Wesley Vissers’ 4 Go-To Ab Workouts

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Cable Crunches 

Weighted ab workout routines like cable crunches maximize resistance hundreds, constructing energy and thickness. Vissers sits reverse on a lat pulldown machine to scale back hip flexion and bias the rectus abdominis. Kneeling is ok, too. 

Prepare the abs such as you would another muscle group

—Wesley Vissers

Regardless of frequent recommendation to coach abs with excessive reps, the abs additionally require progressive overload to develop. (1) Vissers goals for 10-15 reps to failure however avoids pushing previous failure to attenuate indirect engagement. Average reps are extra environment friendly for hypertrophy. (2) 

Maintain your abs tight for your entire vary of movement.

—Wesley Vissers

Glute-Ham Developer (GHD) Sit-Ups

Vissers enhances cable crunches with body weight GHD sit-ups utilizing the curved bench to realize a deeper stretch. Physique weight and gravity present concentric resistance.

Whereas concentrics and eccentrics are necessary for muscle hypertrophy, proof suggests resisted stretching is barely and, in some circumstances, considerably extra hypertrophic. (3)(4)

GHD sit-ups restrict hip flexion, which Vissers considers important for decrease ab growth. Since hip flexors usually dominate throughout ab workout routines, minimizing their involvement maximizes decrease ab activation.

Reverse Leg Raises/Dragon Flags

The legs present resistance throughout leg raise variations. For this train:

1. Lie on a flat floor.
2. Maintain a secure object overhead for stability. 
3. Elevate the legs and glutes vertically.
4. Slowly drop the glutes to the bench, then raise the decrease abs towards.
5. Repeat for as many reps attainable.

Maintain the legs vertical to keep up stress on the decrease abs. To copy hanging leg raises, keep a posterior pelvic tilt by tucking the tailbone, which can flatten the curve within the again. The anterior pelvic tilt, making a convex curve within the decrease again, will bias the hip flexors. 

For a more difficult variation from the identical place, type a straight line from head to toe, squeeze the glutes, after which use the abs to raise and decrease the physique from the ground to the vertical, often known as dragon flags. 

Squeezing the glutes prevents hip flexion for the reason that glutes prolong the hips. 

Vacuums: A Forgotten Traditional

An usually forgotten old-school approach, vacuums, because the identify suggests, contain blowing air out, then sucking the abdomen in, and holding for a number of seconds. 

• Visualize pulling the stomach button again towards the backbone. 

A 2022 research noticed important general core growth from vacuums. (5) 

Vacuums create a tighter waist.

—Wesley Vissers

Vissers recommends performing vacuums earlier than consuming or coaching to maximise oxygen circulation. Intention for 3 units of 15 seconds, and improve by 5 seconds as you progress. Simpler progressions contain mendacity in your again, kneeling, and crouching over; the approach remains to be the identical.

Takeaways for Six-Pack Abs

• Ditch aspect bends. They’re suboptimal and don’t shrink love handles. 
• Use weighted resistance for thicker abs.
• Use body weight actions to focus on the decrease abs.
• Embody vacuums for a tighter waist and general core growth.

You don’t have to do something particular for the obliques; they’ll develop regardless.

—Wesley Vissers

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Featured picture: @wesleyvissers on Instagram