    
Christian
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Votes: 4 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, April 11, 2003 - 05:07 pm: | 
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I would like to offer my expertise and some inside guidance on the area of abs, something I have dedicated the last five years of my life too, both through in the gym workouts and from an academic perspective. I also derive a potion of my living from having well developed abdominals, in the context of underwear and bathing suit modeling. So hopefully I can offer some advice to others who would like to get some fairly dramatic results. This is going to be a long overview but if you would like some specific or more detailed advice please contact me, I will be more than happy to help.
First your abdominals are actually just one muscle, a wall if you like. The six or 8 pack comes from forcing the tendons (running horizontally and vertically) to contract and remain tight throughout the mid-section. Definition is achieved by causing individual tendons to tighten up, creating the appearance of a break in the muscle wall. You will not often here many people mention this but given the construction of the abdominals two of the most important and overlooked tricks are: Stretch in-between reps, this will allow the tendons to loosen and have the ultimate effect of more growth and definition. Hold each contraction for five seconds, since the definition comes from the amount of forced contraction in the tendons, holding a contraction helps the tendon to remain in a tighter permanent position.
I would first agree with some of the earlier comments that your abs, calves, and forearms can be worked everyday, due to the type of muscle and the contraction movement. However, the effect of working out everyday versus working out less frequently will have a profound effect on your results. For a thicker midsection (more size), you will be best served working your Abs with heavy weight every two or three days, with about 15 reps at three sets per exercise. You will not find a body builder or for that matter anyone with a huge chest who performs only pushups and dips. You must add weight to get the size results (see below for exercise routines). For those of you more like myself who want a very well defined mid-section, an eight pack rather than a six pack, this will take a different and arguably more challenging approach. I will talk more on cardio and eating later and stick to the mechanics for now.
A well-defined eight pack requires a committed approach of working your abs at least 5 times a week. Generally speaking, some will get away with less due to their genetics. However, especially for those who do not yet have the foundation you must commit to five times per week, minimum. One day should be dedicated exclusively to your abs, the others should include 3 days at a minimum of 20-30minutes (unless you are very quick on your exercises). You should aim at about four sets, with 30 reps (or more) with the maximum amount of resistance which allows you to hit those targets (again see ab exercises below). I switch up my types of exercises but try to concentrate on a different portion of the abs each session. One day I focus more on the oblique’s (side muscle), another on the upper abs, another the lower. The other two days are all round days, although even when you concentrate on one area you still indirectly target the entire muscle. Always stretch in-between sets. This will allow you to grow your muscles and help with definition.
I will mention here my opinion on the mix which contributes to a fantastic mid section. I believe 25% working out, 50% eating and cardio (since they are in fact interchangeable and can both control results), and 25% genetics. OF course motivation and commitment are a 100% because it is a full time lifestyle commitment if you want to have an extreme midsection. I am serious it really must be an important part of your daily life to achieve the underwear box mid-section look. Genetics I notice from the earlier postings are over looked but are infact very telling in the results you see. For instance some people have perfectly symmetrical abs (i.e. the horizontal lines go strait across), whereas others have a less symmetrical look. I think they both look great (just look carefully at different fitness models to see the difference). Some people just are not able to get the vertical line and some have wide hips with a protruding hipbone, others have a very narrow V look. Genetics are most important though with respect to your metabolic rate, type of muscle (fast twich vs slow twich) and where you carry your fat stores. Women are actually much more genetically prone to having nicer abs because they tend to carry fat on their thighs and bum, whereas men, especially as we age carry it in our “spare tire” region.
Cardio – I never like to carry too much fat so I use cardio all year round, although I definitely up the intensity as a photo shoot approaches and always want to look good for the beach. This will depend most on your current body fat level, your age, and what type of results you want. For an 8 pack you will need to be in the sub 8% body fat range. An all right six-pack can be seen at about 12-15% depending on your muscles. I would suggest 20 post workout, and three days of higher intensity 45-hour cardio sessions. Some people like me use heart rate monitors to help them workout in their fat burning zone 40-60% of maximum heart rate. I think its true value is the motivation it provides.
