Summer is coming, which means more and more people are interested in the issue of their appearance. Everyone wants to get rid of excess fat, tidy up their abs and, if possible, achieve the so popular six-pack belly. But to get such a result, you need to work long and hard, and not everyone can do this.
How long does it take to pump up your abs is a rather abstract question. The result of working on your body depends on how many hours a person is willing to devote directly to exercise. Some people manage to get in shape in two months, while others don’t even need a year. This factor can be influenced by the structure of the figure and, in principle, the degree of physical fitness. To pump up your abdominal muscles, you first need to get rid of excess fat. If you systematically work out in the gym and at home, the question of how much you need to pump up your abs will disappear quite quickly by itself.
What does it take to build beautiful abs?
Rhythm and intensity play a major role in the process of pumping up the abs and creating sculpted abs. Masters advise practicing at this pace - you need to do 15 lifts in half a minute, take a half-minute break and repeat the exercise again. For beginners, 20 minutes a day will be enough to get six-packs on your stomach; you need to increase the training time to 40 minutes.
To pump up your abs to six-pack you need to:
- great desire;
- exercise regularly;
- perform exercises efficiently;
- stick to rhythm and intensity;
- combine physical activity with proper nutrition.
For the most effective results, you need to use some sports equipment in the training system, namely: weights, expander, dumbbells or a gymnastic roller.
So, how long will it take to pump up your abs?
It all depends on regular training; those who work hard every day will be able to see the desired result in just 1 month. If you pump your abs 10-15 times a month, the maximum effect will occur only after 3 months. It’s difficult to answer the question of how long it takes to pump up your abs:
- It makes no sense for very overweight people to take it until they lose weight. This may take 1 year or more.
- Light overweight is removed faster with specially developed diets and physical activity. Therefore, the first results can be seen after 1.5-2 months.
- Slim people do better, they can pump up their abs in just 2 weeks, and by 3 weeks they should have their first six-pack. To do this, you need to pump your abs 2 times a day for 20 minutes.
The most important thing is the load. With systematic loads in the gym or at home, pumping up the abs at half strength and slowly, the result may turn out to be weak.
Abs in a month - reality or myth?
By performing these basic exercises you can achieve the desired result in just 1 month. So, your daily workout will only take 30 minutes, let’s start:
- Lying on the floor, you need to bend your legs at an angle of about 60 degrees, put your hands on the back of your head and raise your body so that you can touch your forehead to your knees. At the exit you need to fix the position for 3 seconds. We do 3 sets of 18 times.
- Take a lying position, bend your knees, and place your hands at your temples. Slowly rise, turning the body so that the left hand reaches the knees, and then the right. You need to do 15-20 exercises in each direction.
- You need to lie on the floor and stretch your arms along your body. Slowly and simultaneously raise your torso and legs until your forehead touches your knees. We freeze in this position for 2 seconds. We do 2-3 sets of 20 exercises.
It is worth remembering that each workout should be combined with 6 meals a day. Otherwise, the body will not have enough nutrients to build muscle tissue.
What abdominal muscles need to be pumped up for beautiful abs - you can find out here! A set of exercises for the abs can be found in this article. Read about training for the core muscles here.
Your goal and features of abdominal training
Before you start training, you should familiarize yourself a little with anatomy. The press consists of a muscle group that is divided into four muscles:
- internal oblique;
- external oblique;
- transverse;
- straight.
Each muscle is responsible for its own system of movements, and they should be pumped up using various exercises. The rectus muscle should contain the cubes themselves; it is responsible for the work of the pelvis and back (lower back). The transverse muscle is located across the entire surface of the abdomen, with which you can achieve a flat effect. It needs to be pumped up using exercises in which you need to raise your legs high.
The external oblique muscle is pumped up using exercises such as various types of twisting, twisting and leg lifts. The internal oblique muscle can be pumped up using circular movements of the pelvis, bending and turning the body.
How long does it take to pump up a girl’s abs?
Everyone’s body constitution is different, so to create ideal abs, some will need only 2 weeks, while others will need as much as 2 months. If a girl is not overweight, eats right and leads a sports lifestyle, then the task can be solved quickly.
By using a standard system of exercises and exercising regularly, you can pump up beautiful abs to six-pack abs in just a month. Training should be carried out 6 times a week, preferably twice a day.
