Most of the people dreaming about nice abdominal the main factors is nutrition. 70% of your success depends on proper diet and than 30 % it is training. It doesn’t mean that you have to starve to get nice six pack. Actually this is the most common mistake which ruin your abdominal. You need to remember to eat regularly. It is recommended to eat 5 small meals a day (remember size of the portion is making a big role try to eat one big meal during the lunch time and the rest smaller to keep your metabolism switch on for fat burning mood . We need carbohydrates to burn fat and we need them for energy. Low carb diet in long term can cause drop your energy level and health problems and you can store even more fat. Try to eat carbohydrates in the morning and before and after your work out avoid carbohydrates before you go to sleep. Avoid simple sugars and replace it with complex ones if you crave high Gi food or you want to have treat meal eat it after the work out. Carbohydrates which you eat after the training will not convert in fat it will go to replace deficit of glycogen into the muscles and liver.
You need to remember that abdominal training it is not only crunches work out. The most common mistake is to work out only your front abdominal muscle (rectus abdominis) and performing hundred of crunches. You need to work out whole core muscles: lower back, internal and external obliques (deeper muscles and muscles on the sides of your abdominal). Very important is to learn how to breath properly and how to engage infra abdominal pressure. You can learn it while lying on the floor face up and pushing your lower back to the floor. From this position you can lift your legs 90 degrees. You can as well try to cough and feel deeper abdominal muscles. You can use infra abdominal pressure while lifting heavy (dead lift, rows, squats this are exercises not for beginners so make sure that you have somebody to teach you proper technique). You would have to do as well body weight exercises: plank, side planks, rock climbers, leg raises. Yoga will help you to lose your abdominal fat as well this is a perfect combination body weight exercises. Don’t forget to add to your training explosive movements . It should be a big part of your abdominal workout: jumping as high as you can, sprinting, throwing (for example medicine ball on the wall or ground). Stretch abdominal muscles, feel them!
One of my favourite core work outs is with medicine ball. I am using 6 kg but you can start from 3 kg medicine ball. You can perform: squats with medicine ball, holding it above your head or in front of you. You can do sit ups with medicine ball. You can feel your back, arms, abdominal all core is working!
You can try to lift heavy and engage infra abdominal pressure. Here breathing is very important try to keep your breath in when you lift the weigh. Dead lifts are very good to strengthen your core muscle. Try to work out on your legs and gluteal muscles they are needed to keep you pelvis in balance. You can do squats with the bar above your head. Wood choppers it’s a very good exercise as well. When you perform wood chopper you can use: dumbbells, medicine ball or cable. For your gluteal muscles I would recommend cable kick backs.
Try to change your body position work out from different angels. It is as important to work all different group of core muscles. Try to involve a lot of joints movements. Hip flexion and extension, torso twist, throwing , jumping.
My favourite break which I am using in core training is no brake. Instead you can use active resting. It means that you can work out different group of muscles while resting or use less demanding exercise. You can use hip extensions or legs curls on Swiss ball as a rest for tired abdominal muscles. Swiss ball is another good option for core training: you can do legs curs, sit ups, plunks, squats, dips, push ups. All of those exercises are working out your core. Combine your abdominal work out with skipping, jumping, burpees, running on the spot, sprinting. Don’t forget to enjoy!
INTENSIVE CORE WORK OUT
1. Sit ups with medicine ball 15-20 repetition.
2. Russian twist with medicine ball 15-20 repetition.
3. Lying on the floor with your legs straight up trying to crunch with medicine ball with your hands straight. It looks like you want to touch the siling with ball.
4. Throwing medicine ball on the floor 20 repetition.
You can repeat those 4 exercises 2- 3 times.
1. Plunk with lifting your feet of the floor (alternating) 20 repetition.
2. Side plunk with twisting your torso reaching with your hand under your armpit 15 repetition each side.
3. Back extensions 20 repetition.
4. Skipping rope 1-2 min
Repeat those exercises 2-3 times
1. Leg raises. 15-20 repetitions.
2. Abdominal crunches on Swiss ball 15-20 repetitions.
3. Legs curls on Swiss ball 15-20 repetitions.
4. Jumps with your knees as high as you can. 20 Repetitions
Repeat those exercise 2-3 times
1. Bicycle crunches 15-20 repetitions.
2. Rock climbers 15-20 repetitions.
3. V-sits 15-20 repetitions.
4. Burpees 15-20 repetitions.
Repeat those exercise 2-3 times
Don’t forget about warm up and cool down with post stretching.
