MEN ON MATS Part 2 –

Get a 6 Pack The Pilates Way

The first journey on the 6 pack road is to reduce your fat and calorie intake. It doesn't matter if you have the best set of abs but if they are covered with a layer ( or 2) or fat its not going to quite cut it. So reduce your fat and calorie intake NOW!!!   Also have a read through these different ab routines and try and mix and match to keep your abs up to scratch.  Keep changing your ab routine through new challenges at your mid section every workout

STRATEGY #1: THE GYM - Using weight to train the abs

The abdominal muscles aren't designed for size; they are designed for function.  That means no matter how hard you try, your stomach muscles may get stronger, tighter and firmer, but using weights will never inflate them.

Weights, especially cables, let you work your muscles through a variety of angles by lessening your reliance on whichever single angle gravity allows you.  Sticking with the same body-resistance exercises, such as crunches and knee raises, can be counterproductive, especially as you get in better shape.  The leaner you become, the less resistance your muscles get from your decreasing body weight, leaving you with less results in the long run,"  Adding weights can prevent this from happening, so your midsection won't suffer from your sleeker appearance.

THE EXERCISES - for ab training in the gym

1.  CABLE PULL-DOWN (upper abs, internal/external obliques)  Get on your knees in front of a high-cable pulley with a rope attachment and grab both ends.  Draw your hands down by the sides of your ears (palms facing in) or just above your forehead.

Keeping your hands locked in place, slowly curl yourself down and forward, first drawing your chin toward your chest, then letting your shoulders and back follow.   Imagine you're trying to move yourself vertebra-by-vertebra instead.   It's more effective to roll through the exercise, instead of thinking of it as simply bending forward Curl yourself down as far as you comfortably can, then slowly reverse the motion back up.

2.  HANGING SIDE-TWIST RAISE (lower abs, transverse abdominus)  Hang from a bar with your hands spaced slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.  Your legs should hang straight underneath you, toes pointing toward the floor.  (If you're advanced, place a dumbbell between your ankles.)

Next, rock your pelvis upward and slowly raise your knees up and to the left.  "Imagine you are trying to touch the right side of your hip to your chest,"  Slowly lower your legs back down and repeat, this time raising your knees up and to the right.  Lower your knees back down and repeat.

3.  WOOD CHOP (internal/external obliques, transverse abdominus)  Stand to the right of a high-cable pulley with your right shoulder facing the machine.  Keeping your feet flat on the floor (toes pointing forward), reach your left arm across your chest and grab the cable handle, then place your right hand on top of your left hand.  You should look as if you're holding an ax out to your right side.  Pull in your belly button and hold it there for the entire exercise.

Next, keeping your knees slightly bent, slowly rotate your torso to your left as you draw your arms across and down.  (Your arms should stay as straight as possible until the movement naturally forces your elbows to bend.)  Once your hands end up above your left thigh, slowly reverse the motion back to the starting position and repeat.  Switch positions (so that your left shoulder faces the machine) after completing the prescribed number of reps.

(Tip: Think of your head and tailbone as ends of one straight line.  "You want to rotate your body off that axis point, avoiding any excess twisting or bending of the spine for best results,".)

STRATEGY #2: Fitness Pilates for Men

Every Pilates move requires a set of tight, strong abs simply to hold yourself in the starting position.  The continual tension on your abs keeps your midsection muscles working overtime to maintain your posture, which lets you reap even more six-pack success from every exercise on offer here.  Fitness Pilates strengthens the whole of the mid section and low back.

THE EXERCISES -

1.  CORKSCREW (transverse abdominal muscles, internal/ external obliques, rectus abdominus) Lie on your back with your knees drawn up, arms down along your sides.   Extend your legs straight with your feet together, your feet pointing toward the ceiling (If you suffer from a tight back, you can bend your knees slightly as long as your thighs are perpendicular to the floor.)

Keeping your head and shoulders on the floor, slowly rotate your feet (or knees, if your legs are bent) clockwise as if you're drawing a circle in the air.  Bring your feet back to the center, then rotate them counterclockwise.  Then bring your feet back to the center again.  (Imagine drawing a sideways figure 8.  The larger the circle you can draw, the harder and more effective the exercise.) Repeat for eight circles on both sides.

