As you will no doubt be aware, obtaining that all-elusive six pack that we find so desirable is the equivalent of trying to get blood from a stone. Okay, that’s a little bit of an exaggeration, but it is still a very complex process. Despite being difficult, if you know what you’re doing, training your abs can actually become an enjoyable and productive process. The trick is knowing what to do in the first place. If your ab training has hit a plateau and you’re looking for ways of obtaining a six pack so defined that a Greek god himself would be jealous of, you’ve come to the right place. Here are several tried and tested six pack ab training tips.
Cardio
If you want to build yourself an awesome six pack, one thing you’ll need to get used to is doing cardio. Cardio is an integral part of any ab training regime because cardio is so important for losing fat. It doesn’t matter how defined your abs are, if they’re being covered by a layer of body fat you simply aren’t going to be able to see them. This is where cardio is important because cardio helps to burn the fat covering your abs. Ideally you should be doing cardio at least three times per week.
Diet
Again, for many of the same reasons as doing cardio, if you want to show off your abs to the world, you need to lose the fat covering them. This can vary from person to person, but typically you’ll find that you need to drop to below 13% body fat in order for your abs to become visible. This is where diet proves to be so important. If you’re eating healthy produce, with plenty of proteins and nutrients, as long as you are in a slight caloric deficit, you’ll lose the fat covering your abs, helping you to reveal them to the world.
Do more than just crunches
We know that stomach crunches work very well for training the abs. When we think of abs exercises, often it is stomach crunches that instantly spring to mind. However, there are other exercises that target different parts of your core that you should also get into the habit of training. As well as crunches, consider implementing exercises such as: leg raises, planks, mountain climbers, hanging leg raises, woodcutters, and so on. By varying your training and switching things up you help to really work your abdominal muscles and prevent your body from growing accustomed to the workouts that you follow.
Know when to breathe
Believe it or not, but, knowing when and when not to breathe during your ab training is another very important aspect to consider. Whilst most trainers will recommend that you inhale on the negative, and exhale on the positive contraction, it has been found that holding your breath during your ab training can promote stronger muscle contractions. The next time you’re doing an ab exercise, try exhaling when you’ve completed the positive and the negative portion of the movement. It sounds a little out there, but you’ll be amazed by just how much more toned your abs feel after a working set.
Read our training guides
Have a look at our latest transformation series, the 12weekShred – a complete 12 week guide to getting the six pack abs you’ve always wanted that covers planing, nutrition, supplementation and training created by our top personal trainer Brad Goodwin.
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