ETCHING ABS THAT WORK OR A CORE TO HELP YOU DO MORE

As Most of you will Know the quest for the HOLY GRAIL of abs workouts can soon have you into all kinds of trouble as you contort yourself into a hundred different agonising pivots and holds. Indiana Bones never seems to save the day and the only whiplash you hear is your motivation as it crashes and burns on week 4 after not a single gain for the pain.

Many choose the path of least resistance and there aims for six packs are purely aesthetic- (pleasing on the eye) and guaranteed to keep you topped with a plethora of STD.s.

Now I’m not saying some effort hasn’t gone into to carving out those abs. Factors like age body type and metabolism do also play a big part. Just how big I don’t even pretend to know the full answer but if like me your quest is for what’s lurking just below the surface then you have come to the right place.

Core Muscles

Rectus Abdominus

Also, known as the "6-pack," this is one area of the body which, if well developed, will turn eyes your way; but if underdeveloped and covered in adipose tissue, will cause uncomfortable squinting.

The rectus abdominus runs from sternum to pelvis and is responsible for pulling your knees to your torso and rolling your torso forward and down.

When we talk about "upper abs" and "lower abs," we're really talking about the rectus abdominus -- just the upper and lower parts of it.

The oblique’s

are slabs of muscle that run diagonally down the sides of your body, between your rectus abdominus and lats.

The function of the external oblique’s is to twist the body from side to side and extend and contract the torso laterally.

Oblique’s play a large role in stabilization of the body during athletic events.

There are both internal and external oblique’s.

Intercostals

These run diagonally across your ribcage - below your pecs and above your external oblique’s, interlacing with the serratus muscles.

The intercostals assist in deep respiration and coupled with the internal oblique’s work to expand and contract the ribcage.

There are both internal and external intercostals.

Serratus

These are the finger like muscles you find running from your lats to the sides of your ribcage and are interwoven with the external intercostals.

The main function of the serratus is to extend the shoulders as far forward as possible.

Contrary to popular belief, you can't train the serratus with crunches. Instead you'd do better to lie back on a bench with a barbell extended as at the top of a bench press and then pushing the bar even higher from the standard top position, lifting your scapula off the bench as much as possible.

Your core muscles are so much more than just the stomach muscles. Connected to your legs, how you stand, squat, sit. It’s not just about the abdominal muscles, but also training your back, your glutes, and the entire area that connects to your spinal cord and helps your body support your spine, so that the burden of supporting your body weight isn’t just placed on your bones.

Doing sit ups all day will give you nice aesthetics at the front while chafing all that skin off your arse. But what’s more likely aid you towards resembling a hunchbacked Quasimodo by the time you reach 50. Similarly, if all that work is hiding under a dense layer of fatty tissue, some work is going to have to be done to strip that away. This takes time persistence and effort-lots and lots of effort. ‘’10 minute abs I Think not!’’

Your core has three-dimensional depth and functional movement in all three planes of motion. Many of the muscles are hidden beneath the exterior musculature people typically train. Made up of three sheaths of muscles: The upper abs, the side muscles, which are called the oblique’s, and then this very deep layer of muscle. Those deep muscles are the ones that do all the good stuff and include the transverse abdominals, multifidus, diaphragm, pelvic floor, and many other deeper muscles which support your spine and act as a natural corset—so when you work them not only do you get a flatter stomach but a tighter stomach.

Many recent studies have focused on the vital role of the core to support the upper body, primarily to prevent injury to the spinal column If the muscles are not strong enough, the body may well push the boundaries of this limited range. If the limits are exceeded too much and/or too often, it can cause damage to the ligaments, joints, or disc between the vertebra. Many of us have sedentary jobs and sit all day. Add another hour or two of driving. Prolonged sitting and no exercise weakens the muscles of your midsection. The health and wellbeing industry has recognized this and is trying to show people how to keep their bodies strong despite the amount of sitting we do each day. Keeping the torso strong is important because it is the body's center of power.

The importance of Core Strength

Core strength is essential to the success of all endurance athletes. It is a commonly overlooked part of training. core strength also plays a key role in helping improve sports specific performance. A weaker core will fatigue faster, providing less opportunity to work other parts of the body. For a cyclist or a runner, a weak core will limit your gains over time. With a stronger core, you will fatigue less, providing the opportunity to work your sports specific parts of the body, such as the legs, for a longer period. Mike Schultz CSCS

The simple fact is you should train your abdominal region, for both form and function. A set of chiseled ab’s ties together a physique in a way no other body part can, and having a strong core is a failsafe against physical ailments. You don't have to train your ab’s every single day, 2-to-3 days will suffice if done properly. Focused set timed sessions on a different section of your midsection 1. Upper abs. 2.Lower abs. 3 Sides, Oblique’s and Intercostals. And don’t neglect the tougher day’s strict form and variation are paramount to success.

CORE TRAININING PLAN TIPS

FAT BURNER. Fire up your metabolism and burn off the fat that's hiding your abs. Intervals are short bursts of maximum-intensity effort. Perform three cardio exercises for an equal amount of time—spend 10 minutes on the treadmill, 10 minutes on the rowing machine, and 10 minutes on the bike. l like to mix in different types of cardio exercises to keep things interesting!

EXERCISES

1. Plank

Sets 3

Starting at the top of a pushup position, bend your elbows and lower yourself down until you can shift your weight from your hands to your forearms. Your body should form a straight line. Tense your abdominal muscles hold for 60 seconds. If you can't make it to 60 seconds, hold for 5 to 10 seconds and rest for 5 seconds, continuing for 1 minute. Focus on form: Don't drop your hips or raise your backside.

