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Body Fat Levels:

Now it’s true that everyone has abs. Including you. So the quickest way to see them is simply to reduce your body fat levels.

This is why cyclists and even marathon runners have abs. They burn so many calories they can’t possibly be in a surplus so they maintain really low body fat levels.

I promise you these guys are not doing 7 minute at home ab workout routines off YouTube.

For 9 out of 10 people it will simply be a matter of focussing on fat loss and we achieve that by controlling our diet and sprinkling in some steps or cardio if need be. 

But what happens if you’re already pretty lean and still can’t see your abs?

What happens if you want to get rid of just the fat around the midsection but not anywhere else?

Let’s cover that first question, first.

Abs Training

If you’re already pretty lean and you still can’t see your abs - you might benefit from training them to grow.

The abdominals are comprised of 5 muscles:

• External obliques.
  
  
• Internal obliques.
  
  
• Pyramidalis.
  
  
• Rectus abdominis.
  
  
• Transversus abdominis.
  
  

You need to focus on just one of them:

• The rectus abdominus (6-pack muscle)

You want to focus on spinal flexion movements which is a fancy way of saying:

- “Bring your hips up towards your chest” like in a hanging leg raise, or

- “Bring your chest down towards your hips” like in a cable crunch.

That’s honestly it!

I'm not suggesting you purposefully detrain the other muscles. Most of those will get plenty of training from supporting your trunk in compound movements like squat and deadlift patterns. The rectus abdominus sits at the front of the abdominal wall and is the muscle responsible for that 'pop' factor.

Exercise Progressions and Regressions:

If you can’t perform Hanging Leg/Knee Raises,

• Start on the floor with Lying Leg Raises
  
  
• Then progress to the Bench Knee Tucks, Captain’s Chair Leg Raise, and then eventually do them hanging.
  
  
• You can even add weight.

Having a bent leg reduces the moment arm - making it easier. 

Having a straight leg makes it harder - no matter which variation you’re doing.

If you don’t like Cable Crunches, some other alternatives are Decline Bench Sit Ups, Abdominal Crunch Machine and plain old Bodyweight Crunches.

Something To Think About:

You train your legs by doing heavy squats and deadlifts and leg presses.

You train your upper body with heavy presses and rows and pulldowns.

Why do we then think we need to train our abs with 500 rep lightweight bodyweight circuits? It doesn’t really make sense, does it.

Train your abs like any other muscle group - hard and pretty heavy - because that’s what’s going to cause them to grow and be more chiselled and muscular.

What About The Obliques?

There's no such thing as a bad exercise so I would never discourage you from training your obliques. Do consider this, though:

The 'quintessential' male physique is an X frame or a “V-Taper”

The 'quintessential' female figure is an “hourglass”

Both of these are characterised by having a small waist: Males relative to shoulders, and females relative to hips.

Training obliques for function and strength is great but training them directly for hypertrophy (muscle growth) might not be aiding you in building the physique you actually want.

This is not a prescription - just something for you to think about!

How To Get Rid Of Belly Fat:

We can’t spot reduce fat around the midsection by simply training abs or getting a sweat on. Training abs won’t reduce your waist size either.

We can only increase muscle mass by training them like any other muscle group, and decrease body fat through our diet.

And that’s the recipe for a set of abs that will impress anyone!

If you’re in need of a free strength training programme which includes all of the abdominal work you will ever need, be sure to pick that up within our private community: Fat Loss Hacks For Frustrated Dieters.

Yes, it’s completely free. I’ll see you on the inside!



Coach Vaughan Burrell.