Strong Core:
Building a strong core is essential to making strength gains and sculpting that six pack you've always wanted. Most people don't realise that core work is necessary but it will go a long way towards a washboard stomach.
Good core strengthening moves include heavy squatts and deadlifts as well as bodyweight exercises such as the plank or six inches position.(lying on your back with your feet and head held 6 inches of the ground)
If the plank becomes to easy try performing the exercise on a bosu or exercise ball to really get your core stabilisers working. Also the longer you hold the position the better the results.
Abdominals:
When training your Abs you want to target all of them at once to get the most rewarding and efficient training. So dare I say it you have to ditch the situps to get great abs! Yes suprisingly research shows that thw worlds most popular abs exercise is also the most useless. Instead try a few of these exercises to get great abs;
1. V-shaped sit ups
These are performed on your back and combine the sit up motion and the leg raise motion, targeting all of the abdominal muscles at the same time. Lying on the small of your back raise your legs and body at the same time reaching up to touch your toes. Creating a V shap with your body before slowly lowering yourself back down. Trying to come quickly up and slowly down also works the muscles hard, giving them both explosive power and resistance training.
2. Spiderman press ups
These press ups help to work all the abdominal muscles. Firstly get into the press up position and perform one press up. As you lower your body, bend one leg out sideways and rise it up to touch your elbow. Then put the leg back into position as you complete the press up. Continually change legs to give all your abs a work out. If you arn't sire that you've got it right check your posture and movements with a friend to see if you look like the famed wall crawler.
3. Medicine ball crunches
The abdominal crunches are easy to perform, but when you add the weight of the medicine ball it gives your abs an extra push in the right direction. Try perfoming these crunches to failure. (i.e you can't do anymore)
By traing your abs with added weight it makes them work harder and become more toned and defined.
4. Exercise Ball Jackknife
To do this you will need an open floor space and a large exercise ball.
Simply get into a press up position with your feet resting ontop of the exercise ball towards to back. Now keeping your arms straight, contract your abs and bend your knees to drag the ball towards yout chest, without raising your backside in the air. Stop once your toes are the only thing touching the ball and are on the ball. Now extend your legs slowly back into the starting position.
Obleaks:
What are these you say? The obleaks are the muscles running down either side of your abs. They can really make the difference between average abs and the washboard stomach you deserve. Below are a few great moves to get these muscles fired up;
1. Side Dumbell bows
Select any free weight you want but make it challenging and stand with your feet shoulder width appart with the dumbell gripped in one hand. Now lean over to that side untill the dumbell is roughly at knee level. Then raise yourself back up to a standing position. Repeat this 10-12 times and then change sides.
To make this harder add a second dumbell and raise it up your opposite side as you lean over and lower it back down as you straighten up.
2. Twist crunches
These are great for working the obleaks but work best when performed slowly. Again from a sit up postion raise your body up lit a sit up and then twist to one side, then staying up turn back to the centre before lowering yourself down again. Twist to alternate sides with each repitition and again you want to do this exercise to failure.
Try adding a medicine ball to make this harder, or better yet try the next exercise.
3 Twist and push crunches
This exercise requires a medicine ball and a training partner. Again get into the sit up positon and make your partner stand in front of you. Sit up and push the medicine ball from your chest to your partner. Then perfom a regulat sit up and catch the ball as it is thrown back. This time do a sit up and a side crunch holding the medicine ball before throwing it back. Repeast the movement continually alternating the side that you twist too.
How Often:
You should aim to train your abs every session that you are in the gym, whether it is before during or after your session, try to include some abdominal work. I find it work well to do 2 sessions of core work during a workout. If you are doing alot of weights training instead of taking a big break try doing a core exercise instead. This will allow your muscles to recover like a normal rest period, but keep your metabolic rate up and get your core working.
Extra advice:
Sleep is vital as it helps to regulate the production of hormones (leptin and ghrelin) which play a key role in appetite regulation if you dont get a good sleep you may find a rise in snacking that may cover your abs or cause bloating. We also burn calories whilst we sleep, not much but teenagrs especially can burn off calories simply by getting more z's.
Good posture keeps the abdominal muscles working so if your still at school or working behind a desk all day make sure you sit up straight to keep your core muscles working away.
Don't ditch cardio all together. Without it how on earth are you going to shed the fat covering your Abs? Instead try to work it into your training or increase the intensity of your training sessions.
Drink alot of water. By drining 500ml of water it can increase your metabolic rate by 30% and this will have massive gains towards revealing your abs.
