Top Abdominal exercises

In order for our AB to look like a million dollars, we need to solve two problems. We need to increase the size of the rectus abdominis and we need to reduce the fat content in the area.

EXERCISES FOR TRAINING ABDOMINAL.

Finding effective exercises for training the press is very easy. Simply because, we are not talking about a large muscle group, but about one single rectus abdominis muscle. Which performs a very simple function: twists the pelvis to the body or twists the body to the pelvis.

Hundreds of existing exercises for the press inherently use one of these functions. Therefore, we need to choose those exercises that maximize the load on one of the above motion vectors. Well, that’s enough theory. Let’s move on to practice. The two main exercises for training your abdominal muscles are lying twisting and backwards twisting.

lying twisting – The main exercises for the development of the muscles of the press. If you have time to do just one exercise, then lying twisting is the best choice. Strictly speaking, the press can be developed well using just this one exercise, because it will allow to cut the straight muscle of the abdomen as qualitatively as possible. Twisting is performed lying on the floor, on a Roman chair or on an inclined board. The lower your body and head is with respect to the hips (a Roman chair, or an inclined down board), the more difficult it is for you to make the lying down due to the extension of the amplitude and increasing the load at the bottom point.

The position of the legs. Bent legs on a hill are the lightest form. Bent legs on the floor are a more complex form of twisting. The more heels further from the buttocks lying on the floor, the more difficult it is to perform the exercise.

The position of the hands. The hands closer to the stomach, the easier it is to twist. Than hands further (behind ears, back of the head, or even further) the more difficult it is to perform the exercise.
Slope of the surface. The lower the head with respect to the pelvis, the harder it is to perform the lying twisting.

Advice: you can lay a soft pillow or a cushion under your waist lying on the floor – this will increase the amplitude and quality of contraction of the rectus abdominis muscle (press).

Now you understand that to achieve constant progress in the load and, as a consequence, in the development of the press, it is quite enough for you to simply change the positions of the body for performing the same exercise – from the simpler to the more complex. What will be the key to the growth of the muscles of the press.

backwards twisting – “Inverted” version of the usual twisting lying, because this exercise is already twisting the bottom of the body (pelvis) in relation to the top of the body. Therefore, it is often said that these are exercises for the “lower” press. Dozens of options for reverse twisting exist. You can lie up your legs or knees upwards or, for example, you can, hanging on a horizontal bar, raise your legs up to your head (yes, yes, these are all kinds of back twists). I’ll give you to use the most effective version of this lying exercise.

The starting position – lie on the floor so that next to the forehead you have a support for your hands. This is necessary so that you can fix the upper part of the body and produce twists only by moving the hips upwards. Personally, I most often use for such a support the battery or the edge of the bed. The point is to rest on the support with your hands. If this is not done, then you will not be able to raise the pelvis upwards as you will have no support.

Another set of exercises that can be done both at home and in the gym!

IMPORTANT: the goal is to raise the pelvis up! Not legs, but the pelvis. I often see how the coach is advised to lift his legs to the hull. This is mistake. The press does not lift its feet. The function of the press is to raise the pelvis. Simply, when you raise your legs, the pelvis is forced to some extent. BUT … why load the press with an indirect load, if you can load it accented? Lying on the floor do not think about legs at all (can bend them in the knees to ease the load), but think about how to tear the pelvis off the floor surface.

TRAINING COMPLEX FOR PRESS

Most often it is recommended to train the muscles of the press quite often, I justify it by the fact that the muscles of the press are quickly restored. What can I tell you? This may be correct, or it may not be correct. It all depends on how you train the muscles of the press.

Let’s say you use the classic (for fast muscle fibers) press training. Then you must do 3-4 APPROACHES and strive to achieve renouncement within 20-30 seconds. Such interval promotes the best hypertrophy of the muscles of the press. The amplitude is full, but the load is high. The faster you perform twisting, the more work and fatigue. The earlier will come the burning and refusal. Relaxation between sets of 30-60 seconds.

Example ONE
-Twisting lying 4 x 20-50 (20-30 seconds Refusal)
-Hang down lifting the legs 4 x 6-12
Example TWO
-Pelvic lifting of the lying 4 x 6-12
-Twisting in a Roman chair 4 x 6-12
Example of THREE
-Hang down lifting the legs 4 x 6-12
4 SERIES: Twisting in the Roman chair (6-12 repetitions) + lifting of the legs lying (partial repetition to failure)

The training of the press takes very little time. The cycle often takes less than one minute. Therefore, if you do two exercises for 4 sets each, you will be able to fit into your press training in 8 minutes.