Quick Guide: Revealing Your Abs

Do you want to prevent back pain, improve your strength and reveal your abs?

If so, then this is the article for you.

---

Quick Overview of the Core

The core muscles include everything from the buttocks up to the rib cage.

Latin Alert…

These include the Obliques, Rectus Abdominus, Transverse Abdominus, Multifidus, Glutes, Latissimus Dorsi, Quadratus Lumborum, Erector Spinae and Hip Flexors.

All these muscles work together to provide support for the spine and provide movement at the midsection.

---

Sitting vs Standing

Whenever you stand your core muscles become active. Whenever you sit your core muscles become mostly inactive.

The more exercise and movement you perform from a standing position the harder your core muscles are forced to work.

So if you use machines at the gym that involve sitting down you are automatically reducing the amount of core activation. Get off those machines to work your core!

---

Core Works in 3 Directions

Whenever you walk, play sports or exercise your core muscles are forced to work in all 3 planes of movement.

• Forwards and Backwards (sagittal plane)
• Side to Side (frontal plane)
• Rotational (transverse plane)

It is very easy to get locked into the latest exercise fads but it is important that you always consider what directions you are moving in.

Ensure that your core workouts involve movement through the 3 planes to develop balanced core strength.

---

Crunches are Outdated

I’m sure you are aware that exercises like Sit Ups and Crunches have now be proven to be less effective at working your core muscles than other more modern exercises.

Spinal Specialists have also confirmed that too many exercises like crunches are not good for your spine.

Using exercises that stabilise the spine while allowing your limbs to work around it is now thought to be a more effective way of core conditioning.

---

You Can’t Spot Reduce Fat

It has long been known that exercising a certain area of the body does not reduce fat in that area.

So performing lots of arm exercises will not thin down the arms, in fact, in most cases it will have the opposite effect as the muscles grows beneath the layer of fat.

Fat loss tends to be dictated by your hormones. So it doesn’t matter what particular area you focus on, your body will remove fat from it most favourable holding stores first.

So 100’s of crunches won’t burn fat from around your waist, it will more than likely just give you a bad back!

---

How to Reveal your Abs

If you want a great looking midsection then here is what to do…

#1. Remove fat from your waist with a great diet

Sugar will be your biggest enemy especially from: alcohol, sugary drinks and foods made from flour. Eat lots of vegetables and drink 2 litres of water daily.

#2. Perform big fat burning workouts that use lots of muscle mass

Forget arm workouts and focus on the big muscle groups with exercises like: Swings, Squats, Lunges, Push Ups, Pull Ups and Rows.

#3. Perform 3 Dimensional Core workouts that attack your abs from all directions

Here’s No.7 from my 37 Core Workouts:

1. Slow Mountain Climbers – 30 secs
2. Side Plank – 30 secs
3. Shoulder Taps – 30 secs
4. Side Plank – 30 secs
5. Bridge – 30 secs
6. Back Extension – 30 secs
7. Standing Elbow to Knee – 60 secs

Here’s a video of the Shoulder Taps exercise:

If you are more advanced then you may want to try out No. 32:

1. Cross Overs – 60 secs
2. T Push Ups – 60 secs
3. Scissors – 60 secs
4. Plank to Push Up – 60 secs

Here’s a video of the T-Push Ups exercise:

 

---

Quick Round Up

Training your core is very important if you want to: avoid back pain, reveal your abs or improve your movement skills.

If you want to reveal your hidden abs then you need to reduce the fat around your waist by improving your diet, performing fat burning workouts and focusing on attacking your abs from all directions.

I hope you found this useful.

Take care and have a healthy weekend.

Greg

P.S. See my 37 Core and Abs Workouts without Equipment