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Relief muscles of the press in men and a neat flat tummy in women are achieved, first of all, by proper nutrition and a calorie deficit, and secondly, by practically the same exercises. The difference is in the number of approaches, weight and regularity of training. Men can exercise their abdominal muscles regularly when women need to take a break due to their menstrual cycle. The amount of exercise for men is also greater. For example, they can work out not only the straight, but also the oblique abdominal muscles, and women do not want to do all kinds of side bends and lateral twists. Let’s take a look at what an abs workout for men and women consists of.
Abdominal muscles – what is it and what is it for
The abdomen is represented by the rectus abdominis muscle, which has an upper, lower, and lateral section. Therefore, when you are offered to pump up the oblique muscles of the abdomen, the main, rectus muscle still works. Its thickness is the second most important factor in getting a dream press.
The main condition for the appearance of a relief in the abdomen is the absence of a fat layer, that is, the fat content should not exceed 10-15%. No matter how super-pumped the rectus abdominis muscle is, it will simply not be visible under the fat.
The abdominal muscles not only play an important role in protecting the internal organs of the abdominal cavity, but are also additional helpers of the spinal muscles to support the spine, and therefore posture (calorizer). Therefore, by pumping the press, you not only improve your appearance, but also contribute to your health.
But it is important to take into account such a nuance that an excess of exercises on the rectus abdominis muscle in the form of twists creates a dangerous load on the spine, especially if you lift your lower back off the floor, do sharp jerking movements or a huge number of repetitions.
It is also important to understand that the abdominal muscles work in all basic exercises – squats, deadlifts, and standing presses. Therefore, it is wise to give them a small isolated load.
Bleeding the press for men
It is more expedient for men to perform exercises for the rectus abdominis muscle at the end of workouts; to help your own body, you can add dumbbells and fitball, use a crossover or raise your legs in the hang. The choice of exercise depends on your fitness level. For example, lifting the legs in the hang will be difficult for a beginner to do, since he will not even notice which muscles are working for him – the rectus abdominis muscle or the thigh muscles. Vis is strongly discouraged for people with back problems.
You can also work out the rectus abdominis muscle in static exercises (all types of planks) and in dynamic (lumberjack in a crossover, throwing a medball from behind the head, swinging a medball diagonally, swing with a kettlebell). The advantage of static and dynamic multi-joint exercises is that they involve the muscles of the entire core – the rectus and oblique abdominal muscles, the longitudinal lumbar muscles.
How long exercise to do:
2-3 exercises in 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps.
It can be:
- Twisting on fitball – 3 sets of 10-12 times;
- Bicycle – 2 sets of 12 times for each leg;
- Elbow plank – 30-60 seconds.
The amount of rest between sets and exercises should be within 15-30 seconds. It is advisable to work out the press 2-3 times a week.
To this complex, you can add a vacuum – an exercise that uses the transverse abdominal muscle, which is responsible for maintaining the internal organs in an anatomically correct position and reducing the volume of the abdominal cavity. This exercise was done by the best representatives of the golden era of bodybuilding, like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Frank Zane and others. This exercise can be done every day for 10-20 repetitions.
Flat tummy in women
It is much more difficult for the beautiful half of humanity, especially for owners of lush, feminine forms, to achieve a flat tummy. There are purely physiological reasons for this – there is more adipose tissue on the belly of women, and there are fewer nerve endings. The first serves to protect the fetus during pregnancy, the second saves from pain during the cycle. Muscle mass in women is less than in men, which increases the load on joints and ligaments. This means that excess reps and abdominal exercises can lead to back injuries.
Most women value their waist and believe that pumping the oblique muscles of the abdomen with side bends and lateral twists will help express it even better, but this is not so. Let’s think logically, when you pump a muscle, what happens to it? She’s growing. Especially if you are eating a calorie surplus. That is, when you do side bends with dumbbells or side crunches, you stimulate the growth of the oblique muscles of the abdomen and your waist.
To achieve a flat tummy, you need to ensure a calorie deficit, eat a balanced diet, exercise the muscles of the whole body, including the abdominal muscles, and do a vacuum.
A vacuum will be especially useful for you if the transverse abdominal muscle is weak. You can check this as follows. If, while pulling in the abdomen, you have an increase in the bulge of fat on the sides, and if your shoulders and chest are lifted up, then all this indicates a weakness of the transverse muscle.
It is advisable for women to train the press 2 times a week, doing 1-2 exercises in 2-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions.
It can be:
- Twisting lying without lifting the lower back;
- Bike;
- Elbow plank – 30-60 seconds.
The vacuum can be done every day. To begin with, keep your stomach drawn in for 15 seconds and repeat the exercise 5-6 times, gradually increase the time and number of repetitions in the cycle.
Exercises for the rectus abdominis muscle for women are best done at the beginning of the workout, they perfectly warm up all the muscles in the body and give the maximum effect (calorizator). Be sure to include squats, deadlifts and other multi-joint exercises in your training program, in which the abdominal muscles also work. Select the weight of the weights taking into account your weight, age, restrictions on health and fitness. Two abdominal workouts a week will be enough to keep your flat tummy happy for a long time.