ROCK SOLID ABS!
Can you believe that 2008 is almost over? This year has gone by so fast, it only feels like last week that we were enjoying the warmer weather, now winter has been and gone and the mercury is on the rise again. With the rise, it’s time to shed the layers and reveal the lean, tight physique that you have been working on all year…
Don’t tell me that you have either lost track of the time, or that your simply ‘not ready’ to reveal your hard work? No one wants to be carrying too much excess in the warmer months. That’s ok though for if this sounds like you, I have a sure fire solution that will help you rip up the mid section in record time!
The Challenge – Abs in 6 weeks!
Let’s face it; we need to get on top of things NOW. The longer we stall or just meander though, the less time we will have to showcase our hard work in the summer sun. So let’s get this underway NOW and devise a rapid plan of attack to achieve instant results!
I have created these 10 steps in achieving your goals. Let’s now go through these 1 by 1 and at the end, your abs will be more then just a pipedream.
1 - Goals and Time frames
I know this may sound like a no brainer, but we need to choose a goal and a time frame. Try not to fall victim to just saying “a 6 pack” and "ASAP", get definite! The better your visualization, the better your plan! The more definite your time frame is, or in this case we could even say DEADLINE, there you have more chance of sticking to your plan when the going gets tough. So we have a goal, and we have a timeframe – now we need understanding of the bigger picture for there is more too it then just crunches.
2 – The BIGGER Picture
To sculpt the perfect midsection, as I said there is more too it then blasting out reps on your ‘AB Master PRO’. To get the best results possible you need to create your plan of attack to compliment ALL aspects of effective programming which not only includes your direct AB training, but the remainder of your resistance training, cardio vascular and fat loss training, nutrition, supplementation and recovery. I will go into each in a little more detail now and the combination of what will result in the best plan for YOU.
3 –Your Abs are just like your other muscles
There is more to a rock solid mid-section then blasting away the crunches every morning. The muscles of the mid-section, namely the Rectus Abdominals, Transverse Abdominals and additionally your Internal and External Oblique’s, they respond to training just like any other skeletal muscle in the body. As such there is no real logical reason that you need to do the volume of work that many will have you believe. Plus, your abs are working constantly in relation to core stability and assisting in every other action that you are doing. Please don’t fall victim to the hype.
With your exercise selection, we choose exercises that will deliver:
- Flexion (crunch, reverse crunches etc)
- rotation (movements that create a ‘twist’)
- isometric contraction (contraction without movement)
- and all of the big exercises like squats, deadlifts and bench press.
Your best AB program will be one that contains elements of all the above.
6 exercise AB Blaster Routine
1 – Lying Leg Raise – 2 sets x 12-15 reps
2 – Crunches – 2 sets x 12-15 reps
3 – Reverse Crunch – 2 sets x 12-15 reps
4 – Rope Crunch – 2 sets x 12-15 reps (or if no access to a machine, hands behind the head crunch)
5 – Bicycle Crunch - 2 sets x 12 reps each side (hands behind the head, you raise the right elbow to the left knee, lower, then repeat for the other side. That is 1 complete rep)
6 – Abdominal Brace/Plank – 2 x 1 minute holds (you can also do a side plank to smash the oblique's)
4 - Resistance Training
When training for ultimate abdominal development and definition, you should never ignore your other muscle groups. Rather, use the rest of your physique to help showcase your midsection. How so? Well I want you to picture looking at either a picture of yourself or reflection in the mirror. Reducing the size of the midsection is one definite way of making improvements; the other is to highlight the areas that will offset your mid section size.
Shoulders – concentrate on lateral movements and the medial head of the deltoids. This will help to add size and roundness to the area = a better V taper and the illusion of a smaller waist.
Chest – concentrate more on the upper chest which will help in ‘lifting’ your chest higher, again the illusion of a tighter midsection.
Legs – concentrate on the Vastus Lateralis (outer thigh) which will give your legs more ‘sweep’ which again, makes your midsection look smaller.
Arms – concentrate on bigger, compound exercises such as dips and curls. Added arm size, once again will simply help to offset your balance and make your midsection look smaller.
Great results are part real, part illusion – or should I say exaggerating the truth through clever training (also, get a tan and lose the torso hair – it also makes a difference).
5 - Cardio vascular and fat loss training
Hard and heavy weight training is THE best form of exercise for fat loss as it builds muscle, raises metabolic rate, shift in body composition etc but CV training definitely has its place. Over the space of a week, I would schedule in specific times when you would use a high intensity approach for cardio, and other times for a more moderate approach. A lot depends on your availability, but 4-5 sessions per week usually is ideal with 2 harder sessions, and 2-3 moderate sessions
High intensity – just as the name sounds either outdoor or on equipment. My personally preference after a warm up is to perform ‘all out’ for about 15 seconds, and then a lower intensity to recover for 45 seconds. Repeat for 5-15 rounds and your toast! I would also schedule your intense work on the days you are not weight training.