(Tip: "Resist the urge to extend your arms out to the sides for balance, keeping them close to your sides places more emphasis on your abdominals.)

2.  EXTREME (lower abs, transverse abdominus) Lie on your back with your times up, arms at your sides  Slowly extend your legs out and up until they are straight and 45 degrees above the floor.  Simultaneously, curl your shoulders and lower back off the floor, extending your hands toward the outsides of your feet so that your arms are straight out in front of you.

Holding this position, slowly draw your left knee into your chest, then extend your left leg back out (your right leg should remain stable throughout the movement).  Repeat seven or eight times with your left leg, then perform the same knee-to-chest motion with your right knee for the same number of reps.

3.  Table Top

Lie on your back with the knees bent over the hips and the feet in line with the knees, gentle imprint the back into the mat, drawing in the abdominals slowly lower one leg to the floor and exhaling at the same time, bring the leg back up and breath in and continue slowly until you feel fatigue

STRATEGY #3: Using the Swiss Ball

Exercising your abdominal muscles with a Swiss ball is one of the best ways anyone can jump-start his routine, for what may seem unique to you is actually quite familiar to your muscles.  A Swiss ball mimics movements your abdominal muscles typically do throughout the day. 

Merely positioning yourself on the ball forces all your muscles (especially your abs) to naturally contract before you even start a movement.  Doing crunches on top of a ball also lets you bend back through a greater range of motion to work more muscle fibers along a safe, supported surface, trying to arch your lower back on a flat surface to achieve the same effect will only compromise the spine instead of strengthen your abdominals."

THE EXERCISES Fitness Pilates on the Swiss Ball

1.  BALL CURL-UP (upper abs, internal/external obliques) Sit on top of a Swiss ball with your legs in front of you, feet flat on the floor.  Cross your arms on your chest, touching each hand to the opposite shoulder.  Keeping your feet flat on the floor, slowly lean back and roll yourself down the ball until your shoulders and back touch.  Beginners may need to shift their bottom forward a bit on the ball to make it easier at first, The stronger your abs already are, the less adjusting you'll need to do to get yourself into this starting position."

Next, slowly curl yourself back up, vertebra-by-vertebra, stopping just short of returning to an upright, seated position.  The ball should never move as you go The steadier you keep the ball, the more effective the exercise is for your abdominals Repeat the motion, taking at least four seconds to lower yourself and four seconds to lift yourself back up.

2.  BALL PIKE (transverse abdominal muscles, internal/external obliques, rectus abdominus) Get yourself in a push-up position, hands flat on the floor and shoulder-width apart and your legs behind you.  Lie with the tops of your feet on top of the ball--your toes should be pointing away from you.

Keeping your head facing down and your body steady, pull in your belly button (this activates your transverse abdominals to help protect your back), then slowly draw your knees toward your chest.  The ball will roll slightly forward, toward your head.  Try to keep your hips down as far as you can, Raising them takes the emphasis off the abdominals and redirects it to the hip flexors.  Hold this position, then extend your legs back out, rolling the ball farther back so that your hands end up three or four inches in front of your shoulders.  Repeat the movement, taking four seconds in and four seconds out.

(For a bigger challenge, try placing your feet and/or hands closer together in the starting position.)

3.  TWO-BALL PLANK (upper/lower abs, transverse abdominus) Lie facedown across two Swiss balls.  Your body should be straight as a plank, with just your chest lying on one ball and your knees and shins resting on the other (feet 12 to 15 inches apart).  Place your fingertips on the floor for balance and hold this position for 60 seconds.

As this becomes easier, you can make the exercise more difficult by placing your hands on the sides of the ball.  (Advanced exercisers can rest their arms at their sides, reach them out to the sides, or extend them straight out in front of their head.

SO WHERE ARE MY ABS ALREADY?

When you'll start seeing results depends on your eating habits, your cardiovascular routine and a little nuisance we like to call genetics.  But, most experts agree, if you follow a low-fat diet (with no more than 25 percent of your daily calories coming from fat), you should shave off enough body fat to start enjoying all the hard work you've put into the muscles underneath.