In this article we will talk about the press and its training, but before continuing you should take a look in the mirror to assess the current state of your abdominal girdle (abdominal muscles). There is no point in training your abs if they are hidden under a large layer of fat. The ideal would be a small percentage of fat, especially in the abdominal area, which will be destroyed over time under the influence of the right loads. In the last article on nutrition, we touched a little on the topic of abdominal muscles. As you remember, it is impossible to achieve the process of lipolysis, also known as fat burning, in only one area of the body, in our case it is the stomach and waist. However, scientists have proven that a tiny percentage of local lipolysis still exists. This is why a small percentage of fat is not so bad.
Of course, no one forbids you to train your abs before starting fat-burning training. Yes, you can pump up your abs and only then diligently lose weight, but in this case, in addition to aerobic sessions, you will need to keep your abdominal muscles in excellent physical shape, and this is another waste of energy and time. That is why it is recommended to first lose weight and only then move on to abdominal training.
The main function of the abdominal muscles is to maintain balance, the secondary function is to twist the torso in the lumbar region. In addition, they serve as one of the most important stabilizers of the body, while being responsible for posture and gait. The abdominal muscles can be divided into two visible and one hidden muscle groups.
1) The straight abdominal group, also known as the “abs”, performs all twists in its own plane. According to its structure, it can be divided into right and left parts, which are separated by a vertical tendon line. Also, several such lines intersect it horizontally. That is why, during tension, the rectus abdominis muscle takes the form of quadrangles.
Many people are interested in the question of how to influence the shape and appearance of their abs? In fact, the shape is genetically determined; it can be either straight equal quadrangles or squares located on different lines. By the way, if you approach abdominal training competently, then the cubes will not stand out externally, and you will get a beautiful relief outline, although the genetic code also plays an important role here.
2) The oblique abdominal muscles are located on the sides. As a rule, they are called “side” presses. The function is identical to the rectus muscle group, but the twists here are inclined to the side. Any twisting that extends beyond the rectus plane engages the oblique abdominal muscles.
To be frank, our body contains both external and internal obliques. The catch is that they are located on top of each other, and their function is identical. With developed obliques, you will effectively emphasize the waist and the entire surrounding area.
3) Internal transverse muscle, located deep inside. Its main function is to maintain and protect your organs. In fact, it is not possible to train this subgroup in isolation. However, the vacuum exercise forces her to work to the limit of her strength, thereby training the transverse subgroup.
There are several popular misconceptions that prevent you from correctly building your training schemes. According to one myth, there are exercises that load the upper and lower abs separately. In fact, it is a solid flat muscle group that is involved in all twisting of the body. All you can do is change the load ratio. For example, in classic crunches the upper area is more involved, but this does not mean that the lower part is resting at this time, it just spends a little less energy. The opposite situation is observed in hanging leg raises, where the lower region does most of the work, and the upper region is involved a little less. The load ratio in these exercises can be correlated as 3:2.
As for the training process itself, there are a couple of differences from the male “scheme”, despite the fact that the structure of the abdominal muscles in men and women is practically no different. First of all, forget about weights and machines. You should work on basic exercises, as this develops the overall endurance of the abs, thereby drawing the outlines, which is what girls need. Men are interested in slightly different goals, such as abdominal strength, dryness and bulging of the six-pack, which is achieved by lifting weights.
Secondly, the abdominal muscles are no different from the same muscles of the arms or chest; they all love correct technique and good recovery after training. Many people stubbornly believe that abdominal training involves a huge number of repetitions (50-100). In fact, few people can perform such a number of repetitions with proper technique. And if the execution technique is not followed, then there is simply no point in such an exercise. The optimal number of repetitions varies from 15 to 20, with the condition of “jewelry” execution of the exercise. As for the frequency of training, you should not load your abs more than twice a week. Also forget about abdominal training if your abdominal muscles have not recovered.
Finally, I would like to highlight the best exercises for girls
– double crunches;
– bike;
– lifting legs or knees while hanging;
– hanging corner;
– twisting with body rotation on a Roman chair;
– crunches with torso elevation on a Roman chair;
– lying leg turns;
– vacuum.
In the following articles, we will definitely introduce you in detail to the competent technique of this or that exercise.
