Can you spot reduce? If not, Try this Interval Strength Training Program.
When people ask me the best exercise for abs I tell them……
Table push-aways!
I can’t even tell you how often I hear someone at the end of the workout say something like, “I need to do more abs, I want to get that six-pack.” In fact, this site ran a Q&A on the topic just last week. The truth is that taking a six-pack ouf of your refrigerator is a better way to get a six-pack than 600 sit-ups.
The key to abdominal definition is the visibility of the abdominal musculature, not the strength of the muscles. You can do 1.4 million sit-ups, crunches, or whatever exercise you want and it will have no effect on abdominal definition. When people ask me the best exercise for abs I tell them table push-aways. It usually takes a few seconds for them to get it. It’s not a joke, it’s the truth. If you want better abs, eat less and train more. Don’t just train your abs.
The idea of working abs to get abs is one of the oldest misconceptions in training. This goes back to the idea of spot reduction. Spot reduction has never worked and never will. The research has been done over and over and the answer is always the same. You can’t decrease the fat layer on a particular area by working that area. That means that the people doing sit-ups to lose abdominal fat and sitting on the adductor (for inner-thigh work) machine are wasting their time. Good total body work is, was, and always will be the key to fat loss.
Want better abdominal definition? Finish every workout with some hard interval training instead of extra sit-ups or crunches. Interval training, or what is currently called High Intensity Interval Training (abbreviated HIIT), is the real key to fat loss and the resulting definition. Interval training burns more calories than steady-state aerobic training and because it is a sprint program, you get a sprinter’s body.
Abdominal training may reduce the diameter of the waistline but will not do anything to reduce body fat. The truth is there are many good reasons to do abdominal work or core training, as we now like to call it. A strong core (strong abs) is one of the keys in the prevention of back pain. A strong core will help you look better and improve performance in a host of sports, but sit-ups or any other abdominal exercise will not reduce body fat.
Another good tip: don’t just do hundreds of crunches. A good abdominal or core program is a lot more than crunches. In fact, a great deal of your core work should be isometric exercises like front planks and side planks. One of the major functions of the core musculature is the prevention of motion. What does that mean? It means that the abdominals are great stabilizers. Work on the stability function, not just on flexion and extension. – By Mike Boyle
Try this program to get you going:
1 month
4-5 days per week
M- Push / Leg Focus Hiit Interval Training
T- Pull / Core Focus Hiit Interval Training
W- Off Day or Active Rest Day
TH- Push / Leg Focus Hiit Interval Training
F- Pull / Core Focus Hiit Interval Training
Optional: 1 Weekend day of Strength Training Only (Full Body) 1 hour
Monday & Thursday
Warm-Up:
Dynamic Movements after Custom Flexibility & Mobility Drills
Activation:
10 minutes of:
A1 – 15 Air Squats Holds to Calf Raise
A2 – Band Lateral Walks with Lite DB Shoulder Drills
A3 – Floor Based Core Drill
Strength:
5 Sets of:
A1 – Push Horizontal Exercise 10-15 reps + 10 second Explosive Push Exercise
A2 – Front Squat 10-15 + 10 second Explosive Jumping Exercise
B1 – Push Vertical Exercise 10-15 reps
B2 – RFE Split Squats 10/10
B3 – Farmer Carry
Hiit Interval Training
Monday
12 minutes:
A1 – Upper Body Push 20-30 sec.
A2 – Lower Body Push 20-30 sec.
A3 – Cardio Machine 30 sec.
Thursday
Two 9 minute workouts with 2 minute break in-between
A1 – Lower Body Push 30 sec.
A2 – Cardio Machine 45 sec.
A3 – Upper Body Push 30 sec.
____________________________________________________________
Tuesday & Friday
Warm-Up:
Dynamic Movements after Custom Flexibility & Mobility Drills
Activation:
10 minutes of:
A1 – 15 Lite Dead Lift + Hip Flexibility Drill
A2 – Band Lateral Walks with Lite DB Rear Delt Drill
A3 – 30 second Core Iso-Hold
Strength:
5 Sets of:
A1 – Pull Horizontal Exercise 10-15 reps + 10 second Explosive Pull Exercise
A2 – Single Leg Dead Lift + 20 second Explosive Lunge Matrix
B1 – Pull Vertical Exercise 10-15 reps
B2 – DB Box Step Ups 10/10
B3 – Sled Push
Hiit Interval Training
Tuesday
15 minutes EMOM
A1 – Core Exercise
A2 – Lower Body Hinge
A3 – Cardio Machine
Friday
Two 9 minute workouts with 2 minute break in-between
A1 – Lower Body Pull – High Rep
A2 – Upper Body Pull – Low Rep
A3 – 2 Exercise Core – 1 minute
Enjoy!
Chris Giesking 