Many people dream of a sports figure and six-pack abs on their stomach. There is an opinion that you can get into such physical shape only by visiting the gym and giving a lot of money to professional trainers. But at home it is quite possible to achieve the desired slim body. You won’t be able to develop a mountain of muscles, but you can create elasticity and fit at home.
It is necessary to purchase sports equipment. An effective exercise machine for developing the abs is a regular roller. Perhaps many have seen such a device in physical education classes at school or university. It is intended to strengthen the abdominal muscles.
How to pump up your abs correctly: studying anatomy - core muscle
The press belongs to the muscles - stabilizers, called in the American style the “bark” muscles (from the word “core” - essence, center, core). These are muscles that can be developed while remaining still. Unlike other skeletal muscles, they do not move bones.
Their task is to maintain the pelvis, spine and hips in a stable position. Strengthening your core helps you maintain posture and a healthy spine, but one hour of exercise per week cannot compensate for 50 hours of sitting in a defiantly anxious posture. If you want a straight back and a toned stomach, work on your posture. When sitting at the computer, do not lean forward or cross your legs, and keep your shoulders down and slightly back.
Any complex movement begins with a contraction of the core muscles. Only after they have started working is the force transmitted through the arms and legs to the barbell or dumbbells. A weak center gives weak commands, so if your results in bench presses or squats have stopped growing, pay attention to the core muscles.
Exercise technique
There are nuances when performing exercises with an ab roller. It is important to know how to perform all manipulations with the simulator correctly. To figure this out, you need to learn the technique of performing the exercise:
- you need to take the roller in your hands and take a position on all fours. The simulator must be placed on outstretched arms strictly along the line of the shoulders. Fix in this starting position for a few moments;
- With a deep breath, begin to slowly roll your body forward using the roller. The body should “swim” behind it and stretch. It is necessary to move forward until failure is reached, but the body must not touch the floor;
- in this position, you need to wait a short pause and pull yourself up to the starting position. The return should be done with a slow, deep exhalation;
- The exercise is performed the number of times necessary for the training goal.
Secrets
To achieve maximum effect, you must follow the rules:
- you need to roll the simulator slowly, controlling the process forward and backward;
- the abdominal muscles should be tense;
- in the stretched position you need to stay for 1-2 seconds, and then return to the starting position;
- It is better to perform exercises on a mat - this way your knees will not be injured;
- to develop the strength of the abdominal muscles and create a strong girdle corset, it is necessary to combine this exercise with the “bar”;
- when the technique is fully mastered, diagonal rolling can be used;
- If you have pain in the lower back or a hernia, you should not engage in this type of training. The ideal number of approaches is 2-3, repetitions should be performed from 8 to 12.
https://youtu.be/uBpdqZMOXt8
Variations of the exercise
There are other variations using equipment. You can use a fitness ball, reverse roller or barbell for training.
- In the case of a fitball, you need to lean on it and push the ball forward with similar movements, and then return to its original position.
- The reverse roller is attached to the legs, the starting position is the house. You need to fix the roller to your feet, rest your hands on the floor and bend so that your body resembles the roof of a house - the pelvis should be the highest point of the whole body. After the position is accepted, it is necessary to move the projectile back.
- If a barbell is used, you should hang two small weights on it without using clamps. Then you can perform the same exercise as with a regular roller. Pancakes are used as wheels.
It is preferable to purchase a roller, since the exercise is easier with it. Some physical scientists have conducted experiments and compared the use of a roller with other abdominal exercises.
The study showed that the roller shows the best results: it uses 80% of the upper muscles of a person and 85% of the lower ones. If you use other training methods, the upper muscles will be involved by 70%, the lower ones by 80%. Using an ab roller is the best option for working out the body and reducing fat layers.
If you want six packs, work with weights
© Thinkstock/Fotobank.ru
Abdominal exercises are most often done with your own body weight. But if you want not just a strong and flat stomach, but also a beautiful relief, you can’t do without working with resistance - dumbbells, a barbell plate, a shock absorber.
Please note that it is more difficult for a woman to get a six-pack than a man, since the body produces less testosterone, the hormone responsible for gaining muscle mass. In addition, in women who have given birth, especially after the second or third pregnancy, the muscles are partially hidden not even under a layer of fat, but under a skin fold that cannot be removed by exercise.
