Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Are you having a hard problem getting those lower abs to pop? I'm going to show you one
very key component that you should be including on all your lower ab exercises, to make that
happen.
What's up guys? Jeff Cavaliere, ATHLEANX.COM
If you want to get those lower abs to pop you have to start thinking about, one of the
things I've covered here in my videos before and that is quality over quantity.
Especially when it comes to ab training. And especially when it comes to lower ab training.
The reason why is when you trying to do your abdominal work what most guys will do is try
to accomplish again that point A to point B mentality.
If they're doing a hanging leg raise, they know they've got to get from point A to point
B. The problem is they're not doing it with the right muscles.
They're using mostly hip flexors and most of all they're ignoring, what I feel is the
most important activation of all when you're doing lower ab training and that is the transverse
abdominis.
Now, why do we ignore it? Because it's so damn easy to ignore it.
Basically guys, when we get up into a hanging position or any lower ab movement, what you
want to do is first contract the transverse abdominis.
And for those guys who don't know what that is, it's obviously it's that muscle that goes
around like your inner weight belt, ok. It runs this way, all the way to your back and
around the front.
The way to activate or feels if you're activating it, is like if you've just stepped into an
ice cold pool. Right, for us guys we try to, you know, pull our nuts up, right.
That's really what it would be, sort of like that. You know pulling in, it's cold, ok.
So what we want to do is feel that contraction in through here.
But that's just the start because you have to be able to hold that before you execute
your rep.
So, how do we do it on some sort of hanging leg raise. Quality over quantity. We want
point A to point B but you better do it right.
So what you want to do, is again, first activate the transverse, flatten it out, pull it in.
From here, now execute the rep.
I told you that when you do a reverse curl, it's spinal flexion, ok. That's what the abs
are working on is flexing the spine. So if you're just doing this, that's hip flexion
guys.
If you want to get spinal flexion, curling of the torso, curling of the sacrum, up and
underneath. So flatten it out. Feel the transverse first, hold it, pull up, curl, ok, and then
down.
If you want to make that harder all you have to do is increase the time under tension of
the ab movement. For this we have a whole hell of a lot of options.
What it does is it makes you hold that transverse even longer, even harder. So, what can we
do if it gets more advanced?
Again, if I do it normally, a lot of guys will push out when they do their ab exercise,
push out. You'll get that distended belly look.
You want to be able to pull in, pull in, up, turn and then kick out and then down, ok.
That whole time I held that initial transverse abdominis contraction.
So again, contract, pull up, rotate, kick out, back and down. It makes it hard to speak
because the whole time I'm holding down here in my lower abs.
So one more time, again. Set, lift up, turn, kick out and down. Reset and down, Reset and
down.
So guys, first and foremost, do these exercises right. Contract the transverse abdominis,
hold it throughout the duration of whatever rep you're doing of your ab exercises.
And most importantly your lower abs so you don't get that distended look.
Secondly, nutrition, nutrition, nutrition. Make sure that you are following a good diet
plan. We don't have to call it diet because we actually eat here at ATHLEANX.
But eat the right foods, use them to fuel your workouts and therefore get you to start
stripping away that fat and getting them to show.
So again, you can have the best form in the world but if you're not showing them, no one's
going to be able to see them.
So guys at ATHLEANX we focus on all aspects. I don't just put up a video here and tell
you, Do this and you're going to be able to get out. That's ***.
And some guys, even here on youTube, will tell you that's all you have to do. Shortcuts,
those kind of things, you know.
So what we do here, is we cover the real nitty gritty. You've got to follow a great diet.
You've got to have the right exercises. We put it all together in ATHLEANX.
You can get that guys at ATHLEANX.COM. In the mean time, start focusing on this muscle
first and you're going to start to see a lot better results from your ab training.
I'll see you guys back here again, in just a few days. Make sure you leave a thumbs up
below and let me know what you thought.
See you later guys.