You don’t have to go to the gym, you can do the exercises at home, you need to pump up your abs for 20-25 minutes in the morning and evening. This way you can save time and money.
Pumping up your abs to get rid of your belly
People who suffer from extra pounds will not be helped by pumping up their abs. Belly fat will not be removed. However, exercise will help keep your muscles toned so that your stomach does not protrude. To do this you need to do the following exercises:
- Lying on the mat, hands behind your head, bend your knees and spread them slightly to the sides. Raise your torso and reach with your right elbow towards your left knee. And then vice versa, we press the left elbow to the right knee. We repeat the exercise 15 times in 3 approaches.
- We lie down on the floor, bend our legs at the knees and place them shoulder-width apart. Now, tensing our abdominal muscles with strength, we lift our body off the floor and stretch our arms forward as far as possible. We do 3 sets of 15 times.
- You need to lie down on the mat and put your hands behind your head. Slowly raise the pelvis, while the lower back should be in its original place, and return to its normal position. Now we change the course of the exercise: we leave the pelvis in place and raise the lower back, trying to strain the abdominal muscles as much as possible.
By performing the above exercises, you can remove an unwanted external flaw (your stomach will stop sticking out), tighten your abdominal muscles and pump up your abs.
How long does it take to get a flat stomach? How to get a flat stomach in a week
It happens that some exceptional event is planned and you need to look attractive in tight clothes, and you can achieve this by losing a couple of kilograms. Or maybe you just don’t like to wait a long time, are upset that you don’t see results and are not sure that you can cope with tedious exercises and diets, then the “flat stomach in a week” option is for you.
In any option for eliminating abdominal looseness, it is necessary to combine a certain type of proper nutrition with exercise. Without this, unfortunately, there is no way. Are you ready to reclaim beauty from fat? Here is your battle plan for the next week, starting today:
1. As is
- Slowly. Realize eating as a ritual: food should be well prepared, laid out in beautiful, intact dishes. Even if you don’t do a full table setting, set aside one place for food, focus on the process, sit straight at the table and don’t be distracted by anything. Breathe evenly and deeply. The slower you eat, the more accurately your brain will detect the moment of satiety and the more valuable substances from food will be absorbed. We really often eat more than our body needs, and once we start tracking our condition, we will be surprised at how little we need.
- Chewing each piece thoroughly. Already in the mouth, special enzymes are released that speed up digestion, which means that food will lie less in the intestines (that is, in the stomach), crushed food will move through the gastrointestinal tract faster, and excess air will not enter the intestines - thanks to all this you will not be tormented bloating, the stomach will not stretch. Doctors recommend chewing hard foods at least 30 times, soft foods – 10 times. The last meal is no later than a couple of hours before bedtime (preferably 3-4 hours).
How to pump up your abs to six-pack
Today, there are several basic and fundamental exercises, developed by experienced trainers and professional athletes, with which you can achieve beautiful relief on your stomach. These training methods are best done in the gym.
Straight crunches
You need to lie on the mat, bend your knees and press your feet firmly to the floor. Hands behind your head, now smoothly lifting your shoulder blades off the floor, we begin to pump up your abs. 20 exercises, 2 sets.
Reverse crunches
We work out the abs (lower), lie down on the floor, arms along the body, and legs at the knees. At an angle of 90 degrees, we raise our legs up and slowly pull our knees into the chest area, while the abdominal muscles should be tense. Now you should raise your pelvis, pressing your bent knees even more tightly to your chest. We do 3 sets of 15 times.
Oblique crunches
We work the upper part of the press. You need to lie down on the mat, strongly tense your abdominal muscles, and lift your body, turning your body to the left. When repeating the exercise, turn the torso to the right and so on, alternating both sides. We do 4 sets of 12 times. By systematically performing these effective exercises, you can pump up your abs to beautiful abs in a month.
Expert opinions on the frequency and duration of abdominal muscle exercises
Experts, coaches, and athletes tell us from their experience how long to practice and how long it takes to see noticeable results.
Steve Zim, famous fitness trainer
This specialist believes that you can achieve six-pack abs not only through proper exercise technique, but also through proper breathing. This is the most important part of the workout. With a sharp exhalation through the nose, he recommends drawing in the stomach. And do it synchronously. And the most effective exercises, according to the trainer, are twisting and stretch bending, as well as a number of exercises on the medicine ball.
