How to pump up abs on your stomach: several effective ways

Nowadays it is fashionable among girls to be athletic and fit, so they not only go on diets, but also play sports. Cubes on a girl's stomach are the dream of many representatives of the fair sex. It is worth considering that the recommendations for pumping them up will be somewhat different than for guys, since the abdominal muscles of men and women are structured differently. If it is best for men to gain weight with strength exercises, then for ladies it is advisable to combine such loads with stretching and endurance exercises. The female body is more complex than the male. When planning your workouts, you need to take your menstrual cycle into account. You shouldn’t overwork yourself the day before your period and in the first 2-3 days after it starts.

Don't chase reps and sets

It is believed that without breaking your technique, you can do no more than 20 repetitions of the abdominal exercise. The rest will be of no use - you will perform the next repetitions at the expense of the hip flexors, which are not at all useful for this. In total, you should spend no more than 10-15 minutes on your abs before, during or after training. For beginners, it is generally enough to perform just a couple of light exercises in two approaches. And in any case, at least 48 hours of proper rest should pass before the next abdominal workout.

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Many people are mistaken about their fat intake and believe that this micronutrient is to blame for their round belly. In fact, consuming these particles, particularly the polyunsaturated and monounsaturated ones found in olive oil and nuts, is more effective than a low-fat diet.

It is imperative that your daily diet includes raw vegetables containing large amounts of antioxidants, minerals and fiber. Without these microelements, it will not be possible to build a toned body and get an attractive relief in the abdominal area.

If you do not want to exhaust yourself with constant physical activity, use our comprehensive weight loss program “Transformation”, which eliminates it. For those who have set themselves the goal of getting sculpted abs, the optimal solution would be the FIT - Transformation program. The clinic’s specialists will individually select physical activities for you and create an effective exercise program that you can perform at home on your own. They will also prepare individual nutritional recommendations for you. By following them, you can achieve successful results in a short time and find the figure of your dreams.

Sample menu

Below is an indicative list of dishes with which pumping up the press will not go in vain:

Oven-cooked meat and vegetable salad are perfect for breakfast. It is better to replace coffee with green tea or a glass of freshly squeezed juice (remember that any freshly squeezed drink is high in calories, and there is also a risk of gastrointestinal upset).
During your lunch break, you should give preference to a portion of complex carbohydrates in the form of cereals and protein, for example, baked chicken breast.
Cottage cheese for dinner with a small amount of fruit (with the exception of grapes and bananas) will be extremely useful.

Also, do not forget about the second breakfast and afternoon snack, where there is nothing better than light vegetable and fruit salads, a glass of kefir or yogurt, which also effectively satisfy the feeling of hunger, provide the necessary energy and building material for muscle mass.

Re-learn the crunch technique

We all know these exercises from school physical education lessons, but in most cases we do them ineffectively. Simply folding your body towards your legs, bending at the hip joints, is pointless. The correct technique is to curl up like a snail, contracting your abdominal muscles and tucking your chin to your chest. And at the same time, you need to push your chest up, and not pull with your head - it is because of this mistake that many beginners have a sore neck the next day after abs training. And finally, you should not lean too far back on an incline bench - this is dangerous for the spine.

Basic Rules

To gain an attractive shape and catch admiring glances on the beach from members of the opposite sex, you should follow certain rules:

Proper nutrition. The majority of the diet should be proteins, and the amount of simple carbohydrates should be reduced to a minimum.
Cardio. Running, swimming, and fitness training activate the process of burning fat mass.
Full-fledged work and an integrated approach. If you pay attention only to the abdominal area, then due to the uneven distribution of the load, problems with the spine may appear.
Complete rest. Muscles need recovery. In the opposite situation, you can exhaust yourself in vain or even cause significant harm to yourself.
Change of programs. The human body is designed quite cleverly: it is able to adapt to various loads during monotonous exercises.

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Comment by Elena Morozova:

It is very important for people working out their bodies to drink a lot of water, as this helps replenish the fluid lost through sweat. If you have doubts about whether your body can cope with the stress, we suggest contacting specialists at our clinic. With us you will lose weight without harm to your health and without strict restrictions.