Moderate Intensity – more of a general, moderate and consistent paced output for around 30-40 minutes.
6 – Nutrition
To reveal the abs, you will need to diet! Ultimate definition is more about nutrition then training anyway, that’s my belief. You can do all the training in the world, but if you are still eating way too much food then there is still way too much fat covering your hard work. To extend further, another important factor is if you are more of a ‘sugar burner’ or a ‘fat burner’. The defining definition: a sugar burner is one who has a diet predominant in carbohydrates and a fat burner, one whose diet is higher in protein and fats and lower in carbs. To get the best results, which are achieved by burning the most amount of fat, being in a ‘fat burning’ state is a definite advantage.
How do we create this? We need to focus on a diet higher in protein and good, functional and essential fats, and minimizing the intake of carbs to only a couple times a week to replenish stores and those carbs being of additional good quality. You will need to say good bye to the processed rubbish. We are what we eat, and a good days eating when trying to burn the most amount of body fat could look like:
Breakfast – 3 poached eggs
Morning snack – high quality protein shake in water, with either a handful of almonds of a small tablespoon of natural peanut butter
Lunch – 1 serve lean protein (i.e. – chicken, steak) with mixed fibrous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower etc)
Afternoon snack - high quality protein shake in water, with either a handful of almonds of a small tablespoon of natural peanut butter
Dinner – Similar to lunch, you can substitute the vegetables for a salad (feel free to include a little avocado and olive oil dressing)
7 – Supplementation
Supplements here can make the difference, but can also create un-necessary headaches. Fat burning and thermogenic products can definitely help speed up the process and protein shakes can help fill the nutritional void when other good choices are not there, or as an in between meal. But I should also add, remember that protein shakes can also be your un-doing if you have too many. Most trainers I talk too, they consume way more protein then they need. NO natural trainer needs anything like 500g of protein per day which equals 2000 calories. Too many shakes = too many calories = too much fat. Yes, you can get fat from protein and you can get fat from shakes if it is above what you need, even if your mixing those shakes in water (which you should be doing anyway).
Supplements are there to supplement, use to ‘help’ and they will do just that.
8 – Recovery
As I briefly touched on above, your abs are just like any other muscle group. This means there is no reason you need to blast your abs every morning with the Brittney Spears AB Workout before skipping breakfast. As I said before your abs are involved in everything you do so they are ALWAYS getting a workout, but for direct AB work I would not target them specifically anymore then 2 x per week.
9 – Accountability
As you proceed through your plan (with your limited deadline), you need to keep your personal accountability super high. What this means to me, you need to be constantly asking yourself “am I doing everything realistically possible” to achieve my goals by the due date?
- Am I consistent with my training?
- Am I consistent with my nutrition?
- Am I consistent with my supplementation?
- Am I consistent with my recovery?
- What else can I do?
Ask this of yourself everyday. If you happen to have a bad day and slip off the rails, it won’t turn into 2 because you will be able to pull yourself back into gear and start proceeding forward again. It is all about taking stock of your efforts and giving the best you can CONSISTENTLY.
10 - Action
Last one, Action. It really doesn’t matter how great your training is, how great your nutrition is and if you are using the latest fat burner, unless you are consistent and you actually GIVE IT A GO which means TAKING ACTION, then you will never get there. Don’t worry about excuses; leave that for the guys who are swimming in t-shirts all summer. You have a rock hard mid section to reveal!
Josh Dickinson is a co-founder and the Training Director for Physique Essentials, an ‘exclusive’ Personal Training and Massage provider based in the Albury/Wodonga region. If results are what you are after, please check out their website www.physique-essentials.com
Program Launch
"ABDOMINAL BOOTCAMP!"
Are you ready to blast your abs like never before and to get the midsection that you KNOW that you are capable of? If so, you can join me for 4 weeks in an exclusive online program where we target all aspects of effective ab training.
Within the program is access to my exclusive members training forum where we can discuss everything you want to talk about (training, nutrition, cardio etc), actual programming and accountability PLUS 2 x video training sessions per week where I personally demonstrate all the exercises within the program (full sets and reps).
You Want Abs... then this is the program you need to check out!
Program price - 4 weeks only $25.00 AUD
Start Date - December 1, so you will be in tip top shape by New Year!
For more information - Click here
To register - Click here