The Basics to Perfect Abs

The Basics to Perfect Abs
 
Low Body Fat is the first key step to Perfect Abs. After that, it’s all working out to achieve the Perfect Abs. What you gotta do is get yourself organized, watch what you eat. Start off by canceling out the Whopper Menus off of your daily meals. After the canceling, take everything out of your refrigerator, and throw them away. You are now fresh. Go to your food store and fill your refrigerator with healthy and useful food like vegetables, fish etc.
 
Other then eating healthy to lower your BF% is doing cardio, What I do for cardio is Shadow Boxing, Heavy Bag, and Jump Rope, I do this because I box, this seems to be enough for me but the most popular and best cardio is Running or Swimming.
 
Abs are just like any other muscle group in your body but most people do not treat them like one. You should train your abs 1-2 times a week. You need to try it out and see which one fits better for you. A basic routine would go like this:
 
Crunches for 2 sets 30 reps
Sit Ups for 2 sets 30 reps
 
But this is a limited routine, you can only get so far. If you want your abs to pop out, be ripped and hard, your abs need much more of an intense workout. What I recommend is to have this routine for 3 weeks in a row, once or twic every week of course, taking 1-2 min rest between sets :
 
Weighted Decline Crunches  8 reps for 3 sets
Cable Crunches 8 reps for 3 sets
Weighted Leg Lifts- 8 reps for 3 sets
 
Then after having done this for 3 weeks, do this endurance routine for 1 week:
 
Light Weighted Sit Ups- 25 reps for 2 sets
Leg Lifts- 25 reps for 3 sets (or however many reps you can do)
 
After that, repeat the 4 week routine.
 
Or another way of training. Supersets (little more advanced stuff):
 
Weighted Decline Crunches - 16 reps
20 sec rest
Weighted Leg Lifts - 16 reps
 
45 sec rest
 
Weighted Decline Crunches - 14 reps
20 sec rest
Weighted Leg Lifts - 14 reps

45 sec rest
 
Weighted Decline Crunches - 12 reps
20 sec rest
Weighted Leg Lifts - 12 reps
 
45 sec rest
 
Weighted Decline Crunches - 10 reps
20 sec rest
Weighted Leg Lifts - 10 reps
 
45 sec rest
 
Weighted Decline Crunches - 8 reps
20 sec rest
Weighted Leg Lifts - 8 reps
 
If you want results with this routine, you need to keep with the timing, you cannot do this routine without a stop watch.
 
Some Things to Keep in Mind

-Try doing your cardio on different days then your training days.
-Train with a Partner.
-Don't eat protein bars before workout.
-Focus mentally to your workout.

my cable machine only goes up to 150 lbs and cable crunches with such a low weight are a joke, should i use the lat pull down machine instead?

You can change it how ever much you like man, as long as you feel the intense workout.

so i should try to find a weight i can only do 8 with?

you should work your abs 2x a week since the abs fibers recover fast. Also stick in the 8-12 reps area since they are the key hypertrophy are for muscle growth. I would do 7 sets each ab workout to equal 14 sets total a week. the best mass building exercise for abs would be wieght crunches. to perform these lay on you bench press with your head hanging off. then take a dumbell will say 10 pound dumbell and hold it behind your head. Then do a normal crunch like you would on the ground. when you do these breath out as you crunch as much as you can. Because your abs cannot contract fully with air in you. do 3 sets of 8-12 reps if you can do all 12 on last rep increase the wieght next ab workout. Only take 30 sec break in between sets max. because your abs recover faster then other muscles. Keep a chart as you should be doing to see progress and keep track. My ab workout looks like this....
 
Tuesday/friday-wieghted crunches 3 sets,  wieghted twist crunches 2 sets,  hanging leg raises or decline crunches 2 sets

We should live our lives as though Christ was coming this afternoon. - Jimmy Carter

OK, i'm not a teenager (that was like 100 years ago) ,, but i still want good abs, i have been doing 100 crunchs (4 sets of 25) and 100 leg raises (4 sets of 25) 50 twist crunchs(2 sets of 25) per day 5 days a week for that last two months .Because of the abs being able to recover fast, is what i'm doing over working the abs ?

I refuse to fail !!

Well, I've been doing 2 of the 3 lol.  I just gotta eat better

Age: 16
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 165

Bench: 205
Squat: 365
Deadlift: 385
Total: 955

Goal: 1000 by January of 2006

Trick, try out an intense workout and see how long it takes your abs to recover

I will start this Monday on a more intense ab workout along with my regular cardio,10 miles on a bike,40 mins of cardio and 10 mins of rope.So, i'll add the routine you posted above.I am cutting right now, so i know this will help.
                                 Thanks ~ Trick

I refuse to fail !!

hey 8pack,  can i build up the ab muscles on a cut? are they different then other muscles where they can grow without an excess amount of cals?

Well i tell you what seems to be working for me.
I have been doing this every nite Mon-Fri along with my normal routine (Mon=chest, tue=shoulder, wed=legs, thur=arms, fri=back)
 
Crunches          3 - 10
Dual Crunches   3 - 10
Torso Twists     3 - 10
Low Leg raises  2 - 10
Jack-Kinives     2 - 10
Knee Ups         2 - 10
Extensions       2 - 10
 
What do ya's think?
 
I am thinking of upgrading though to a new more advanced routine a magazine i have.

lol chris ryan, now i know your not doing that for your abs. 17 sets???

hey yo i live in miami, FL WhAt DeY DO!!!! ha ha anyways thanx for the abs tips man your routine sounds badass and ima try it out ima let you kno bout the results ina a month or so... reply this msg..

yo 8pack, ima try put ur routine for a mopnth or two and ima let you kno of the results yo 4get that skinny kid andy he doesnt have a clue.. ur routine sounds badass and ima try it out reply to this msg man cuz i say abs like urs is good enuf to pull the hoes... i live in miami, fl by the way just so u kno that im kinds close...

