How To Get Tight Abs

June 19, 2009 by Scott West
Filed under Tight Abs

Learning the basics of how to get tight abs is simple. When it comes to learning how to get tight abs, there are only a few key points that you need to know:

Burn fat. Most people actually DO have strong, defined abs. They just happen to be covered by a layer of fat. This is because the abs are involved in balance and stabilization of all kinds of every day movements and exercises. To eliminate the fat on top the muscle, you need a combination of regular cardio (aerobic) exercise and a healthy diet to create a caloric deficit necessary to lose weight.

Don’t crash diet. Simple, healthy eating habits and not deprivation will help you drop excess weight from all over the body. You don’t need to go on yo-yo diets and drastically change your habits from day to day, week to week.

Be realistic. For visible abdominal definition, your body fat percentage has to be low – there are no exceptions to this rule. About 8 percent body fat for men, and 14 percent body fat for women. “Healthy” body fat ranges from 14%-17% for men and 21%-24% for women. It may be impossible for some people to reach such low percentages without going to extreme measures. Remember that women are genetically predisposed to store more fat around the belly and need a minimum level of body fat to be healthy and menstruate. It’s up to you to decide if rock hard abs are worth going to the extreme or not. For most people, simply flattening the stomach and losing a few extra pounds is a realistic, attainable goal.

Train your abs like you would any other muscle. You should strength train all of your major muscle groups, which typically involves 1-3 sets of 8-15 repetitions per exercise. You don’t need to 50, 100 or even a thousand crunches every day. If you are doing your exercises correctly, 8-15 repetitions are all that you need to feel your muscles work and get results. The key is to focus on your form, by deeply engaging your abs throughout each movement. This is commonly described as “pulling your naval towards your spine,” or “scooping” the abs inward and it will help you engage more muscle fibers (especially the transverse abs), making each repetition more effective.

Let your abs rest. Just like you should allow your biceps, for example, to rest 1-2 days between workouts, the same is true for the abs. They also need time to rest, recover and rebuild to get stronger. Aim for no more than 3-4 abdominal training sessions per week.

Vary your program. Everyone who exercises should add variety to their exercises to keep their body “on edge”. Try to change up both your cardio and strength exercises at least every 4-6 weeks, if not more often. This will help prevent plateaus in your progress and allow you to move from easier to more advanced exercises as you become stronger.