John Fit

Developing your midsection is one of the common requests for anyone looking to improve their body. Having a great set of abs is not only attractive at the beach, but its a “tell-tell” sign of how good of shape you are in. I’ve seen many guys with big muscles, huge chests, big calves, etc. etc., but when they lift up their shirt the only 6-pack seen is probably made from Miller High Life! Having a great set of abs is typically the last part of your body that will lean out, showing impressive definition. I’m going to point out my favorite ab excerises that have carved out my stomach with a great six pack, but as we all know, diet & cardio is just as important if not more important that resistance training. However, with a tag team effort from a disciplined diet of high protein, quality carbs, good fats & consistent cardiovascular work, you too can have the lean and cut abdominals & be the hottest body at the beach.

Benefits of a Lean Midsection:

• If your abs are popping out exposing nothing but muscle under skin, that means your bodyfat levels are low and you run a low risk of heart disease and obesity.
• If your midsection is lean, that means you have fired up your metabolism enough that is currently running hot, making it easier to stay lean all the time.
• If your midsection is lean, when a girl touches your stomach, you WILL receive a smile from her.
• If your midsection is lean, that means your waistline is trim and jeans, trousers, shorts, board shorts, boxers, briefs, will fit snug on your waist exposing a trim physique that makes your upper body look wider and your overall shape more symmetrical.

John Fit’s Favorite Ab Refining Moves?
I believe its impossible to just focus on one section of your abs while eliminating another section. When your abs are engaged, they are all engaged. However, since the lower section of your abdominals is the last section to drop the bodyfat, I like to focus on exercises that target the lower abs, knowing the upper abs are engaged as well.

1. All-Star Exercise – Lower Hanging Leg Lifts or Leg Raises – This Exercise totally engages your abdominals and can refine your six pack like no other move. It requires a large range of motion and the abs stay flexed here from the beginning of the move to till your legs are dropped. I like to perform this while hanging from a pull up bar, but this also requires a strong lower back for stabilization making it even more effective for core training. Here’s an example of my All Star Hanging Ab Move: The legs are completely straight (tough to keep them staight when your stomach is burning so bad!!) & the entire core is engaged. When done correctly, this also creates tension in the obliques adding to the improved shape of your waistline. I like to do 4 sets of 12-20 reps here. Sometimes will I’m feeling great and the music in my IPOD is pumping me up, I’ll hold a 10lb dumbell in between my feet and do the raises.. Wow! Burns so good! Adding the resistance is super for an abdominal shock and creates a flu-like ache in your stomach muscles (not a bad thing) that lets you know you’ve been working out.
2. All Star Ab Exercise- Weighted Crunches- The abs should be treated like every other muscle in your body. Weighted resistance really stretches out those muscle fibers creating a toned, tight, hard muscle, that was previously suffering from softness. I try to do 4 more sets of 10-20 reps here that aid in cutting up the muscle and creating a hard density in the ab muscles, when coupled with strict dieting and cardio, exposes a lean sculpted midsection that is hard to touch, but easy on the eyes! Here’s a diagram of a weight crunch

Tip: Really squeeze and focus on pinching the muscles here. That little extra pause and squeeze creates more time under which the muscle is under tension which could be the difference is good and great abs!

Also a little tip to keep in mind. Throughout my day I’m constantly flexing my abs and tightening my stomach. This is a great isometric move that keeps the abdominals strong and tight, but its become more of a great habit for me than anything else. I’ve been tightening my stomach for so long and working my abs, that when I’m driving my car or sitting at my computer, I regularly tighten my stomach up and stretch out my obliques. My abs are the most important muscle that needs to be refined on my body because my core protects most of my internal organs and also has to be strong to eliminate late life back problems. So, this is a good habit to get into and will keep your stomach hard and your back and internals protected.

Working Your Abs can be done in so many ways, but these are my two favorite exercises. Adding a little weighted resistance to your crunches, and hanging legs raises will engage every muscle fiber in your stomach creating lean, hard, abs. But remember, this all means nothing and your hard work won’t be exposed unless your diet is in check and you implement a regular cardio plan.

No related posts.