Abdominal Exercises For Beginner Bodybuilders
This is a very quick guide to abdominal exercises for bodybuilding beginners.
The abdomen contains the muscles that most beginners struggle with because they take a long time to develop and need a low level of body fat to be seen.
Unless you already have a very low body fat percentage, the chances are your abs are nowhere to been seen.
Therefore, you can only really get great abs if you can reduce your fat level with a healthy diet and a regular exercise schedule that includes abdominal exercises.
What are the abdominal muscles?
The abdominal muscle group consists of three main muscles.
1. Rectus abdominis – commonly known as the abs, this is a large flat muscle wall that runs from the lower chest to the pubic bone.
2. Obliquus abdominis – commonly known as the obliques, this muscle runs diagonally along the side of the mid-section from the lower ribcage to the pubic area. The internal obliques lie underneath the external obliques.
3. Transversus abdominis – this is a thin strip of muscle that runs horizontally across the abdomen.
You can target these muscles effectively by performing the following abdominal exercises.
1. Crunches – 3 sets of 15-20 reps. This exercise will work the upper abs.
2. Pelvic tilts – 3 sets of 15-20 reps.This exercise will target the lower portion of the abdomen below the navel.
3. Side bends – 3 sets of 15-20 reps. This exercise will work the obliques.
As with all exercises you need to take care in scheduling specific body parts. To begin with you should incorporate your abdominal exercises into a program similar to the one suggested below.
Day 1: Biceps, Back, Abs
Day 2: Hamstrings, Shoulders, Abs
Day 3: Quads, Forearms, Calves
Day 4: Triceps, Chest, Abs
For gaining muscle mass I suggest you train intensely and spend no more than 45 minutes on each workout.
For the first couple of weeks complete one set but then add one set each week to a maximum of three. At the end of three months you will be ready to move on to more intensive intermediate level exercises.
You can get further details on nutrition, meal plans, workouts, and exercises by browsing the website.
Check out: Muscle Building Programs
Filed under: Six Pack Abs
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