How to get six-pack belly fat on top

The following exercises are best suited for this:

Twisting. Starting position - lying on the mat with your knees bent. The body must be raised so that only the shoulder blades are raised. Your hands should be held behind your head, and if it’s so hard, then crossed over your chest.

Penknife. The idea is quite simple and involves lifting your upper and lower torso until your knees touch your chest. To begin with, you can perform it from a sitting position, and after a few workouts - completely horizontally.

Star. Having assumed a lying position, you need to put your hands forward and place them as far apart as possible, while trying to find balance. The main task is to remain in this position for a long time so that the body does not protrude upward or sag downward.

Various variations of twisting are also excellent for developing muscles, for example, turning the body alternately in different directions or raising the legs up.

The video below will tell you in more detail how to properly and quickly pump up abs on your stomach.

How to pump up your abs so that you have six-packs at the bottom

Among the many exercises for this muscle group, the following have proven themselves to be the best:

Scissors. Lying on the floor, you need to lift your legs to a level of 35-45 degrees and perform crossing swing movements with them. Please note that the lower limbs should not drop under any circumstances.
Burpees. Initially, you need to sit down so that your knees touch your chest and your hands rest on the floor. The essence is to sharply push the legs back with their full straightening and return to the starting position. To achieve a better effect, you can jump up at the end.

Reverse twists. Lying on the mat, you need to raise your legs so that your hips are at right angles to the horizontal plane, and your feet are connected and parallel to the floor. Then you should lift your pelvis, roll on your buttocks towards your body, trying to touch your knees to your chest, and return to the starting position. This exercise is the most effective if you are looking for a way to quickly pump up your abs to a six-pack. If performed regularly, it will not take much time to achieve the goal when compared with other types of loads on the abdominal area.

Leg lift. It's best to start training with this. From a lying position, you need to smoothly raise your lower limbs to almost full perpendicular (up to 70-80 degrees), and then lower them as slowly as possible. Please note that you should not touch the surface. When about 10-15 centimeters remain between the heels and the floor, you should start a new repetition. Over time, to increase the load, you can move to the crossbar and perform a lift from a hanging position, which is much more difficult and, accordingly, more effective.

V-shaped crunches. From a horizontal position, it is necessary to simultaneously raise straight legs and extended arms until the limbs touch. This exercise is one of the most difficult, and it is not recommended for beginners with weak and not yet developed abs.

Leg raise (another method). Grasping the bench you are sitting on with your hands, you need to slightly tilt your body back and stretch your hips so that a straight line with your body is formed. After the position is stable, you need to simultaneously bring your legs, bent at the knees, to your chest and raise your body. For already experienced athletes, you can make the task a little more difficult by holding the ball between your shins and trying not to drop it.

How to make your abs on your stomach more prominent

The physical condition of the oblique muscles also has a significant impact on the appearance of the torso, so they are also worth pumping up. To achieve a good result you should do:

Tilts. For this exercise you will need a bar or a gymnastic stick, which must be placed on your shoulders and clasped with both hands at the elbows. Standing with a straight back and wide-set hips, you need to alternately bend to the left and right sides at a fairly slow pace.
Oblique twist. Having taken a horizontal position and placing your legs bent at the knees on the floor, you need to raise your torso, then turn your body as much as possible, first in one direction, and then in the other, and return to the original position. After a few weeks of intense training, you can complicate the task: sit reclining with support only on your buttocks, lift your slightly bent legs from the surface and make turns.

Plank. Having taken a horizontal position, where the emphasis is on the elbows and forearms (the angle should be right), as well as the toes, you should stay in this position. Please note that there should be a feeling of tension in the muscles of the abdominal and chest area, thighs, and arms, but there should be no sagging of the body or its protrusion.

Most workouts for developing abdominal muscles involve performing a series of movements along a given trajectory, that is, they are dynamic. But the plank belongs to the category of abdominal training, which allows you not only to get rid of a cute belly, but also to effectively “tighten” your body and maintain correct posture. If you do not want to overload your body or have medical contraindications, contact the Elena Morozova Weight Loss Clinic. With us and our FIT programs, you will lose weight easily and simply.

Contraindications

Although the exercises described above are sedentary, they should not be performed by people suffering from diastasis recti (most often found in women). In addition, representatives of the fair half of humanity who have started their menstrual cycle, or women preparing to become mothers, are also advised to refrain from training, as this can provoke an increase in intra-abdominal pressure, which will clearly have a negative impact on the condition of the body.

