For the next few posts, I will be discussing different muscle groups. I will include how I train them, some sample exercises, and specific tips. First, I’m going to talk about core strength and the abdominal muscles. The diagram below labels some of the muscles in and around the abdominal region. The first step of properly exercising any muscle group is to be familiar with its structure. Although the core is one of the more complex regions, it’s not as hard to work every muscle as you may think.
For the purpose of working out different abdominal muscles, the abs can be groups into four regions. These are upper abs, middle abs, lower abs, and obliques. This allows you to put variety into your ab training and develop a complete core. For example, complimenting planks (an upper ab workout) with 6-inches (a lower ab workout) will lead to consistent and even muscle growth.
The best part about ab exercises is that there are limitless options to choose from that are bodyweight only. You don’t need any equipment and you don’t need to go to a gym. All you need is enough space to lay down. Here are some sample exercises listed by area.
In my second blog post, I posted this picture of a sample program I have followed in the past. It included ab training on 5 out of the 7 days- more than any other muscle group by far.
The first reason for this is because after building up the abdominal muscles, they require less volume to maintain. Doing a short ab workout multiple times a will allow you to maintain your core while focusing more intently on other muscle groups. This was my goal. Also, because there are four different areas of the abs to train, I was not training the same exact muscles every day or multiple days in a row. Here was how I choose to divide up the sections. For the first 3 days I used a 40/20 interval for 8 minutes, and for the last 2 days, I used a 50/10 interval for 10 minutes. This was simply to add in variety.
There are many benefits to building up core strength. If it is done in combination with fat-burning cardio, it can result in a good looking figure or “six pack”. Core strength also improves stability and allows your body to perform other exercises more safely. It can improve your posture, running, and general movement as well.
Now that I look at your exercise routine again it makes a lot of sense. I always assumed that planks, crunches, and sit-ups worked the same muscles. Also, abs are a great muscle group to work during the pandemic. You need no additional equipment and can just do bodyweight exercises. Thank you again for bringing me new knowledge about human health. I look forward to reading your future posts.
I think that ab workouts are an especially good way to compliment cardio routines because cardio helps you lose fat and ab exercise is more for sculpting. I think this blog post would be extremely helpful for anyone wanting to get more involved in exercising and not knowing where to start, especially while living in the dorms!
Very interesting information here. I always heard that you should workout abs every day but I could not as I always did the same exercises and I was sore. I will be using some of these exercises to focus on my lower abs which need a lot of improvement.