Update on my ‘Quest for Abs’
Abs are one of the most sought after areas for muscle development in males and also the most problematic…as I’ve learned this past year in my ‘quest for abs’. I’ve read lots of blogs from males wanting that elusive six pack and wondering what it’s going to take to get there…but read posts from men who’ve achieved their goal and it can be simply stated as ‘lose body fat’ and ‘grow the ab muscles’. Much easier said than done for most of us!
You’ll lose body fat if you burn more calories than you take in over time. Simple as that. Cardio will help you burn calories. But, too much cardio with an incorrect diet will eventually lead to the loss of muscle tissue as your body uses it for energy….I don’t know of any bodybuilders who want that! So eat the right way and find the right amount and intensity of cardio that will help you burn body fat while still maintaining your muscle mass. I can’t tell you exactly how to do this, I’m still working on it myself, but I’ve read posts from lots of successful bodybuilders who make it work for them.
You’ll grow the ab muscles if you do exercises to stimulate the growth of muscle tissue…it’s no different from any other muscle. Exercise to break down the muscle tissue, eat right to feed the muscles, and allow recovery time for muscle growth. Now there’s a lot of different opinions on how often to exercise the abs and how to exercise them. I don’t have all the answers, but I do know what doesn’t seem right to me. If you workout abs every workout and don’t feel sore, then you’re not hitting the abs like you should. Your form may not be correct (classic example, crunches on an exercise ball - do them right and you will feel a burn in 15-20 reps). If you can do 100 reps you’re probably not doing them right. I went through a period of doing this until I realized the folly of it. If you do feel sore after your abs workout and then hit them again without enough recovery, you may be overtraining the abs and slowing the muscle growth. It’s not the quantity of the exercise that matters, it’s the quality. I’ve experimented exercising many ways for my abs but only started to make good progress when I achieved excellent form.
I lost focus on my abs goal for 2008 when I planned my workouts around lifting heavier on deadlifts, squats and bench press. My cardio was sporradic, while my diet was consistently clean. Although not putting 100% effort into bringing out my abs, I did do a good abs workout once a week and all my compound exercise work has helped strenthen my core tremendously. My heavy lifting and decent muscle growth has helped me achieve a slow but steady body fat loss as evidenced by the way my clothes fit and by what I see in the mirror. So at this time I find myself with what I think (based on my poking and prodding) are pretty well developed abs hiding under a layer (or two) of body fat.
I’ve decided that now is the time to achieve my goal. I have the knowledge of diet and exercise, and the mental discipline and drive to make it happen. My strategy for October to December will be to lift heavy more often than not (using a 5×5 approach with mostly compound exercises) and to do cardio each and every time after lifting. I’ll do as much HIIT cardio on the treadmill and bike as I can, maybe doing something with a lower impact on days I workout lower body. I’ll continue to hit abs hard once a week. I’ll try to improve on my diet wherever I can, but thankfully that’s one thing that is going very well. I am really expecting good body fat loss during the next three months. I know it’s just another part of my journey and I’ll still have more work to do when the three months are up, but I’m at the point where I can visualize what I’m going to look like when my abs are showing and it’s something I want to make a reality very, very much. Anyone out there who has a suggestion or advice please share it with me!