OK 8pack how is this routine? I run 2 miles per day take only weds off and sometimes sunday. I do 60 crunches per day. After I work out I swim for about half an hour. Will this help? My belly is losin fat I can tell but I want the abs.

I see your getting tons of cardio, but take the 60 crunches out, your already getting endurance work with swimming. You can just stick to swimming or if you really want to work your abs, pick up a dumbell and do weighted crunches ONCE A WEEK, not everyday. abs might recover faster then other muscles but they still take time to recover.

Hey 8pack im 16 and i finally can see the six always was stuck with a four a very toned and defined four for me at least but like i hate theres like a buch of fat at the bottom of my stomach and i like doesnt show the sixth that good what should i do
 
Age:16
WGT:147
Hgt:5'7
Bench:250
Squat:335
Goal:wanna hit 300 bench

simple, eat healthier

Hey, this is a great forum! I have a question. I am 140lbs and I look slim. The problem is have alot of stomach fat. Can you please give me some info on what I should do? Thanks!

Hey 8pack.  I'm 18, and am a runner.  I ran track at college this past spring.  I get plenty of cardio by running 7-8 mile a day for 6 days a week.  I was kind of born with a six pack but I want to build better definition.  I like the sound of you intense work out but I don't have access to a decline bench nor a cable machine.  What would you advise doing in place of these?  Thanks for the help.
 
cougar08

Hey 8pack how about an opinion on this one:

Thursday - Gym Abs
Cable Rope Crunches 3x10
Weighted Hanging Leg Raises 3x8
Ab Machine 3x8

Sunday - Home Abs
Twisting Crunches 3x12
Leg Raises 3x20
Reverse Crunches 3x20
Seated Leg Tucks 3x20
Weighted Crunches 3x12

Probably too many sets on Sunday right?

hey man thats great if you can keep it around 30-45 mins.

Guys, check again. I put up a new routine, a bit harder to do. Its in green

hey 8pack
 
iv been trying the blue workout for about a month, and changed to the green for yesterdays workout.
 
problem is i just cant get my abs to hurt this way, it doesnt feel like im working them enough. I also think iv lost definition and possibly size to my abs.
 
during the workout i do the 8-15 range of reps and only stop when theres NO chance of being able to do another, when my abs burn like hell.
 
but it will never feel like theyve been worked this next day! and only working abs 1 time a week, i reeaally feel they are underworked as i feel ready to work them again the next day.
 
Any Advice?
 
Cheers
Joe

Alright, you been doing it for a month so thats like 3-4 workouts yet? not really enough to notice big difference. The only reason for the muscle loss is if your gaining fat, it aint muscle loss, its just too much fat above the muscle. What is your bf%? Are you watching your diet?

everyone is different, not being sore the next day does not mean you didnt have a good workout.

I see you changed up the routine to the green one, which is a much harder routine. see how that one works for you. If you feel like it is underworked then work your abs 2 times a week. Abs recover faster then other muscles.

and how much protein in grams are you taking daily?

The only reason i see is your body fat. 
 
dont forget that you cant just get a 6 pack by working them out 4 times. it takes time



EDIT:for the green routine, its really important to keep to the rests, do not take any longer rest, get yourself a stop watch.

someone told me that you should work your abs out like 4 times a week, but i guess i'll cut it down to 2. this is my ab routine:
 
Decline Weighted Sit Ups 10-10-10
I don't know what this is called but you lie back down on a flat bench and have half of your ass on the end of the bench, and the other half plus your legs hang off in a straight line, i hold it there for 30 seconds now sincei started to put weight on my legs. i go for 3 sets.
 
i don't knwo what to do for my obliques though, any suggestions?
 
i tried those sit ups where you bring your left elbow to your right knee and right elbow to left knee but i don't feel it that much. any suggestions?

my bf is about 15% but wavers between 10 and 25 every time i measure it! ie the gyms machine is highly, highly inaccurate. But im pretty slim, id say 12-15% bf. my diet is the cleanest its ever been, i intake around 140g protien a day (i wiegh 70kilos).

maybe its simply that im working them but not aching much, its just so frustrating knowing theyre ready to go and trying to stop myself working them!

by the way, howd it go with your free car!?

joe

Age: 16
Weight: 155
Bench: 210
Squat: 210
Deadlift: 225
Total: 645

damm i think iv been over working mine i do them about 5 days a week
6 sets 20 crunches
5 sets 20 twist crunches
3 sets 15 ab roll with a barbell
 
ill try the weighted ones is the excercise in green as big as you can go in a week i can see the top 4 abs but have alot too go before i can see the last 2 iv started to eat good too im on holidays at the moment so trying too do as much as i can should i cut this out????

Sounds like you're working them too much. Do them 2x a week max and use the extra time you saved to do some cardio work.

alrite im new here so go easy on me, i have a alrite chest and a sort of 4 pack but i cant get the abs worked undernaeth them i been working out for about a month and a half i work my abs about 4-5 times aweek
about
60 weighted crunches
then about 25 regular crunches
 this past week i jus started doing about 2 sets of 30 knee ups
 any way to get them lower abbs worked? or to get them deeper or somthing am i on the rite track- i also try to eat healthy no junk chicken, protein, vegatables
 
 
heres a recent pic of me
 
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y187/czechurselfson/La%20fitness/mattk_627.jpg

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