2. Hanging Leg Raise

Sets 3 Reps 10

Hang from a chin-up bar with both arms extended at arm’s length in top of you using either a wide grip or a medium grip. The legs should be straight down with the pelvis rolled slightly backwards. This will be your starting position.

Raise your legs until the torso makes a 90-degree angle with the legs. Exhale as you perform this movement and hold the contraction for a second or so.

Go back slowly to the starting position as you breathe in.

3. RUSSIAN TWIST

Sets 3 Reps 30

Lie down on the floor placing your feet either under something that will not move or by having a partner hold them.

Elevate your upper body so that it creates a V-shape with your thighs. Your arms should be fully extended in front of you perpendicular to your torso and with the hands clasped. Twist your torso to the right side until your arms are parallel with the floor while breathing out. Hold the contraction for a second and move back to the starting position while breathing out. Now move to the opposite side performing the same techniques you applied to the right side.

Sets: 3 Reps 12 on each side.

4. Cable Wood chop

Sets 3 Reps 12

Attach a rope handle to the pulley of a cable station, grab it, and stand a few feet away so that you feel tension on the cable. Turn your body perpendicular to the machine so that the handle is over your left shoulder. Now rotate your torso diagonally downward and to the right as if you were chopping into a tree, until the handle passes your right knee (allow your feet to pivot naturally). Reverse the motion to return to the starting position. That's one rep.

5. Bicycle Crunch

Sets: 3 Reps: 12 on each side

Lie on your back, extending one leg, while bringing the opposite knee toward your chest. With your hands behind your head, touch your opposite elbow to the close knee. Twist your body and touch the other elbow to your other knee.

6. Back Extension

Sets: 3 Reps: 12

Hold a weight against your chest and lock your legs into a back-extension apparatus. Allow your torso to bend forward until you begin to lose the arch in your lower back, but no farther. Extend your back so that your body forms a straight line. Do not arch excessively.

7. V SIT UP

Sets 3 Reps 12

Sit on floor or mat. Lie supine with hands on floor overhead.

Simultaneously raise straight legs and torso. Reach toward raised feet. Return to starting position. Repeat.

Keep knees straight throughout movement. Begin each repetition with upper back on floor to allow abdominal muscles to work dynamically. The Rectus Abdominis and Oblique’s dynamically contract only when actual waist flexion occurs. With no waist flexion, Rectus Abdominis and External Oblique will only isometrically contract to stabilize pelvis and waist during hip flexion

8. Bicycle Crunches

Sets 4 Reps 25

The bicycle crunch is an excellent exercise for building core strength and toning the thighs. It can be performed anywhere with no equipment needed.

Muscle Groups Worked: Primarily a core strengthening exercise which works the pectorals major, rectus abdominals, external oblique’s, internal oblique’s, and transverse abdominals but also works the Hip adductors and gluteus maximus.

Lie flat on the floor with the lower back pressed into the ground Place your hands slightly either side of your head, do not lock your fingers or pull the head up Lift your knees to a 45-degree angle at first slowly go through a bicycle pedal motion with the legs Alternately touching your elbows to the opposite knee twisting back and forth through the core, keep the elbows back rather than forward to the chest

9. Flutter Kicks

Flutter kicks are necessary to test the limits of your abdominal muscles and stamina. This targets your abdominal muscles but will target your back muscles as well. There’s no set number of reps for this workout. The point is to push yourself to muscle fatigue where you simply cannot progress further.

To perform, lay on the floor with your legs straight. Place your hands under the outside of your glutes to support your lower back and raise your legs off the ground to a point where they are approximately 8-12” from the ground. Begin by raising one leg up to about 18-20” while lowering the other leg slightly then alternate the legs. Continue alternating for the full duration. If you need to take a break during this exercise, pull your knees to your chest and hold that position as if you were curled up into a ball. When ready, extend your legs and begin again.

10. Sit Ups

Sets 3 Reps 12

Great care and excellent technique are required to strengthen the abdominal muscles with sit-ups. To be effective, sit-ups must pull the torso upward from a lying position toward the knees using only the abdominal group. Often, however, other, more powerful, muscles (those that flex the legs and hips) do much of the work

Bending the knees during sit-ups helps neutralize the action of the hip flexors and makes the abdominal muscles work more. Even so, the abdominal group tends to be involved only in the initial phase of the sit-up, after which the hip flexors take over. Conducting sit-ups with momentum, knees bent or not, does not work the abdominal group. That is why raising slowly only part way works the abdominal muscles best.

Sit-ups also can be hazardous to your lower back, especially when using the straight-leg variety, which arches the back and may create overextension and strain. Twisting (right elbow to left knee and vice versa) at the top of the sit-up movement is not only useless, it places tremendous rotational stress on the lower back that can lead to injury.

Now hopefully this guide developed from several of the most effective training results based programs on the market and several years of trying other less effective plans. Should help you navigate one or two pitfalls and stop you signing up to some lost cause training program that not only injures you but your bank balance too.

Good Health.

Stuart

“Ester asked why people are sad."That’s simple," says the old man. "They are the prisoners of their personal history. Everyone believes that the main aim in life is to follow a plan. They never ask if that plan is theirs or if it was created by another person. They accumulate experiences, memories, things, other people's ideas, and it is more than they can possibly cope with. And that is why they forget their dreams.” ― Paulo Coelho, The Zahir