Have you heard...

...WHICH EFFECT AN EFFICIENT ABDOMINAL WORKOUT HAS?

Summer is just around the corner. Beautiful sunshine and warm temperatures invite for a bath and tanning. Now, everyone wants to have the ultimate, perfect abdominal muscles ! Being an ideal of beauty and a status symbol, perfect abdominal muscles stand for sexappeal, fitness and health - for men as well as for women.

How long does it take to get perfect abdominal muscles ? It is difficult to answer to that question, because the duration depends upon many points, as i.e. physical condition, training planning, nutrition. It can be months or even several years before there are visible successes - everything is possible. The important factors are own motivation, continuity, will, and determination. We cannot tell you how long it takes to get perfect abdominal muscles but we can provide helpful tips for your workout: how you can transform your abdominals in perfect abdominal muscles.

So that your abdominals get visible,

• they have to grow, this means, you should accomplish a varied hypertrophie¹ workout (Examples of exercises for an abdominal muscle workout).
• a reduction of hypodermic fat tissue as well as abdominal fat is necessary (measure regularly your body fat in percent, i.e. by means of a Body analysis monitor).
• you should pay attention to the law of caloric equation²:
  • Energy input = energy consumption → body weight is constant
  • Energy input > energy consumption → body weight ↑
  • Energy input < energy consumption → body weight ↓
• Advice: fat reduction is only possible for WHOLE body, local fat reduction is not possible !

10 golden rules for a workout for perfect abdominal muscles

0. Correct course of motion (slow and ideally in front of a mirror)
0. Switch between strength types muscle building and strength stamina
0. Principle of progressive intensity increase, each with 3 workout units (WU)
   Example: increase of number of repetitions
   1. WU: 3 sets à 8 repetitions = 24 repetitions all in all
   2. WU: 3 sets à 10 repetitions = 30 repetitions all in all
   3. WU: 3 sets à 12 repetitions = 36 repetitions all in all and so on
   Example: increase of weight
   1. WU: 3 sets à 10 repetitions with 8 kg = 240 kg all in all
   2. WU: 3 sets à 10 repetitions with 9 kg = 270 kg all in all
   3. WU: 3 sets à 10 repetitions with 10 kg = 300 kg all in all and so on
0. Correct breathing: Exhale while accomplishing the strain and inhale while accomplishing relief of the strain
0. Keep to breaks – at least, one minute between the sets (approximately 60 – 90 seconds)
0. Keep muscle continuously under high tension - stop when you feel any pain and maybe cross the exercise off the list
0. Duration of a precise (isolated) abdominal workout: approximately 10-15 min
0. Additional weights can be used - depending on your training condition
0. Well-balanced nutrition and ample liquid supply (water, L-carnitine)
0. Write a workout journal to record your training progress

Advice: A warm-up before the workout and a stretching (cool-down) after the workout are also essential for a workout of perfect abdominal muscles. An isolated abdominal workout is not necessary, insofar as you accomplish exercises where the abdominals take part as synergists³, as i.e. regarding deadlift or rowing. Furthermore, an abdominal workout should always be accomplished within the scope of a whole body workout, because back, chest, shoulder, and arm muscles also contribute to the appearance of your perfect abdominal muscles (Examples of exercises see Fitshop muscle guide).

¹ = Muscle building: Size increase of muscles caused by thickness-growth of muscle fibre
² = Energy balance
³ = Muscle, supporting or allowing the movement of the agonist (Greek: active, acting, leading)