A toned, beautiful belly is a dream that will become a reality if you approach the issue comprehensively: follow the rules of nutrition and perform regular exercises. Of course, it is impossible to achieve results when there is a layer of fat on the stomach, under which no one will see beautiful abs. Therefore, in addition to abdominal exercises, it is very important to eat right and exclude foods containing carbohydrates and fats: sweets, smoked foods, flour, processed foods and other unhealthy foods. You need to eat proteins: dairy products, lean meat, eggs, vegetables and fruits. It is important to remember that you cannot get rid of belly fat by doing exercise alone. Proper nutrition is an equally important step towards a toned tummy!
If general exercises aimed at burning fat need to be done daily (running, swimming, aerobics, etc.), then it is recommended to perform abdominal exercises about 4 times a week so as not to overstrain the muscles and not lose the desire to exercise.
Bodymaster.ru recommends Training Plans:
If you leave your abs until the end of your workout, you will have a harder time maintaining your strength and doing a good set. In this case, it is better to transfer the exercises to the beginning of the workout: with a good warm-up, you will focus the best minutes and a charge of motivation on this obstinate part of the body.
Moreover, by participating in other exercises, the abs will be in good shape throughout the entire training and the result of the training will be much better in total.
What if you don’t have enough time to do a full workout or you have to skip it? These 10 exercises for the press from Ekaterina Mityaeva will help you get out of the situation and do it at home or even in the office.
Training frequency
How often should you do your abs?
Many training programs include a separate training day for the abdominal muscles. If you are involved in fitness or bodybuilding, do no more than one abdominal workout per week in a recovery format. This will be enough, again, because the abdominal muscles are involved in work almost constantly, which means they need more time to recover.
But if you do not receive additional physical activity, but want to pump up good abs, the right solution would be to do 3-5 workouts per week on the abdominal muscles according to the following scheme. 3 rounds of this “warm-up” will create the desired stress for the rectus and oblique abdominal muscles.
Warm-up and cool-down
In the question of how to properly pump up the abs for girls and men, the importance of warming up is great. You need to devote 10-15 minutes to it before resorting to the main exercise. Some experts consider the warm-up to be more important than the workout itself. It allows you to prepare your muscles for stress, fills them with blood, which has a positive effect on the effectiveness of your workouts.
A good option for warming up is jumping rope , jogging or jogging in place, squats, and bends. It is recommended to start the warm-up with the upper body and finish with the legs. Pay enough attention to the ligaments and joints - you can stretch them a little. It is also recommended to stretch for a few minutes after physical activity - this is called a cool-down. Cooling down will help relieve excessive muscle tension and restore breathing.
To pump up your abs correctly, you must maintain smoothness and the same pace. Try not to make sudden jerks or twitch, and concentrate as much as possible on the muscle you are working. It is important that the exercises are performed technically correctly. Otherwise, you may not only not get results, but also injure your joints or ligaments. If you no longer have the strength to perform an exercise, rest a little or move on to the next one. The body must be given time to recover.
When training your abs at home, it is recommended to start with basic exercises for the upper and lower muscles, and also work the external and internal oblique muscles. It is recommended to distribute the exercises that you will perform over several days and create a program so that you can always get your bearings. Also don't forget about other exercises. If you are interested in how to properly pump up your abs to lose belly fat, be sure to include cardio training , which will help you burn fat faster.
Circular abdominal training (charging)
Circular - 3 rounds
of plank on straight arms
- 30 seconds
- Body Part: Press Equipment: No
Attention: you can change the position to an elbow stand at will.
Side plank
- 30 seconds on each side
- Body Part: Press Equipment: No
Pulling your legs to your chest on a fitball
- 10, 8, 6 reps
- Body part: Press Equipment: Fitball
Crunches with legs on a fitball
- 10, 8, 6 reps
- Body part: Press Equipment: Fitball
Butt lift
- 10, 8, 6 reps
- Body Part: Press Equipment: No
Raising legs to arms from a lying position
- 10, 8, 6 reps
- Body part: Press Equipment: Body weight
Pulling your legs to your chest on a horizontal bench
- 10, 8, 6 reps
- Body part: Press Equipment: Body weight
Alternating side crunches
- 10 per side
- Body Part: Press Equipment: No
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Volume is important
To effectively pump up your abs, get rid of the habit of performing 20-30 repetitions of each exercise in one set. In the process of creating the perfect terrain, more is not better.
