Men dream of becoming the owner of a relief press with visually distinguishable cubes. Women passionately want to have a flat, toned tummy. Although the ideal of a beautiful press differs between men and women, they are usually united by one desire: to achieve the intended goal faster and with minimal effort.
In addition, modern people are usually very busy. Work, family, responsibilities take up a lot of time, which in the end is not enough for systematic training in fitness clubs. How to tone the abdominal muscles in such conditions? To do at home. A well-thought-out set of exercises for the press at home can replace complex trainers, barbells and dumbbells. Iron in pumping up the muscles of the press is not the main thing, here other factors come to the fore.
Five success factors
- Knowledge of press anatomy and muscle function.
- Belief in the result.
- Proper and sufficient nutrition for muscle growth.
- Competent training program, which includes an effective set of exercises for the press.
- Compliance with the regime and careful attention to the recovery process.
Anatomy
Undoubtedly, you can work with the abdominal muscles, mindlessly copying the exercises and following the advice of the masters. However, the effectiveness of a set of exercises for the press increases if a person clearly understands which muscles work in a particular exercise. Knowledge of the anatomy of the press and the function of individual muscles will help you quickly and easily master the correct technique of any exercise. And the right technique is the cornerstone in the foundation of ultimate success.
The abdominal muscles are divided into three groups:
- direct;
- oblique external and internal;
- transverse muscle.
Paired rectus muscles (left and right) are located in the middle of the abdomen, going from the ribs to the pubic bone. It is the rectus muscles that are responsible for the formation of the relief of the press. Tendons divide them into three to four segments, which form six or eight convex cubes in well-pumped rectus muscles. Some people have ten dice.
The main function of the rectus muscles is to lower the torso to the hips and, conversely, raise the hips to the torso. In addition, these muscles form posture, protect internal organs, play an important role in almost any physical activity of a person.
The external oblique muscles go mirrored on two sides of the body from the fifth to twelfth ribs to the pubis. They are responsible for tilting and turning the body, supporting it in an upright position, and are involved in weight lifting.
The internal oblique muscles go mirrored on both sides of the body, but are located inside the body at the lower ribs. Their functions: rotations and inclinations of the body, raising and lowering the ribs, the movement of the spinal column.
The transverse muscle is located deep in the abdominal cavity, its base is the ilium, the muscle is attached to the ligament of the groin. Function: to protect and maintain organs in the correct position, it forms a flat stomach. You cannot pump this muscle with the usual set of exercises for the press, it lies too deep. The most effective way to act on it is with the “vacuum” exercise. About it will be described below.
Motivation
Without proper motivation and belief in success, not a single set of exercises to strengthen the muscles of the press will work. To pump the press, you will need to strictly observe the regime, follow the training program, not giving yourself concessions and not indulging laziness. In addition, most likely you will have to change the diet, excluding from it some harmful foods that were so nice to treat yourself to.
Where can I get the willpower and desire to gladly perform a set of exercises for the press at home, when there are so many temptations and distractions around: a TV, a refrigerator, a comfortable sofa, a computer, children, housework? First of all, you need to visualize the result speculatively or using a poster with an example to follow. This will help to eliminate temptations and bouts of laziness. Awareness of the goal toward which you are gradually going will allow you to carry out a set of exercises for the abdominal press with pleasure, without coercion.
There are a couple more tricks that enhance motivation. The first is a journal of training and daily nutrition, which records all the exercises done, the number of approaches, as well as the food eaten per day and the amount of water drunk. The magazine becomes an effective helper for self-discipline. It does not allow you to take off from training and eat forbidden food, because every potential "sin" will be recorded in a journal.
The second trick is photographs of the press before and during training. They can be done at intervals of once every five days or once a week. Pictures will actually show progress or lack thereof, and in any case, encourage the desire to work. Noticeable progress will be an encouraging argument for further training, the lack of results will make you think about the correctness of the selected set of exercises or about possible mistakes in their implementation.
