Abs of the Month - Jon Huston

Abdominal Training - The Finishing Touch

by Jon Huston

Bodybuilding is a sport that requires

maximal dedication and single-minded

determination to achieve the ultimate

goal: winning a contest. Many

elements are included within this realm

of sport including water removal,

cardiovascular conditioning, muscle

symmetry and proportion, posing

technique, and stage presence. Each

pose includes all of these elements.

For the scope of this article we will just

discuss the training and presentation of

the abdominal muscles.

ANATOMY

When we think of abs we mostly think of the washboard midsection of the lean and muscular bodybuilders on stage. However, the abdominals include the Rectus abdominis and the External abdominal oblique muscles. Also included in this list are the Internal abdominal oblique and the Serratus anterior. The latter muscles are not visible and are not included in this article.

The function of the Rectus abdominis and the External abdominal oblique muscles is to flex the trunk or bend forward. The External abdominal oblique muscles also function in side-bending and rotation. These muscles also aid in trunk stability while performing upper and lower body activities and are vital in preventing lumbar spine injuries and maintaining posture.

ABDOMINAL REGION FACTORS

Since the collective “abs” function to flex the trunk, that is how you will train them in the gym. There is an endless list of activities that one can perform to get these muscles in tip-top condition.

Mass: Achieving massive abdominals is not typically a goal for most bodybuilders. It’s best to have a slim waistline with minimal protuberance of the stomach. You might notice that most professional bodybuilders do not have the sleek/slim look. That have a bulging stomach that looks like they swallowed a watermelon. This is caused from two things: 1)Using weight/resistance for ab training and 2)Overuse of Synthetic Growth Hormone.

Ultimately, you want to stay away from building a blocky mid-section. You can do this by keeping the resistance low while training.

Definition: Abdominal definition is achieved through two means. The first means is by eliminating fat and water stores over the muscles. This comes through diet and cardiovascular exercise. If you build up the muscle underneath the fat you will do nothing but make your stomach appear larger. Thus, I believe training abs in the off-season is not really necessary except with respect to trunk stabilization.

The second means of developing highly defined abs is by performing highly intense and repetitious exercises. The way I do this is by either contracting my abs at the top of the contraction or by performing sets of 40-50 reps. Contracting at the top and holding for 2-3 seconds will flood the muscles with blood and glycogen and help to get a good pump in them. The high repetitious approach will make the muscles stronger and help to recruit the smaller, Type I fibers.

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