- Firstly, after a certain number of repetitions, the abdominal muscles get tired and transfer the load to other muscles.
- Secondly, after an overly intense workout, you will not be able to exercise for a long time, because you will suffer from unbearable muscle pain.
Stick to the 8-12 rep range, with a maximum of 15. Instead of increasing the number of reps, start using weights that you try to increase each workout.
Lower abs exercises
We offer several options that work well:
- Reverse crunches are the most effective way to pump up your abs in 5 minutes a day. The technique is to lie on the floor on your back, stretch your arms along your torso and raise your straight legs up until they make an angle of 90 degrees with your torso. Next, you need to use your abdominal muscles to lift your pelvis and straight legs, so that your legs pull behind your head. Having reached the highest point of your capabilities, return to the starting position. Do the exercise at a slow pace, and maintain it in the negative phase. This is the most effective way to pump up your abs in 5 minutes.
- Leg raises - this exercise is useful in the initial stages of training. You just need to lie on the floor and slowly raise your legs until they are perpendicular to your body. Then lower it just as slowly, but not all the way. After 10 centimeters remain between the legs and the floor, start a new repetition. To increase the load in this exercise, you can lift your legs while hanging on the bar. According to professionals, this exercise will help quickly pump up the six-pack on a girl’s stomach.
- Bike. Take a horizontal position and place your hands behind your head. Starting the exercise, stretch your right knee to your left elbow, and vice versa. The unused leg should be straight and flat on the floor.
- Scissors . Starting position, as in previous exercises. Start the exercise by raising your legs to a level of 40 degrees from the floor, and then alternately swing your right and left legs up and down. You cannot lower your feet to the floor until the end of the exercise.
- V-shaped crunches . At the beginning of the exercise, take a horizontal position. Then perform a simultaneous lifting of straight legs and outstretched arms until they touch. This is a very hard exercise, but it is ideal for getting six-pack abs.
- Burpees. Squat down so that your knees touch your chest and place your hands on the floor. The exercise consists of sharply pushing off with your legs and straightening them back, and then also sharply returning to the starting position.
- Climber. Take a lying position and begin to alternately pull up and remove your left leg towards your left hand, and your right leg towards your right.
Pumping up your lower abs is the most difficult thing to do, and you can’t do it without a diet.
How to get perfect abs
Be sure to pay attention to the technique of performing the exercise. It is better to reduce the number of repetitions or the load, but in no case allow the load to be noticeably transferred to the back or legs while training the abdominal muscles.
Another common mistake when doing abdominal exercises is fixing your legs. To properly pump your abs, you should not fix your feet under the support.
Exercise Sitap (Raising the torso from a lying position)
This way you transfer the main load to the lower back, and this will not only reduce the effectiveness of training the target muscles, but can also cause injury to the spine, which, when the lower back muscles contract, contracts more than usual.
An alternative to sitaps can be all kinds of leg lifts and reverse crunches:
Raising legs to arms from a lying position
Torso twisting (hands to toes)
Take short breaks at the top of the exercise. However, if you do not feel tension in the abdominal muscles, reconsider your technique.
Reverse crunches (reverse crunches)
Reverse crunches with legs suspended
And also bicycles and “Russian crunches”:
Exercise "Bicycle"
Russian crunches
If it is difficult to perform the exercise without fixing your legs, switch to other abdominal exercises, since there are plenty of them. For example, static or stato-dynamic exercises:
Plank with alternate arms
Lateral leg extensions in the elbow plank
You can always return to a complex exercise later, when you have increased your level of preparedness and are able to perform the movement without fixing your feet.
Summarizing all that has been said, let's move on to the main training program.
What exercises can you start working on your abdominal muscles with?
Proper preparation. Warming up well is an essential part before any workout. This could be a short run or squats.
Upper part of the press. We lie down on the floor, position ourselves as flat and comfortable as possible. Bend your knees and fold your arms under your head. The upper body must be raised, keeping the back and neck straight, in line, without curling up or tilting the head forward. Elbows should point clearly to the sides, but not forward. We lower ourselves back to the floor slowly and smoothly. To begin with, it is enough to repeat the lift 10 - 15 times.
While doing the exercise, you should feel the muscles in your stomach. If you do not feel them, or feel pain in your back or neck, then the exercise is being performed correctly and you need to check the correct position of your body.
