Ab boot camp

Here is the great article of the "Ab Boot Camp" in Muscle Media Magazine.

So, you’re in the home stretch with less than a month to go before your photo shoot. You’ve been following a sound nutrition program, doing your cardio religiously, and reducing your bodyfat to low levels. You’ve tried all the gizmos and gadgets and done more crunches than you can remember, but your abs are still not “popping” out like you want them to. Looking for a new routine to peak those abs perfectly? Well, it’s time for Ab Boot Camp—and we’ll see if you’re tough enough to make it through.

Ab Boot Camp is a high-rep, high-volume, highly effective approach to ab training. The ab muscles contain mostly fast-twitch muscle fibers, which generally respond better to lower reps. However, I find that a high-rep, high-volume approach works best for “finishing” the abs during the three to four weeks before a major event such as a photo shoot.

I call this routine “Boot Camp” because it is very regimented and very difficult. When performed consistently, it produces amazing results. I guarantee you that after utilizing this routine for four weeks, your mid-section definition will improve dramatically.

Basic Training
A couple of basics about ab training before I get into the details: Strict diet and increased cardiovascular activity are extremely important to reduce your remaining bodyfat and uncover those abs (particularly the lower abs) that you’ve worked so hard to build. Continue to follow the Body-for-LIFE nutrition principles and cut back the evening carbs to tighten up. Consider foregoing fruit and dairy to reduce your sugar intake and increase fat burning. You should be doing cardio at least three times per week and adding an additional session or two if you’re not happy with your fat-loss progress. Generally speaking, bodyfat levels need to drop below 10% for a man and 15% for a woman for the abs to really show through. If your bodyfat levels are higher, then use “Boot Camp” to develop the underlying abdominals so that when your bodyfat is finally reduced, that six-pack will be waiting for you.

Mental Tactics
As abdominal training is generally performed with little or no weight, it can be easy to just go through the motions and not concentrate on the task at hand. To get results, you must totally focus on your abs during each movement. Before you begin an exercise, you must contract the abs. This helps to isolate the muscle. Then use only your abs to perform THE EXERCISE (avoid lifting with your shoulders or pulling with your arms). For optimal results, always do your lower abs first, as they tire the easiest. Once the lower abs are fatigued, the middle and upper abs will be forced to take over. Using this strategy helps you target different parts of the muscle group with more precision.
Another key tactic for peaking your abs is the use of visualization. Whether it be a picture of your own abs when you were once lean or an inspirational photo cut out of a magazine, surround yourself with pictures of great abs to fire you up. Mentally picture those abs on your body. During my transformation, as well as when I peak now, I use the picture of Shawn Phillips’ abs on the cover of Body of Work as my visualization tool. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve studied that photo—I know the pose all too well.

Timing
OK, think you’re ready to earn your stripes now? The routine that I am about to describe is most effective when done immediately after your morning cardio. As you all know by now, you can maximize fat burning by performing high-intensity cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. The Ab Boot Camp routine fits nicely into a 15-minute time slot immediately following your cardio session. Not only will you get a tighter contraction in your abs when you are warmed up and your stomach is empty, but you can also achieve better focus because you are prioritizing your ab training rather than throwing it in at the end of a weight-training session.

The Program
Ab Boot Camp consists of three cycles of a no-rest circuit routine comprised of six consecutive exercises that will hit every part of your waistline. Each complete circuit is followed by a two- to three-minute active rest period. You then repeat the cycle two more times. The whole routine should take about 15 minutes, or five minutes per cycle. If you are not used to high-intensity ab training, you may find that you need to start the program with two cycles the first week before advancing to three. Although most of THE EXERCISEs can be performed effectively on the floor or on a flat bench, the use of a decline bench will increase the workload on your abs.



LOWER AB CRUNCH — 15 REPS

This is a good starter exercise focusing on the lower abdominals.

STARTING POSITION
Lie on the floor, or on a flat or decline bench, with your knees bent at a 45° angle.

THE EXERCISE
Bring your knees toward your chest in a slow and controlled manner by contracting the lower abdominals. Return slowly to the starting position. Focus on pulling with the lower abs. Limit your range of movement to minimize hip flexor involvement.



LEG RAISE — 15 REPS


This combination exercise targets the lower abs.

STARTING POSITION
Lie on the floor, or on a flat or decline bench, with your legs straight and hanging slightly over the end. Use your hips to lift your legs until your toes are right above your navel. Keep your legs straight as you lift them. At this point your legs should be perpendicular to your body (forming a 45° angle).

THE EXERCISE
Raise your hips off the bench three to five inches, keeping your legs perpendicular to your body. The hips should be lifted by pushing up with the lower abs. Your feet should move straight up as you lift.



SIDE CRUNCH


This is the most effective exercise I know to work the intercostals (the muscles between your ribs) and the oblique muscles (the muscles along the sides of your abdomen).

STARTING POSITION
Lie on the floor or a flat or decline bench on your side with your knees bent and your arms holding onto either the end of the bench or something behind you.

THE EXERCISE
Slowly bring your knees toward your chest. Switch to the other side and repeat. Keep the movement short to remove the hip flexors from the motion.



