Are you still fantasizing about getting those rock-hard abs like the ones on Brad Pitt? Read this article to find out how to get ripped!
Getting a six-pack is one of the hardest goals for any person working out, but you can make it happen with the right ab routine and diet. We will answer all your questions on how to get ripped abs. Just read on.
Begin with evaluating your present condition. Are you free of fat yet? If you have not got rid of those love handles around the stomach yet, then you will never get those washboard abs. Yes, fat does not turn to muscles, no matter how long or how hard you exercise. Before you can get visible muscle tone, you will have to get rid of the fat.
Lose Fat Before You Gain Muscle
So if you’re overweight in your midsection you need to increase the content of cardio-vascular exercises in your schedule. You can try cycling, walking, jogging or aerobics to get trimmer before you start the heavy workout on your abdominal muscles.
However, just doing the cardio alone is not going to help. You’re going to have to eat healthier food too, so out goes the pizzas, burgers, chilidogs and burritos. Mama was right when she asked you to eat your greens. Dietary change is one of the hardest changes to make, even harder than working out two hours in a gym daily, but if you really want the abs you dream about then that’s the most important change you’ll need to make. Now you know the first step on how to get ripped abs.
Once you are successful in loosing fat your abdominal muscles will come out of hiding. Now you can work your way towards ripped abs.
More About The Ab Muscles
Unlike your arms, your abdominal muscles are not exercised fully by a single exercise. To tone your abdominal muscles properly, you’ll have to do a variety of different workouts.
For the purpose of bodybuilding, you can divide your abdominal muscles into lower and upper abs. Because the abs are spread over such a large region, both the muscle groups cannot be exercised in a single motion. There are separate exercises for the upper abs and the lower abs, and to build ripped abs you will need to do both. How to get ripped abs is not that easy, but once you get into the habit you will find it hard to get out of it, so keep going!
It’s a common practice to work on the lower abs before you start working on the upper abs. There is a reason for this: if you start out with upper abs, the lower abs will be strong, and will steal impact away from the upper abs, thus, your upper ab exercise will be less effective. If you do your lower ab exercise before the upper ab exercise, the lower ab muscles will be weaker when you start working on the upper abdominals and you will put more impact on the upper abs. Keep this in mind and you will find developing a ripped abs set easier.
Exercises For The Abdominal Muscles
Here are some basic exercises for the upper abs and the lower abs. Here you will find a list of exercise specifically on how to get those abs you’ve always wanted, so start today!
src=”https://illpumpyouup.com/articles/images/how-to-get-ripped-abs-header-2.jpg” />Leg raises– This is a basic and easy to do exercise for the lower abs. Lie down on your back on a bench or a mat. Keeping your back straight, raise your legs slowly about 45 degree from the ground. Hold them there for a second and then lower them. Remember to rotate your pelvis and try to use your abdominal muscles to do all the work instead of your leg muscles.
Crunches- Lie down flat on the ground and put your feet high on a chair or a bench. Legs should be bent 90 degrees from the knee.. Gently lift your shoulders off the ground at an angle of 30 degrees. Imagine that you’re trying to make your chest touch your pelvis. Try to make your upper abs do all the work. At the top, hold on for a second before going back down.
Reverse Crunches– Lie down on the floor or a mat and put your hands over your head holding on to something, maybe the legs of a chair. Now put your legs straight in the air with your body forming the L shape and lift your hips off the ground. Avoid swinging your legs and speeding up the exercise.
Quarter Crunches– The quarter crunches are quite similar to the abdominal crunches mentioned above. This time, however, you will raise your chest and your shoulders straight up and hold. Try to hold as long as you can because your abdominal muscles work most when your back is off the ground. Do it repeatedly and you will be putting a lot of pressure on your upper abdominals. If you haven’t done this before, get ready for a little soreness later.
Knee Raises– Use a chin-up bar to do this exercise. Hold the bar with both hands and bring your knees up to your chest. You will be supporting all of your weight on your hands now. The important thing in this exercise is to make sure that you’re using your abs to lift your legs and not the leg muscles. Focus on your abdominal muscles when you do knee raises.
Side Crunches– This is another variation of crunches. In this exercise, when raising your shoulders off the ground, attempt to move to one side instead of straight up. This exercise is good for getting you the ripped abs you want.
Obliques– Another exercise to help you build up the abdominal muscles at the side of your waist just like the side crunches do is called Obliques. Lie down flat on a mat and keep your arms spread like an eagle’s. Now raise your legs from the hip such that they form an L shape. Now lower your legs from side to side while keeping them straight. If you do all these exercises regularly, you will get results straight away, and now that you know how to get ripped abs, it is easier to plan your exercise routine.
Exercise The Right Way
If you are really focused on how to get ripped abs, then you’ll need to exercise your abdominal muscles regularly. Ab exercises 1-2 times a week works best in a balanced workout.
When working out on abs remember not to work out too much in the beginning because if your ab muscles get sore. The soreness will be more painful and will take longer to disappear than most other muscle groups.
Keep varying your ab workout. Don’t do the same exercise everyday. If you do different exercise each time, you’ll be surer of developing better and well-shaped abdominal muscles.
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