Food -- Of course as I mention you can use food to achieve the same result. The basic formula is energy in must be less than energy out if you intend to loss weight. Cardio and food hit different sides of the equation to achieve the same result. Earlier comments are right on. You must eat frequent small meals to keep your metabolism running throughout the day to burn more calories. And NEVER skip breakfast. Speaking of breakfast if you can do some form of cardio before eating in the morning you get a type of synergistic effect (no need for the science but I assure you it is true). Figure out you daily caloric needs, use the web as a resource to help out, and divide these calories among five –six meals. There are numerous different ways people use to eat, what is best is that which works best for you. It is very specific so I would nned much more individual info. On a person to try and make more detailed suggestions. Keep protein high, starchy carbs low, and fats moderate, but don’t neglect polyunsaturates you need these to lose weight, build muscles, and keep your brain neurons firing (try UDO’s Choice Oil). Drink lots of water, keep sodium low, but do replenish lost potassium and sodium after a intense sweat. Gatorade or other sports drinks are fine. Keep simple sugars or glucose low, it spikes your insulin levels, and in short without the science makes losing weight or maintaining weight difficult. My biggest suggestion, keep a daily food log and track what goes in so you can make adjustments to tailor your results. It is ultimately your body fat level which gives you definition and vascularity, and it is food and cardio which lead to your body fat level. Ultimately, what’s important is to find a range you can maintain given your lifestyle, rather than fluctuating all over the place. Genetics are key here. AVOID the EPHEDRINE! It’s not worth it and it is not a permanent solution. The reason I have kept my abs, and actually improved them over the years is from finding a routine and lifestyle I can maintain.
Two additional points on cutting down: Don’t lose too much too fast. Slowly reduce your caloric intake at the same time as uping the cardio. Why? Stretch marks, especially for older individuals. And for people who have worked so hard to build muscle, you will have to give some of it up to reduce body fat to the 6-8% range, but you will give up more by quickly dropping your calories.
Exercises. I have literally hundreds I have developed over the years, but I will list my regulars and any one wanting specific exercises to target problem or difficult area’s I would suggest emailing me. Cable crunch—this is one of the best for ripping. Put a mat on top of a step (used for stepping classes) with a rope attached to a high pully set up. Get in a comfortable position with the right weight setting; you will need a fair bit of weight just to counter balance. Kneel on the mat and grasp the rope in front of your forehead. Contract by pullying your head to your knees without turning side to side. You must make sure your back has curvature during this motion or else you abs will not be fully contracting. Hold for a few seconds and repeat. Muscles hit full abs with a concentration on the upper mid tendons. I repeat this exercise by crunching to each side to target my upper obliques.
Lower ab exercise. I use the same pully machine and lower the cable to its lowest setting (closest to the ground). Bring a flat bench to about 1 meter of the pully. Attach two ankle straps first to you ankles then to the cable. Sit on the bench leaning back on your elbows, or holding the side of the bench. Pull your knees up by forcing a contraction of your lower abs. Imagine a curling motion in your lower ab-hip region. The weight will be much lighter for this exercise.
I next get a stability ball and put it in place of the bench and reattach the rope to the lowest or second lowest setting. I sit on the ball leaning back to get the rope and put it behind my head, hands to each side of the head. Perform crunches with the cable system set to the appropriate position. Targets the centerline and mid ab section. Lastly, to target the muscle in and around your hip bone lay on your side and put a 5-10 pound plate inbetween your feet. Raise your feet and the plate up while remaining on you side. Finish by removing the plate and leaving your lower leg on the floor while raising your upper leg (creating a V or a sisscor appearance). These are just a basic few that will help give you a good start. You will notice they all use resistance because I honestly believe that is what made the difference when I first achieved a so-called 6/8 pack. I now perform many non-weight assisted crunches to target specific tendons and for definition but these exercises, along with a few others, are still the backbone of my abdominal routine.
To address the epidril comment; Fat cells never disappear (unless you have them sucked out with Lipo) they only shrink or expand. More so than any other cell type they retain fluid very well, what Epidril does is help relive fluid retention from these cells. If I may make a suggestion from the fitness and bathing suit modeling world, which many may find more embarrassing, is to use Preparation H. This will provide the identical affect at a fraction of the cost, although some may find the added embarrassment prohibitly expensive, I guarantee the results are identical. Keep in mind this is not a permanent solution for fat loss but it will provide short term relieve of fat cell swelling making your abdominal region appear much more defined. The same affect can also be achieved with diuretics but this is a more dangerous substitute and I recommend against this unless you have sought medical guidance on how to use them safely.
If I can do anything else to help drop me an email, I’d be happy to offer advice.
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