abdominals, and sit-ups are not going to cut it. Exercises that are more on the high intensity side. A quick couple examples of this would be sprints or stairs. These are going to help you lose adipose tissue and keep more muscle tissue, which will help sculpt that six pack that you’re aiming for.

To get into the more scientific aspect (yay), there are three different abdominal muscles that come into play!

You first have your rectus abdominis. This is the one that gets the most attention since it is the most superficial and prominent of the three. This muscle is the one everyone considers the “abs” and most abdominal exercises are geared towards this muscle. The rectus abdominis provides the necessary action of flexing the torso, whether if it’s when we get up and out of bed or crunching up for that donut the trainer placed just out of reach for a sit-up exercise.

Next in line is the external and internal obliques. These bad boys are your next most popular in the yearbook. Although they are off to the side and help with twisting your torso from side to side, they help show off your physique very well if and when they are prominent.

The third and least known is the transverse abdominis. This muscle helps keep your lower back stable before the movement of your arms or legs takes place.

So Kyle, now that we know about the muscles, how do we build them up to show them off at the beach this coming summer??? Well kids, the best way I like to look at how to exercise and isolate certain muscles is to look at the way the muscle fiber is running! Based off of the muscle fibers and attachments, you figure out what movements would shorten the muscle, making it contract. There are plenty of workouts on the internet for each muscle and I highly recommend looking it up and creating your own that fits within your goals! Doing all of these abdominal exercises works the muscles themselves and maybe a little of the adipose tissue off, but you need to do more than ab workouts to see that six pack you’ve been training. And the key to that is high intensity cardio, or an explosive multi-joint lift. Examples of an explosive multi-joint lift would be things like power-cleans, snatches, weighted step-ups, etc. For the cardio aspect, it would be things like sprints, stairs, jump rope, anything that activates those fast-twitch muscles. Doing these kinds of exercises on top of your regular workout and your abdominal workout, you are going to start seeing the results you’ve been wanting to see for a long time.

It also comes down to your diet. If you are feeding your body foods that are loaded with sugars or trans fat, you will be losing a good amount of the work you put in at the gym. Having a well balanced diet consisting of proteins, carbohydrates, fruits, vegetables, and dairy is going to make a tremendous impact on your body! To figure out how many calories you should be aiming for, TDEE does a great job at breaking it down and distributing how many carbs, proteins, and fats you should be taking in on a daily basis! It’s not just about eliminating carbs overall because they are “bad.” Carbohydrates are a very important part of your diet, even when you are trying to lose weight! They are great at sustaining energy for your body, especially when you cut down on calories.

Source: http://www.coachmag.co.uk/exercises/lower-ab-exercises/3544/why-sit-ups-wont-help-you-get-a-six-pack