How to Get a defined midsection
If you’ve heard it before, yes it’s true - abs are made in the kitchen! If you’ve haven’t heard it, the takeaway is that abs do not become visible from endless sit-ups, but rather a diet consistently low in calories to promote fat loss, therefor revealing the 6-pack muscles (rectus abdominis) that lie beneath.
With that being said, the abdominal muscles respond to training just like all other skeletal muscles and will grow in size with proper training, making them more pronounced and visible at a wider range of bodyfat levels. Therefor, a combination of ab training and proper diet will yield you the best results for a defined midsection!
“The Core” is made up of 10+ different muscles of the hips, back, and abdominals that support nearly all human movement. For this topic, we want to focus on the aesthetic muscles around the belly: Rectus Abdominis (“6-pack”), Internal & External Obliques (“side abs”), and the Serratus Anterior (“rib muscles”).
Top Exercises
Rectus Abdominis (“6-pack”)
The function of the 6-pack muscles is to flex/bend the spine forward. With this in mind I recommend:
Hanging knee raise / reverse crunch
Hanging knee raise from a pull up bar, crunch your knees to your chest with the focus on rounding your hips/lower back near the top of the raise. If performing a reverse crunch, use the same cues and think about lifting your butt and lower back off the ground as your knees near your chest.
Internal & External Obliques (“side abs”)
The function of the obliques is to rotate the trunk as well as flex it side-to-side. I recommend the following:
Cable Torso Rotation / Band Torso Rotations
Torso rotations can be performed with a cable or a resistance band. Hold the cable/band in front of your chest and rotate your shoulders from one side of the room to the other, THEN SWITCH!
Serratus anterior (“rib muscles”)
The function of the Serratus Anterior is to aid in reaching the shoulder forward and overhead; Think reaching and pushing movements. Try the following:
Lying Dumbbell Pull-Overs
Dumbbell pull-overs can be done on a bench or on the floor. Hold a dumbbell with both hands and a soft bend at the elbow, starting with the dumbbell over the chest. Lower the dumbbell behind and over your head and toward the floor until you feel a stretching sensation around the armpit. Keeping the subtle elbow bend, pull the dumbbell back to the start position.
These are just a few of many great exercises to develop a defined midsection. For more exercises, visit my YouTube channel: “Revive Fitness Training LLC” and remember that a proper diet with calculated calories and macronutrients also plays a huge role in fat loss and revealing the midsection you’ve worked so hard for!
