The press belongs to the stabilizing muscles, in size it is very inferior to such anatomical giants as the legs, back, buttocks and pectoral muscles. However, the smaller the muscle - the easier it is to train and the better it responds to development. In addition, the abdominal muscles are involved in almost all basic exercises, which means that even if you do not pay attention to this part of the body at all, there is a chance to still see the desired abs cubes on your stomach.
A few words about genetics
Genetics is the determining factor in our appearance. This can greatly upset many, since only genetically gifted people can pump up the press to cubes. Not at all, this muscle has the correct appearance and rational location. For example, the muscles of the press can be very stretched along an oblique line or displaced relative to the central axis, then any, even the most intense training will not give the desired result. However, do not be upset, perhaps the press cubes will not so clearly come out, but some relief will still be noticeable. If you want a flat stomach, a beautiful posture, and also increase the effectiveness of other exercises, where the press acts as a stabilizer, then you still have to train it. Even though you may not achieve the expected results.
Something about diastasis
If you are giving birth to a woman, then before you start training for the press, do a test for diastasis, i.e. divergence of the abdominal muscles. To do this, in the supine position, bend your knees and tighten the press, then with two fingers begin to probe the area of the connective tissue between the muscles from the ribs to the navel - right along the midline of the abdomen. If the fingers go deeper by more than 1-2 cm, then diastasis takes place. In this case, you will not see the cubes of the press for a very long time, since all the classical exercises on this part of the body with this disease are prohibited. Contact a trainer or sports doctor, they will help to make a program according to your particularity. Diastasis is not a sentence, if you can not fix it with the help of strengthening exercises, then you can always solve the problem surgically. In this case, physiology plays a cruel joke with women, because it’s much easier for a man to pump the press with cubes.
First slimming - then relief
In matters of body transformation, people are always very hasty, but in vain, because such things do not endure in a hurry. If you set out to put your abdomen in order, then first of all, be patient - since it’s simply impossible to pump up the press to cubes in a week! The first results will be visible no sooner than after 4-6 months and subject to diet and diet. It's no secret that no matter how hard you try, it’s simply impossible to see your abs without getting rid of the layer of fat over it. The muscles of the press, by their nature, even in a practically untrained person, have a small volume, which means that the only obstacle to seeing the cubes is fat. How to fix it? It's simple, you just need to dry a little. To do this, enrich the diet with animal protein and fiber and significantly reduce carbohydrates and trans fats. Plus, follow a drinking regime, which means 2.5-3 liters of water should be ingested daily. As for the nature of training, it’s still simpler: add more cardio as a warm-up and in the end, so you will disperse the remaining glycogen and pour excess fluid from the muscles.
Safety precautions
Training the press is traditionally considered quite uncomplicated from the technical point of view, since it is quite easy to pump the press into cubes at home. At home, you have little chance of harming yourself, but when you perform an exercise on the press in the gym, the risks increase significantly, especially if you are a fan of various simulators. What dangers await you?
- Roman chair. This device is considered almost a shrine for pumping press cubes. However, from a physiological point of view, this simulator is not only useless, but even dangerous. The main burden falls on the sacrum and hip biceps, the press is involved very mediocre. But jerky movements with a separation of the lower back can lead to intervertebral hernias and protrusions.
- Jackknife. It is performed on the gymnastic bench and creates an incredible load on the tailbone. And a long stay in this position can greatly overwork the ligaments of your spine.
- Leg raises. They are performed either lying down or in a rack for pulling up. It is important to understand here that this exercise is contrary to our physiology; in ordinary life, a person’s legs do not move separately from the body. That is why you run the risk of earning a hernia in the lumbar spine.
Frequency and intensity of training
The thin waist is now in fashion, and the endless stream of images of the stars of the sports industry only fuels our interest. The effect is enhanced by the fact that these same “stars” regularly tell us that their beautiful body is the result of hard everyday training and the only way to achieve the desired result. And now you are ready to run and swing your cubes for every day, if only to get closer to the reference result as soon as possible. But the truth is harsh, professional athletes are silent about the fact that muscle separation and deep relief drawing are only the result of diuretics, fat burners and hormones. After all, it is impossible to maintain your appearance at the peak of form without doping. Take off your pink glasses, you can look good and without all this, with a slight correction for the fact that the result will be more realistic and not so obvious. But everyday exercises for the press can only drive you into a state of overtraining, which will not have the best effect on the effectiveness of subsequent classes.
