When you think of the characteristics and attributes of a physically strong man what comes to mind may be large bicep and tricep muscles, a well built and thick neck and shoulders, legs like tree trunks and a 6-pack. Yes, the 6-pack, every youth wants to possess that elusive midsection; when I was growing up abs were ‘in’ and it’s still the same today. You may wonder how to get your abs muscles to pop and what it takes to maintain them so read on to find out.
Your core muscles are commonly classed as several muscles of the anterior trunk but if you fell into believing a strong core came from abs alone you’d be wrong. Your back muscles (posterior muscles) also have much to play in maintaining a strong trunk, but when we talk about core muscles we generally refer to the muscles below and they are:
- Rectus abdominis
- External oblique abdominal
- Internal oblique abdominal
- Transverseus abdominis
Having a strong core has undeniable benefits past aesthetically appealing looks. A strong core stabilises your body, helps you maintain better posture and helps you to complete your daily tasks of living with ease.
Many of us guy’s hate the thought of abs or core training because the pain and effort don’t always seem to show us the results we’d expect but this could be and is more than likely to be down to your diet. Yes, the saying is quite real my friend ‘abs are revealed/made in the kitchen’. Getting your body fat percentage down is a key step to revealing your abs. Exercise will help but your dietary nutrition is that bit more important since you can’t out-train a bad diet.
Exercises to strengthen your core include:
- planks and side planks
- crunches
- leg lowering
- bicycle
You should do core training regularly starting today. Incorporating some core training into your daily exercise and stretching routine isn’t hard at all. In between sets, you can add in the core exercises we have suggested you employ.
If you don’t currently have a gym plan (home exercise plan) to work from, get in contact with Hanif [Message us Here]; at the moment all home workout plans (full 7 days) are only £40, written with your goals at the core.
Images used in this article are not my own but rather accessed via google images.
Criterion Fit 