GURJOT

Lets get down to it.

You want abs. Not just abs, but awesome abs. You don’t want to waste time, money and effort on useless gizmos and doohickeys that promise the world but deliver so little. Well gents, here it is plain and simple, the very same exercises I used (and continue to use) to sculpt, pummel and polish my abs into shape.

Time to get lean and mean!!

Note: Perform 3 sets of each exercise. Seek medical advice before performing any exercise!!!

EXERCISE 1: Weighted floor crunches

This exercise is so simple. It hardly needs an introduction. Everybody knows about crunches. Probably the most well known ab exercise around. Regular bodyweight crunches are fine, but if you really want those suckers to pop you need to add a little weight. No need to add tons of weight though. You’re just thickening them up a little. (Particularly if you have very flat abs and want the groves to be more defined and visible).

If you want chiseled and stronger abs add some weight. Period.

If you already have thick abs however,  you can do a few sets of weighted crunches, but I’d stick with regular crunches if I were you for the most part.

To perform, simply do as you would a regular crunch, whilst holding a weight plate, or dumbbell above your chest. You can also position it behind your neck.

Tip: I like using a rep range of around 12-15 reps. If you’re doing bodyweight crunches, go to failure. (The point at which you can’t keep pumping out reps).

EXERCISE 2: Hanging Leg raises

Good old hanging leg raises, another well-known move for the abs. This exercise is targeted towards the lower portion of the abs. Simply grab a chinning bar or anything you can hang from and lift your legs into the air. Make sure you feel it in your lower ab area otherwise you’re wasting your time.

Don’t under any circumstances throw your legs into the air (using momentum) otherwise you’re robbing yourself of any potential benefits. Keep it simple. If you’re not feeling it in your lower ab region then you’re doing it wrong. If you’re not strong enough to keep your legs straight while doing this move, you can keep your knees bent.

Tip: This move will really burn!!! Also your grip will get worked from holding onto the bar. I like to keep the rep ranges slightly higher with this move, given that you are using your bodyweight, 20-30 reps or going to failure should do it.

EXERCISE 3: Seated rope/cable crunches

This is a move I recently started using. In fact it’s currently the only move I do for abs. You can use it in place of the weighted crunch like I do. (If you have access to it). It’s a pretty basic and straightforward move. Perform the same way you would any crunch, only difference is you’re in a seated position instead of flat on your back.

Simply set your butt down on a flat bench, grab the rope from behind and get to work.

Tip: Really contract and squeeze the abs hard during this movement. Feel the burn. I like to keep the range between 12-15 reps.

BONUS EXERCISE : Lower back raises

This isn’t really an exercise for the abs as such. But if you’re working your front (abs) you need to work your back (lower back) to keep the balance. People that only focus on their abs and neglect their lower backs are foolish.

Only developing the abs without attention to the lower back is one of the biggest causes of injury. This exercise might not develop your abs like the others in this article, but it sure as hell will save you from avoidable lower back strains in the future. Think about it. You always hear about somebody tweaking their back. Heck, the doctors’ surgeries are full of people with lower back problems.

To perform, simply lie on your front, on the ground. Slowly lift both your upper torso and legs off the ground in conjunction with each other. Really feel the stretch in the lower back.

Tip: I like to keep the rep range around 10- 12 reps. Remember you don’t need to kill yourself on this move. It’s more of an injury prevention exercise than a strength / shaping one.

So there you have it. Moves for sculpting “Awesome Abs”.  Pretty simple and basic. No hitting abs from 50 different angles using 50 different exercises.

It’s up to you to try them out. You can either incorporate them into an awesome abs routine of their own to blast your abs, or use my preferred method of picking one move and adding it onto the end of your regular training sessions, rotating exercises when you feel like. Choice is yours.

Now we’ve covered myths in part 1 and exercises in part 2, but none of these exercises will make any difference, unless you shed the dough. (Not the bucks / dollars! hint, hint).

In part 3 we’ll cover simple diet strategies to set you straight.

Don’t forget to subscribe. You don’t want to miss Awesome Abs part 3.

 SWEAT AND GUTS 

Photo Credit: uncagetheanimal.com

Want awesome abs?

You know you do!

Good old abs. The tight core. The ol’ “six pack”. Whatever you call them, everybody wants them. The ladies swoon over those rippling, hard cut muscles. Problem is, there are too many senseless overcomplicated myths and concepts. Weaving through all the lies is a workout in itself.

Relax, let’s cut through all the garbage and get you on the way to sporting a set of your own. (If you don’t already).

No other muscle, (other than biceps) probably gets as much attention as the abs. So developing them should be a priority. Big arms, chest and back along with a spare tyre just isn’t going to make the cut.

In the first part of this series we’ll cover the misconceptions and set the record straight.

“Hell yeah! It’s myth busting time.”

MYTH NUMERO UNO: TONS OF DIRECT AB WORK EVERY DAY

This one’s got me stumped, the fact that it’s still around. I don’t know about you, but I sure as hell don’t have the time to hit abs from 50 different angles every single day. Nor do I care to. Fact is if you haven’t lost the lard, no amount of ab work is going get those suckers popping. I hardly train my abs nowadays and they’re just as hard and cut as when I used to work them. (I do recommend a few moves to sharpen them up, but nothing terribly time consuming). No need to do 1000 sit-ups, crunches or whatever else daily. (If you’re doing that you seriously need some hobbies).

