Abdominal Training Tips

Breathing: It is often preached to exhale on the contraction and inhale on the negative portion of the repetition. However, you can produce stronger muscular contractions by holding your breath during ab exercises. For example, try exhaling only after you've nearly reached completion of the exercise.

Concentration: Michelangelo did not sculpt his masterpieces with his eyes closed, so what makes you think you can sculpt abs with your eyes closed. As hard as it might be, look at your abs during the exercise - it will improve your concentration.

Body Fat: Everyone has abs, some people don't see them because there is a layer of fat around their waist. (ie. you need a low body fat percentage to see your abs) On the days you are not lifting, try some cardio and look into some thermogenics.

It's quality, not quantity that counts: If you can pump out 1000 crunches in 5 minutes, here's a toast and a tip of the hat, but I really don't care. Train the abs like every other muscle. I only give my abs 8 repetitions of each exercise and they look pretty good. Training your abs for long distance repetitions will only be training their endurance, not their strength - and it's the strength that shows.

Feel the searing burn: Although you do not necessarily have to feel the burn on every repetition to know that you're stimulating muscle growth, it's a good mental factor to feel some resistance. For resistance, wrap leg weights around your ankles, do sit-ups with a weight on your chest, cancel out regular crunches and do weighted, overhead pull-down crunches on a weight bench.

Abs don't cost money: Return that sh*t you bought from that television commercial that aired at 3:00 in the morning. To train abs, you do not need one of those roller things or special contraptions.

If you want them, act like you got them: It may sound stupid, but after you complete a full set, pose and contract your abs. Yes, I said it, pose! As long as your mom doesn't catch you posing in the mirror, it will be all good. Posing contracts the muscles further and helps separate the muscles to give them that more defined, ripped look.