Six-pack abs for women

This is an excerpt from Sculpting Her Body Perfect by Brad Schoenfeld.

Six-Pack Abs

The abdominals are the showcase muscles of your physique. Because they reside in the center of your body, the abs are the first place that draws attention when you wear a bikini. Midriff shirts, crop tops, and similar garments are designed to flaunt this sensual area. For many women, however, a flat, toned stomach is elusive due to genetic factors.

Women tend to find the lower abdominal region extremely problematic. As I am sure you are aware, your menstrual cycle results in a significant amount of water retention each month. Your body adapts to this event by stretching the lower abs outward. Childbearing can further cause the area to spread. Because the lower portion of the rectus abdominis is much thinner than the upper portion, it can apply only limited resistance to nine months of distension. Therefore, the lower abs become soft and pliable, ultimately resulting in a slight pelvic bulge.

Despite these considerations, targeted bodysculpting can help you develop a great set of abs. Once you strip away abdominal body fat, it is rather easy to bring out detail in this region. With a dedicated routine, your midsection will readily take shape, achieving a toned, washboard appearance.

Bodysculpting Routine

The abdominals are one long sheath of muscle that runs from just below your breastbone (sternum) all the way down to your pelvis. Thus, you cannot separate the upper and lower abdominals or train one part without affecting the entire muscle. You can, however, apply more stress to the upper or lower abdominals by lifting from either the chest or the pelvis, respectively. Moreover, the sides of the midsection (obliques) are involved in various bending and twisting movements. Consequently, abdominal exercises are classified by whether they emphasize the upper or lower abdominal regions or the obliques.

• Group 1-crunches and similar variations. These movements put maximal stress on the upper portion of the abdominals. When executing crunches, you must concentrate on pulling your chest down toward your hips. Your lower back should never move; if it does, you activate your hip flexor muscles at the expense of your abdominals.

• Group 2-leg raises, reverse crunches, and similar variations. These movements focus more on the lower portion of the abdominals. As noted, the lower abdominals are one of the most troublesome muscle groups for a woman to develop. Because of their anatomical position, they have limited range of motion, making it difficult to achieve a strong muscular contraction-a fact that seriously hampers your bodysculpting capabilities. To work the lower abs most effectively, it is imperative that you concentrate on raising your pelvis up toward your chest, not simply raising and lowering your legs. This minimizes hip flexor involvement and therefore maximizes stress to the lower abdominal region.

• Group 3-side bends, trunk twists, and similar variations. These movements target the internal and external obliques, the muscles that delineate your waist. When properly developed, the obliques provide the finishing touches to your midsection, giving your body a polished look.

Bodysculpting Tips

1. An effective way to train the abs is by performing your entire abdominal routine as a giant set. Because the abdominals are a flat sheath of muscle tissue, your ability to shape them is limited. Thus, your objective should be to achieve hardness in this area while shedding body fat to make the muscles visible. Decreased rest intervals increases the aerobic nature of the routine and therefore helps to shed body fat. If possible, choose three exercises and move directly from one to the next, resting only long enough between sets to catch your breath.

2. When performing crunches, make sure to tuck your chin to your chest and put your hands across your body, not behind your head. You may tend to pull from the neck when your hands are behind your head, especially when you begin to approach failure. This not only reduces stress to your abdominals but also can strain the muscles in your neck.

3. If you have a naturally blocky waist, you should avoid training the obliques with all-out intensity. This is one area of the body where adding even a little bit of muscle can be detrimental to your overall proportions. Thus, evaluate your genetics and train these muscles accordingly.

4. Abdominal machines (such as the GutbusterTM) don’t provide additional benefits over traditional exercises. They can, however, make the performance of these movements somewhat easier, which can be helpful if you have weak abdominal muscles. They are not a panacea, though, and won’t make your stomach any flatter, as often advertised.