Every person wants to have ripped abs. However, even after six months of training, many are disappointed to notice that the result is still not visible. How to prevent this situation?
Are you working diligently on yourself in the gym to get sculpted abs, but the long-awaited six pack still doesn’t appear? It's time to think about your training, nutrition program and lifestyle. Everything is important here! Let's start with the training itself.
Remember that there is no right or wrong way to train your abdominal muscles, but some methods are more effective. For example, our special workouts for creating amazing ripped abs really work, you can see for yourself and find them at the end of the material.
As for the rest, the main thing is to be able to separate the truth from the myth, then seeing the relief of the press will not be difficult.
Myths about ripped abs
The most important thing before starting work is to decide on the “rules of the game” and start following simple recommendations.
Myth 1. Crunches will help you get a sculpted belly.
A common misconception among most people is that doing 1000 crunches will result in a flat stomach and abs of steel. They work hard to do those 1,000 crunches, only to realize that the abs never came. Remember that in the abdominal area there is a layer of fat on the abdominal muscles.
Look at an example of training from Igor Voitenko on the diversity of the training complex.
If you have a big one, even a steel press will not be noticeable. You need to burn off all the excess fat so that everyone around you will notice your impressive abs.
Myth 2. Diet without exercise will help you get sculpted abs.
Definitely not.
Have you ever wondered why not all thin people have toned abs? A diet for perfect abs helps you achieve a flat stomach, but relief comes only after you include strength training in your program. After all, the abs are also muscles that need training with weights in order to become stronger and more prominent. Therefore, if you do not work on them, they will not grow. It's simple, the right training program and success is guaranteed.
Myth 3. I can eat as much as I want as long as I exercise hard.
Diet and exercise should go hand in hand. You can't choose one without the other. It's a harsh reality, but after a killer, intense hour-long workout, you can't indulge in candy, junk food, or ice cream.
If you want to get ripped abs, proper nutrition is a must. There are no easy paths to perfection, so buy a chicken breast, vegetables, fruits and go ahead.
Myth 4: Cutting out carbs is a good idea.
No one knows who came up with it, but every experienced bodybuilder will tell you that your diet should include some type of carbohydrates to keep your energy levels up. Try to get your carbohydrates from fruits, vegetables and whole grains such as rice, pasta and bread.
Myth 5: Low-tempo cardio, such as jogging, burns more fat.
Many people believe in this myth and believe that jogging for an hour a day is the best way to get ripped abs in 3 months.
While such a long run may provide some benefits, short, high-intensity workouts are more effective for contouring than running or walking for an hour or two.
Myth 6: Saunas and steam baths help me sweat, which means I burn fat
Another funny myth; Many older people believe that when a person sweats, he burns fat and loses weight. This is wrong. Sweating is a reaction that occurs when the body becomes more active and the body temperature begins to rise.
You sweat because your body wants to cool itself, not because it wants to lose weight. If it were that easy, we'd all be slim right now.
Myth 7: Diet pills give incredible results
When someone offers you another magic diet pill, use common sense and refuse this useless purchase. If getting ripped abs were that easy, there wouldn't be a need for so many articles on how to get ripped abs.
Relief can only be achieved through strength training.
Myth 8: I don't want to do weight training because it will make me big.
Weight training plays just as important a role as diet. Your abdominal muscles simply won't grow unless you exercise them. Think about how big your biceps would be if you lifted the same weight thousands of times. Of course not. Add weight to your abdominal workouts and watch your definition appear.
Myth 9. Eating at night will make me fat.
One aspect of eating well for ripped abs is to have several small meals a day, including before bed. Of course, if you eat a whole roasted chicken or roasted pig every night, you will gain weight.
It is important to keep the late dinner light. Every time you eat, your stomach uses calories to digest that food. If you don't eat, it thinks you're in survival mode, so it turns the unused energy into fat.
By snacking on a small amount of fruit or nuts, you prevent this defense mechanism from kicking in the next night and continue to burn calories even while you sleep.
Myth 10. Everyone in my family is obese, so all my life = I will be like that too
This is a good reason not to get that six-pack you've always dreamed of. Getting ripped abs requires a lot of commitment. Eating right and working out in the gym will allow you to achieve 6-pack abs.
This may be difficult for some people (depending on genes and body type), but with analysis, hard work and dedication, you can get the abs of steel you've always dreamed of.
