Rock Hard Abs (And Why You Can't Find Them), Part I

Most of us would love nothing more than to have a flat, defined midsection worthy of an 80’s action flick or the latest Hollywood comic book adaptation. The problem is, most of us also have no idea where to begin on our quest toward magazine cover-dom.

I won’t be ranting here about DIET being the most important factor in casting a lean body (though believe me, that’s coming), but rather discussing the best way to train the most important group of muscles in your body, those that comprise the “core.”

Any good business, building, or belief relies on its foundation, and your core is your foundation; as such, it should be a major focus in your training. Not only does it control your posture and transfer of power from lower to upper body, it surrounds and protects major vital parts of the body, including the lower spine and organs. More importantly, your core is directly responsible for all the major movements you perform in life – bending over to tie your shoes, lifting your legs to climb stairs, even getting out of bed in the morning!

 Another important key to remember is that your core is not just the rectus abdominis, or “abs,” but 360 degrees of cooperative muscles, from your front to your back, all of which have to be strong to keep you at your physical best.

 The real problem is that most folks seem not to know how to efficiently and appropriately train the core muscles. You see it in the gym all the time, or you may even be doing it yourself – treating core exercises like cardio: we know that to build muscle and get stronger, we have to lift progressively heavier weights for inevitably lower rep schemes, but when it comes to core training, the rep goal for most folks seems to be in the hundreds! Abdominal muscles and their core counterparts are made of the same fibers that make up your biceps and your pectoral muscles, so if the goal is overall strength gains, why would you train some muscles groups heavy, to promote muscular growth and development, but train your abs light, at a higher repetition rate, simply to tire them out? What will inevitably result from such a strategy is a physically unbalanced body, with a core that is more adept at doing specific isolated floor exercises, like crunches and bicycle kicks (not functional), and less adept at real-life performance situations, such as helping the lower body and upper body to work together to pick up a heavy box (very functional).

 The idea here is that, if you want a strong, solid core  (again, I’ll be getting to the diet part that will help you show it off later), you have to train those muscles just like you would any other group that you want to strengthen. You wouldn’t do 50 shoulder presses at 25% of the weight you can handle, why would you do that to your abs?

 Now that we’ve finished tearing up the recent conventional core training concept, let’s take a look at some exercises you can try that offer greater core resistance training, giving you more bang for your buck in both time and effort.

 Abs (rectus abdominis, sartorius, pectineus)

 Weighted Situps/Decline Situps

 This is relatively easy to figure out: simply hold a weight or medicine ball to your chest when performing these basic exercises, effectively increasing your torso’s mass and forcing your abdominal muscles to move more weight through the movement. Try to find a good weight that will allow your to do somewhere between 8-15 reps, or increase the difficulty by raising the weight above your head.

 Knees Raises/Knees-to-Elbows/Toes-to-Bar

 This movement is generally performed unweighted, as the progressive difficulty means that you can probably keep it as a solid exercise for a while before adding extra resistance. Hang from a high pullup bar with your feet directly below you. From here, raise your legs, bent at about 90 degrees, until your thighs are parallel to the floor, or until you can touch your elbows with your knees. Perform 8-15 repetitions. Once this becomes too easy, try keeping your legs straight, and smoothly raise your toes to touch the bar. At all times during this movement, control your swinging with your shoulders and lats, so that it’s your core lifting your legs, not just momentum.

 Lower Back (erector spinae, psoas major/minor)

 Weighted back extension

 For this, use either a roman chair/45 degree extension bench or a physio ball; position yourself so that your hip flexors are the top point of contact with the equipment, and hold a weight to your chest or behind your head. Bend forward and return to an extended position evenly at medium speed. Find a weight that will allow you to perform this 8-15 times. For added difficulty, wrap a rubber band around your shoulders and a weight on the floor, and extend until the weight is off the floor. The graduating resistance of the band will give you a better grade of difficulty and greater strength gains.

 Good Mornings

Aptly named for the performance of the exercises, a good morning will require a barbell or weight plate place at the top of the shoulders, similar to a squat. Keeping your legs as straight as possible, bend over with your head only slightly elevated, being certain to squeeze your abs and lower back as your lower your shoulders; it’s ok if your hips move back just a bit, but your back MUST remain straight, no rounding! Slowly and evenly, extend to a standing position, keeping the Core tight from front to back throughout the movement.

Sides (internal/external abdominal obliques)

 Cable Russian Twist

This is a fun exercise that’s somewhat similar to swinging a baseball bat, without the worry of having to make contact! Set a cable pulley so that it is even with your mid-chest, and position your feet just outside shoulder width. With fully extended arms angled toward the pulley, hold the cable and twist your entire torso degrees, keeping your hands in directly in front of your chest. Find a good weight that will allow you to perform this 10-12 times on each side.

Cable Vertical Pallof Press

 Set a high pulley so that it is approximately at overhead arm’s length from a kneeling position, and line up your body with the pulley frame, with the machine to your side a few feet away. While kneeling in lunge position, with the front leg closest to the machine, pull the handle with both hands directly to your chest, in prayer position. Slowly and evenly, raise your hands directly overhead to full extension. Hold for a moment, then slowly lower your hands back to your chest. Find a weight that will allow you to perform 10-12 reps on each side.

 There are more great exercises that will strengthen your core that I haven’t mentioned here, such as deadlifts, Romanians deadlifts, and several kinds of kettlebell exercises, but you should seek the advice of a fitness professional before attempting them, to be sure you’re doing them properly.

Don’t waste your time with hundreds of light repetition exercises for your core! Treat it like the powerful system of musculature that it is, and you’ll see better results than ever before!

Stay Strong!

 by CAC Fitness Director Jeff Butterworth, CPT, USAW