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The Shredded Abs Workout

Brandon Hahn March 5, 2013 Training Articles
The Shredded Abs Workout

Everyone wants a nice set of abs. If they could be bought, you’d see then on everyone’s Christmas list. Unfortunately, they cannot be bought. They are earned. Earned through hard work and dedication. You also need the right workout to properly trigger your entire midsection. A few sets of crunches and a few twists with the med ball simply will NOT cut it. You need to step up your game. You NEED THIS WORKOUT!

Midsection Muscles

Your midsection has a basic yet complex set of muscles. It is very basic in describing each muscle, but gets complex when you must trigger each one. Flex your internal oblique. Did you do it? Better yet, can you touch it?  It’s quite hard to point to a muscle that lies beneath the surface. Not just the surface of your skin, but you’d literally have to tear off your external oblique to point to it.  This workout won’t require you to tear off anything, other than a few layers of fat!

We will be focusing on:

  • Rectus abdominis – These are the abs people always point to when snapping an instagram pic with their shirt up.
  • External Oblique’s – The muscles to the outside of your rectus abdominis muscles. They almost appear to be finger-like muscles.
  • Internal Oblique’s – These are what was partially described above, and lie underneath the external oblique’s.
  • Transverse Abdominis – This lies beneath the internal oblique’s and travels from below your pec’s down to the pelvic region.

Like a skilled warrior we will strategically attack each muscle group with tactile force!

The Workout

  • 1. Situps – We are going old school! Position your feet under a solid object (if necessary) to allow yourself to do a full situp. You will perform the situps by maintaining constant tension. Raise your upper body up until the point where you stop feeling tension. Briefly squeeze/contract your midsection, then resist the stretch on the way back down. Note: This move will not hurt your neck or back, unless you are pulling on your neck with your arms, which is a NO NO. Your hands should support your head/neck from falling back.
  • 2. Crunch – It may seem basic, but the crunch is a powerful movement and it will specifically target the entire midsection. Focus on a solid squeeze on the way up, with a brief pause for contraction, then slowly lower yourself back down while resisting gravity.
  • 3. Right Side Leg Lift – Here we focus on internal and external obliques. While lying on your side, you will focus on raising your legs up with force, pause for a brief contraction, and slowly lower toward the floor (do not allow your feet to touch the floor).
  • 4. Left Side Leg Lift – Same as the right side, except turn onto your left side.
  • 5. Reverse Crunch (Knees Touching) – Here we are going to draw tension toward the lower portion of your abdominis, along with some oblique’s, and transverse work. Your hands can be behind your head or cupped around your butt. With your feet a few inches from the floor, pull your knees toward your chest in a rounding motion. Focus on squeezing your midsection, and the force of that contraction should be the force drawing your knees towards your chest. Briefly squeeze, and resist the stretch back to the start position. Note: Your knees should be touching, or as close to touching as possible.
  • 6. Reverse Crunch (Knees Wide) – This move targets a bit more of the obliques. The same movement as in the previous reverse crunch, however your knees will point out the entire time. As you pull in and return, you will almost be making a V motion with your feet. Again, knees should be pointed out.
  • 7. V-Up or Full Body Crunch These 2 moves are great finishers. They incorporate all muscles of the midsection. The V-Up is the more difficult version, but either version will be acceptable here.
    V-Up – Your arms will be stretched straight over your head and legs straight, but feet should not touch the floor. Simultaneously raise your arms and legs up, and toward each other in a V motion. Pause briefly for a contraction, while still maintaining tension, then slowly lower to the start positon.
    Full Body Crunch – This is a crunch paired with a reverse crunch. As you crunch up, pull your knees toward your chest. Pause for a brief contraction, before lowering to the start position.

This routine will be performed for 1 full circuit, and with ABsolutely no rest in between exercises. You will be performing 15-20 reps per exercise. As you progress, you can perform 2 full circuits. This routine is meant to be extremely taxing. The goal is “Shredded Abs” so remember that when performing this routine. It may be brutal, but damn it, your midsection is SHREDDED!  If you have any questions regarding this workout email: [email protected]

About The Author

Brandon has been in the fitness industry for over seven years and has trained over 1,000 clients. He has competed in several bodybuilding competitions and continues to improve his physique with hardwork and dedication. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science, Brandon has the knowledge and skills to get you on the fast track to fitness.

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