Researched and Composed by
The Animal
Introduction
There
are
only
two
things
that
are
certain
when
it
comes
to
chiseling
your
mid-section!
One
is
that
it
is
the
hardest
thing
to
get
and
two
is
that
well
defined
abs
are
sexy
to
the
opposite
sex.
Quite
frankly, abdominals
are
one
of
the
most
misunderstood
muscle
groups
in
our
bodies.
However
they
are
also
one
of
the
most
sought
after.
So
here
comes
the
Animal
to
set
the
record
straight
and
probably
cause
some
controversy
at
the
same
time!!
Today
I
will
tackle
all
of
your
most
difficult
questions
concerning
this
area
of
training! With
that
being
said,
Bring
it
on!
Best
way
to
See
Abdominal
Muscles!
Question:
Are
performing
simple
crunches
the
best
thing
to
see
that
six
pack?
Answer:
Well,
are
you
still
eating
like
a
pig?
A
six-pack
is
made
in
the
kitchen
NOT
the
gym.
You
can
increase
the
size
(hypertrophy)
of
your
muscles
with
exercise
but
you
need
to
reduce
your
BF
percentage
to
actually
see
them.
Training
Frequency
Question: Should
I
train
my
Ab’s
everyday?
Answer:
NO.
Even
if
they’re
not
sore,
if
you
do
a
chest
workout
and
you’re
not
sore
the
next
day
you’d
still
wait
at
least
a
day
or
so
to
recover
wouldn’t
you!!?
You
should
treat
Ab
training
like
you
would
any
other
muscle,
and
train
them
every
other
day
maximum.
What
about
Weighted
Crunches!?
Question:
Should
I
do
weighted
Ab
training?
Answer:
Yes
and
no.
You
should
do
weighted
work
to
gain
mass.
A
typical
routine
of
8-12
reps
and
3-4
sets
per
exercise.
Doing
millions
of
crunches
is
an
example
of
training
for
muscular
endurance
not
strength
or
hypertrophy
(size).
Lighter
Reps
Addressed
Question: Are
you
saying
I
shouldn’t
do
more
than
12?
Answer:
Yes,
if
you’re
working
for
mass
and
no
if
your
goals
are
definition.
You
should
train
between
30-50
reps
for
definition
without
weight.
How
To
break
down
Abdominal
Training
Question:
Should
I
separate
my
abdominal
training
into
upper/lower
&
obliques?
Answer:
You
can,
but
it
may
not
be
as
effective
as
you
think.
Stating
that
you
can
train
upper
abs
by
doing
one
exercise
and
your
lower
with
another
just
isn’t
true.
Both
types
of
movements
use
the
retus
abdominal
(the
legendary
6
muscles
at
the
front),
which
accomplishes
forward
torso
flex
by
stimulating
All
the
fibers
that
work
as
a
whole.
Even
the
obliques
assist
with
torso
flex.
However
you
could
say
that
certain
exercises
will
emphasize
more
of
the
upper
Ab’s
vs.
the
lower
Ab’s,
like
normal
crunches
compared
to
lying
leg
raises.
The
bottom
line
is
that
you
can
place
more
emphasis
on
aspects
of
the
muscle,
but
you
can’t
completely
isolate
them.
How
To
Order
Exercises
Question:
If
I
do
my
Ab’s
all
at
once
does
the
order
matter?
Answer: As
some
exercises
emphasize
certain
parts
you
can
pre-fatigue
a
specific
area
of
your
Abdominals
and
get
maximum
results
for
you
efforts.
If
the
emphasis
is
upper
abs,
then
work
them
first,
if
its
lower
than
begin
by
working
them.
The
Need
For
Oxygen!
Question: When
do
I
breathe
out?
Answer: At
the
peak
of
the
contraction.
Breathe
at
the
top
of
the
movement,
just
before
the
negative
contraction,
exhale
the
air
out
forcefully
by
squeezing
your
pelvic
region
to
the
floor.
By
doing
this
during
the
positive
rep,
you
will
produce
maximum
Ab
tension
and
relieve
lumber
spine
pressure.
Speed
of
Contraction!
Question: How
quickly
should
I
do
my
crunches,
does
it
matter?
Answer:
Yes
it
does
matter!
The
Ab’s
are
comprised
of
slow
twitch
muscle
fibers,
for
that
reason
you
should
slow
it
down,
not
hell
for
leather,
believe
me
you’ll
see
more
results!!
I
take
approximately
3-5
seconds
per
crunch
and
sometimes
longer!
Getting
The
Trench!
Question: But
how
do
I
get
the
trench?
Answer:
Ever
wondered
how
to
get
the
peak
in
the
Ab’s?
The
trench
in
the
middle?
Hold
that
contraction
at
the
peak
of
the
movement
for
about
3-5
seconds
and
squeeze
by
rolling
your
pelvis
towards
your
head.
The
Master
of
Angles!
Question: If
I
just
do
say
Crunches
and
Leg
Raises
will
that
be
enough?
Answer:
NO!!
To
get
that
6
pack
you
need
to
ATTACK
that
mid-section
from
as
many
different
angles
as
possible,
as
with
every
aspect
of
BB
keep
your
body
guessing!!!
Crunches,
Reverse
crunches,
leg
raises,
twisted
leg
raises
etc.
etc.
etc.
Anchoring
of
feet
Question: When
I
do
Ab
work
should
I
anchor
my
feet
to
something?
Answer:
NO.
When
you
restrain
your
legs
or
feet
during
Ab
work
you
actually
train
the
hip
flexor’s
more
than
anything
else.
Also
you
place
unnecessary
strain
on
your
lumber
spine
Great
Balls
of
Fire!
Question: I’ve
seen
people
use
a
large
ball
to
work
their
abs,
are
they
any
good?
Answer:
Amazingly
enough
these
“Toys”
have
been
proven
to
help.
How?
Well
when
performing
curls
on
a
ball
you
increase
abdominal
work
compared
to
off
a
ball.
Mainly
by
using
your
muscles
for
stability
on
the
ball
as
well
as
the
tension
of
the
crunch!!
Conclusion
With
all
of
this
being
said,
the
bottom
line
still
stands!
You
can
have
the strongest
ab’s known
to
man
but
if
you
have
a
BF
of
25%
you
ain’t
ever
going
to
see
em!!!
The
Animal!
PS.
If
you
have
any
questions
for
the
all
knowing
Animal,
you
can
find
him
in
our
forums
when
he's
not
wrecking
havoc
in
his
gym!
In
edition
he
has
also
designed
an
unbelievable
8
week
abdominal
program
that
will
deliver
amazing
results!
You
can
view
it
by
clicking
here.
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