Nutrition
No set of exercises for the press will not give a positive result if a person has a huge stomach. Even very inflated muscles will drown in a thick fat layer and remain invisible to the prying eye. Such people first need to defeat obesity, and then transgress to the creation of their ideal press.
But a person who does not have a fair amount of weight will also have to change some food preferences if he wants to get a beautiful belly. Proper nutrition in this case has two functions: it provides the burning of subcutaneous fat (food should not be high-calorie); supplies the body with enough building material for muscle growth and energy to perform a set of exercises on the press.
For women, a balanced diet contains 25% protein, 25% fat and 50% carbohydrates. The male diet during training consists of 25% protein, 15% fat and 65% carbohydrates. Preference should be given to protein foods: eggs, poultry, milk, fish, cottage cheese, tofu, soy and legumes, as well as fruits and all kinds of vegetables (they will become a source of fiber and many vitamins). And, of course, we must not forget about water, it must be drunk a lot and constantly. After all, water transports beneficial elements into muscle fibers and removes toxins from them.
Training Planning: General Principles
When planning a set of exercises for the press for a girl or a man, some differences in the constitution and goals are taken into account. The fact is that it is easier for men to gain muscle mass, and they tend to get a pronounced relief, so the main emphasis is on exercises for the rectus muscle. For girls, cubes are usually not needed, their goal is a beautiful, flat and toned belly, in addition, the female body is prone to accumulate fat in the lower abdomen and on the hips, so the complex of exercises for the press for women is aimed at almost equal load on all muscle groups, with a slightly larger load on the lower section.
Otherwise, the principles of planning are the same:
- 2-3 workouts per week;
- alternating load on different groups;
- gradual increase in load as muscles strengthen;
- obligatory two-three-day pauses between classes for recovery and subsequent growth of muscle mass.
Equipment
Beginners are sometimes condescending to the technique of performing exercises, believing that the main thing is to do more approaches. But technical flaws often put an end to the results, significantly reducing the effectiveness of training. It is most reasonable to learn thoroughly to learn and understand the technique of each exercise. Fortunately, there is a lot of information in the public domain: articles with detailed photos, videos from professional bodybuilders who will tell you in detail how to perform this or that exercise, how to breathe properly. Once you have mastered the technique, you can seriously hope that a set of exercises for the press at home will give the expected results.
Warm up
Each workout should be preceded by a warm-up. This is a prerequisite. Warming up helps to avoid possible injuries and warms up the muscles before the main work. It speeds up the metabolism, improves concentration, increases the elasticity of muscle fibers, psychologically sets up for training. The muscles of the press are heated by tilting and twisting the body, squats, pulling up to the body of the knees from a prone position. After performing a set of exercises for the press, you need to do a hitch.
Recovery
Another common mistake is the lack of necessary pauses between workouts. Having zealously taken up the workout, the trainer, day after day, exhausts his abs, works with great enthusiasm. But muscles do not grow, there are no cubes. Exercises and the number of approaches are changing, but there is still no result. The fact is that without proper rest, muscles do not grow, as well as without proper and proper nutrition. During the exercise, performed correctly and with the necessary effort, numerous microtraumas of muscle fibers occur. During the recovery period (it takes about two days), the fibers grow.
Exercising the rectus muscles
Twisting the torso. Classics of the genre. It can be performed in almost any environment, easy to learn. Loads the rectus muscle along its entire length. The supine position, the legs are bent at the knees at an angle of approximately 45 °, the feet and buttocks are firmly pressed to the floor, hands behind the head. Using the muscles of the press, bend the body towards the knees, then return to its original position.
Raising legs on the horizontal bar or the Swedish wall. Exercise makes the whole press work, but especially its lower section. Hang on the horizontal bar. Both legs together or alternately lift to the body, fix for a while in the raised position.
Pulling up legs on a bench or floor. It perfectly loads the upper press section. Sit on the edge of the bed or bench. Slightly deflect the body, grasp the edge of the bench with your hands. Tighten the knees to the stomach, while tilting the body towards the knees. This exercise can be performed on the floor.
