What is the Best Exercise For Building Abdominals?
Q. I do not have a
lot of time to workout and, as a result, I like to choose
exercises that give me the most results from the little time
that I am able to spend in the gym. I only have time to do one,
or at the most, two exercises to work my abdominals. Could you
tell me what exercise, in your opinion is the best one for
building good abdominals?
A. In my opinion, the
best abdominal exercise for building an awesome midsection is
the bicycle crunch. If I could only choose one abdominal
exercise to do, this one would be the one for sure.
The reason for this is because this is the only exercise
whose complex movement involves all of the following abdominal
muscle groups:
The Rectus Abdominis (composed of upper and lower
abdominals)
The Oblique Muscles
The Intercostal Muscles
The Serratus Anterior
As a matter of fact, the American
Council of Exercise (ACE) recently conducted a study at the San
Diego State University comparing the effectiveness of several
abdominal movements. What my experience at the gym taught me to
be true was proven by the researches when the bicycle crunch
came in as the abdominal exercise that produced the most
activity (and thus, the most training stimuli) out of the group
of exercises they looked at.
Bicycle Crunch Exercise Form
The key to making the bicycle crunch work for you is to use
perfect form.
Concentrate on perfect execution of the movement, getting a
good contraction and feeling the abs throughout the
movement.
The correct way to perform the bicycle crunch is the
following:
Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the
ground. For this exercise, you will need to put your hands
beside your head. Be careful however to not strain with the
neck as you perform it. Now lift your shoulders into the crunch
position.
Bring knees up to where they are perpendicular to the floor,
with your lower legs parallel to the floor. This will be your
starting position.
Now simultaneously, slowly go through a cycle pedal motion
kicking forward with the right leg and bringing in the knee of
the left leg. Bring your right elbow close to your left knee by
crunching to the side, as you breathe out.
Go back to the initial position as you breathe in.
Crunch to the opposite side as you cycle your legs and bring
closer your left elbow to your right knee and exhale.
Continue alternating in this manner until all of the
recommended repetitions for each side have been completed.
Notes: While you cannot add resistance to this exercise you can
concentrate on perfect execution and slow speed.
What Other Exercises Are Good?
In case you are wondering, leg raises performed on the
vertical leg raise chair (the one with a back padding and
handles also known as Captain's Chair) came in second place and
crunches performed on a stability ball (also known as a Swiss
ball) came in third.
Sample Busy Bodybuilder Abdominal
Routines
If you only have time for one exercise I would then do 3-4
sets of anywhere between 15-50 repetitions of bicycle crunches
Monday, 3-4 sets of leg raises on the vertical leg raise chair
on Wednesday (15-25 reps), and 3-4 sets of stability ball
crunches on Friday for 15-50 reps. You can do them right before
starting your workout as that serves as a great way to warm-up.
Rest only 30-60 seconds in between sets.
Closing Remarks
Keep in mind, that without a proper bodybuilding diet that
emphasizes fat loss and without cardiovascular exercise you
will not be able to achieve the level of definition that will
enable you to see the results of your hard abdominal routines;
unless, of course, you have great genetics or are a naturally
skinny hardgainer.
Also remember that abdominal exercises only help to build up
and tone the muscles of the midsection. However, as I mentioned
on my Bodybuilding Abdominals Training Guide, the diet and the
cardiovascular exercise are the components of the bodybuilding
program responsible for reducing the levels of body fat that
are covering the abdominal wall. Once you go below ten percent
body fat you can start seeing your abdominal wall, and every
percentage that you drop from there will give your waistline a
much more impressive appearance.
Author Bio Hugo Rivera CFT, SPN, BSCE. is a lifetime natural
bodybuilder, multi certified personal trainer, industry
consultant and fitness expert who not only knows training and
nutrition theory , but also applies it on a daily basis as
evidenced by the fact that he's always in shape and by his
awards and high placings at numerous national level
bodybuilding competitions. He is also an internationally known
best selling fitness author with a very successful franchise of
books called "The Body Sculpting Bibles" which collectively
have sold over a million copies. Hugo is also author of the
very popular “Body Re-Engineering” e-book, which teaches you
how to gain lean muscle mass and get lean without drugs, or
fancy expensive supplements, using the secrets he devised after
many years of weight problems as a child.For more information
on Hugo’s Muscle Building / Fat Loss Program please click on
the link below: www.losefatandgainmuscle.com
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