Find out why your abs are not symmetrically located and what exercises you need to do to correct such an arrangement of your abdominal muscles. Beautiful abs cubes will decorate the body of any man. Achieving the task at hand is not as difficult as it might seem. You just have to want it and exercise regularly. However, sometimes you can hear the question whether the asymmetrically located abs cubes are the consequences of improper training or a genetic trait. Moreover, upon closer examination of the topic, it turned out to be extremely popular.
Unsymmetrical abs: training errors or genetic trait?
Let's start with a quick excursion into the anatomy of our body. The main abdominal muscle is the rectus abdominis muscle. Its anterior surface is crossed by several longitudinal tendons. As the rectus abdominis muscle develops, it enlarges and begins to protrude over the tendons. Actually, this is exactly what those cubes are that we can observe on a well-pumped press. Tendons can be staggered or displaced, depending on genetics. The better the press is pumped up, the more noticeable this feature of the body structure is.
As you already understood, most often, unevenly spaced abs cubes are a consequence of genetic characteristics and are not associated with improper training. By the way, genetics also determines the number of tendons. As a result, your press may end up with not six, but four or even eight dice. At the same time, it does not affect muscle strength at all. Whatever your genetics, if you wish, you can pump up the coveted cubes.
Sometimes you can hear the question of whether cubes can appear on the stomach without training. The answer to it will be negative. However, for some people, the rectus abdominis muscles are thicker from birth and with a low percentage of body fat, the abs will appear more prominent. If you want to achieve pronounced cubes, then you cannot do without training. Also speaking about whether the asymmetrically located abs cubes are the consequences of improper training or a genetic feature, we note that no kaike exercises can change the situation. The location of the tendons on the abdomen is genetically predetermined.
Six facts about abdominal muscles
First, I would like to remind you that absolutely every person has abs cubes, even if he does not exercise. However, they become noticeable only with a low percentage of subcutaneous fat. It is quite obvious that in a person involved in sports, they will be more noticeable. Now let's look at the basic facts about abdominal muscles.
- Active abdominal training will not help remove belly fat. Often people start to visit the gym before the beach season and actively work out the abs, in the hope of getting rid of belly fat. However, this is completely meaningless, since lipolysis processes cannot be point-like. If you want to lose weight, then deadlifts or squats will be more useful in this regard.
- The press has no upper and lower sections. Sometimes on specialized web resources you can find exercises aimed at pumping the upper and lower abs. However, there are no such concepts in anatomy, because the press is one muscle, as we said at the beginning of the article. Thus, any movement aimed at strengthening the rectus abdominis muscle allows you to work it along its entire length.
- The number of repetitions is not critical. For the development of the press, the most important thing is the time that the muscle was under load. For example, when performing hanging leg raises, pause for a couple of counts at the heaviest point on the trajectory. A dozen of these reps will be more effective than two dozen fast ones. It is possible to recommend working on failure, in which, with all the desire, it is no longer possible to perform at least one repetition. On average, this requires 15 to 25 repetitions.
- No need to lift straight legs and body. The abdominal muscles can contract as much as possible with the rounding of the back, when the chin is pressed against the chest. When performing all types of crunches on the press, try to curl up. The knee joints can be slightly bent, and it is better to raise not the legs, but the pelvis. In this case, part of the load will not be transferred to the quadriceps and hip flexors. It should also be remembered that not all exercises for the abdominal muscles are safe, but more on that below.
- Flat stomach and strong abs are not the same thing. The transverse muscle is responsible for the ability to draw in the stomach, which is also worth pumping. For this there is one, but very effective exercise - "vacuum".
- It is impossible to strengthen the muscles of the abdomen and burn fat at the same time. Actually, this applies to training any group of muscles, because fat burning is a catabolic process that is possible with a lack of energy. The growth of muscle mass, in turn, is an anabolic process and you will need a lot of energy for the muscles to increase in size.
How to build abs: dangerous exercises
Scientists have shown in research that lying leg raises can be hazardous to health. This is due to the high compression load on the lumbar intervertebral discs. The maximum negative load is observed when the heels are lifted off the ground. If you do the exercise regularly, then microdamages will accumulate in the vertebral discs, which one day will cause the development of degenerative changes.
