Intermediate Ab Workout Plan

After 6 weeks at the beginning level, it is time to step up on the intensity ladder by a notch. At the Intermediate level, there will be slight differences between a bodybuilding ab workout program and a figure based one; mainly the fact that the bodybuilding program will emphasize the use of weight and lower repetitions in order to create thicker looking abs and deeper groves in between them. The Figure program on the other hand will emphasize a more slender looking waistline with less thickness; thus higher repetitions are used.
Use these programs for 6–8 weeks and then move on to the Advanced Routines.
NOTE on TVA Training: At this level, you can perform some TVA training by executing 5 sets of 30 second vacuum contractions every day. Also, whenever you perform the  exercises, make sure to bring your belly button in as far as possible. This also works the TVA and helps keep the waistline small.

Intermediate Ab Workout Plan For Bodybuilders
Train your abs three time a week or even every other day by alternating between Workouts (A) and (B):

WORKOUT (A)
SUPERSET:
Swiss Ball Leg Raises—4 sets of 10–15 reps.
Swiss Ball Crunches with Side Rotation—4 sets of 20–25 per side.
Swiss Ball Crunches—4 sets of 10–15 reps.

NOTES:
1. As you get stronger on the swiss ball leg raises, start adding small amounts of weight in between your feet.
2. As you get stronger on the swiss ball crunches, start adding small amounts of resistance by holding a plate or a medicine ball right in front of you or behind your head as you get more advanced.
3. Refrain from using a large resistance (if any) for the swiss ball with side rotations exercise.
4. Keep a controlled pace at all times and focus on the contraction.

WORKOUT (B)
SUPERSET:
Knee–Ins—3 sets of 10–15 reps.
Leg Lifts on Decline Bench—3 sets of 10–15 reps.
Side Crunches on Bench—3 sets of 20–25 per side.
Rope Crunches—3 sets of 10–15 reps.

GENERAL TRAINING NOTES (APPLIES TO ALL ROUTINES):

1. Rest 30 seconds to 1 minute between sets.
2. If a superset is noted, then there will be no rest till you  perform all of the exercises listed. At that time, then you can rest 1 minute before the next superset.
3. If a modified superset is prescribed, then you perform  the first exercise, rest 1–1/2 minutes (90 seconds), perform the second one, rest 1–1/2 minutes (90 seconds) and then start over.
4. Use a slow tempo of 2–seconds up, 1–second contrac-tion and 2–seconds down unless otherwise noted. The goal is to really focus on the form and on the muscle being worked not on the amount of repetitions that can be performed.
5. These routines can be performed at the beginning or end of your weight training workouts, though typically we prefer to work abs alone before doing cardio. This, in our opinion, is the optimal time to work them.

WEEKS 4–6
Monday
Swiss Ball Crunches—3 sets to failure.
Lying Leg Raises—3 sets to failure.
Crunches to Side—3 sets to failure.
TVA training—3 sets of 30 second vacuum contractions.

Wednesday
Knee–Ins—3 sets to failure.
Partial Sit–Ups—3 sets to failure.
Side Bends—3 sets to failure.
TVA training—3 sets of 30 second vacuum contractions.

Friday
Bicycle Crunches—3 sets to failure.
Modified V–Ups—3 sets to failure.
Crunches with Rotation—3 sets to failure.
TVA training—3 sets of 30 second vacuum contractions.

ABSCULPTING PART 2

Beginner’s Ab Workout Plan
 
We will start by presenting a beginner abdominals routine. At this level, only one routine is presented that can be applied to both bodybuilders and figure competitors alike. The reason for this is because at this level there is not much differentiation between the two, by virtue of the fact that there won’t be any weights used or any high intensity techniques. The goal of this phase is to create a nice mind to muscle connection and to increase one’s strength baseline.
Also, notice that for the beginner’s routine, there are no set amount of repetitions prescribed. The reason for this is because we just want you to focus on the feel and execution of the exercise at this time; not on the amount of reps.

 Beginning Ab Workout Plan For Both Bodybuilders
and Figure Competitors Alike

WEEKS 1–3
MondayLying Leg Raises—2 sets to failure
Swiss Ball Crunches—2 sets to failure
Crunches to Side—2 sets to failure
TVA training—2 sets of 30 second vacuum contractions.

NOTES:
1. Lying Leg Raises can be performed on any flat surface.
2. The Crunches to side can be performed on a Swiss Ball by lying sideways on top of it, placing your hands behind your head with the legs scissored so that one leg is on front of the other one (this is for better stability) and then lifting your body sideways off the ball.

Wednesday
Knee–Ins—2 sets to failure
Partial Sit–Ups—2 sets to failure
Lateral Bridge—2 sets to failure
TVA training—2 sets of 30 second vacuum contractions

NOTES:
1. On the Partial Sit–ups, just lift your torso from the floor till you create a 30–degree angle between the floor surface and your torso.
2. To perform a lateral bridge, lie on one of your right side on a flat surface with your left shoulder, hips and knees stacked directly over each other. The right forearms will be on the ground perpendicular to the torso. The movement is performed by lifting your torso and legs off the surface while using the right forearm for support. When
you hit failure then you repeat with the other side.

Friday
Modified V–Ups—3 sets to failure
Bicycle Crunches—3 sets to failure
TVA training—2 sets of 30 second vacuum contractions.

NOTES:
1. The modified V–Ups are performed with the hands behind the torso holding to the bench or a flat surface in order to provide stability. The typical V–Up does not allow for that.