Workout - build perfect abs
Hanging Knee Raises
- 3 sets of 15-20 reps with straight legs
- Body Part: Press Equipment: No
Raising your legs in front of you
- 3 sets of 15-20 reps
- Body part: Abs Equipment: Exercise machine
Oblique crunches on an incline bench (sitap)
- 3 sets of 10-12 reps
- Body part: Press Equipment: Body weight
Attention: on each side
Crunches on a fitball
- 3 sets of 15-20 reps
- Body part: Press Equipment: Fitball
Kipping foot lifts to the bar
- 3 sets of 15 reps
- Body part: Press Equipment: Body weight
Raising your legs in front of you
- 3 sets of 15 reps
- Body part: Abs Equipment: Exercise machine
Body Twist - Russian Twist
- 4 sets of 15-20 reps
- Body Part: Press Equipment: No
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Video about the structure of the abdominal muscles
Rectus muscle
Location
Located on the front surface of the abdomen. The rectus muscle is crossed transversely by muscle fibers, thus forming the notorious “cubes” of the abdominal press.
Function
Responsible for pulling the ribs down, bending the torso forward and raising the pelvis with a fixed chest, and for moving the lower back and pelvis.
How to strengthen the rectus muscle?
Raising the torso and legs from a supine and sitting position, with a stationary chest (in several options, including on an inclined board), twisting, bending the torso while lying on the floor, lifting the torso in a supine position with a stationary pelvis
Transversus muscle
Location
It is located inside the abdominal muscle corset (its muscle bundles lie horizontally and encircle the waist).
Function
Tightens the stomach, supports internal organs. When the transverse muscle weakens, it holds the organs worse and a saggy or protruding belly is created, which spoils the figure in our minds.
How to strengthen the transverse muscle?
Leg raises in various variations (bent or straight).
External oblique muscle
Location
Located on the side of the rectus muscle.
Function
Responsible for bending the torso, for turning the torso in the other direction (the left oblique is responsible for turning to the right, the right oblique is responsible for turning to the left), for raising the pelvis with a fixed chest, and pulls the ribs down.
How to strengthen the external oblique muscle?
Turns, rotation of the body, including lying on your back, “bicycle”.
Internal oblique muscle
Location
Located under the external oblique muscle.
Function
Participates in flexing the torso and raising the pelvis with the chest fixed, turning the torso in the direction on which the muscle itself is located.
How to strengthen the internal oblique muscle?
Rotation of the torso, raising the knees in turn to the right and left shoulders while hanging on the bar; lifting the body with rotation, bending to the sides.
In general, to get toned abdominal muscles, it is better to do exercises with many repetitions, since the abdominal muscles belong to the endurance category. You can distinguish between exercises that work one specific muscle and combined exercises that work several muscles at once.
How to pump up your abs effectively for beginners
Perhaps only the plank can claim the title of “ideal exercise for the abs,” but you need to consider the following:
Firstly, each person’s body is individual, and it reacts differently to the same load.
Secondly, your abdominal muscles quickly adapt to the exercises you perform.
Therefore, to achieve maximum results, it is recommended to change the abdominal pumping program every month. This muscle group consists of several individual muscles (upper, middle, lower, oblique and lateral muscles), each of which requires its own exercises. If you want to build perfect abs in 3-4 months, include exercises for all components of the abdominal muscles in your program.
How to pump up your abs without mistakes?
Many people believe that if they have a little fat in the lower abdomen, then they only need to do exercises aimed at the problem area. This is wrong.
To get an ideal figure, you need to pump up all the muscles.
Correctly pumping up your abs for weight loss is easy if you know what muscles exist:
- straight lines - the so-called cubes;
- oblique and abdominal;
- serratus muscle.
A beautiful belly is pumped evenly, all muscles are equally well developed.
The main mistake of most is the emphasis on the rectus muscle and insufficient attention to the oblique muscles. Because of this, the cubes are clearly visible, but in general the abs do not look sculpted and beautiful.
Abs workout for beginners in the gym
Torso twisting (hands to toes)
- 3 sets of 15-20 reps
- Body part: Press Equipment: Body weight
Side bends with dumbbells
- 2 sets of 30 bends in each direction
- Body part: Press Equipment: Dumbbells
Note: Any decent weight will do.