Anyone who experiences pain in the lumbar spine, as well as people with displaced discs, vertebrae, hernias and other pathologies should avoid holding their legs suspended. If painful sensations appear, you must interrupt the activity, as otherwise there is a risk of harming yourself.

No attractive appearance is worth health problems. Before getting six-pack abs, it’s a good idea to listen to your body and consult with a specialist if you have certain ailments. This will avoid negative consequences.

Know your limits!

Dried abs with cubes are more of a man's story. It is not only extremely difficult, but also dangerous for women to strive for such a picture. If a girl can guess the top two cubes on her stomach, that’s still normal. But no more! An imbalance in fat balance, a disruption in metabolic processes and a threat to the health of the reproductive system - a sculpted belly is not worth all this. And if your friend/acquaintance/trainer has all the abs on her stomach and doesn’t have any health problems, this doesn’t mean at all that you will get “male” abs painlessly. We are all different!

How does a muscle corset work?

Before you rush to buy a gym membership or lay out a mat at home, you should understand the anatomical structure of the muscles you are interested in. The abdominal region consists of the following muscles:

Straight. It is she who influences the appearance of cherished forms.
Oblique. They are located on both sides of the torso and are responsible for the waist.
Internal braid. Performs the same functions as the previous ones.
Transverse. It is an internal support, the condition of which determines strength and endurance.

What exactly are abs and what other abs?

The anterior wall of the abdomen is formed by the rectus muscle, which is usually called the abdominal press (or simply the press). It is a paired flat muscle that is vertically divided by the linea alba (the connective tissue that runs through the midline of the body) and horizontally excised by tendon bridges. It is these separators that form the cubes - usually 6, and sometimes 8 - depending on the anatomy of the body.

Master of Sports and European champion in bodybuilding Stanislav Lindover notes that every person has abs from birth, and “pumped abs” or “cubes” are the result of training and proper nutrition: “To show off the abs, you need to reduce the percentage of fat. For men – up to 11-12%. Abdominal crunching alone will not lead to significant visual changes.”

Side plank crunches. "Thread the Needle"

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How much: 12-15 repetitions on each side.

Starting position: side plank. The leg that is closest to the floor is placed back, the other leg is placed forward, and we rest our forearm on the floor. Raise the pelvis. We line up our legs and body in a straight line diagonally directed towards the floor. With our free hand we reach towards the ceiling.

We twist our body towards the supporting hand and insert our free hand between the floor and the body. We return to the starting position.

Breathing is shallow, arbitrary, because the abs are tense all the time. Don't forget to do the same amount on the other side.

What to look for?

Abdominal training can be direct (with an emphasis on the abdominal muscles) and indirect (using the abdominal muscles while performing other exercises). You must engage your abs in as many movements as possible, then it will develop and strengthen.

Stanislav Lindover focuses on an important point: “The abdominal muscles perform the function of bringing the torso to the pelvis. Not the moment of lifting the legs, but precisely the lifting of the pelvis.”

If you simply lie on the mat and lift your legs towards you, your abdominal muscles will not be involved in the workout. To include them in the work, it is necessary to raise the pelvis. Or fasten your legs on a special bench and lift your torso up.

The abs, together with the muscles of the back, pelvis and diaphragm, form the so-called core - a set of muscle groups that provide core stability and are involved in almost all physical exercises from running to weight lifting.

Six-pack press at home: where to start?

You should wait a lot longer with active abdominal exercises if you haven’t done much sports before. In this case, before pumping up six-pack abs for girls, it’s worth starting with other exercises that will improve the tone of the abdominal muscles and slightly strengthen them. Anyone can do them, regardless of their level of training.

1.Vacuum

Vacuum is a very simple and at the same time effective exercise for those whose stomach “hangs” due to untrained abdominal muscles. It will help improve muscle tone and reduce abdominal volume.

Vacuum can be performed in different ways, but the essence is the same for all. Try to inhale deeply and slowly, pulling your stomach inward. Now take the same strong breath and draw in your stomach even more. Try to keep it pulled in as long as you can. This exercise was originally used in bodybuilding. It helps to give the body an aesthetic shape and emphasize other muscles through the waist. Later it began to be used in various sports fields, and its main purpose is to strengthen the abdominal muscles.

