How do you train your abs?
Abdominal training is a priority for many people but few know to train for real results. I know many folks training their abs almost everyday: they do hundred and hundred of crunches (or similar exercises) per week. What happens? No results, and after a few weeks or months they quit! There are two big mistakes when these people work their abs: - They use the same kind of exercise, they never change: when you start an exercise program and you are out of shape, its ok to do sets of crunches or similar exercises. But after a while, this exercise become easy, unless you do more and more reps. Imagine you have to do 5 sets of 100 or 200 reps to feel your abs! Most people dont have the time and they stay with the basic framework of 20 or 30 reps and a few sets. Its boring, there is no challenge, they reach a plateau and stay there forever! - High reps mean low intensity, it means endurance work (at least at the beginning). To get results you need intense workouts; it can be short but intense, there is no compromise, intensity is the key! My advice: challenge yourself and pick up a few tough abdominal exercises like this one: do hanging leg raises and straighten the legs, it is a basic exercise for a gymnast but it will be challenging for most people. Do low reps in a slow motion and feel your abs: 5 to 8 reps, 3 to 5 sets and youre done in a few minutes. If this exercise is too difficult, start with this one: do a normal hanging leg raise (legs flexed) then straighten the legs at the horizontal and slowly go down. Dont drop the legs, stay in control and feel the abs. Challenge yourself! |