Hanging Knee Raises
- 3 sets of 15 reps
- Body Part: Press Equipment: No
Oblique crunches on an incline bench (sitap)
- 3 sets of 15 reps
- Body part: Press Equipment: Body weight
Reverse crunches (reverse crunches)
- 3 sets of 15 reps
- Body part: Press Equipment: Body weight
Exercise "Bicycle"
- 3 sets of 10-12 reps
- Body Part: Press Equipment: No
Kicks while sitting on a bench
- 3 sets of 15-20 reps
- Body part: Press Equipment: Body weight
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and add cardio...
To see the long-awaited relief, it’s not enough just to pump up your abs correctly; take care of a sufficient amount of cardio. Otherwise, it will hide behind the fat layer on the stomach and sides, even if you perfectly pump up your abdominal muscles. It is important to understand that burning fat is not the main goal of strength training; this requires cardio training.
Include 2-3 cardio workouts for 15-20 minutes a week in your program, for example, interval training, this will be enough to show everyone your perfect abs in a few months.
... and proper nutrition
In addition to training, do not forget about proper nutrition for athletes.
To create perfectly pumped up abs, your diet should not contain sweets, smoked foods, fried or excessively fatty foods.
Be sure to monitor your pre- and post-workout meals, which should contain a minimum amount of fat and a moderate amount of protein and carbohydrates.
Try to adhere to the principles of a balanced diet, take vitamin-mineral complexes and sports supplements that will help build muscle mass.
A program for high-quality abdominal muscle development
The first thing you need to do is create the right program. In any case, the experience of professionals and consultation with a doctor will be important conditions for maintaining health and high performance.
When drawing up, you need to take into account such an important factor as genetics, because some people have difficulty gaining weight, while others gain several kilograms over one holiday weekend.
The conclusion is logical: each body type (asthenic, hypersthenic, normosthenic) requires its own training program, loads and duration of exercise.
Precautionary rules
Throughout each exercise, try to concentrate your attention on the work of the muscles; an emotional and psychological “relationship” should occur between you and the abs.
We remind you that in order to comply with all precautions, you should consult with your doctor whether your health condition allows you to exercise yourself to one degree or another.
Since each person has his own level of physical fitness, when choosing the best program to build muscles, you need to look at the level of difficulty of performing the exercises.
| Newbie: |
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| Medium difficulty program: |
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| For advanced: |
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| For professionals: This program consists of “supersets” of 2 exercises. | Superset No. 1
Superset No. 2
Superset No. 3
Superset No. 4
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Useful information about exercises
- It must be remembered that any muscle in the human body can adapt to physical activity. You will have to “surprise” your abs once every 1-2 months with new exercises, programs or increased loads.
- In standard crunches, do not pull your head.
- Watch your breathing - this is an important component when performing the exercise. Starting position – inhale, twisting – exhale.
- Take your time. Concentrated execution is the key to success.
- In the final phase of the twist, tighten your stomach as much as possible.
- If the load has become insufficient for you, then move on to the next, heavier program.
- Try to maintain tension throughout the exercise.
We have selected for you the most effective abdominal exercises in the gym and at home.
Remember that only working at the maximum of your capabilities will give an explosive effect, since during the last 2-3 repetitions, the fibers of your muscles tear and hypertrophy, which leads to growth in volume.
You must constantly monitor this maximum and try to achieve it in every workout.
Each of the complexes will not take more than 15 minutes of the total training time. It's worth it. Spend 45 minutes a week and girls will start looking after you with sincere interest, and guys with envy.
In the words of one of the great bodybuilders of all time: “Give it your all in training like it’s your last time, push yourself past the pain threshold, and you’ll achieve anything you set your mind to. And no one will stop you." Remember them by making them your motto!
Good luck!
Thin waist and flat tummy from Natalia Korotkova
Relief press from Katya Usmanova
Complex of fitness model Denis Gusev
Sports supplements for a successful ab workout
Taking sports supplements - proteins, vitamins, fat burners, collagen, amino acids, BCAA and pre-workout complexes - will help you increase your endurance during training.
These sports nutrition products are specifically formulated to improve performance in sports and fitness for men and women. Just add it to your diet and go ahead to conquer new heights.
| Protein isolate | It features a deep degree of purification from impurities. Contains less lactose and fat, but more pure protein. Taking isolate is recommended for those who want to lose weight. |
| Pre-workout complex | Increases productivity during sports, strength, endurance, recovery speed between approaches. |
| Vitamin-mineral complex | During intense physical activity, vitamins and minerals are consumed by the body faster. They are also responsible for protein synthesis and are the engine of metabolic processes. |
| BCAAs | Allows muscle fibers to recover faster and provides building material for the growth of lean muscle mass. |
| Fat burner | Created to reduce excess fat deposits. Accelerates the breakdown of fat molecules and converts fat into free energy, increasing its consumption. |
Ab workout supplements for men
Syntrax | Nectar?
