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Monday January 1, 2007
Ab-session: Midsection Madness For a More Complete Physique |
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| Ab-session: Midsection Madness For a More Complete Physique
By: John Hansen
If I had to pick one bodypart that epitomizes fitness and muscularity, it would be the abdominal muscles. They're the one muscle group that lets everyone know you're in top shape. Of course, low bodyfat is a must if you want that etched six-pack, but it all begins with developing your abs.
The bodybuilding world has provided several outstanding examples of great abdominal development. Mohammed Makkawy of Egypt and Thierry Pastel of France had the most outstanding abs in the 1970s and '80s. On today's competitive scene, Ahmad Haidar, Darrem Charles and Dexter Jackson are known for their incredible midsections.
You have many different options for training your abs. Some people believe in doing hundreds of crunches every single day. Others recommend training abs as you would any other bodypart, using heavy weights and low reps. Which is the right training method?
In order to completely develop your abs, you have to train all parts of the muscle group with the right amount of intensity and resistance. Start by dividing your abs into four sections:
1) Upper abs
2) Lower abs
3) External obliques
4) Serratus magnus
Upper Abs
Incline situps. This is an old-school exercise, but it's one of the best for developing the total abdominal region'upper abs and external obliques. Those who regularly perform only crunches for their abs will be surprised by how difficult this exercise is.
Although the standard full situp can place a lot of stress on the waist and actually make your waistline bigger, you can modify it to work only the abs and keep the waist nice and small. Performing situps on an incline board emphasizes the abs. The higher the setting, the more difficult the exercise. Keep your knees sharply bent to take the strain off your lower back.
Begin the exercise at the top, with your hands by the sides of your head and your elbows pointing forward. Holding your hands tightly behind your head usually leads to strained neck muscles. Lower your upper body very slowly, keeping your torso crunched forward. When your lower back touches the incline board, return to the starting position, crunching your abs all the way up.
If you perform this exercise correctly'slow tempo, continuous tension'it should be very difficult to get more than 50 reps per set. I don't believe in holding extra weight during incline situps because of the tendency for the lower obliques to take over and become developed. Better to keep constant tension on your abs by slowing the movement and crunching hard on each and every rep. Shoot for three sets of 30 to 50 reps.
Crunches. This seems to be the favorite ab exercise of today's generation. You lie on the ground, and then raise your shoulders off the ground, crunching in the direction of your waist. You use a very limited movement'a modified situp performed without your actually sitting up. The short range of movement isolates the upper abdominals and develops that area of the muscle without involving the obliques or thickening the waist.
Doing crunches on the floor with your feet flat on the ground may be an effective movement for beginners, but there are other variations that are much more difficult. I like to do crunches while lying on a flat bench, positioning myself so my head and shoulders are actually off the bench. That enables me to achieve a superior stretch in my abs by increasing the range of motion. I keep my elbows pointed forward and avoid pulling too much on the back of my head and straining the muscles in the back of my neck. I also keep my feet in the air with my legs bent at a 45 degree angle, which helps to keep continuous tension on the abs.
When crunches become too easy, you can add resistance by holding a plate behind your head. Since crunches isolate the upper abs, greater resistance in the form of added weight will only translate into thicker abdominals, not a thicker waist. One very effective method is to do as many reps as possible while holding a 10- or 25-pound plate, and then drop the weight and continue until you hit failure.
Ab-session: Midsection Madness For a More Complete Physique
By: John Hansen
If you have access to an Ab Bench, you could substitute sets of Ab Bench crunches, since they're essentially the same movement. Because of the rounded low-back pad, the Ab Bench gives you greater extension, similar to the effect you get when you hang your head and shoulders off the bench for crunches, but it's much more comfortable. The increased range of motion leads to a greater contraction of the abdominals in the finish, or contracted, position. Three sets of 20 to 40 reps should be just what those upper abs are looking for.
Kneeling cable crunches. This is another short-range movement that's perfect for building the upper abs. Kneel on the floor in front of a pulley machine, and grab a rope attachment connected to an overhead cable. Keeping your chin on your chest and your upper body crunched forward with your elbows close to your head, contract your abs as you bring your elbows to the floor.
