Hey, what's up guys?
I'm Scott from Muscularstrength.com and today we're going to talk about some myths surrounding ABS and
whether or not training them
everyday will result in the six-pack
you've always dreamed of having well guys
the short answer is no but stay tuned because it goes
far beyond just muscle recovery and rest days. Let me explain
Here's the problem guys. Let's say you're actually dead set on developing a great
six-pack by only training with situps
let's even say you understand the basics of
biomechanics and muscle growth and you decide to apply things like
progressive overload time under tension and
increased volume in your sit up training.
But even with all of that it still naive to think that you're going to develop a complete
six-pack with only situps
this is because the actual movement pattern of a sit up is just one of the six main functions of your core and
selectively training only one function as hard as you can daily will quickly lead you nowhere.
Aside from being really really really good at situps
even if you gradually increase
resistance by adding more weight taking less breaks between sets
doing more reps or sets or even doing them more often
your six-pack will not come any faster now
it is true that you can train your abs more often because the entire core is a group of strong muscles that are
constantly firing and
activating all day at night which means their potential for
recovery is not the same as say your chest and arms and
trust me when I say that theoretically your abs can take the abuse of being trained every single day with situps
even if you're progressively overloading and incorporating advanced training techniques, however,
the problem is that doing nothing but sit-ups every day is the definition of one-dimensional training
as I said earlier
your core is comprised of many different muscles each with different functions in the ranges of motion.
The sit-up belongs in the first of six main
categories of abdominal exercises in that category is simply flexing the upper body
with your lower body remaining motionless.
But to dive deeper into that I need to quickly go over all six main functions of the ABS
wo that you can finally build that fully defined and develop six-pack
you've always wanted.
Function number one flexing the upper body while the lower body
remains still some example of this function are the
sit-up and my favorite the ab pulldown both are amazing exercises function
number two
flexing the lower body while the upper body remains still and I'm sure you are all familiar
with the exercise such as a hanging leg race or the reverse crunch that fits this category
function number three twisting the upper body while the lower body remains still these are
exercises like the Russian twist in woodchopper, which were actually some of my favorite exercises for obliques case
you haven't notice as a pattern here
I'm giving you guys my favorite exercises as examples function number 4
twisting the lower body while the upper body remains still this includes exercises like the windshield wiper
which is insanely intense or the floor wiper
which can be done holding a barbell or just some kind of sturdy object to stabilize your upper body.
Function number five is bending the torso from side to side
some of my favorite movements for this function are the dumbbell oblique crunch
and the floor oblique crunch both very easy to perform for
anyone and lastly function number six which includes resisting the rotation collapse or
extension of your body
this includes exercises like the planks and even movements like squats and deadlifts.
And those are just the six main functions guys
we're not even going deep into the numerous secondary functions or the combinations between those six.
For example a bicycle crunch would be a combination of functions one and three
because you're bringing your torso towards your legs while also
twisting it.
So my question to you is now this
knowing how complicated your core
truly is and knowing that when it comes to muscle groups like the chest or arms that you will most likely
perform three to five exercises to target those muscle groups in different ways to maximize their growth
why would you believe that simply performing one exercise for your abs is the magic solution for a ripped six-pack?
Guys, the truth of the matter is that in order to optimally build and develop your core
you need to train it in a smart and effective way and here's what I would do
I divide my core up into two sections
but that's just my personal preference
Upper abs is the first one
and lower abs and obliques is the second one and I
always focus on training my abs about four times a week and this is
usually how it goes and this is usually either super setting with exercises
I'm doing on those days or at the end of my workouts on Monday. I try to hit upper abs on Tuesday
I do lower abs and obliques on Wednesday
I rest and then I repeat Thursday upper abs Friday lower abs and obliques now
you don't have to do it this way
This just works for me because I want to emphasize my lower abs and obliques a bit more
instead of cramming everything into a single
workout also remember the goal is to pick and perform a few different
exercises that collectively utilize all six main functions of the ABS
instead of adopting a singular and one-dimensional way of thinking and training and before anyone says anything
yes, I know the rectus abdominis is or the entire rectus abdominis is activated when training abs but
you can place more emphasis on specific areas of the rectus abdominis
with specific movements as we just went over with the six main functions anyone who says otherwise
has never trained their abs properly with multiple movements before
I know summer is around the corner guys
and I want to make sure you're all ready to show off those ripped ABS.
So in the meantime, I thought it would be fun for everyone to post
a current progress photo on my website in my forums
I just posted my and I will add the link to my pin comment below.
The forums are free to use and if you guys need any additional help
I am their daily answering questions and comments.
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