Differences between male and female training
There are no fundamental differences in the training of the press between men and women. The technique of execution and the number of approaches remain the same, the difference lies a little in another. Since pumping up press cubes is not a tricky business, the whole difficulty lies in seeing them. Here, the ladies were not lucky: after all, the female body is prone to the accumulation and storage of fat in the lower body, all this was provided for by nature in case of pregnancy. So the hips, buttocks and, unfortunately, the waist are under attack. But the girls should not despair, several methods for pumping the press will help to achieve the desired result:
- Women should not use weights, as this can make the waist wider. Intensive training with your own body will be enough.
- It is better to use several variations of one exercise for a more detailed study of the muscle. A combination of 2-3 exercises will be much more effective than uniform muscle pumping.
- Work is worth it inside the amplitude with a peak delay at the highest point. Use more static loads, this will help to form the correct connection between the brain and muscles. This will develop the habit of keeping the belly pulled in, and accordingly the waist will visually decrease.
At the beginning or at the end?
The eternal debate of all coaches: when to download the press? Some people think that it is worth starting a training session with him, while others, on the contrary, are advised to save it for dessert. So who is right? Definitely the last. Why? Everything is explained quite simply. In the center of our body there are innumerable nerve endings, if you decide to start training with frantic exercises for the press, then there is a great chance that you will tire at the very beginning of the training. So, the effectiveness of the lesson in the remaining time will be a big question. Plus, as mentioned earlier, abs muscles act as stabilizers in a variety of strength exercises. Especially in deadlift and squats, therefore, overloading the abdominal muscles at the beginning of the training, you run the risk of "draining" the results in these most important exercises in terms of weight gain. You go to the gym not only for a flat stomach? It’s easy for a man to pump up the press with cubes and at home, but the rest of the exercises can be performed only in the hall.
Multiple repetition or intensive study?
There is an opinion that repeated training on the press will not only make your cubes grow by leaps and bounds, but also allow you to lose weight at the waist. Fortunately, we still remember that pumping up press cubes in a week, as well as losing weight in such a short time, will not work. In order for the abdominal muscles to be worked out better and to respond more intensively to work, it is necessary to create a stressful and atypical load for them. To do this, you do not need to lower and raise your body at a frantic pace. Training the press should be slow, no sudden movements, the body is in constant tension and, of course, the delay at the peak point of the load. In addition to everything in working out the press, more than ever, it is important to pay attention to breathing, and it is especially effective to perform exercises by emptying the diaphragm from the air or on a full exhalation.
Top exercises for working out the press
Many believe that pumping up press cubes both at home and in the hall is not difficult, but this is far from the case. Often people perform completely ineffective exercises, and then complain about the lack of results. Pay attention to the three most effective and correct physiological exercises for the press:
- Prayer. Performed in a crossover with a vertical block. To do this, kneel in front of the simulator and round off your back as much as possible. Holding the block with your hands with the help of cables, try to twist inward as much as possible. Exercise is performed in full tension of the whole body, with maximum exhalation and delay at the point of greatest load.
- Twisting on the ball. This exercise requires phytobol. Twisting is carried out in the usual technique, just as a support you use a gymnastic ball.
- Leg raises in a free hanging. This exercise is an excellent alternative to pumping the press on a machine, which is very traumatic due to the negative impact of support on the lower back. The technique is similar, just the exercise is performed on the horizontal bar or crossbars.
Strap
If we talk about the press, then just pumping muscles will not be enough. All muscle stabilizers need constant strengthening and endurance training. In this case, the plank exercise is best. Despite the apparent simplicity, this type of training is very energy-intensive and burns a huge amount of subcutaneous fat, which is very useful when working on relief. The main thing is to follow the technique:
- The palms and toes of the feet should be pressed as close to the floor as possible and should be in line.
- From the head to the heels, your body should be a single and even line, without deflections in the lower back and lifting the fifth point.
- All muscles should be strained to the maximum.
- Hold your breath and empty the diaphragm, this will make the exercise even more effective.
Vacuum
Well, where without this miracle exercise. And this is far from sarcasm, a vacuum - a real discovery in the field of sports and bodybuilding. Even without shaking the press, you can make the stomach flat and fit, just performing this exercise for 4-5 months, 6-9 times a day. The whole secret of the vacuum is that it trains the transverse muscle of the peritoneum, which holds our organs inside the body. The more you practice, the stronger your stomach "sticks" to the spine, which means that the waist becomes smaller. Roughly speaking, you unconsciously begin to walk with an inverted stomach and do not control this process. Whatever your frenzied life schedule, be sure to take the time to vacuum.