The machine enables you to add resistance, while the short range of motion limits the stress placed on your waistline and focuses on the all-important abs. The key to success with kneeling cable crunches is to keep the range of motion limited to where you feel the tension in your abs. You don't want to use a full extension on this exercise because you risk thickening your waist. Do three sets with a weight that allows you to get 15 to 20 reps.
Lower Abs
Hanging knee raises. This is the best exercise for the lower abs. Hang from a chinup bar with your legs straight. Slowly bring your knees to your chest and feel the contraction in your lower abs. Lower your legs slowly, keeping the tension on the abs before bringing your knees back up to your chest for the next rep. Try to avoid building momentum, which will cause your body to sway with each rep. Keep your upper body straight, and focus on raising only your knees.
The exaggerated stretch on the lower-abdominal muscles in the bottom position is what makes this exercise so great. You can also try bringing your straight legs up'without bending at the knees. That makes the exercise much more difficult. Although it can be slightly more stressful to the lower back, it's very effective, if you can get the hang of it (no pun intended). Jay Cutler and Milos Sarcev are two champion bodybuilders who use the hanging leg raise consistently. One look at their abdominal development should verify its effectiveness. Do three sets of 30 to 40 reps.
Incline knee raises. Set an incline bench at a steep angle and position yourself on the bench so your head is at the top of the incline. Holding onto the top of the bench, raise your knees to your chest, squeezing your lower abs at the top. Lower your legs very slowly and extend them until they're straight at the bottom before immediately bringing them up for the next repetition.
Unlike hanging knee raises, on which I occasionally keep my legs straight for variety, I always perform the incline version with my legs bent. Keeping the legs straight seems to put too much stress on my lower back. Three sets of 25 to 35 reps should do the trick on these.
Vertical leg raises. These are similar to hanging knee raises, but you don't have to hang off a chinning bar. You perform them on a vertical leg-raise chair, which you'll find in most gyms and fitness centers. It enables you to support your upper body by resting your forearms on the arm pads and your upper body on the back support. You bring your legs up to waist level before slowly lowering them to the starting position. Keep your legs slightly straight when performing these.
Vertical leg raises are somewhat easier than the hanging variety, since the upper body is supported by the equipment; however, the added support allows for more concentrated focus on the lower abdominals. It's a good idea to end your ab routine with this exercise, when your abs are already exhausted. Do three sets of 20 to 30 reps.
Reverse crunches. This exercise is rarely used by bodybuilders, but it was a favorite of Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates. It's a great movement for isolating and developing the lower abs, although it does require strong abs and lots of concentration to perform it correctly.
Lie on an exercise bench with your legs raised off the bench and your knees bent, and hold onto the bench near your head to support your body and focus the movement on your lower abs. Raise your hips off the bench while keeping your upper body stabilized. Your hips should come up and slightly toward your shoulders to fully contract the lower area of your abdominals. Slowly lower your hips back to the bench before performing another repetition. Don't let your body relax until you complete the set, as that will keep constant tension on your lower abs. If you have a bad lower back, you should stay away from this movement because it requires a lot of strength in that area to do it correctly. Do two to three sets of 25 to 30 reps.
External Obliques
These are the muscles that cover the ribs. They're located on each side of the abdominal wall and, when fully developed, add dimension and muscularity to the overall six-pack. Robby Robinson and Shawn Ray have outstanding external obliques. Although developing your upper external obliques will go a long way toward improving the overall look of your midsection, you must always be careful not to overdevelop the lower obliques that tie into your waistline. Building them will make your waist bigger and ruin the V-taper that all bodybuilders covet.
Ab-session: Midsection Madness For a More Complete Physique
By: John Hansen
1) Drink a gallon of water each day. You know you should, but do you do it? I'm talking water'not coffee, not soda, not milk, not juice. Replace all those with H2O and marvel at the results. Drinking water removes toxins and pollutants and improves your body's ability to metabolize fat. And if you can manage to down 1 1/2 gallons a day, that's even better.
2) Eat whole natural foods. My friend William Smith of INTRAFITT warns against consuming too many 'secondary nutrition' items such as protein powders and MRPs. There's definitely a place for those supplements, but try to balance your intake with natural foods like vegetables, meats, oils, eggs and whole grains.
3) Eat portionally correct meals. The best way to eliminate diet confusion is to eat meals every three to four hours that consist of a portion of carbohydrate, a portion of protein and a portion of fat. Use your hand to determine portion sizes: carbs should equal the size of your clenched fist; proteins should be about the size of your palm, and fats should be no larger than the tip of your thumb from the knuckle up.
4) Reach your target heart rate. Cardio is key to staying lean. To make sure you're getting the desired results from your cardio program, do yourself a favor and buy a good heart rate monitor'and use it!
5) Don't overtrain. Less is more when it comes to time in the gym. When people brag and say, 'I just trained for two hours, man!' I think to myself, 'You were there about 1 1/2 hours too long!' I weight train one bodypart per day, and I'm finished in 30 minutes (with a partner). On cardio days I add another hour. Remember, recovery is important if you want your body to respond to your workouts.
That's all pretty basic stuff, but people trick themselves into thinking that it won't work. They get anxious and think that they've got to diet harder or exercise more. They forget the bigger picture and don't realize that being overzealous can actually work against them. Strict diets turn into binges. Hard training can lead to exhaustion or, even worse, to injury. The whole process can make you mean and irritable, and that can cause you to give up.
It doesn't have to be that way. Train smart, eat right, follow my five rules'and being lean will be routine!
'Clark Bartram
The Routines
Now it's time to put the exercises together to fully develop your complete abdominal region. Whether you're a beginning, intermediate or advanced bodybuilder, you need to train your upper abs, lower abs, external obliques and serratus muscles.
Beginning Routine
Superset
Upper abs
Incline situps 3 x 30-40
Lower abs
Incline knee raises 3 x 30-40
Serratus
Dumbbell pullovers 2-3 x 10-12
Do the first two exercises twice a week. Perform the pullovers at the end of your chest workout.
Intermediate Routine 1
Superset
Upper abs
Bench crunches
or Ab Bench
crunches 3 x 40-50
Lower abs
Hanging knee raises 3 x 20-30
Obliques
Kneeling cable
crunches 2-3 x 20-30
Serratus
Dumbbell pullovers
(at the end of your chest
workout) 2-3 x 10-12
Intermediate Routine 2
Superset
Upper abs
Incline situps 3 x 40-50
Lower abs
Incline knee raises 3 x 30-40
Obliques
Hanging twisting
knee raises 2-3 x 15-20
Serratusv Straight-arm lat pulldowns
(at end of your lat
workout) 2-3 x 10-12
For the intermediate routines, you can also add an external oblique exercise.
Advanced Routine 1
Superset
Upper abs
Incline situps 3 x 40-50
Lower abs
Incline knee raises 3 x 30-40
Superset
Obliques
Alternate
crunches 3 x 20-30
Lower abs
Vertical leg raises 3 x 20-30
Serratus
Dumbbell pullovers
(at end of your chest
routine) 2-3 x 10-12
Advanced Routine 2
Superset
Upper abs
Crunches on bench 3 x 40-50
Lower abs
Hanging leg raises 3 x 30-40
Superset
Obliques
Kneeling cable
crunches 3 x 15-20
Lower abs
Incline knee raises 3 x 20-30
Serratus
Straight-arm lat pulldowns
(at end of your lat
routine) 2-3 x 10-12
Editor's note: Champion drug-free bodybuilder John Hansen is the '98 Natural Mr. Olympia and a two-time Natural Mr. Universe winner. He can design a training and diet program specifically for you. Visit his newly designed Web site at www.naturalolympia.com for more information. You can write to him at John@Natural Olympia.com or at P.O. Box 3003, Darien, IL 60561. IM |
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