Everyone knows that great abs are made (visible) in the kitchen, but even if your body fat percentage is a single digit, you still need to blast your abs with some highly effective workouts in order to achieve a maximally defined midsection worth showing off.
While many people think that hitting their abs with a couple of sets at the end of a lifting session is enough to sculpt their six-pack, this approach inevitably fails to produce the wanted results because of the lack of variety and intensity.
Don’t forget that what your muscles are best at is adaptation, so you need an adequate dose of variation in exercises, sets and reps to make continuous progress.
And if you want to enhance the appearance of your midsection as fast as possible, try targeting your abs with the two powerful supersets below that will ramp up the metabolic stress and give you the most bang for your buck!
INSTRUCTIONS
You will perform the supersets without taking any rest between exercises – simply alternate them until five total supersets have been completed. You can rest 1-2 minutes between Superset 1 and 2.
SUPERSET 1
Ab Wheel Rollout: 5 X 10
Ab Wheel Rollout
Contrary to popular belief, the ab wheel is much, much more than a simple gimmick – when used correctly, it’s one of the best tools for strengthening your core and creating stronger, more defined abs.
Ab wheel rollouts provide a minimalist but challenging workout with powerful effects for your rectus abdominis and transverse abdominis, as long as you make sure to start and finish with your thighs perpendicular to the floor while keeping your back as flat as possible throughout the movement.
As you roll forward and backward, your core muscles work overtime to prevent your back from arching, while flexing the spine to both stretch and contract your abs through a full range of motion.
Plank: 5 x 30 seconds
Plank
The plank is one of the greatest exercises for core conditioning, as it works all the muscles in your core, including the rectus abdominis, transverse abdominus, internal and external obliques, and it’s also an excellent way to improve your posture and overall balance and stability by targeting the muscles which provide support for the entire body in everyday movements and activities such as weightlifting.
Besides increasing positional strength along your transverse abdominis and thus giving you a flatter stomach, planks will also increase flexibility in the muscles of the posterior chain.
SUPERSET 2
Double Crunch: 5 x 12-15
Double Crunch
You can say whatever you want about it, but even after decades of controversy, the crunch remains one of the most vital exercises in a decent core-strengthening routine.
To up the challenge, instead of doing regular crunches, try double crunches – a combination of upper body crunches and reverse crunches. After 5 supersets of ab wheel rollouts and planks, this simple move will make your abs burn like never before.
Lying Windshield Wiper: 5 x 8-10 on each side
Lying Windshield Wiper
Windshield wipers are designed to activate your core stabilizing muscles, specifically the rectus abdominus and obliques, and help develop lower abdominal and gluteal strength.
Twist as far as needed to feel a good stretch in your obliques and don’t allow your feet to touch the ground in the bottom position, as this will eliminate the tension in the abs.
If this appears to be easy for you – try performing windshield wipers while hanging from a bar! It’s a viciously difficult move, but nothing can beat it when it comes to strengthening your entire body.
Perform this routine three times per week and you’ll have a beach-ready midsection before you even know it!
You might be interested : 5 Workouts For a Stronger Core
