We are in the last stages of getting our beach-bod ready. Target: the belly, of course. If not clearly muscled, at least flat and nice. Is it possible to achieve?
Without a diet, there will be no results
If you care about the appearance of your belly, and not only about the strength of its muscles, it is unfortunately true - in order for the belly to look good, the muscles cannot be hidden under a few-centimeter layer of adipose tissue. A change in diet - a sharp reduction in carbohydrates, fast food, alcohol, and carbonated drinks, especially those sweetened with sugar - will help in losing body fat. It may not bring a spectacular effect in a few weeks, but there is no doubt that the difference will be noticeable.
How long does it take to improve the appearance of your belly?
It all depends on your body fat level. If it is average, then after 4-6 weeks of exercise and diet you will see a satisfactory effect. On the other hand, strengthening the abdominal muscles can be achieved quite quickly, after two weeks of regular exercise you will feel a clear improvement. Abdominal muscles can be built up quite quickly, and because they are also involved in many other strength exercises, they are often stimulated in other direct activities, when not directly targeted.
How often should you exercise your abs?
3 or even 4 times a week. However, it is not the frequency that is important, but the type of exercises and their correct execution. Unfortunately, a lot of people limit themselves to the classic "crunches", which resemble desperate head banging and gasping, and often do not have a good effect on the abdominal muscles.
It is worth remembering that the abdominal muscles are involved in many activities, they are stabilizers during multi-joint exercises, such as squats or deadlifts, pull-ups. The more such exercises we do, the better our belly looks and the easier it is to burn fat.
Training plan for a month - goal: abs
There are two versions of the training - A and B, which should be performed alternately, assuming that you train every 2 or 3 days (but not less often if you care about the effects). Both training plans include strength multi-joint exercises involving the abdominal muscles and isolated exercises dedicated only to this muscle group. In addition to training, it is worth doing cardio sessions (bicycle, intensive walking, exercises on a stepper or elliptical cross trainer), which will help to boost your metabolism and burn excess body fat.
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- Weighted lunges - as when training squats in plan A, we can perform them with a barbell on the shoulders or dumbbells held in our hands. 3 sets of 10 repetitions
- Russian twist - performed in a sitting position with raised legs, holding a load in both hands (medicine ball, dumbbells, kettlebell). We watch the position closely here so as not to bend the lumbar spine. 3 sets of 10 reps (one repetition is a right and left turn and return to the starting position). The Russian twist can be combined with pocketknives made in the same position. Combined they make a strong set of exercises
Squats with weight (it can be a barbell placed on the shoulders or a kettlebell weight held with both hands at chest height) - 3 sets of 10 reps. The weight should be chosen so as to maintain technical correctness of the exercise, but at the same time make the last two repetitions in the series done with a clear effort.
Classic push-ups - 3 sets of 10 reps. In this exercise, it is extremely important to perform it slowly and precisely - our goal is to fatigue the abdominal muscles, which play the role of stabilizing the posture.
Dumbbell overhead press in a standing position - 3 sets of 10 reps. As with push-ups, it is important to maintain perfect posture by flexing the abdominal muscles hard throughout.
Hanging leg raises on the bar or supported on the handrails - 3 sets of 10 reps. Make sure that the whole movement is controlled, do not lower your legs without them being in control, so as not to lose muscle tension.
Classic abdominal crunches in the lying position - 3 sets of 20 repetitions. We remember that the movement should be performed by the abdominal muscles and not a bizarre head swing (which is a very common mistake of beginners)
Plank or AB wheel exercises - if we train in a series, let’s aim for 3 sets of 10 repetitions. If we choose a plank, let's do 3 sets of short circuits lasting about 30-40 seconds.
Pull-ups on the bar - 3 sets of 10 repetitions. If performing a full series is difficult, let's use training bands that will take over part of the body weight.
Two-hand dumbbell rows in a standing position in the fall - 3 sets of 10 repetitions. In this exercise, we engage the muscles of the back, arms, but also the stomach and buttocks, maintaining this position requires strong stabilization.
As you can see, this is not a particularly exhausting training plan. It can be easily expanded by adding another series or two or three other exercises.