Most trainees who are attempting to train their abs either at home or with little or no equipment, usually engage in a floor session of endless crunches. Regardless of how many sets and reps you perform, this approach will never lead to well-balanced six pack ab development.
First of all, the basic crunch will only provide a marginally positive training effect for beginners. Once you get strong enough to crank out sets of 50-100 or more, the resistance the crunch provides is simply too little to provide a training effect.
And secondly, the crunch only works the abs in one movement pattern: trunk flexion. Trunk flexion is just one of the many different abdominal functions that must be developed in a good ab routine. Therefore, you can't achieve a complete ab workout by using a single exercise, like the crunch, in isolation.
What you need to do is perform several different ab exercises, with each on working your abs in a different plane of motion. This is not as confusing as it may sound. With a basic understanding of how your abs work, this concept is quite simple.
Don't worry, I'm not going to bore you with a lesson in anatomy. Instead, I'm going to lay out a complete, ready to use ab workout for you. The following workout contains only exercises that require no equipment whatsoever, making them ideal for a home training session. Here it is:
1a) Reverse Crunch On Floor 3x20-25 30 sec rest 1b) Straight Body Side Crunch On Floor 3x12 (5sec hold) 30 sec rest 2a) Plank 3x60 sec 30 sec rest 2b) Seated Russian Twists With Leg Cycle 3x20-25 30 sec rest
Here is a description on how each exercise should be performed for maximal results:
Reverse Crunch On Floor- Lie on your back on a mat. Flex both knees and hips to 90 degree angles. Bring knees toward chest by flexing abdominal muscles, raising butt from floor while maintaining a constant knee angle. Return until hips and knees are again extended to 90 degree angles. Repeat for the prescribed number of reps.
Straight Body Side Crunch On Floor- Lie on your side on the floor. Keep your arms straight out above your head, in line with your body. Your legs must remain straight. Lock your hands together. This is the starting position. Now simultaneously raise your arms and legs up so that neither are in contact with the floor. Hold this position for 5 seconds. Return to starting position and repeat.
Plank- Get on the floor in a push up position. Support your body on just your forearms and your toes. Be sure to keep the abs flexed and hold your body in a perfectly straight horizontal line. Do not let hips drop or raise them up at all. Hold this position for the prescribed number of seconds.
Seated Russian Twists With Leg Cycle- Sit on floor and cross your arms across your chest, grabbing the opposite shoulders. Lean back until your upper torso makes a 45 degree angle to the floor. Rotate trunk to the right while simultaneously bringing your right knee towards your chest. At this point your left elbow will be touching your right knee. In a fsmooth motion rotate to the left and repeat on the other side. Continue to alternate until you finish the prescribed number of reps. One full rotation equals one rep.
There it is folks! You now have a simple yet effective ab workout you can perform anywhere/anytime. Use this three times per week for up to one month. After completing this outine, you will be ready to move on to a more advance workout.
A nice set of abs is in YOUR future! Begin this routine and start getting results today! - 16004
First of all, the basic crunch will only provide a marginally positive training effect for beginners. Once you get strong enough to crank out sets of 50-100 or more, the resistance the crunch provides is simply too little to provide a training effect.
And secondly, the crunch only works the abs in one movement pattern: trunk flexion. Trunk flexion is just one of the many different abdominal functions that must be developed in a good ab routine. Therefore, you can't achieve a complete ab workout by using a single exercise, like the crunch, in isolation.
What you need to do is perform several different ab exercises, with each on working your abs in a different plane of motion. This is not as confusing as it may sound. With a basic understanding of how your abs work, this concept is quite simple.
Don't worry, I'm not going to bore you with a lesson in anatomy. Instead, I'm going to lay out a complete, ready to use ab workout for you. The following workout contains only exercises that require no equipment whatsoever, making them ideal for a home training session. Here it is:
1a) Reverse Crunch On Floor 3x20-25 30 sec rest 1b) Straight Body Side Crunch On Floor 3x12 (5sec hold) 30 sec rest 2a) Plank 3x60 sec 30 sec rest 2b) Seated Russian Twists With Leg Cycle 3x20-25 30 sec rest
Here is a description on how each exercise should be performed for maximal results:
Reverse Crunch On Floor- Lie on your back on a mat. Flex both knees and hips to 90 degree angles. Bring knees toward chest by flexing abdominal muscles, raising butt from floor while maintaining a constant knee angle. Return until hips and knees are again extended to 90 degree angles. Repeat for the prescribed number of reps.
Straight Body Side Crunch On Floor- Lie on your side on the floor. Keep your arms straight out above your head, in line with your body. Your legs must remain straight. Lock your hands together. This is the starting position. Now simultaneously raise your arms and legs up so that neither are in contact with the floor. Hold this position for 5 seconds. Return to starting position and repeat.
Plank- Get on the floor in a push up position. Support your body on just your forearms and your toes. Be sure to keep the abs flexed and hold your body in a perfectly straight horizontal line. Do not let hips drop or raise them up at all. Hold this position for the prescribed number of seconds.
Seated Russian Twists With Leg Cycle- Sit on floor and cross your arms across your chest, grabbing the opposite shoulders. Lean back until your upper torso makes a 45 degree angle to the floor. Rotate trunk to the right while simultaneously bringing your right knee towards your chest. At this point your left elbow will be touching your right knee. In a fsmooth motion rotate to the left and repeat on the other side. Continue to alternate until you finish the prescribed number of reps. One full rotation equals one rep.
There it is folks! You now have a simple yet effective ab workout you can perform anywhere/anytime. Use this three times per week for up to one month. After completing this outine, you will be ready to move on to a more advance workout.
A nice set of abs is in YOUR future! Begin this routine and start getting results today! - 16004
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