This exercise can be performed sitting, lying down, or however you like. It is best to remember the position of the abdomen when performing it, and constantly reproduce it. That is, as often as possible, wherever you are, draw in and tense your stomach . Over time, the muscles will get used to it and get stronger, and you will be able to get rid of all the excess in the abdominal area.

2.Plank

Girls with six-pack abs usually include a plank in their training routine. It helps strengthen the rectus abdominis muscle and improve the tone of the abdominal muscles. The plank has many variations. Let's look at its classic version.

Lie on your stomach, stand on your elbows and toes so that your body forms a straight line. Do not bend in the back or buttocks. Try to stay in this position for as long as you can. To complicate the exercise, you can deprive the body of one of the support points, that is, raise one arm or leg.

3.Side plank

The exercise is similar to the previous one, but is performed a little differently. It will work and strengthen the lateral and oblique abdominal muscles. Lie on your side, lift your body on your elbow. Place your other hand on your body. One foot should be on the floor, the other should be on it. As in the previous version of the plank, try to hold in the indicated position for as long as possible.

With a little training, you can soon move on to the main set of exercises, which will help you create beautiful sculpted abs. Don’t worry about how to get six-pack belly fat for a girl quickly. To achieve high-quality and lasting results, you will have to try. Remember that an important role should be given to diet, because in women everything that is unnecessary often tends to accumulate in the abdominal area. You can also add cardio training to your program to burn fat. This could be as simple as riding a bike or jumping rope. The hula hoop also burns excess excess in the area of the press . It is an integrated approach that will help you get the desired cubes.

Basic principles of training

Recommendations for pumping up abs for girls are slightly different than for boys, since the abdominal fibers in women and men are structured differently. However, when creating a program for working out the rectus abdominis muscle, it is necessary to follow generally accepted recommendations to achieve the desired effect quickly and without harm to health:

It is preferable to exercise on an empty stomach. It is understood that 2-3 hours must pass after the meal, otherwise there is a risk of disruptions in the gastrointestinal tract, and as an unpleasant consequence - nausea and a feeling of “a stone in the stomach”.
Regularity is the main guarantee of results. The optimal regime of strength sports loads is alternating a day of work with a day of rest.
Each type of movement should be performed 15-25 times, repeating in 4 sets. It is important to increase the load gradually, without causing overload.
Girls need to combine strength exercises with stretching and endurance training.
Compliance with the drinking regime is an essential condition for progress. The daily minimum is 1.5 liters of plain water.

Where did the cult of six-pack abs come from?

The golden era of bodybuilding from the 50s to the 80s, which ended with the dominance of Arnold Schwarzenegger, shaped the image of the alpha male of that era: broad shoulders, pronounced pecs, narrow waist and six-pack abs.

The dawn of action films with an invincible protagonist in the 80s and 90s, where Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and Jean-Claude Van Damme were the soloists, finally established the pumped and dried torso as the standard of strength and brutality.

Therefore, it is not surprising that the further development of the fitness industry and cinema was based on the cult of muscularity and leanness. Abs have become synonymous with excellent physical shape, which is not a shame to show on the beach and screen.

How long does it take for a man to get six-pack abs?

It all depends on your starting physical fitness and excess weight. If you are dry by nature, then you can pump up your abs to six-pack abs in 3-4 weeks of intense training, but if you are overweight enough, then pumping up your six-pack abs can take up to 2 months . Therefore, each case is very individual and depends on a number of starting indicators.

So, I will not describe long tirades of bioprocesses, but will describe in detail exercises and diet that are guaranteed to help any man pump up his abs to six-pack abs in 1 month.

Why did the cubes appear only in the upper abdomen?

There may be two reasons:

Too thick fold of subcutaneous fat that covers the lower part of the abs.
Genetically determined form of abs.

Subcutaneous fat content can be determined using a test. If he shows that the thickness of the fold on the abdomen is about 10 mm, for the sake of the long-awaited cubes you will have to undergo drying. If there is almost no fat in the lower abdomen, you will not be able to gain cubes due to the shape of your abs.