Simply put, lifting the legs while lying on the press can cause the development of osteochondrosis. We recommend that you reconsider your attitude towards this popular power movement. However, from this point of view, the most dangerous exercise is the "folding knife" exercise, which involves the simultaneous lifting of the legs and body. If you want not just to pump up the press, but to do it safely, then follow these simple recommendations:
- Refuse those exercises in which it is necessary to rest against a hard surface or tear off the lower back from it.
- When performing twists, the lumbar spine should not come off the ground.
- There are many effective and safe abdominal exercises, and you don't have to do crunches.
How to build abs: the best exercises
We will now take a look at the best ab exercises you can do in a circular system with minimal rest breaks.
- Hanging leg raises. This movement is one of the best, but more importantly, it is completely safe for the spinal column.
- Side bridge. Tighten your back and abdominal muscles while lifting your pelvis off the ground. As a result, your body and legs should be in a straight line. Hold the position for 15 seconds to one minute, then move to the other side. Note that in order to maintain an even body position, it is necessary to strain the muscles of the buttocks.
- Plank. Get into a forearm rest. The legs can be positioned at the level of the shoulder joints or next to each other. After that, raise your arms alternately diagonally forward, holding this position for two or three seconds. Note that in the starting position, the forearms should be perpendicular to the shoulder joints. The elbows, in turn, are under the projection of the shoulders.
- Fitball crunches. Take a lying position on the fitball, placing your hands on the back of your head, and resting your feet on the ground, at the level of the shoulder joints. Keep your hips and torso parallel to the ground. After that, do the classic twists.
How to build abs cubes: recommendations
It is quite possible to pump up cubes on your stomach at home, but without some effort, the task will not be achieved. Exercise only in a well-ventilated area. To get the best results, you need to follow certain rules:
- Begin the exercise no earlier than an hour or an hour and a half after eating.
- Warm up before the main part of the workout.
- All power movements must be performed smoothly and at a slow pace.
- It is necessary to gradually increase the load so that progress does not stop.
- The abdominal muscles take less time to recover compared to larger groups.
- Only regular exercise can be fruitful.
- After completing the lesson, you can eat food after an hour or an hour and a half.
As we have already said, cubes can only be seen if the body fat content is minimal. To burn fat, you need to combine proper nutrition with competent training. We talked about the rules for conducting classes, it's time to talk about nutrition. Most professional athletes believe that at least 60 percent of success depends on nutrition.
To organize a competent diet, follow these simple rules:
- The nutrition program should have a sufficient amount of protein compounds, because without this nutrient, the body will not be able to create new muscle tissue.
- Prefer slow carbohydrates. It is not necessary to completely abandon simple carbohydrates, but they should be consumed in small quantities and only after the completion of the training. This will speed up the process of replenishing the glycogen depot.
- Fats should be mostly vegetable, although animals will also be required.
- Drink at least two liters of water throughout the day.
- You need to eat often, but in small portions.
- Try to consume most of the carbohydrates in the morning and after training. In the evening, protein compounds should be present in the diet.
On the web, you can find a lot of recommendations on the correct ratio of nutrients. However, this largely depends on the characteristics of your body. For example, hardgainers should eat more carbohydrates because they need a lot of energy. On the other hand, people who are inclined to be overweight need to limit this nutrient.
Also remember that your nutritional program will be slightly different during the period of weight gain and weight loss. First of all, this concerns the energy value indicator. All attempts to pump up the abs in a low-calorie nutrition program are doomed to failure. If you have problems with being overweight, you should get rid of it first. To do this, enter into the training program cardio load.
If you are inclined to be overweight, then you should not abandon them in the future. Hardgainers, on the other hand, should think twice before doing aerobic sessions. Due to their high metabolism, their body burns a lot of energy. As a result, vigorous cardio training can slow down the mass gain.
Yuri Spasokukotsky tells about the reasons for the asymmetrically located abs cubes and how to correct them:
