Washboard abs is the most sought after dream for both men and women. Sporadically, the dream morphs in a national craze when the Khan brigade flash their well defined abs to the public. More than an epitome of good health, a well-defined core stands for youth and vitality.
Both the sexes fret to sculpt six packs, with little success. Though, the
realists remain content with a leaner and tighter ab! You are born with six-pack-abs, but it lies
beneath the soft layer of fat. Naturally, your exercise regime should work to
blast the fat and your diet plan should be able to sustain the fat loss. Induct resistance training in your exercise
schedule to build the muscle and aerobic activity to shed the body fat.
For a well-defined core, you need to look
beyond those endless sit-ups. Refine your workout regime to target all the
abdominal muscles involved, because building a strong core is a serious
business!
Core
Components
Your core is composed of four different
parts: rectus abdominus, oblique, intercostals and serratus. Essentially, a
good workout regime to build the six-pack-abs should encompass exercises for
all these muscle groups.
Rectus
abdominis
runs the length of your stomach. It begins from the ribs and connects the
bottom of your pelvis and forms the territory of six packs. Rectus abdominis
controls the movement of your pelvis which affects the curvature of your spine.
Therefore, you need strong back muscles to help stabilize your body for all the
abdominal work you are doing.
How to train
Sit-ups are a standard
exercise to strengthen the rectus abdominis muscle group. A study commissioned
by American Council on Exercise in 2001 recommends an exercise stability ball
to train rectus abdominis muscles.
The
American Council on Exercise recommends five minutes of daily exercises that
target your rectus abdominis. Complete 10 to 20 repetitions and two or three
sets of each exercise. As your strength improves increase the number of sets
and decrease your amount of rest between set.
Obliques are the muscles on
your sides or waist. When you train these muscles and have a low body fat they
lend your body a tapered look. In men a chiseled oblique is responsible for the
classic ‘V’ appearance that bodybuilders persevere to attain. In any sport where
you’ve to twist to perform like shot-put, javelin, golf or tennis,
your body recruits oblique muscles to deliver a knockout performance.
How to train
Do solo dumbbell side
bends to tackle love handles and chisel a lean oblique. You need to hold one
dumbbell in the hand opposite the side you’re training and concentrate on one
oblique at a time.
American Council on
Exercise has discovered Captain’s Chair as the most effective exercise at
activating obliques. The captain’s chair is a
tall piece of gym equipment that looks like a seat less chair. Stand in
the Captain's Chair with your back flat against the back and your arms on the
pads. Exhale as you slowly raise your legs toward your chest. Inhale as you
slowly lower them. Perform a total of three sets to failure. The exercise is
easiest to do with bent knees. You can increase the difficulty by keeping your
legs straight.
Intercostals are the muscles between the sides of the rib
cage. It comes into play when you flex the torso and twist from side to side.
How to train
To tone these muscles
you need to cycle in the air. Lie on your back and raise your legs and cycle as
you’re riding a bike. Other than toning intercostals, this exercise also works
all muscles in your abdominal group, as well supports muscles in your hips.
Serratus
Located between the front
abs and the lats, serratus plays an important role in the movement of arms and is
often called the boxer’s muscle. When you build serratus muscles, you have
strong chest and healthy shoulder joints.
How to train
For a firmer and stronger serratus muscles, you need to do incline press
with dumbbells or a bar bell. Sit on an incline bench angled at 45 to 60
degrees. Press your back firmly into the backrest and grasp the bar with an
overhand grip wider than the shoulder width. Lower the bar to your chest then
press it vertically by extending your arms.
How many reps?
For beginners, muscle
size increases with temporary muscle failure at 10-12 repetitions. You risk
injury when you go beyond this number, advise experts. Abdominal muscles
recuperate faster than other muscle groups and training alternate day is a safe
bet. Allow six weeks for these muscle groups to develop. You also need to
include aerobics for at least 30 minutes 3 times in a week to shed fat.
References
http://www.acefitness.org/acefit/research-studies/