Vladimir Klitschko, boxer
This specialist advises those who cannot afford fractional meals to eat three times a day. But give preference only to natural products - beef, bread and pasta made from durum wheat, cereals, eggs. He does not recommend taking any chemicals as dietary supplements, only vitamins.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, actor, athlete, coach
This specialist believes that squats are very good for the abs. Moreover, it is necessary to change the position of the legs when performing these loads. At the same time, the effect on different muscle groups also changes. For abdominal muscles, Arnold advises gradually increasing the number of repetitions.
How often do you pump your abs?
With maximum effort, you can get “iron abs” in 4 weeks. The speed of obtaining results will depend on intensive training. You need to pump your abs often. The more often and longer the classes last, the faster the goal you have set for yourself will be achieved. During the first 2 weeks, the abdominal muscles will tighten, and after 3 weeks you will be able to boast of ideal relief.
Training frequency by week:
- 1 week – 10 minutes twice a day;
- Week 2 – 20 minutes twice a day;
- Week 3 – 30 minutes twice a day;
- Week 4 – 40 minutes twice a day.
Anyone who has the desire, motivation and strength can pump up their abdominal muscles. The main thing is to choose the right exercises!
See an effective set of exercises for the abdominal muscles:
Stretching and Cooling Down
In any workout, the cool down is a very important part.
This is the name for bringing the body into a calm state: evening out the pulse, calming overheated muscles.
For a cool-down, calm walking in place, yoga exercises, and soft dance movements are suitable.
Another important part needed to maintain muscle elasticity is stretching.
To stretch tired abdominal muscles, do the following.
- Lie on your stomach with your palms on either side of your chest. Raise your body, stretch your head back, arching your back. Return to the starting position.
- Stand relaxed, feet shoulder-width apart, hands on the back of your head. Gently lean to the side and stretch. Then repeat on the other side.
We pump up the press at home
Despite the fact that working out in the gym is much more comfortable, many people prefer to work out their abs at home. By performing the simplest exercises you can get amazing results.
"Lifting legs up to 45 degrees"
You need to lie on the floor, put your arms along your body and lift your legs up. The main condition is that the legs must be straight. First, we perform the exercise 10 times in 2 approaches. Then it will be necessary to increase the approaches to 3 times 30 lifts.
"Penknife"
We lie down on the floor, put our hands behind our heads, now maintaining balance in the buttocks, and as we exhale, raise our legs and body at the same time. As you inhale, your fingers should touch your toes. We do 3 sets of 20 times.
"Scissors"
We lie on our backs and slowly raise our legs up. Tightening your abdominal muscles, you need to make strong swings of your legs - back and forth (crossing them). We do the exercise 40-50 times, 4 approaches. To create beautiful abs, it is also useful to run, jump rope and add aerobic exercise to your workouts.
The right amount of exercise
Sometimes people, having decided to change their body and really pump up their abs, rush from one extreme to another. They spend hours on the treadmill or in the gym, sweating profusely.
This approach doesn't work.
First, the body will quickly adapt to long-term cardio training, which will become even longer over time. Here you can safely ask the question: in how many months can you pump up your abs, because you will have to wait a very long time for the result.
Excessively intense and/or long-term workouts increase levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
In small doses, cortisol promotes fat burning. But when its levels are too high for a long time, the exact opposite happens. The body begins not only to accumulate fat, but also to break down muscle.
Losing muscle mass can affect the body in a number of ways, weakening the body and increasing the risk of injury. Moreover, increased cortisol slows down metabolism.
Even while the muscles are burning calories.
And if you exercise correctly, your metabolism will occur faster, even after training and several days later.
Short, intense workouts that focus on strength put the body into a state called the afterburn effect (EROC). During and after exercise, muscles need oxygen to create fuel and to recover from exertion.
Interestingly, every liter of oxygen the body uses consumes 5 calories. This means that after a workout, muscles burn more calories than usual just because they are trying to recover.
This will only happen if the training plan is built correctly.
High intensity interval training has the greatest impact on EPOC.
You can do walking, running, aerobics, etc. It is better to train 3-4 times a week so that the muscles have time to rest and recover.
Hours of training in the gym will not bring the desired results for the abdominal muscles.