Killer ab workout
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Do you really want to kill yourself? Then this is not for you ! If you want Killer abs from your ab workout then read ahead... I'm going to give you all you'll need for killer abs right here on this page. Ok now for some killer ab workout advice. There are two main aspects to a killer ab workout. Killer ab workout Mantra 1 - Abs are a muscle like all others in your body and are to be trained no differently. With a few exceptions like possibly your calves and jaw, all this crap about training abs daily or for high repetitions to burn fat etc is misinformation. You can over train your abs like any other body part. Killer Ab Workout Mantra 2 -Your abs are part of your core stabilizer muscles and are activated whenever you do any upper body exercise...even when lying on a bench! Eg: when you do squats, bent rows barbell/dumbbell curls, shoulder press, chin ups, you are working your abs. Killer Ab workout Mantra 3 - Diet is king. As per my bodybuilding book Underground Mass Secrets, you will get more visible result from intelligent nutrition and diet than from extreme cardio or weight training. Let me give you an example to illustrate: How many guys do you know that eat like the average joe (eg fast foods, a few beers after dinner, pop, potato chips etc) but go to the gym five days per week? Maybe your one of them? Well if you are, how is your progress? Is it a little discouraging? The truth is a one hour cardio workout or weight training session is lucky to burn off over 500 - 1000 calories (depending on your bodyweight and intensity). One big mac meal with fries and a coke is probably close to 1300 calories (I'm guessing here off the top of my head as I remember a Big Mac is around 575 calories. Then a large fries is around 570 calories plus your drink, which is around 300 calories for a large. ) So you eat one fast food meal a day and there goes all the fruits of your killer ab workout. On the other hand if you follow an effective bodybuilding diet and train once a week you can look like a new man within a few months or less depending on how out of shape you are when you begin your killer ab workout. So what would you rather do ? Option 1 Fit in with the crowd - Eat like a pig, workout like a slave and make little change like everyone else at the gym? (follow this route and I wager you'll get more fulfillment out of basket weaving when you quit your "killer ab workout" a month or two down the road. By the way gym's love people like this, they usually have paid for a one year or two year membership but never use it thus don't put any wear on the equipment.) Option 2 - Stick out like a sore thumb - Appear as if you are a genetic freak or a direct descendent of Hercules and the Greek gods on Mount Olympus! You are seen at the gym once or twice maximum three times per week for less than 20 minutes yet you look like your carved out of stone? You choose. I 'm stubborn and of average intelligence but I can tell you option 2 is a no-brainer decision for me! To summarize: Diet determines your appearance. Athletic training + poor diet = poor results Poor training + excellent diet = excellent results. Train like an athlete and eat as a regular guy equals looking like a regular guy. Train like a regular guy and eat like an athlete equals looking like an athlete. So now lets get down to the details of what it takes to develop killer abs. Here is the killer ab workouts taken from pages 311 - 314 of my bodybuilding book Underground Mass Secrets: To develop your abdominals and midsection fancy apparatuses are not required! Thousands of repetitions of sit-ups are not necessary! What is mandatory is a proper knowledge of what drives results and to maintain a laser like focus every moment during the small plane of motion of each abdominal stimulating repetition. Let’s look at some facts as well as dispel some myths concerning your abdominals: • Abdominals are a muscle and like your other muscles require weight or resistance to grow. • Abdominals are a smaller muscle and therefore recuperate fast. Training three times a week can be beneficial. • Your lower back must always be trained with your abdominals for core stabilization (strong torso) and lower back/spine health. • There is a point where intense contraction tension training is more beneficial than to continue to just increase weight. • Abdominals will see better results if training stimulus is concentrated on time under tension as opposed to high repetitions. • Low body fat is required to see results from abdominal training. Therefore, diet is crucial. • Sit-ups are more of a hip flexor stimulating exercise than abdominal. It is important to include sit-ups in every workout but near the end and only after proper abdominal work is complete. • Exercises that secure the feet are more likely to stimulate the hip flexors as opposed to abdominals. • To excel in nearly all exercises a strong torso is necessary. For example squats, barbell curls, military press and back rowing exercises all benefit from a strong torso. • The plane of motion to train abdominals is very small. Now that we have covered some elementary basics about abdominals lets go through a couple of programs. Phase 1 Set # Description 1 Crunches Superset with hyper-extensions 2 Crunches Superset with hyper-extensions 3 Crunches Superset with hyper-extensions • Work your abdominals three times a week. • Three sets of Crunches with your feet as close to your rear as possible on the floor. • Two sets of Hyper Extensions. • Use bodyweight only. • When you can do 50 repetitions of crunches and 50 repetitions of hyperextensions proceed to Phase 2. Phase 2 Set # Description 1 Crunches Superset with hyper-extensions (50 reps each exercise) 2 Crunches Superset with hyper-extensions (20 - 25 reps each) 3 Crunches Superset with hyper-extensions( 8-12 reps each) • Phase 2 start pyramiding resistance for repetition ranges noted above. • Complete program 1 - 2 times per week. • Move to Phase 3 when you can complete 12 repetitions with a 45 lb plate behind your head for set 3. Phase 3 Rope Crunches 10 -12 repeptitions Hanging Leg Raises 10 - 15 repeptitions Weighted Crunches 10 - 12 repeptitons Lying Leg Raises Arms At Sides 10 - 12 repetitons Hyper Extensions 10-15 repetitions Side Bends (weighted) 10-15 repetitions • Do not rest between sets • Start with two complete rotations and work up to four complete rotations. • Complete 1- 2 times per week Crunches Walkthrough Let’s mentally go through the motion required to complete one repetition of Crunches with optimal form! Imagine a set of rock hard abs! Lie on a mat or bench with your feet right up against your bum. Do not put your hands behind your head as this makes it more difficult to focus on the abs. Breathing is important with abs training, breath out as you are crunching the stomach. When you are first beginning put your hands on your abs and feel them working. Do not try to lift your torso off the ground this is a Sit Up. Instead, concentrate on making the distance between the bottom of your rib cage and your hips as short as possible. Try to feel your abs through out the whole movement. As soon as you cannot feel the tension in your abs stop at the position in question and focus on your abs and really try to feel your abs flexing. When you cannot squeeze your rib cage any closer to your hip bone your breath should be fully exhaled. At this point, hold the fully contracted position for a count of 5. Slowly return to the start position being careful as to not lose the mind abdominal connection you have at this point established. As you are returning to the start position, breathe in through your nose. Do not go all the way to the rest position as soon as you feel the tension in your abs let up start to return to the fully contracted position. Keep the tension on your abs by repeating this motion until you just cannot bear it any longer. At this point record how many repetitions you have achieved then go directly to the Hyper Extension apparatus. Do a set of Hyper Extensions. While doing the Hyper Extensions, be careful not to go past the point where your back is straight. This is unnecessary stress to your spine. Concentrate on working lower back as opposed to your hamstrings and gluteus (bum). As soon as you have completed thirty repetitions immediately go and do another set of Crunches. Repeat this circuit three times. This is why I advise against eating before training as doing so will be a ticket to cleaning your own vomit in the gym! Ok as you can see the killer ab workout in my Underground Mass Secrets is all you will ever need right from your first day in the gym till the day you are buried ! (with a bitchin’ set of killer abs!)
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