Video Blog: Ab Training Tips!

Hello beautiful readers!

I'm back again with ANOTHER video blog post this week as per the request of a good friend of mine. In this post, I'll talk about some ab training tips. As always, I will also offer a discussion below. Click on the link and / or read the post and tell me what you think!



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Ah yes....abs. Is there any other bodily development we quest after more than a nice six-pack? Turning on the t.v. and / or looking for workouts online for 5 minutes will surely show you the obsession we have with getting a heavily defined core.

And it's kind of funny. The optimal aesthetic for the abs that I feel is widely accepted doesn't necessarily tell you anything about someone's ability outside of the fact that they have low body fat. There's no inherent function to having  a six pack as opposed to someone else who trains their core just as much while carrying more body fat. It doesn't necessarily tell you how intensely someone dedicates themselves to the gym, and is more or less 100% a product of leanness. It's just one of those things that I guess people find aesthetic value in.....without anyone really knowing why.

But I'm here to offer tips on how to work out abs. I opened up with a discussion on six-pack abs because, let's face it, when someone asks about ab workouts, what they're really asking about is how to get six pack abs. And while I'd like to go into yet another epically long discussion on why nutrition is the most important thing in fitness and bodily aesthetic manifestation, my focus here will be on how to properly stimulate the core and get get a good workout (though I will kind of touch on how to build a nice core aesthetic). Keep in mind though.....a six pack is 100% a product of the kitchen.....not the gym.

The mindset one should have while working out their core is the same as any other muscle group in that you want to properly stimulate every muscle in the core, both internally and externally. HOWEVER, the difference is that your aim shouldn't be to overly develop your abs from an aesthetic standpoint...and I can't believe I'm saying that.

This is because overdeveloping the core pushes your stomach outward, spoiling your aesthetic. If you like the look of a muscle belly, or just want a lot of core strength, then by all means train your core to the max with as much weight as you can. But if you're doing this just for looks, consider only semi-stimulating your core and focusing on losing body fat, while also concentrating on mostly body-weight exercises that stimulate that area.

Most ab exercises will utilize a "crunching" motion. You know what this is. But to fully get a lot out of a crunch, it's important to arch the back and stretch the abs on the non-flex end range of motion and COMPLETELY curl every part of your abs inward as you go towards the end flex-range of motion. The end flex range of motion is achieved by bringing your body inward towards the middle of your stomach, and then pushing the top of your body (while still crunched) straight up in the air to get an even greater, fuller crunch. In fact, on all crunch-like exercises it is good to practice pushing the upper part of your body forward or straight up whilst you crunch your core.

Also consider doing exercises that rotate your body like bicycles, windshield wipers, and side crunches. Those are good for stimulating the parts of the core that are on the outside of the abs.

And that's pretty much it! Lift till failure on all of these exercises. You can choose to save a day for abs, or do abs throughout the week.Furthermore, make sure you evenly distribute the crunch so that one side does not get more developed than the other.


-Jtrain

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