5 Tips for a Chiseled 6-Pack
You do your fair share of sit-ups, crunches and knee-ups; but is your ab training effectively getting you closer to that rock-hard core and bulging 6-pack? Use these 5 tips during you ab workouts to maximize 6-pack progress.
*NOTE: Remember; in the pursuit of a tight, chizzelled 6-pack, effective ab training is crucial but WILL NOT decrease belly fat! in order to reveal those ab gains you must reduce that mid-section fluff that's hiding it with cardio, dieting etc.
1) Superset your training
Supersetting your workout is a great technique to use for any muscle group workout, but it's especially effective when training abs. Do an ab curcuit with 3 different movements, max 20 seconds rest between movements
Example:
1) Weighted cable rope pulldowns- 4x15
2) Leg raises- 4x20
3) Flat back Crunches- 4x25
2) Hunch your back
Ab work may be the only time hunching your back is reccomended. When doing any sort of crunch/sit-up movement, keeping your back flat will target more of your lower-end abdomen and hip flexor regions. To hit the inner and upper core of your abs, keep your head and back shifted forward.
3) Hit all angles
Make sure you're switching up your ab training exercises to target all regions of the core. Do twist/turn movements to work the outer ab and oblique groups to help achieve that lumpy developed ab look.
4) Embrace the burn
If your core isn't on fire when you finish your ab workout, you're not training hard enough! Maximize your core training by minimizing rest time between sets and burnouts until failure.
5) Don't neglect core training
Ab workouts seem to get thrown in AFTER already training other muscle groups, in-turn decreasing effeciency. If you're serious about building a 6-pack, BEGIN your workout with abs, and try to dedicate one-two days per week of 'ab only' training days at the gym.