Abdominals

Many times when I am at the gym one of the first questions I get is how can I get rid of the fat around my love handles or stomach area. First, one myth that needs to be busted is that if I do a thousand sit-ups every night, will I get ripped abs? The answer is no. The sit-ups or crunches will help condition the muscles underneath the fat layer but if you never do anything to get rid of the fat, there will be no chance in showing off at the beach. This goes back to the old saying, “more energy out, than more energy in.” The key is combining a good diet, a cardiovascular workout daily, and attacking abs at least a few times a week.
Keep in mind that if you workout daily then your abs will also get worked even if they are not the primary target. But for those that want to target their abs, there are many muscles made up throughout the area. The simplest way to remember how to hit each area is cut yourself in half at the waist. If you want to work your upper abs then you need to lift your shoulders/head up, such as a crunch or sit-up. If you want to work the lower abs then you need to lift your legs up, leg lift/knee lifts. If your goal is to work the obliques (external or internal) your main objective is to twists. Using the same strategy as up above split your body in half and when you twist your upper body the external obliques will control the twisting (broomstick/barbell twists), when you twist your lower ‘body the internal obliques will be used more (hanging leg/knees twists). Also there are many advanced exercises that have you do a crunch with a twist. If you belong to a gym there are many machines that are available if you don’t want to get down and dirty on the floor or mats.

*Upper Abs*	*Lower Abs*	*External Obliques*	*Internal Obliques*
Crunches/Sit-ups	Hanging leg/knee raises	BBell twists	Hanging leg/knee twists
Roman chair/incline bench crunches/situps	Lying leg/knee raises	Elbow to knee twists	Lying leg/knee twists
Chair situps/pulls	Scissors-leg/knee

Tips:

Use slow controlled movements.
It’s not always about quantity over quality.
Use timed holds (count your seconds).
Ad a twist into any crunch or sit-up movement for higher intensity.
Also an exercise ball can add more diversity and comfort to a workout.
Do not grab behind the head, can cause neck problems, fold hands in front or hands on ears.

…For more information and tips, check my website, www.chadamartin.com. Thanks to Universe Gym for supplying equipment for this show.