“The muscles of the press need to be pumped in an exhausting mode, at least 50, or even 100 repetitions at a time, only in this way twisting will help you get a flat stomach …” – this widespread opinion is not confirmed in practice. The result is achieved not by quantity, but by quality: there are special techniques that make it possible to make training for the press truly effective.
Increase the load
Grab a dumbbell (or a barbell “pancake” if you work out in a fitness club). Press them to you just above the abdomen and do the exercise as usual. How to choose weight? It should be such as to be able to do no more than 20 repetitions if you are a beginner, and no more than 10-12 – if you have already tried crunches with weights. For example: two 1,5 kg dumbbells – for a beginner and one disc from a barbell weighing 2,5 kg for an experienced person. Bonus: training time is reduced several times, and the return goes to a new level.
Increase the range of motion
Modify the twisting technique. Do them not on a mat, but on a gymnastic ball or bench – this will allow you to go beyond the 90 degrees that we are usually limited to. The higher the amplitude, the better: the press works to its limit when the load alternates with the maximum stretching of the muscle. Specially trained characters can try hanging leg raises on the bar.
Add pause
Add a pause at the strategically correct point of the exercise: the hardest one. If you train with dumbbells, then this point will come at the moment you return to the starting position, but with one condition: the back should not touch the support. If you train with an increase in amplitude, then this point will be waiting for you at the end point of the trunk lift. But also with the condition: you need to raise the body exactly until you feel the load on the press, no longer. If you dare to raise your legs while hanging on the bar, stop when your straight legs are parallel to the floor – and then without any conditions.
A pause of 2-3 seconds is quite enough to force the abdominal muscles to work to the limit of their capabilities.
To maximize your abs, do 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps, pausing for 2 minutes between sets.