Principles and conclusion

P-1  Sets and Reps are dependent upon how advanced the person is. Initially, ab training should just consist of a couple to three movements at the most performed for 2–3 sets of as many good repetitions as the person can do with his/her bodyweight.
As time goes by and one progresses, more sets can be added and repetition parameters can also be manipulated by adding weights to some exercises in order to target the fast twitch muscle fibers in the abs and thus create a six pack with deeper groves in between. Adding weight to abdominal exercises will not give you a bloated stomach look.
P-2 Unless you are training one day upper abs and the next day lower abs (a very advanced technique), training abs every day will typically lead to overtraining them. While many advanced bodybuilders and figure girls can train their abs every day for a short period of time in order to shock the body part, this typically will lead to overtraining if continued for too long. Therefore, unless you are doing upper abdominals one day and lower the next, you are better off training your abdominals for no more than 20 minutes at a time, 3 times per week on alternating days, as in Mon/Wed/Fri.
P-3 As one gets more advanced, repetition tempo (the speed at which one performs the exercises) can also be altered in order to elicit a response. One very neglected variable of training that never gets altered is that one of repetition speed. As one becomes more advanced, a set can always be made more challenging by altering the speed at which the positive portion of the movement is performed, the length of the contraction and the speed of the negative portion. Doing this will in turn stimulate more muscle fibers in the area which results in faster results!
P-4 Do not train the obliques with low repetitions. Unless you want big sides and a wide waist, then oblique training with low reps should not be an option. High reps in the order of 25–50 are best. As a matter of fact, some people are so genetically gifted that their sides grow from little oblique work. In this case, oblique work should be completely taken out.
P-5  For a smaller waist, try training the TVA muscle as well.
The TVA, or traverse abdominus, is an abdominal muscle whose function is not to cause movement of the spine, but instead to keep the waist nicely tucked in. To train it, all you have to do is suck your stomach in. I’m serious; believe it or not, that is the purpose of that muscle. So by exhaling all of the air out of your lungs and bringing the navel as close as possible to your spine you will be training the TVA and thus creating the appearance of a smaller waist. Because of the nature of this muscle, it can be trained every day at any time. Three sets of 30–second contractions should get you started. 

Conclusion
Now that you know the 7 principles of AbSculpting, you can start implementing them in your routines. In the next section, we will share with you some great routines that we’ve used to train our abs that are guaranteed to set your waist on fire. For now, remember all of these principles and that no great abdominal wall can be created without a caloric deficient diet that consists of several small meals (5–8) a day. On part 3 of this series we will cover this subject in
more detail. Until then, Take care and train hard!!!!

Oblique, Intercostal ,Serratus Muscles Function & Exercises

The external obliques are the muscles at the sides of the waist. The external oblique complex actually consists of three layers of muscles: the internal obliques, the transverse obliques and external obliques. Together, these muscles contract to tilt the torso, as well as twist it, from side to side.
While a bodybuilder would not want massive obliques as this would take away from symmetry and give the illusion of a thick waist, these muscles do need to be trained in order to maintain ideal postural alignment. A great exercise for these muscles is the side bends performed on a swiss ball.
Another exercise that also needs to be performed for these muscles in order to exercise its rotating capabilities are the Russian Twists.

  The Intercostal Muscles
The intercostals are the muscles of breathing that lie between the ribs and show as bands of muscle angling downward in the sides of the rib cage and the upper abdomen. The intercostals come into play by flexing the torso and causing it to twist, so doing any type of twisting crunch on a swiss ball will stimulate this group maximally.

 The Serratus Muscles
The serratus anterior muscles are the finger–like strands of muscle on the rib cage between the front abs and the lats.
Their job is to depress the rib cage and also assist in bringing the upper arms from a position pointing directly up from the shoulders to one pointing directly below the shoulders. A good exercise that will stimulate these muscles is the one–arm cable crunches (using an overhead pulley).

ABDOMINAL ANATOMY

ABDOMINAL ANATOMY

There are four main muscle groups that make up the full abdominal wall:
1. The Rectus Abdominis (composed of upper and lower abdominals)
2. The Oblique Muscles.
3. The Intercostal Muscles.
4. The Serratus Anterior.

 Rectus Abdominis Function & Exercises : The muscle that extends from the top of the pelvis to the sternum is called the rectus abdominis. This is the primary abdominal muscle, which when properly developed (assuming that the person has low enough body fat levels) will give the illusion of a six–pack. Its function is to pull the upper torso towards the hips when the body is only slightly
flexed at the waist. This is the reason why if you are doing a sit–up, any additional torso movement done past the initial 30 degrees from the floor will not stimulate the abs; instead the hips will be the ones that will complete the movement. Because of this, partial sit–ups performed with the torso moving up to 30 degrees and crunches are great allies in our quest to achieve great abs.
However, if you really want to maximally stimulate the abdominals,
prevent lower back problems and get the most “bang for your buck” so to speak, then you need to also consider the fact that the anatomy of the rectus abdominis is such that if you do not bend your torso backwards by around 15 to 20 degrees then you won’t be able to accomplish these things.
Since the floor only provides a flat surface, not only your abs will not get maximal stimulation, but also they will not learn how to properly contract and protect your back when your body is bent backwards (as is often the case when advanced bodybuilders perform exercises like standing military presses). 
The only way to get around this is by investing in a swiss ball (also known as exercise ball). A swiss ball is a great small investment (they run for about $13–$15) as this apparatus will allow you to get the necessary backwards bend that your torso needs in order to maximally stimulate your abs. So because of this, crunches performed on an exercise ball are the way in which I recommend you perform this exercise. Since the rectus abdominis also has muscles in the lower region that help maintain proper postural alignment, it becomes necessary to include reverse crunches performed on the swiss ball (make sure that you hold to a stationary sturdy object) as this exercise will allow you to go below the neutral (flat) position. Another good lower abdominal exercise is the hanging leg raises. The key for maximal stimulation in this exercise is to roll the pelvis slightly backwards at the beginning of the movement.