How to eat so that you don’t get fat on your stomach?
The secret to proper nutrition: reduce carbohydrate intake to a minimum. If possible, switch to protein-carbohydrate alternation. This is a simple and satisfying nutrition system, thanks to which belly fat will disappear literally before your eyes.
What are carbohydrates? This is one of the main nutritional nutrients, and if there is an excess of it in the diet, subcutaneous and visceral fat is formed. If the goal is to become the owner of a slender, toned and sculpted abdomen, then you will have to forget about consuming carbohydrates, especially simple ones, for a long time. It is still impossible to completely exclude carbohydrates from the diet, but more on that below.
Pump up your abs at home - beginners
Body lifts using the Janda method
- 3-4 sets until failure, repetition
- Body part: Press Equipment: Body weight
Oblique (lateral) crunches on the floor
- 3-4 sets until failure, repetition
- Body Part: Press Equipment: No
Raising legs to arms from a lying position
- 3-4 sets until failure, repetition
- Body part: Press Equipment: Body weight
Reverse crunches lying on the floor
- 3-4 sets until failure, repetition
- Body part: Press Equipment: Body weight
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Bring each approach to muscle failure, the pause between approaches is 45-60 seconds.
Alternatively, you can do a more intense routine that focuses on the obliques and core stabilizers.
How to do a plank to give your stomach definition
The plank is a simple exercise, but very effective. If you do it regularly, you will get a sculpted belly (provided you follow simple nutritional rules). The plank belongs to the group of static exercises. How to do it is described below:
- Starting position: rest your palms and toes on the floor. The spine is straight, the pelvis does not sag or rise. The gaze is directed strictly forward, we do not “drop” our heads and do not “nod our noses.”
- That's it: stay in this position for as long as possible. Experienced athletes can stay in the plank for 5-10 minutes, beginners cannot stand even 10 seconds.
- It is very important not to change positions. No matter how tense the muscles are, make sure that the pelvis does not sag and the head does not droop. If you do the exercise incorrectly, the load on the rectus abdominis muscle is significantly reduced.
Circuit training for abs at home - basic
Circular - 2-4 circles
Reverse crunches (reverse crunches)
- 1 set of 10-15 reps
- Body part: Press Equipment: Body weight
Leg Raises from Classic Forearm Plank
- maximum number of repetitions with each leg
- Body Part: Press Equipment: No
Exercise "Bicycle"
- 0.5 - 1 minute 1 approach
- Body Part: Press Equipment: No
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After finishing your exercises, take time to stretch for better muscle recovery and stretch your abs.
Home workout for those who are prepared
In this training, perform exercises in a circular format without pauses, sequentially. And without long rest, perform 3-4 such circles.
When to expect an effect
A positive effect from pumping the abdominal muscles can be expected after 3 months. regular workouts. These are average periods, after which muscle fibers begin to stand out more clearly, and the body becomes firm and elastic. Girls who suffer from excess body weight can count on the first positive result no earlier than after 6-7 months. intensive training.
In this case, it is necessary to provide the body with complex physical activity with the activation of all muscle groups. Compliance with dietary standards is a prerequisite for losing excess fat tissue and achieving a flat stomach effect.
Getting beautiful abs and an attractive abdominal surface requires a girl to regularly visit the gym, or do physical exercises at home.
For girls who allocate 15 minutes. own time, and daily the muscle fibers of the anterior abdominal wall are pumped, the abs become prominent, the stomach is completely flat, and all excess fatty tissue disappears from the sides.
The timing of obtaining a positive effect depends on the girl’s physical fitness, her age, the amount of subcutaneous fat, and the intensity of the training process.
Pump up your abs at home - Advanced
Circuit training - 3-4 circles
Exercise Sitap (Raising the torso from a lying position)
- 1 set of 25 reps
- Body part: Press Equipment: Body weight
Raising legs to arms from a lying position
- 1 set of 25 reps
- Body part: Press Equipment: Body weight
Exercise "Frog"
- 1 set of 25 reps
- Body part: Press Equipment: Body weight
Oblique (lateral) crunches on the floor
- 1 set of 25 reps
- Body Part: Press Equipment: No
Reverse crunches lying on the floor
- 1 set of 25 reps
- Body part: Press Equipment: Body weight
Russian crunches
- 1 set of 25 reps
- Body Part: Press Equipment: No
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Try these ab workouts at home, and you will no longer feel like saying that you don't have time to go to the gym and exercise. Now the gym is at your home.
