Six of the best (pt1)We know you want a six
pack – so here’s part one of our 12-week plan to get you one
were
you ever a Sixer? No, we’re not talking about Boy Scouts – this is the name
given to those of us who have had a six-pack at some point in our lives. Most
will answer ‘no’, and a lot of us scoff at our chances of ever getting a
six-pack, but this particular brand of negative thinking is often just an
alibi.
In fact, we all have a six-pack already but we can’t see it because it’s
lurking under that beer belly. You can increase your abs muscle condition, size
and definition to reveal your six-packin just 12 weeks.
What’s more, you don’t even have to think about how to get one because we’ll
tell you. All you need to do is complete the workout plan here, buy the next
two issues of Men’s Fitness and follow our three-phase abs plan to become a
fully paid-up Sixer. Once you’ve joined the club you’ll never look back.
Oblique Crunch Sets: 4 /
Reps: 8 Each Side: pic 1
Sit on an exercise mat with your
knees bent to the side, but not touching the floor. Crunch upwards, lifting
your shoulders off the floor. Hold momentarily and then lower slowly back down.
After eight reps, repeat on the other side.
Swiss ball jackknife –Sets: 3 /
Reps: PIC 2
15Start
in a press-up position with your shins resting on the ball and your arms
shoulder-width apart on the floor. Then contract your core and roll your legs
along the ball until your toes are the only part of your body touching the
ball. Pause at the top to control your
weight, then lower yourself slowly back to the start
Swiss ball plank Sets: 3 /
Reps: 10-40 Seconds – PIC 3
Put your feet on a bench and your forearms on a Swiss ball.
Contract your core and keep your hips up so that your body forms a straight
line from your neck to your ankles. Hold this position for as long as you can
up to 40 seconds
.
Straight leg wrist-to-knee crunchLie with
your legs straight out and your fingers touching your temples
Sets: 3 / Reps: 6
Raise and twist your torso to the left as you bring your
left knee in to meet your right wrist. Lower your leg and torso without pausing
and repeat on the other side so that your right knee meets your left wrist.
That’s one rep.
Medicine ball incline knee raiseLie back on
a bench set at a 30° incline with your knees bent to 90° Sets: 3 /
Reps: 10
Push your lower back into the bench before curling your
knees up towards your chest, pausing at the top and then lowering as far as you
can without arching your back
Men who train with a partner bench-press more than those who train alone,
according to research from Arizona
State University.
A training partner can watch and correct your form to help protect you from
injury. Friendly competition keeps workouts fresh and pushes you to elevate
your game. The pressure to be there for a teammate makes you less likely to
skip out on a workout.
First, you need a partner. Approach a friend, colleague, or fellow gym
member and propose a realistic training schedule. Even if you can fit in only a
couple of sessions a week, it'll be enough to build the partnership and
encourage you to work harder on the other days.
Once you're armed with an extra pair of biceps, incorporate the following
partner-assisted exercises into your training routine or perform them as a
full-body workout. Consider it spring training for an all-star body.
SEATED MEDICINE-BALL THROW
Aim for two to three sets of eight to 20 repetitions.
SEATED MEDICINE-BALL ROTATION
Try two or three sets of eight to 20 repetitions.
BACK-EXTENSION THROW
Repeat for two or three sets of six to 12 repetitions.
EZ-CURL-BAR BICEPS CHALLENGE
Perform a set of 10 curls in a 3-0-1 tempo (3 seconds down, no rest, 1 second
up). Then, instead of setting the bar down, hand it to your partner so he can
do 10 reps. Hand it back and forth for nine repetitions, then eight, and so on.
After you work your way down until you've each done a single repetition with
the bar, place it on the floor, rest for 30 seconds, and try another set. Work
up to three sets of this routine.
KNEELING HAMSTRING CURL
Repeat for two or three sets of three to 10 repetitions.
LEG CIRCUIT RACE
Start by doing 20 body-weight squats, lowering your body until your thighs are
parallel to the floor, at a rate of one squat per second. Next, perform 10 forward
lunges with each leg, then 10 lunges to the side with each leg. (Again, aim for
one rep per second.) Finally, do 10 squat jumps - push off explosively so your
feet leave the floor at the top of the move. Try to complete this routine in 75
seconds. Do one to three sets.
·
Rock-hard abs made easy
- Five steps to a rock
solid six-pack
Step 1 Test yourself
See how many repetitions of the hanging leg raise you can do with perfect form.
If you can't do at least one, follow the instructions in steps 2, 3, and 4. If
you're able to do one or more repetitions of the exercise, proceed to step 5.
See Exercise Descriptions in Fitness & Muscle
for detail descriptions on how to perform any moves not described here.
Step 2 Bolster your grip
As its name indicates, the hanging leg raise involves hang time. To measure
yours, grab a chin-up bar with an overhand grip and hang for as long as you
can. If you can hold on for at least 30 seconds, skip to Step 3. Otherwise,
strengthen your grip with fat-bar holds (below). This exercise ensures that a
weak grip doesn't limit the amount of work your abs can do. Do it at the end of
your regular workout two or three times a week for 6 weeks. (Note: The
exercises in Steps 2, 3, and 4 can be done in the same workout.)
Fat-bar holds
Wrap a hand towel around a chin-up bar, then grab it with an overhand grip.
Hang - arms completely straight - until your grip gives out. Rest for 1 minute
and repeat two times. Aim to increase your hang time by at least 5 to 10
seconds each workout. If you can hang for 20 seconds, for instance, go into
your next workout thinking that you won't settle for less than 25 seconds.