Ab roller: reviews
Many people have tried this type of simulator and share their impressions through reviews:
I would like to note right away that if you are new to training, it is better to start with simple exercises without a roller, since the load is significant. It is because of this that the video is perfect for those who want to add extra stress to themselves during training. I would like to note that when training with a roller, not only the abdominal muscles are involved, but also the legs, forearms and back. After the first workout, everything will hurt, but there’s no getting around it. Oh, by the way, be careful the first time, because it is quite possible to hit your nose on the floor.
Evgeniya
I bought an Adidas video. It is very convenient to train, the material is of high quality, the load on the body is felt immediately during the first lesson.
Andrey
Reviews speak of the effectiveness of the simulator.
Warm-up and cool-down
In the question of how to properly pump up the abs for girls and men, the importance of warming up is great. You need to devote 10-15 minutes to it before resorting to the main exercise. Some experts consider the warm-up to be more important than the workout itself. It allows you to prepare your muscles for stress, fills them with blood, which has a positive effect on the effectiveness of your workouts.
A good option for warming up is jumping rope , jogging or jogging in place, squats, and bends. It is recommended to start the warm-up with the upper body and finish with the legs. Pay enough attention to the ligaments and joints - you can stretch them a little. It is also recommended to stretch for a few minutes after physical activity - this is called a cool-down. Cooling down will help relieve excessive muscle tension and restore breathing.
To pump up your abs correctly, you must maintain smoothness and the same pace. Try not to make sudden jerks or twitch, and concentrate as much as possible on the muscle you are working. It is important that the exercises are performed technically correctly. Otherwise, you may not only not get results, but also injure your joints or ligaments. If you no longer have the strength to perform an exercise, rest a little or move on to the next one. The body must be given time to recover.
When training your abs at home, it is recommended to start with basic exercises for the upper and lower muscles, and also work the external and internal oblique muscles. It is recommended to distribute the exercises that you will perform over several days and create a program so that you can always get your bearings. Also don't forget about other exercises. If you are interested in how to properly pump up your abs to lose belly fat, be sure to include cardio training , which will help you burn fat faster.
Comparison of the video with other types of training
Many people use straight body crunches for the abs, but when performing this exercise, the torso lifts off the floor, contracting the rectus abdominis muscle and reducing the distance between the hips and ribs.
If you use a roller, then this muscle contracts statically, isometrically, which occurs throughout the entire range of motion. As the wheel gets closer, the rectus abdominis muscles will contract, which will lead to a decrease in the distance between the ribs and hips.
The most effective workouts for working out the abs are those that involve minimal extraneous muscles. Engaging the hip flexors reduces the effectiveness of the exercise. When performing a straight back crunch, the hip flexors remain in the same position and are engaged because the knee is bent.
When ab roller exercises are performed, the angle at the hip increases and decreases, and the abs receive additional assistance from the flexors. Crunches are an isolated exercise, while the roller is a complex exercise. These types of exercises solve different problems. Lifting the torso is a targeted workout of the abdominal muscles, and the simulator develops and creates a muscular corset. But the most effective option is to combine these types of exercises.
Ab roller and plank
These exercises are similar because the abs are contracted isometrically. The muscles work to maintain the spine in a static position. When a person sits and stands, they tense isometrically to maintain an even posture. This is why it is important to train isometric strength, as it is beneficial for the spine, which will remain in the correct position much longer with training.
Isometric exercises are important for barbell work (such as squats), so these muscles should be trained to prevent strain on the spine.
To develop abdominal muscles, and not just gain cubes on it, you need to use a plank and a roller.
Features of pumping the press for men and women
A man and a woman are two different organisms that require specific features in pumping up the abs.
Video
So, men are recommended to perform the following exercises:
- crunches on a 4 × 10 block;
- hanging leg raises (with weights) 3 × 10;
- crunches with 4×8 top block;
- burpee 4 × 20;
- Pull-ups “Corner” 4 × 10.
For women, the system changes slightly.
Video
The following features are adhered to here:
- lying crunches 3 × 20;
- “Plank” 4 × 50 seconds;
- bending with a weight of 3 × 20 on each side;
- "Climber" 3 × 25;
- "Frog" 4 × 15.
Video
A separate muscle pumping system is recommended for children and adolescents:
- lying crunches 4 × 50;
- “Bicycle” 3 × 1 min;
- “Scissors” 4 × 30 sec.;
- “Penknife” 4 × 20;
- “Plank” on hands 5 × 1 min.
You can deviate from the rules and use a different scheme for pumping the rectus muscle, but this may result in a lack of results. In order not to provoke problems and lack of effect, it is better to consult a personal trainer.
Video
https://youtu.be/0ceETC6Ghv8
