Ripped Abs is All About Form

Keeping your form perfect and to maintain normal breathing on every ab workout are crucial to getting ripped abs. All exercises should be performed with control and in a comfortable range of motion.

You should always focus on a specific part of your stomach, not every abdominal muscle. For example, to train the sides of your stomach, you need to concentrate on leaning forward and twist to the side. Make sure that the rest of your abdominal muscles are relaxed so that a bigger effort is exerted behind the specific muscle group you are working.

Place the palm of your hand just below your navel. Push your stomach out as if you are attempting to pose for the "before" picture on a commercial. Then use your lower stomach muscles to slowly squeeze your lower abs towards your spine and hold for three seconds. Relax for a couple of seconds and try doing it again. Repeat this exercise for a few repetitions. Then, whenever you are performing stomach exercise, remember to flex these muscles before and during all your repetitions.

Using your lower abdominal muscles to pill your navel toward your spine makes all of your stomach exercises more effective. This is not the same as sucking your stomach in. It's flexing the muscle in your lower abs and pulling them towards your backbone.

Flexing those lower-stomach muscles stimulates muscles that connect to your spine and this could make your whole stomach more stable. More stability means that your abs will produce more force and therefore, tone more muscle. Besides, flexing the lower ab muscles also keep your back muscles healthy.

Many people let weight or fatigue dictate form. You should always try to avoid that.

If you are training the front of your stomach, keep your neck at ease. The rest of your muscles including other parts of body should not be helping with the motion. Move smoothly into each repetition with a controlled and 100 percent energized effort.

Use the suggested range of motion on each of your ab workouts. Make your workout easier by starting with some easy repetitions. Then, you should gradually increase the intensity. Breathe normally when you are first learning the exercise. But, when you get used to the exercise, exhale during the exertion phase of each repetition. Inhale on your short rests between each contraction.

Most importantly, if you plan the order and the intensity of your ab workouts before performing them, you will get psyched up for each repetition.

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