- Self-dissolving serum of the third generation of instant absorption without fat and carbohydrates.
- Category: Whey Protein Isolate Category details
Mix one scoop of powder in 300 ml of cold water. Reception is recommended in the morning after waking up, within 30-40 minutes after training and before bedtime.
Serum of the third generation PROMINA - has today the maximum coefficient of biological value and the degree of absorption by the human body. Syntrax Nectar is a highly purified whey protein isolate with zero fat and carbohydrate content. An effective nutrient for building high-quality muscle mass.
SciTec Nutrition | Hot Blood 3.0?
- The product is distinguished by unprecedented effectiveness; you can be convinced after the first sting that this drug was created for people who love sports not only for the results, but also for the incredible sensations in the gym.
- Category: Pre-workout supplements
1 scoop per 250-300 ml of water and 30 minutes before training
Moreover, you can buy Hot Blood both for weight training and for cardio training, including high-intensity training. Considering the optimally thought-out composition, the drug is recommended without fear even for those types of training in which the pulse rises to serious levels.
FIT-Rx | Multi Man?
- Stimulates the synthesis of immune system cells, prevents stress, improves well-being and performance
- Category: Vitamin-mineral complex More about the category
1 tablet 1-3 times a day with meals. Duration of treatment is 3 months.
Multi Man is a balanced, highly effective vitamin and mineral complex that includes a full range of vitamins and minerals needed by the male body, plus enzymes that promote better absorption of nutrients. Multi Man is an all-natural formula containing chelated minerals. Most vitamins are not synthesized in the human body, so they must be regularly and in sufficient quantities supplied to the body through food or in the form of vitamin-mineral complexes and nutritional supplements. Without a sufficient amount of minerals and vitamins in the body, health deteriorates, there is a loss of strength, performance decreases, and the flow of biological processes is disrupted. It is especially important to take vitamin-mineral complexes during an active lifestyle and sports, since the load increases and often the vitamins and minerals that enter the body with regular food are sorely lacking to maintain the immune system in a healthy state. — Activates the body’s antiviral defense — Normalizes biological processes in the body — Activates physical and mental activity — Reduces blood cholesterol levels — Accelerates energy and lipid metabolism in the body — Stimulates the central nervous system, cardiovascular and immune systems.
Geneticlab Nutrition | BCAA Pro?
- Geneticlab “BCAA Pro” is a modern sports supplement based on the essential amino acids BCAA, glutamine and a specially selected amino acid matrix, in an optimal ratio of 4:1:1.
- Category: BCAA More about the category
mix 1 scoop per 350-400 ml of water or other drink and take 30 minutes before and immediately after training
BCAA Pro will provide energy, improve metabolism, protect muscles from catabolism and help get rid of excess fat. Your workouts will become more intense and effective.
Optimum Nutrition | Daily Fit?
- Fat burner Daily Fit is a drug to speed up your metabolism.
- Category: Fat burners More about the category
Take 2 capsules 30-60 minutes before morning and afternoon meals
A new development from Optimum Nutrition provides a safe fat burning process with high results due to the presence of red and black pepper extracts. Research conducted by the company made it possible to determine the most accurate and working dosages of ingredients. This gentle fat burner contains no stimulants or questionable additives. Daily Fit contains thermogenic supplements containing green tea extract, red pepper extract, black pepper extract to speed up metabolism and carnitine for effective fat burning. Supports metabolism in the body, helps burn fat. Fat burner for weight loss Daily Fit is great for both men and women.
Sports nutrition recommendations are indicative only. Before purchasing, we recommend that you consult with a specialist in the store.
conclusions
Often, to properly pump up your abs, you just need to listen to your body. Eliminate from the program exercises that cause you discomfort or pain.
Do not work too hard; the recovery period should last until the muscle pain from the previous workout goes away. Be more attentive to yourself, because your body itself can tell you how to effectively pump up your abs.
If you are one of those who don’t want to wait, follow the link and we will tell you how to pump up your abs in a short time.