Bike. Known and easy to learn exercise. Perfectly working on the lower section. Lying position, hands behind the head, buttocks pressed tightly to the floor. Feet imitate cycling.
Scissors. The effect on the press is similar to an exercise bike. Lying position, legs slightly raised at a slight angle and make cross movements.
Raising legs while lying down. The load on the lower section. Lying position, buttocks pressed to the floor. Legs slowly rise until they stand perpendicular to the body.
Exercise of the oblique muscles
Oblique twisting. The starting position is the same as with classical twisting. The difference is that the elbows of the hands behind the head stretch to the opposite knees during execution, the left elbow to the right knee and vice versa. Due to this movement, the lateral section of the press is loaded.
Tilts to the sides. It is performed from a standing position, legs are slightly apart, hands are put behind the head. Tilt the body to the side until tension appears in the oblique muscles of the press. Straighten up and lean in the other direction.
Sloping slopes. Stand up straight, legs slightly apart. One hand on its side or wound behind the head, the palm of the other begins to slide down the leg. Return to starting position, repeat the exercise, changing hands. The effectiveness of inclinations can be increased by taking a dumbbell in a sliding hand.
Side plank. Unpretentious and easy to learn static exercise, which pretty loads the oblique muscles. Emphasis, for example, on the left foot and left palm or elbow. The body is stretched in a line and tense. No deflection at the waist. In this position, you need to freeze until you have enough strength or a given time. Do the same for the right side of the body.
Swing your legs sideways. Stand sideways to a convenient support: a chair, a table, a Swedish wall. Grasp the support with your left hand and with your right foot to swing sideways with large amplitude. Then do the exercise with your left foot.
Universal exercises
Strap. Loads all abdominal muscles. It is advisable to use in any set of exercises for the press. The tips of the toes and elbows abut against the floor. The body of the abs is tense, the back and legs are straight. No camber at runtime. In this position, you need to freeze until you have enough strength or a given time.
Birch tree. A universal exercise that loads all the muscles of the press. It is performed from a prone position. Straight legs slowly rise, then, due to the work of the press, the pelvis rises, and legs seem to rush to the ceiling, feet extend upward, hands support the body. In this position, you need to freeze for a few seconds and slowly lower your legs. No jerking, they reduce the effectiveness of the exercise and are fraught with injury.
Vacuum. The best exercise for the transverse muscle, which is located in the back of the press and is not pumped by ordinary exercises. It is necessary from a standing, lying or sitting position to draw the stomach into yourself as much as possible and hold it in this position for as long as possible, while breathing measuredly and calmly.
An approximate set of exercises for the press for men
The number of approaches and repetitions depends on the training and physical abilities of the training person. At first, you need to master the technique, evaluate your strength, endure the first muscle pain and not get injured. You can do three approaches for each exercise with a short pause between them. The number of repetitions is determined empirically by burning and tension in the muscle group being worked out. But you can’t be too zealous, otherwise you can injure yourself or get too tired.
Monday. Warm up. Exercises for all groups: bar, vacuum. Exercises for the upper part of the rectus muscle: pulling up the legs on the bench, classical twisting of the torso. Hitch.
Wednesday. Warm up. Exercises for all groups: bar, vacuum. Exercises for oblique muscles: oblique twisting, side bar, sliding slopes with heaviness. Hitch.
Monday. Warm up. Universal exercises for all groups: plank, vacuum. Exercises for the lower and upper press: pulling up the legs on the bench, bicycle, classic torso twisting. Hitch.
The next cycle starts on Monday.
Sample complex for women
Monday. Warm up. Exercises for all groups: bar, vacuum. Exercises for the lower press: lifting legs from a prone position, a bicycle or scissors. Hitch.
Wednesday. Warm up. Exercises for all groups: bar, vacuum. Exercises for oblique muscles: tilting to the sides, side bar, swing the legs sideways. Hitch.
Monday. Warm up. Universal exercises for all groups: plank, vacuum. Exercises of the upper press: pulling up the legs on the bench, the classic twisting of the torso. Hitch.
The next cycle starts on Monday.