There are a couple things to keep in mind when working toward building a solid abdominal wall. The crucial importance of nutrition in reaching this goal has already been highlighted in this post. So here, I will explain how the abs function and what you should do to work them efficiently.
The abs are made of four muscles: the rectus abdominis (commonly called the six pack, it helps you move your upper and lower body together), the internal obliques (they’re invisible but they help you bring your body back into alignment, every time you rotate it in one direction or another), the external obliques (the muscles stretching over your ribs) and the transverse abdominis, also called “the core” (wraps around the spine, provides stability, is responsible for the much sough for flat stomach effect as it snatches your organs together, and makes sure we have a good posture).
An efficient ab workout will target all four muscles in equal proportion. I personally like to do a bit more lower abs exercises because these are the muscles that we don’t use much in our everyday lives and that are a little harder to develop.
Which exercises target which muscles:
The rectus abdominis: exercises that work the upper and lower abs such as crunches and sit ups.
The obliques: cross crunches, Russian twists, side to side planks, leg raises with a twist, etc.
The transverse: all plank variations.
How long should an ab workout last?
A good ab workout doesn’t have to be lengthy. A fire 20-minute circuit can result in sore muscles for days! The key is to perform exercises that work all four muscles at once, or at least three of them. For example, the three point plank crunch works the upper abs, lower abs, transverse and obliques. To perform this exercise, get in straight arm plank position (works the transverse): bend your left knee until it reaches your chest and hold for 1 or 2 seconds (crunch working upper and lower abs) then twist your left knee to the right and hold again for 1 or two seconds (works your obliques). This is an advanced exercise that I don’t recommend beginners to perform, but it burns like nobody’s business!
To give you an example of an ab circuit that anyone can do from beginners to advanced.
3×60 bicycle crunches
3×15 leg raises
3×15 cross crunches
3×1 minute plank
3×1 minute plank commando
How often should you train abs?
Twice or three times a week. As with all muscles, your abs need to rest. Also note that your abs are solicited in pretty much all the other exercices from squats to side kickbacks, to push ups, etc. Within your weekly abs sessions, make sure you perform both endurance movements and weight exercices if you want to build really defined abs.
Why do some fitness influencers have a flat and toned stomach but not a visible six-pack despite being very fit and obviously exercising regularly (and why do other fitness influencers have a visible six pack?)?
The girls with a flat and tones stomach mostly do bodyweight exercises and focus on the core. The beauty with the abs is that you can choose how you want to work them. You can decided to have a six pack and add weights to your workouts, or choose to have a flat and toned stomach without the washboard effect in which case you concentrate on bodyweight exercises and strengthen your core.
