Building Muscle - Quickest Way to Get Abs

You may do crunches for a lifetime and still not see a six-pack. The simple explanation is that there are two types of exercise you need to work on if you want to succeed. Washboard abs only appear when a person's rectus abdominus muscle, or abs for short, is visible due to low body fat. The rectus abdominus is the large abdominal muscle and the one closest to the surface of your skin, and runs vertically from the bottom of the ribs to the top of the pelvis. While abdominal exercises build muscle, you must also do aerobic exercise in order to burn calories. This in turn burns fat off your entire body, including your abdomen. Not combining the two exercises correctly is the reason people fail.

Ab Program

The quickest way to get abs is follow a muscle-building program. Build your abs the same way you build other muscles of your body. Train your abs two to three days a week with up to four sets. Perform as many repetitions as you need to make your abs sore the next day. Soreness indicates that you worked a muscle hard enough that it needs to repair. Your muscles actually get bigger and stronger during their time-off so give your abs a break between workouts to recover.

Ab Exercises

If you want to show off your abs you need to target the rectus abdominus. The main job of the rectus abdominus is spinal flexion. A crunch perfectly demonstrates what it means to flex your spine. Spinal flexion is when your rectus abdominus contracts and pulls your ribs toward your hips. Flexing your spine against gravity best targets your abs.

Crunch

The crunch is a classic abdominal exercise that primarily uses the rectus abdominus. To perform a crunch, lie on your back and put your hands behind your head. Bend your knees and place your feet hip-width apart on the floor. Exhale through your nose and tighten your abs as you curl slowly off the floor. Lift high enough that your shoulder blades are in the air, then slowly lower yourself one vertebra at a time back to the starting position. Do as many crunches as it takes to fatigue your abs. Hold a medicine ball or weight to your chest if 40 crunches fails to tire your muscles.

Reverse Crunch

The reverse crunch involves spinal flexion starting from the bottom portion of the spine. Instead of curling your upper spine off the floor and toward your lower body, you curl your lower spine off the floor. Begin lying on your back with your feet on the floor, knees bent and your arms relaxed at your sides. Exhale and pull your knees toward your chest, slowly curling your lower back off the floor. Reverse the motion to complete one repetition. Wear ankle weights or hold a medicine ball between your knees if 40 reverse crunches does not exhaust your abs.

Aerobics

Besides increasing the size and strength of your abdominals muscles, you must also do aerobic exercise, also known as cardio. A layer of fat is most people's biggest obstacle to getting abs. Aerobic exercise includes any physical activity that elevates your heart rate. The higher you get your heart rate, the more calories you burn. Running, swimming laps and cycling with hills all burn calories, but to also build your abdominal muscles use a rowing machine. Rowing engages your rectus abdominus to bend your upper body forward. It also targets the muscles of your legs and upper body. Using multiple muscles burns more calories. Perform aerobic exercise at least five days per week for 20 to 60 minutes. This helps you lose weight and uncover your abs. The more intense your workouts, the less time you need to spend exercising.


Fitness guru Zoltan Bundler writes regularly on the topic of building muscle on his site [http://how-to-bulk-up.com]. For a free copy of his short no fluff report "Secrets to Bulking Up Fast Without the Fat" go straight to Secrets of Bulking Up [http://how-to-bulk-up.com] then click on the photo.

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