10. Do weights to increase your metabolism and make you burn more fat at rest. We need to remove that fat to see the abdominal definition. Do weights at least twice a week.
9. Do cardio at a higher intensity as that burns a greater amount of calories than lower intensity cardio. Get that heart rate up so you are burning fat. Cardio is key to shredding the fat that hides those abs. Do at least 30 minutes of cardio 3 or more times a week.
8. Get your diet under control to enhance fat loss. Eat more fruit and vegetables and avoid processed carbs such as white bread. You need to lose the fat around the stomach to see those abs. Have a diet plan and write down everyday what you eat. If your diet is poor it is a good eye-opener when you see it all written down.
7. Do lower abs first, then obliques (side abs) then finish with upper abs. Do all exercises in their full range of motion. No partial reps; however, if you find that the hips flexors (groin) muscles are overworked, restrict the range of motion to 45-degrees. Between 0-45 degrees the abdominal are doing the most work.
6. Variation is key. The abdominals continually need different stimuli to grow. Do many different types of exercise to keep shocking the muscles to cause growth.
5. Train abs every couple of days. The abdominal muscles are more oxidative than other muscles, meaning they have more endurance. This means you can train them more often. The muscles still need time to rest though. This is the time when the muscles will adapt and grow.
4. Train them like any other muscle. We want to increase the abdominal muscles’ size so train in the hypertrophy (muscle size increase) range, which is 8-12 reps. This means you will probably have to add weight, a decline or some other form of resistance. Doing a hundred crunches is not going to help. Do more sets not more reps. Do 3-5 sets of each exercise and make sure you do each exercise with proper form. Start off doing 1 exercise for each area (lower, sides, upper) then increase to 2.
3. Prevent asymmetry and injury by doing deep abdominal and back exercises. Do lower back exercises to prevent that hunched over posture and learn to activate the deep abdominals that stabilise the spine. When the spine is in a more neutral position it reduces the appearance of a big stomach.
2. Get on the ball. Swiss balls are a great way to train the abdominals. There are tons of exercises that you can do on the ball that are very beneficial for the abdominals.
1. Reward yourself when you see results and buy yourself some new clothes.