Step 3 Improve your flexibility
Raising your legs toward your chest requires flexible lower-back muscles and
hip flexors-the muscles on the front of your upper thighs. When tight, these
muscles lose range of motion and the ability to generate force. Check your
flexibility with this simple drill: Stand with your back against a wall, your
feet about a foot in front of you. Make sure your upper back, shoulders, and
hips touch the wall, then slide your hand between the arch in your lower back
and the wall. If you can fit only a couple of fingers in the space, go to Step
4. If your whole hand fits easily, you're tight. To fix it, do the overhead
reverse lunge five or six times a week, either before your workout or on rest
days.
Overhead reverse lunge
Do two sets of 12 to 20 reps, resting for 30 seconds after each set.
Step 4 Build your strength
The key here is to do exercises that strengthen your abs and hip flexors as a
unit without requiring you to arch your back, which can exacerbate tightness.
Use the 6-week training schedule below to work up to the hanging leg raise.
Once you can do at least one repetition with perfect form, move on to Step 5.
Flat-back leg-lowering drill
Lie on your back and raise your legs over your hips, with your knees slightly
bent. Press the small of your back into the floor to eliminate the arch in your
lower back. Keep your back in this position as you take 3 to 5 seconds to lower
your legs. Upon reaching the lowest point at which you can still keep your back
flat, bring your legs to your chest. Try to lower your legs more with each
repetition.
Hanging single-leg raise
Repeat on both legs for one repetition.
Step 5 Boost your endurance
Do as many hanging leg raises as you can, then rest for 30 seconds. Repeat
three times. That counts as one set. Do two or three sets - resting for 60 to
90 seconds after each - two or three times a week. Each week, shorten your
within-set rest by 5 seconds until you can do 10 reps straight. Then you'll be
ready to challenge your abs with the exercises below.
Hanging pike
Start with two sets of four to six repetitions - resting 90 seconds between
sets - and increase your repetitions as your strength improves.
Hanging windshield wiper
Refer to the hanging pike (above) for set and rep protocol.
Weeks 1 and 2: Perform only the leg-lowering drill 3 days
a week. Do two sets of six to 10 repetitions, resting for 30 seconds between
sets.
Weeks 3 and 4: Do both moves 2 days a week. Perform two sets
of six to 10 reps of the flat-back leg-lowering drill. Then do two sets of six
to eight reps of the hanging single-leg raise. Rest for 30 seconds after each
set.
Weeks 5 and 6: Do one set of 8 to 12 reps of each exercise
before resting for 30 seconds. Then repeat one time, for a total of two sets of
each exercise
PECS:
> Flat Dumbell Bench Press
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Muscles Worked: Middle chest, triceps
Position: Lie flat on a bench with
dumbells in each hand. For extra stability, place your feet firmly on the
floor. Hold the dumbells with an overhand grip.
Start: Bring the dumbells into the
starting position near the sides of your chest.
Finish: Complete the movement by
pressing the dumbells upward, away from your body. Make sure to exhale as you
press the dumbells and inhale as you return them to the starting position.
Tip: The flat dumbell bench press
allows you to build overall size and strength in the chest. This exercise
allows you to get a good stretch when you lower the dumbells..
Build a bigger chest
Build a complete chest with this versatile
20-minute routine
Building a strong chest isn't just about lying on your back
and doing endless numbers of bench presses. To work your chest efficiently you
need to hit a number of different parts, using a variety of moves and angles.
This workout will ensure that you build not just a bigger chest but a more even
chest.
The moves
Flyes and presses
Pressing movements, such as a bench press, call your delts and triceps into
action as well as your pecs, allowing you to push a lot of weight. And the
simple law of training is the more weight you can move with good form, the
larger and stronger you'll get.
Flyes, on the other hand, isolate your chest more directly. Locking your arms
in place eliminates participation from the triceps, putting the stress more
squarely on the target muscle. By using a combination of the two you will gain
both mass and definition on all areas of your chest.
The angles: Incline, flat and decline
A symmetrical chest can be only developed through the intelligent use of
exercises performed on flat, incline and decline planes, making sure you target
the upper, middle, lower and outer parts of your chest.
The plan Compound sets
As a time-saving element, you'll use compound sets - performing exercises for
the same body part with no rest in between. Do eight reps of presses with the
heaviest weight you can lift with good form, followed immediately by ten reps
of flyes with the heaviest weight you can lift with good form. Rest a minute,
decrease the barbell weight by ten per cent, then perform eight reps of presses
followed by ten reps of flyes with the same dumb-bells you used for the first
set.
Barbell incline pressTarget upper
pecs.Sets: 2 / Reps: 8
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1. Lie on an incline
bench set at 45. Grasp the barbell slightly wider than shoulder width and
lift it directly above your upper chest, with arms straight.
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2. Breathe in as you lower the bar down to your
upper pecs. Stop for a second at the bottom, then contract your pecs
forcefully to extend your arms and bring the bar back to the start, stopping
just before elbow lockout. Breathe out on the way up. Repeat.
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Dumb-bell incline flyeTarget upper and outer pecs. Sets: 2 /
Reps: 10
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1. Lie on an incline
bench set at 45 with a dumb-bell in each hand. Extend the dumb-bells straight
overhead, palms facing each other.
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2. Keeping your arms in a slightly bent position,
which you maintain throughout the exercise, lower the dumb-bells out to each
side with equal speed. You should feel your pecs stretch as you lower the
weights. Stop when your upper arms are parallel to the floor and squeeze hard
through your pecs to slowly raise the dumb-bells back to the top position.
Repeat.
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Dumb-bell flat bench flyeTarget middle and
outer pecs.Sets: 2 /reps: 10
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1. Perform the same as
the incline flye, except the dumb-bells will line up over your mid chest.
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2. Perform the same as the incline flye, except the
dumb-bells will line up over your mid chest.
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