KNEE UP - 15 REPS


Use this exercise to work both the lower and upper abs


STARTING POSITION
Sit on a bench with your body parallel to the bench and your legs resting on the bench. Grasp the edges for support. Lift your feet off the bench and bend your knees.

THE EXERCISE
Raise your bent knees toward your chest, keeping your toes pointed downward. Mentally focus on squeezing your abs throughout the movement, and make sure your feet don’t touch the bench.



LYING CRUNCH - 15 REPS


When done properly, this exercise effectively targets the upper abdominals.

STARTING POSITION
With your torso flat on the floor, place your legs up on a wall or bench.

THE EXERCISE
Pull your shoulders off the ground about six inches by contracting your abs. To increase the intensity of the exercise, begin by first contracting your glutes and then hold that contraction while you perform the crunch. This removes any action of the hip flexors and spinal erectors (lower back muscles), enabling you to totally isolate the abs.


BACK
HYPEREXTENSIONS - 15 REPS


Add this spinal erector exercise to help balance abdominal strength and tighten the waistline.

STARTING POSITION
Lie down on a a hyperextension machine or Swiss ball so that your hips are supported, but your torso can swing freely.

THE EXERCISE:
Bend forward at the waist, keeping your back straight. Then, focus on using your lower back muscles to raise your torso until your body forms a straight line. Contracting your abs and your lower back muscles simultaneously will maintain proper alignment.


Active Rest Period
After completing the no-rest circuit, we have an active rest period lasting two to three minutes. During this period we will stretch and tighten the abs and perform stomach vacuums to enhance our control over the abdominals.

Basic Ab Stretch
Stretch your abs by locking your hands and reaching as high for the sky as you can. Hold for 10 to 20 seconds, then repeat.

Side Bends
Lean to the right while keeping your torso facing forward. Focus on keeping your waistline tight. Avoid using weights when doing side bends (or any other oblique exercise for that matter) as you will end up adding mass to the obliques. This will tend to make the old “love handles” look even bigger when your bodyfat increases again.

Stomach Vacuums
Finally, and most importantly, perform stomach vacuums during the active rest period. The stomach vacuum (as perfected by Arnold and Frank Zane) is one of the best exercises you can perform to shrink your waistline in a very short period of time. I can generally knock several inches off my waistline just by performing vacuums for a three-week period. Although the vacuum takes some practice to master, it’s extremely effective in helping you gain great control over your abdominals and giving your waistline a paper-thin appearance.


Perform a vacuum by exhaling all the air in your lungs, sticking your chest out, and trying to touch your belly button to your backbone (don’t worry, you will never accomplish this). Hold for 10 to 20 seconds, relax, and repeat. The simplest way to perform vacuums when starting out is from a kneeling position on all fours. As you begin to master the vacuum in this position, you can also perform it in an upright kneeling, seated, or standing position. Like anything else, the more you practice the easier it becomes and the more control you will have over flexing your abdominals. Eventually, you will be able to do these anywhere, from driving in your car to standing in line at the grocery store.

After completing the circuit and active rest period, “DO IT AGAIN, SOLDIER... NOW!”—and upon completing the second cycle, you guessed it—“ONE MORE TIME!” After finishing the third cycle—“AT EASE!” Relax, go home, slam a performance-nutrition shake, and enjoy the burning sensation you should be feeling in your abs.

Your abs will continue to be sore for a few days after completing Ab Boot Camp. In fact, they will still be sore by the time you are ready to repeat the routine two days later. That’s OK though, because the abdominals recover quickly (even before the soreness is gone). Perform this routine at least three times per week after your cardio sessions.

If you don’t feel the above workout is giving you the results you want, you can also add some supplemental ab training. For instance, before your weight workouts do a few sets of some hanging leg raises and/or knee-ups from a pull-up bar. These are great lower ab exercises and they loosen you up nicely for your workout. They will also help stretch the abdominals (and probably remind you how just how sore they are). Thankfully, this stretching does help diminish the pain a bit quicker.

Do not forget to do as many stomach vacuums as often as you remember. You can never do too many of these when trying to peak your abs. Remember, you can do these inconspicuously just about anywhere—at work, standing in line, wherever, and no one will have a clue. You will develop tremendous control over flexing your abdominals. And speaking of flexing, like any muscle, the more you flex your abdominals, the more defined they will become. You can do this by exhaling all the air in your lungs and tightening your midsection as hard as you can. Oh, and don’t forget to practice that smile and look natural when you do it.

OK, the rest is up to you, Private. Graduate from Ab Boot Camp, earn your stripes, and get the “picture perfect” abs you’ve been striving for!

WORKOUT SUMMARY
(To be performed after morning cardio three times per week)

CIRCUIT PROGRAM
Lower Ab Crunch 15 reps—no rest
Leg Raise/Hip Up 15 reps—no rest
Side Crunch 15 reps (each side)—no rest
Knee Up 15 reps—no rest
Lying Crunch 15 reps—no rest
Back Hyperextension 15 reps—no rest

ACTIVE REST (two to three minutes)
Basic Ab Stretch
Side Bends
Stomach Vacuums

Repeat cycle three times with no additional rest between cycles.