|
Kicked to the Curb
Join Date: Oct 2001
Posts: 11,892
BodyBlog Entries: 0
BodyPoints: 185
|
I'll review it when astericks when I have a point to make..
Lets look at the first problem. Your abs are too small. This is easy to solve. To build muscle, what do you do? Strength exercises, such as sit-ups, leg lifts, etc.
*Both of these excersises have been known to cause back problems. Sit-ups should be replaced with crunches to eliminate the pull on the iliopsoas muscle, which originates on the surface of the lumbar spine. Leg lifts also put excess strain on the iliopsoas muscle, which can also lead to injury..
But what works best. For years the emphasis has been on using high rep exercises, and training abs every single day. When you think about it, it makes so much more sense to train them just like any other body part, once or twice a week, making sure they are sore the next day.
*Soreness is not always what you should shoot for. As said many times before, it does not always indicate growth, and henceforth should actually try to be avoided. Soreness just means that excess damage was done to the muscle fibres, and they are now in need of repair. Excess soreness means that an injury might be the culprit.
As for high reps, don't go crazy; it's useless, if your goal is to make your abs more prominent than you want to build their size right? Do you build size on any other body part by doing 100's and 100's of reps? No. So why are abs different? They aren't. A big problem area for most is the lower abdominals. One exercise I like in particular are leg lifts with a dumbbell between my feet I have found the best results with this routine:
*This form of leg lift, as explained above, is dangerou.. An easier, and just as effective one, is to lay on an incline bench and lift your legs upward.. This provides support for the lumbar spine and helps to prevent the injuries that could be caused by leg lifts..
Crunches - Arms across my chest; lifting so my shoulder blades come off the floor, but not much higher. Four sets of 30-40 reps. I do these extremely slow, squeezing at the top and keeping tight all the way through, I give myself only about 10 to 15 seconds of rest between sets.
Leg Lifts with weight - I do these on a flat bench with my hands under my butt for balance and my hips on the end of the bench. I usually only use a 15lb dumbbell between my feet max. I go from laying flat with my feet even with the bench, and I slowly bring my knees to my chest again, squeezing at the top. I slowly lower the weight. I do 4 sets of 15-25 reps. On the last set, I drop the dumbbell and burn out with no weight.
*Already mentioned the downside of this.
Twists with a broomstick or body bar - I do about 100 of these just to stretch out my abs and warm up my oblique.
Leg crossed crunches - I lie on my back in a regular crunch position, place my ankle on the opposite knee, and crunch toward my raised knee. So if I start off by placing my right ankle on my left knee, with my arms behind my head, I try to touch my left elbow to my right knee. This is great for the obliques. I do them really slow and squeeze at the top. 4 sets of about 30 reps should give you a nice burn and leave them quite sore the next day. If you find they aren't sore, just throw in another exercise such as side leg lifts.
Problem # 2
Ok, this should help with the problem of the muscles being too small or too smooth to show through. Now this leaves the problem of that pesky fat. I talk about this in my previous article, Getting Ripped for Summer. However, I have had a lot of questions about which type of cardio is best. For me I personally enjoy the Stairmaster, because where I train I can monitor my heart rate constantly and I simply set it to 70% of my maximum and it speeds up, or slows down accordingly. As long as you are keeping your heart rate in this training zone it's really a personal preference. One of the most important things is motivation. Mixing up your types of cardio can help avoid boredom. But sometimes, this just isn't enough.
*Good points..
As I've mentioned mixing up your cardio is a great way to avoid boredom. I like running outside instead of a treadmill session. Also, something as simple as using a different program on the machine (i.e.: manual, hill climb, interval, etc). My absolute favorite motivation tool is by far music. I always have my mp3 player on me. Music can make the difference of a 275 lb bench and a 300lb bench press. As well, the difference between a 25 min cardio session, and a 45 min cardio session. I like to have a mix, using more of a hard rock style for my workout and a mix of hip hop or even dance for my cardio sessions.
*This works for some. With others phsycological factors are involved.
For me, the mirror is both my worst enemy, and my best friend. One mirror may have terrible lighting, and I can feel horrible when looking at myself, however, another mirror, with good lighting can make me feel like a million dollars. It's a good idea to set up a mirror somewhere with good lighting. When you're feeling unmotivated, just ten minutes of posing in this mirror can motivate you. Whatever gets you in to the gym. Everyone is different though, and these are just some ideas.
Friends make the difference
A friend of mine used to get me to say "come on number 2" as I was spotting him. He said it made him think of coming second place, and pushed him to drive for those extra reps. I've also heard people calling each other "animals" and "machines". Whatever works? I've even seen a guy get so excited because he picked a scab and was bleeding. He said the sight of blood got him pumped. I'm glad I changed gyms! Whatever works for you. I have pictures of all my idols posted up around my room and especially on my fridge to help prevent those late night cravings. One thing I got from a motivational speaker at my school was the saying W.I.N. It stands for What's Important Now? I taped this to my ceiling in my dorm room and every time I felt like hitting the snooze button at 6 A.M. I would see the sign, and it got me up every time. These are some of the things that have worked for me. Find what works for you and use it! There's nothing worse than being in a training plateau. Keep training hard. And check back soon, I am going to be starting a weekly article to track my progress in gaining mass. I had to take 6 weeks off of training due to a hernia operation. Ironic thing is I got the hernia from training. Let me tell you, the operation was not pleasant. I couldn't even walk for a good 3 days, and the painkillers I was on just killed my appetite. I went from 196lbs to178 lbs in a matter of two weeks. If anyone has any ideas on supplement stacks they want tested let me know.
As always keep your protein intake high, and some fat burners won't hurt at all. Check out the great tasting protein at bodybuilding.com as well as their fat burning stacks! They're awesome.
*The fat burners comment I don't agree with.. Many, that contain ephedra, can be harmfurl for youth.. I would avoid these, especially if you are young, and take caution when taking them.
Best of luck!
Good Article.. Only a few changes..
|
Teen body buliding
abs
Your not alone man
Linear Mode
