Here we are in spring, the so-called fateful period for sculpting your summer body! Yes, you can imagine, it will not be done in a few days and you will have to be patient and motivated to sculpt your abs in concrete. Do you dream of sporting a six-pack this summer on the beach, do you want to get a flat stomach or proudly display your chocolate bars?
At Eric Favre, we’ve decided to put together a little guide to great abs, which combines the mistakes you shouldn’t make, training tips and a healthy eating guide, two essentials to make your abs stand out quickly.
Mistakes to avoid when sculpting your abs
You may be in a hurry to show off your abs, we won’t take away your motivation! But you should know that only doing crunches every day will not benefit you any more than that.
Don’t rely on sit-ups
In your goal, you have chosen to end or begin all of your sessions without exception with an ab session or to devote a whole session to it. This type of exercise will certainly allow you to build up your abdominal muscles, you will feel your abs pulling, and your abdomen will be more sheathed and harder, but it will not necessarily make your abs visible! If your hard work isn’t paying off, perhaps you can use your energy in other ways, including making the right training combinations to build muscle and reduce fat.
Choose a strength + cardio workout
To make your abs stand out, there’s nothing like the right combination of strength training and cardio. And yes, basic!
Even if they are not visible, everyone has abs. And, to make them prominent, training will play an important role. Indeed, to see your abs, you will have to burn calories to destock. Because it is particularly the rate of fat mass that must be reduced to have visible abs.
For men, the stomach is one of the main areas of storage! When you have a high body fat percentage, it is generally in areas such as the lower abdomen, the obliques or the lower back that the fat settles. By combining the right training practices with a proper diet, you can avoid fat storage in the abdominal area.
Work your abs the smart way
Like all muscles in the body, your abs need rest to build. So working out 7 days a week is not ideal if you want to build your abs. On the other hand, it is perfectly possible to include 2 to 3 ab sessions spread out over the week, at the end of your workout for example. Furthermore, it is not necessary to do a series of abdominal exercises for hours on end. During your sessions, you should look for the sensation of burning, by doing medium series, and by using, if necessary, additional weights to “shock” the abdominal muscles.
Strengthen your transverse
The transverse muscle is a deep muscle of the abdomen, which is absolutely not visible. However, having a powerful and toned transverse muscle is essential to keep a flat stomach. This muscle allows you to maintain your organs and to pull in your stomach. Having a powerful transverse muscle allows you to optimize the work of the rectus abdominis and the obliques.
Do not overwork the obliques
When we imagine concrete abs, we visualize the tablets but also well-drawn obliques. On the other hand, it is common to make the mistake of over-soliciting the obliques, at the risk of enlarging this area. And yes, rotating the bust or bending the bust does not melt the fat, nor does it refine the waist. In fact, the opposite is true, since this type of exercise risks thickening the waist, which is not ideal for obtaining the famous V shape!
Integrate the sheathing into your routine
The sheathing allows the strengthening of the muscles of the trunk. It is an isometric and static training technique in most cases. It is also an endurance and resistance workout that strengthens the abdominal belt. If you want to strengthen your abdominal muscles, include in your workout belly tucks, side tucks and back tucks that will allow you to work all the muscles of the trunk, without increasing the muscle volume.
Incorporate cardio into your workouts
Contrary to what you may think, one does not go without the other. Strength training and cardio are inseparable for visible and lasting results. And this is even more true to make your abs appear, which require drying out the abdominal belt and reducing the fat content. Coupled with the practice of bodybuilding, an endurance sport such as jogging, cycling (cycling, RPM, biking …), swimming or jumping rope for example, can burn calories and increase spending to promote the removal of fat.
Follow a suitable diet for visible abs
Now that you know how to work your muscles to get strong abs, you’ll have to make them visible! And for that, diet will be your ally!
Destocking fat
In order to reduce your body fat and eliminate the fatty deposits on your stomach, you must follow a low-calorie diet. This is a diet adapted to your lifestyle and your activity as a sedentary, active or sportsman, which allows you to provide your body with the necessary nutrients while reducing energy intake to allow the body to draw on its reserves, and therefore not to store!
As part of your diet, you will need to provide carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins and minerals, proteins, and good fats, but above all you should avoid refined, sugary products and saturated fats. So don’t cut out starchy foods or healthy fats at the risk of causing a deficit and storing the slightest deviation, but eat in the right quantities, and choose the right foods: legumes, pasta or brown rice, dried fruit, oilseeds…
Eat more protein
On the other hand, protein foods are more than allowed in this special abs “diet”. Don’t hesitate to include so-called lean proteins in your meals, such as eggs, fish or poultry, which are an excellent source of protein. In fact, proteins serve as bricks for the construction of muscle fibers, they allow you to be full longer, avoid cravings and support the metabolism. Moreover, digesting proteins also requires energy, which allows you to burn calories at rest. A significant asset when you want to dry and sharpen your body.
Divide your meals into several portions
To avoid cravings or food cracks, and to provide continuous nutrients, you can opt for smaller meals, but more numerous. For example, instead of having 3 meals a day, morning, noon and evening, you can slightly reduce the quantities and bring 2 additional snacks during the day. Snacks that, of course, should be composed in a healthy and balanced way to provide additional nutrients essential for muscle definition.
By following this advice, by exercising regularly and by adapting your diet or by following a specific weight loss program, you will see visible results within a few weeks. You will quickly feel deflated, firmer, with a more toned abdominal belt. By continuing your efforts and being regular, you will definitely get visible, more prominent abs like you have always dreamed of!
