SuperFitness

Abdominal Muscles, Winter Washboard Blueprints

A winning physique is not possible without abdominal muscles that are firm and free of muscle obscuring fat. The winter can be the worst time for letting our bad habits obscure these muscles. The abs are the one muscle group where mass is not a major criteria. A winning midsection will have shape, form, and development; how- ever, too much mass will destroy that v- shaped look needed to make the big points.

Genetics can sometimes work against you with this muscle group. A natural ten- dency toward a thick midsection can ruin your whole upper body proportions. Moreo- ver, a winter eight week program of concentrated work can sculpt your abs. Follow an aerobic program to remove body fat that would hide the rippled washboard appearance you seek.

Aerobics are based on your maximum heart rate. This rate is based on your age. The formula is to take the number 220 and subtract your age. This number is then multiplied by the target percentage. For beginners, this rate is 70 percent. Intermedi- ate athletes should use 75 percent and the advanced can use 80 percent.

If you are a twenty-five-year-old inter- mediate, for example, you should keep your pulse rate above the target of 146 beats per minute target range. Most beginners should start with twenty minutes of aerobic activity every other day. Intermediates should aim for 30-45 minutes three days out of four, and the advanced should do 45-60 minutes daily.

Diet is very important for show quality abs. Men have more difficulty with the ripped midsection than do women because of the way body fat is stored. The abs will be invisible if there is a layer of fat covering the midsection. Your diet must have sufficient calories to maintain the muscle mass you have developed, and to keep the weight loss to about two pounds a week. More loss than this will likely come from muscle rather than fat.

Although individual metabolisms vary, a good starting point can be found by multi- plying your weight by 10 to get your required caloric intake (e.g., for a 200-pound man the starting point would be 200 times 10, or 2,000 calories). Keep a log of your weight and caloric intake. If your weight goals are not being met, increase or decrease your diet by 100 calories per week until you reach your goal.

While most healthy lifestyle experts suggest a diet ration of 25:45:30 ratio for protein, carbohydrates, and fat components of the diet, the ratios for heavy trainers will be somewhat different. Your diet should be divided by calories into a 30:60:10 ratio as you train for greater mass and less body fat. Some advanced bodybuilders will find a 35:60:5 ratio better just prior to the contest. Start with the 25:45:30 ratio and move toward less fat until you find the formula best for your metabolism.

Here are five exercises to make the abdominal muscles hard:

1. Crunches - The crunch is the purest abs exercise. The routine simply draws the pelvis and rib cage together with tension. Start by lying flat with your hands behind your neck, lift your shoulders off the ground and pull your upper body as far forward as possible without removing the lower back from the floor.

2. Reverse Crunches - To start, lie on a workout bench with your knees bent and your hands holding the side of the bench just above your head. Bring your legs to a posi- tion where the knees are above the hips and lift your hips to bring the lower back off the bench.

3. Hanging Leg Crunch - Hang from a chinning bar with a grip shoulder width apart. Slowly raise your feet from the floor to take a stable hanging position. Pause and hold your legs in the up position. If you have any body swing, your motion is too fast.

4. Side Bends - Work the love handles by using a single heavy dumbbell. Start with your feet about eighteen inches apart and slowly lower your arm in a motion simulat- ing that of a clock. Stop before you point with your elbow to the seven o'clock hour. Pause, tighten the muscles on the side away from the dumbbell and return to the starting position.

5. Standing Torso Twist - Start with your feet about two feet apart, and a light bar over your shoulders. Grip the ends of the bar with your palms and pull to the right side with a swing motion parallel to the ground. Hold the tension at the end and slowly unwind before starting the other side.

Contributed by C. W. Mann, who also writes the syndicated column, SuperFitness.

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