MYTH 2: TRAINING THE UPPER AND LOWER ABS

Get it in gear. The abs are one muscle. (The Rectus Abdominis). There is no upper abdominal muscle and lower abdominal muscle. They aren’t two separate muscles. It’s just one muscle!! If you add in the obliques, lower back and hip adductors it becomes more than one muscle. (The core).

When you perform a crunch for example, you’re targeting the upper region of the abdominal muscle, but your lower ab region is also getting worked albeit to a much lesser extent.

MYTH 3: CARDIO, CARDIO, CARDIO!!!!

Personally, I don’t do cardio, because I don’t like it. In all honesty, I’ve never really done it. Guess what? Eureka, I still sport a set of awesome abs.  Cardio is not the only or most practical method of fat loss. It’s more time consuming than it’s worth. You could actually spend that time doing something more valuable. (I’ll leave that for you to decide).

I see many people slogging away on treadmills, exercise bikes and contraptions that I can’t even name. Yet, they still look terrible. What they fail to understand is that all they’re really doing is working their cardiac system. (Not a bad goal). Sure they’ll burn a few calories here and there, but what good is burning off the amount of calories you’d find in a chocolate bar. (If you want to do it, knock yourself out).

MYTH 4: 6-8 SMALL MEALS

Eating 6-8 small meals daily, will lead to insanity. (Or close to it). You might as well live in your kitchen. Life is for living and I assume you have other things to do with your time than eat, cook and clean.  Eating all day will leave you feeling sluggish and hating yourself.

That said, you need to make sure you’re eating less calories than you burn every day, and there’s an easier way to do it than constantly slaving away in the kitchen.

MYTH 5: SECRET EXERCISES AND SUPPLEMENTS

Read this carefully. There’s no secret diet pill, exercise or routine that’ll get you a solid set of abs. All these things are completely bogus, the fake fat burners and “Program X.” The people that sell these products just want your money and they’re laughing at you. (Laughing all the way to the bank).

BONUS MYTH: SPECIAL DIETS

There’s no special starvation/borderline anorexic diet that will make you look ripped, lean and mean. You’ll probably just get damn sick and skinny.(Not a good look). Forget the “lettuce all day diet”. None of that stuff will work. Sure you’ll lose some weight, but not what you think. (i.e. more muscle than fat loss).

There are probably hordes of myths out there. However, to keep this simple and straight to the point we’ve covered the main five.

Now you’re probably wondering…. hey smart guy what do I do to get awesome abs then?

That’s where part 2 of this series comes in. In part 2 we’ll talk about exercises for sharpening those abs. Don’t miss it. Subscribe now for free.(If you haven’t already).

 SWEAT AND GUTS 

 

Do you workout?…….

The phrase “working out” is thrown around often. The irony is that it doesn’t seem to have much weight. It’s become a casual term without much meaning. Nothing irritates me more than the term “working out”. Not the word itself, but the way people use it. They don’t do the word justice.

Ever seen all those people that “work out” at the gym? You know the ones running on the treadmill or whatever equipment they’re using. Do you notice anything specific about them? They are all out of shape, but they have convinced themselves they are making progress because they are “working out”.

I’ve seen people “working out”, on their phones, watching the TV monitors and reading magazines. All of this while they’re supposedly “working out.”

Let me tell you something. Working out is the new lazy. Working out is just a nicer way of saying, “I go through the motions, I’m not really pushing myself, but I go to the gym and just screw around”.

I, on the other hand do not workout, I train.  Train with fire, intensity and rage. If someone was to ask me if I did workout, I’d say, “No I don’t workout, I train and train damn hard too.”

You might be sitting there thinking to yourself, okay smart guy what’s the difference between working out and training? Well let me give it to you straight.

Working out is a pansy way of exercising. It’s the new lazy. It’s for people who try to prove that they exercise, but in reality they just go through the motions without ever feeling the aching, swelling and burning of their muscles, without really testing their strength and pushing themselves to their limit.

Training is going beyond that, pro athletes train. It’s a whole new level. Training is like sprinting, while working out (the way many average individuals do) is like walking. One will give you results the other will give zilch.

Which one do you follow?

Am I asking you to train like an athlete? No, absolutely not. But if you’re not working hard, you should be.

How do you train then?… Simple. Get in the gym and start tearing it up. Experience the burning and pumping of your muscles. Feel the weights. Don’t just lift them expecting your body to change itself.

Consciously feel what the exercise is doing for your body. Your mind must guide your body. If you can’t do any of this, don’t train at a gym. Forget those shinny new sneakers/trainers and latest gym clothes and find yourself something else to do with your time.

Make the time count. Every minute, second and millisecond.

If you workout/train and are doing it properly and seeing results, excellent. Keep doing what you’re doing. If you’re not, shape up and fly right.

Note: More info on all aspects of training, lifestyle and numerous other subjects will be available. Don’t forget to subscribe for free to receive future updates .

COURAGE and HONOR