Recommended materials on the topic of abdominal training:
- How to pump your abs correctly - basic aspects of training: Time, Frequency and Volume.
- The "Abs in 30 Days" app - how to make your workouts even more fun and interesting.
- Abs Workout app - workouts and exercises for the abs and waist are simple and clear.
- How to pump up your lower abs - working with the problem area
- How to build perfect abs in a month at home or in the gym
Contraindications for use
It is contraindicated to develop beautiful abs in a girl through physical exercise if there are concomitant diseases, as well as other pathological conditions of the body.
Such as:
- umbilical hernia or disruption of the integrity of the abdominal cavity in another part of the abdomen;
- severe injuries of the lumbar and thoracic spine, which exclude the creation of physical activity due to the risk of disc displacement, pinched nerve endings, and acute pain;
- all types of heart diseases that are associated with disruption of the rhythmic activity of this organ;
- arterial hypertension, the course of which is accompanied by periodic increases in pressure and hypertensive crises;
- previous cerebral stroke or myocardial infarction;
- varicose veins, thrombophlebitis, as well as other vascular pathologies associated with their increased fragility;
- the presence of malignant neoplasms in the body, regardless of the type of tissue and internal organs in which they are localized;
- undergone surgical intervention in the abdominal cavity, which was performed no later than 6 months. back;
- bruises and severe injuries to internal organs that are located in close proximity to the muscle layer of the anterior wall of the abdominal cavity (bladder, stomach, intestines);
- diabetes mellitus type 1 or 2, regardless of whether the girl takes pills that normalize the balance of glucose in the blood, or uses insulin injections (ignoring this contraindication can lead to a sharp decrease or increase in blood sugar, cause loss of consciousness and even cause the onset of a diabetic coma) ;
- gastric ulcer, which is in the acute stage;
- pyelonephritis and chronic renal failure (exercise with weights, lifting sports equipment, can provoke an exacerbation of the inflammatory process in the kidneys and worsen health);
- increased intraocular pressure;
- cerebrovascular accident, as well as congestion in the ventricles of this organ.
It is recommended to limit training aimed at pumping up the abdominal muscles for girls who are in the 1st trimester of pregnancy, suffer from viral, cold or bacterial diseases, or suffer from a temporary decrease in immunity. During menstruation, it is also better to refrain from physical activity on the lower abdominal cavity.
Training in the gym for sculpted abs
One of the reasons why athletes fail to develop ripped abs is because they are not working the muscles with enough resistance, repetitions, or intensity to stimulate muscle hypertrophy.
If you really want to get amazing abs quickly, you have to work them from different angles, just like you do with other muscle groups.
The proposed training program for quickly pumping up the abs was developed by a professional and has proven its effectiveness in practice. Let's look at all the complexes performed by the author, Viktor Chentsov, the champion of Belarus in bodybuilding and fitness.
Train correctly and build excellent body contour.
Foods are the enemies of a slim waist
You will have to exclude the following foods from your diet for a long time:
- flour products;
- any dishes and products that contain sugar;
- any confectionery, chocolate, sweets;
- fruits with a high glycemic index.
It is better to avoid bread altogether. Occasionally you can allow yourself a couple of slices of Borodino bread. So that the body does not lack carbohydrates, you need to eat oatmeal in the morning, and buckwheat, pearl barley, and barley for lunch. You can also eat any vegetables except potatoes. Potatoes are rich in starch, and their frequent consumption in food provokes bloating in many people (at the same time, it looks like a girl is pregnant).
You don't have to limit yourself to eating protein foods. Meat, seafood, protein shakes, dairy products - all this can be eaten without fear for your figure.
Technical nuances
At some point, it became fashionable to pump the abs daily for 100-200 repetitions. However, how does the abdominal muscle tissue differ from the same biceps? That's right - nothing. Therefore, it needs to be trained in the same way as all other muscles. You don’t pump your back with hundreds of repetitions every day!
For the abs there will also be a standard 2-3 workouts per week. In a strength style, you need to do 12-15 repetitions; for fat burning, a range of 20 to 25 repetitions is suitable. Moreover, what the abs will look like is determined genetically. For example, some may have 6 cubes, while others may have 8.
