Muscular-Fitness

When training the abdominal muscles it is important to remember that to target all the abdominal muscles requires exercises for both the lower and upper regions of your midsection. In this article I will address the upper abdominals and the best exercises to make them grow. The abdominal muscles when developed and not covered by a layer of fat are a very impressive set of muscles and having a clearly defined six pack gives the ultimate look of lean muscle mass and a highlight to every bodybuilder, athlete or training enthusiast’s body.

If you are specifically training the upper abdominals one of the most effective exercises is the lying crunch movement. The crunch can be performed while lying flat on the floor or on a bench. When crunching it is best to keep your legs bent and your feet either flat on the bench or on the floor. You can either cross your hands behind your head or keep your hands over your chest when performing the movement, there is no need to use your arms when crunching. From a lying flat position you want to raise your upper body forward and crunch at the waist holding the crunch position for a second at the top of the movement and then lowering your body flat to the floor and do this for at least 10 repetitions per set. The more often you do this exercise the stronger you will make your upper abdominals and the more repetitions you will need to perform to continue to improve. I would recommend 3 sets of upper abdominals twice per week to begin with and work up from there.

Another effective and more intense crunch movement is the decline crunch. This is performed on a decline bench with your head at the lower end of the bench. It’s a little harder and more intense than a lying flat crunch and for more advanced trainers since you need to push your body a bit harder from the lying decline position until your body is upright. To really blast your upper abdominals try doing the decline crunch from the half way point to the upper most position with your body crunching at the top of the movement.

You can also smash your upper abdominals with the seated crunch machine. It’s best to keep the seat low and cross your arms in front of your body holding onto the padded bar at the front of the machine. Allow your body to fully extend to the top of the movement and then crunch down hard holding the padded bar down as low as you can go for a second or two before rising to the upright position. Bringing your body up slowly has the added benefit of helping to strengthen your lower back as well as blasting your upper abs intensely.

Instead of targeting the upper and lower abdominals every day, I like to alternate my upper and lower abdominal training. So if I workout 4 times per week I will do about 3 sets of upper abs at the end of 2 of those workouts and then do 3 sets of lower abs training on the other 2 workout days. Your abdominals need to be trained for just a few sets but ideally at the end of each workout or 3 to 4 times per week if you want them to really stand out. There really is nothing more impressive than a defined and muscular six pack.