by Christiane Lamy
There's something special about a firm and flat midsection. Your abdominals attract attention like nothing else. Sexy abs are a sign of good health and overall fitness.
We see more and more athletic female bodies being heralded as the "new sex symbols." And what exactly are the areas of focus on these new athletic models? Abs, thighs, and buttocks. These are the three "hot zones" that a woman can modify with proper diet and training.
A tight midsection on a female enhances her femininity by accentuating a smaller waist-to-hips ratio: a definite plus when it comes to being perceived as sleek and sexy!
Well, if becoming a sex symbol isn't enough for you, well-developed abs also have other significant benefits. They can help with proper breathing as the diaphragm is attached to the abdominal wall. The transversus abdominis and obliques also act as a "belt" that helps stabilize the trunk and reduce the risk of lower back pain or injury. Furthermore, having a firm midsection can be a strong self-esteem booster! You'll become more confident and as a result you'll carry yourself with ease.
On the opposite end, a flabby belly that hangs freely can be a confidence killer that can have a drastic impact on our mental disposition. Plus, a loose abdominal wall is functionally not very effective, making you work harder for everything you do during the day. As a result, you get more fatigued just doing everyday tasks.
Let's get this out of the way right now: train abs all you want, but if you have a layer of fat covering them, they won't have a visual impact. You can't significantly increase localized fat loss by doing thousands of crunches. You lose fat by following a proper diet and a proper general training program.
On the other hand, there are some people who don't train abs at all because they have excess body fat around their waists. They argue that working their abs isn't worth the effort because they won't be able to see them anyway. This is silly.
We already know that the abs provide a myriad of health benefits that aren't limited to looking good naked. Having some fat around your tummy isn't an excuse to shy away from ab work! If anything, it'll motivate you to stick to your diet so you can finally see the results of your hard work. The ultimate sexy-abs formula will always be:
Training the ab muscles + lowering body fat = WOWWY! (Yes, that's the scientific term.)
Another quick note: While the obliques (the muscles on the sides of your waist) are very important in reducing the risk of lower back injuries, you shouldn't overdo direct oblique work. The obliques are involved in trunk rotation and lateral flexion, but also assist the rectus abdominis (six pack) during flexion of the trunk. As a result, they receive plenty of stimuli from basic ab work. Too much work involving the obliques will actually give you a thicker waist!
To get the fastest results possible for abs, you should use both lower reps and moderate reps. Going above 40-60 seconds of time under tension (the time spent on a set) isn't going to do much for abdominal development, so you should stick with reps in the 6 to 12 and 12 to 15 ranges.
If performing more than 15 reps on an exercise seems too easy, that means you should add weight. If it's impossible to add weight on that exercise for practical purposes, drop it from your program.
I believe in training the abs frequently with a lower volume at each session. I prefer to perform 2-3 exercises 2-3 times per week rather than 4-6 exercises once a week. The abdominal muscles recover quickly and can be trained often. And remember, you need to focus on your abs; you must feel them working during the whole set. Just going through the motion isn't enough.
Here are eight of my favorite ab exercises. I like to rotate them throughout the week, performing two or three different exercises three times per week, normally Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Here are the exercises:
This is my personal favorite! It's a great way to build the rectus abdominis and even the obliques. And as a side benefit you get to develop the hard-to-train serratus muscles. Strengthening this muscle will help reduce the risk of shoulder injury and will actually increase your bench pressing strength by stabilizing the shoulder blades.
The key point is to keep the arms perpendicular to the floor at all times. As you reach the "crunched" position you should reach for the ceiling, trying to bring the hands as high as possible. Hold that position for 2-3 seconds.
Too easy for you? Try it with elevated legs (feet off the floor during the movement)!
When performed properly, this is arguably one of the best ways to develop a sexy six pack. The first key is to focus on curling your body by using only your abs. Think of your arms as inert ropes – they don't get to help. The second key is to execute a trunk "curling" motion and not a simple trunk flexion. (See pics.)
This exercise is actually executed in two distinct phases:
Stage 1: Perform an initial crunching motion, keeping the arms in place (you crunch the trunk but don't lift the weight anymore than it is at the starting position).
Stage 2: Crunch up some more and at the same time bring your arms toward your knees.
It's better to go lighter at first to get the proper feel of the movement. Gradually add weight as long as you can continue to feel a concentrated effort from your abs.
This is a pretty straightforward exercise: just a regular crunch, holding a dumbbell in each hand. You can vary the difficulty of the exercise by changing the hand position: the closer to the hips you hold the dumbbells, the easier the exercise is. To increase the difficulty, hold the weight closer to your head or simply add more weight.
This is another basic, yet effective exercise. Really focus on keeping your hips up during the concentric (lifting) portion of the movement. I like to use this exercise as a post-fatigue drill right after one of the preceding four exercises. That means I go right to this exercise without even resting from the previous one. Try it once you get advanced!
This is a seemingly simple exercise but it can be very challenging and will really work all your ab muscles. Just pass the ball from your arms to your legs and back, lowering the ball toward the floor each pass.
This will improve trunk stability and give you more muscle control. Rotate very slowly. In time you can even add some resistance by holding a dumbbell in your hands above your chest.
This is the only exercise in which I'll go above 15 repetitions. The key is to focus on performing a peak abdominal contraction, keeping that waist tight during the whole range of motion. In fact, contract (squeeze) your abs harder than you actually need to perform the movement.
Choose your level and get your butt in the gym!
A. Dumbbell weighted crunches
3 x 10-12
30-60 seconds of rest between sets
B. Swiss ball crunch
3 x 10-12
30-60 seconds of rest
A. Kneeling cable crunch
3 x 10-12
30-60 seconds of rest
B. Seated knee-ups
3 x max reps
30-60 seconds of rest
A. Serratus crunch
3 x 10-12
30-60 seconds of rest
B. Modified Russian Twist
3 x 10-12
30-60 seconds of rest
A. Serratus crunch
4 x 8-10
30-60 seconds of rest
B. Swiss ball crunch
4 x 12-15 (hold a dumbbell on your chest if it's too easy)
30-60 seconds of rest
A. Kneeling cable crunch
4 x 8-10
30-60 seconds of rest
B. Ball exchange double crunch
4 x max reps
30-60 seconds of rest
A. Dumbbell weighted crunch
4 x 8-10
30-60 seconds of rest
B. Seated knee-ups
4 x 8-10
30-60 seconds of rest
With these strategies and a good diet you simply can't go wrong! For years my abs were a very weak point. Since they were a weakness, I had to work extra hard to develop them. I tried out every method I could and I feel that what I just presented to you is the best way to develop those abs ASAP! Try it!
Christiane Lamy is an international level bodybuilder. She's certified from Coach Export, a Canadian coaching certification organism recognized by the IFBB and Canadian Bodybuilding Federation. She works mostly with figure skaters and the average woman who wants to look her best. You can reach her at christiane.lamy@videotron.ca.
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