Picture it, chiseled 6-pack abs, glistening off a toned sweaty body. Everyone has seen or imagined this picture before. Washboard toned abs seem to be the epitome of fitness and health.
While this ideal and this picture may give a false sense of what true health actually is, it seems to be what everyone is wishing for. Since everyone thinks this is the ultimate goal here is a list of the top 10 mistakes people make when trying to get those toned abdominals.
Mistake #1: Too Much Bending
Exercises like sit-ups and crunches focus too much of flexion, wreck your posture, and fail to use the core as the core as it was intended.
Try focusing on being more stable, try doing more isometric holds like planks
Mistake #2: Too Much Twisting
Just like flexion and bending, twisting is also a movement pattern the core was not designed for, it was actually designed to resist and prevent twisting.
Instead of doing heavy twisting exercises, try bracing the core and keeping a good neutral spinal posture. Focus on moves like single-arm farmers walks and Paloff presses.
Mistake #3: Focusing only on 6-pack muscle
Most people make the mistake of only focus on the rectus abdominis, the muscles that show when someone has a 6-pack. However, the core is much more detailed than that and has many more muscles.
Try adding movements that will also focus on your internal and external obliques, your transverse abdominis (TVA), and your pelvic floor. Doing this will help you have a much more functional and athletic core.
Mistake #4: Poor Form
The key to any exercise is proper form and positioning, the problem with most people as they crunch and sit-up away for countless reps is that they lack the proper posture to target those muscles adequately and effectively. For instance, often when you see someone holding a plank, they sag their lower back or stick out their ribcage, this turns off the abs and shifts all the emphasis to their lumbar spine.
Try to keep your lower back flat, your pelvis neutral and your ribcage down (like after a loud sigh).
Mistake #5: Improper Breathing
Training your core is more than just counting sets and reps, it's also about controlling your breathing while you're doing the exercises. Focus on inhale during extension movements and exhaling during flexion movements. Also focus on diaphragmatic breathing rather than chest breathing.
Mistake #6: Using the Same Angle
Planks and rollouts are awesome but they both train the core in the same angle and plane (sagittal, or front to back). Remember there are multiple different muscles that make up your core so focusing on all of them through different planes of motion will help you achieve that sexy toned core of your dreams.
Try adding side planks and chops to your core circuit to get those obliques fired up.
Mistake #7: Poor Diet
There's an old saying "abs are made in the kitchen". That adage rings as true today as ever. It doesn't matter how strong your core is if its covered in body fat. You can do all the planks and sit-ups you want, but if you're carrying around extra belly-fat it'll never show.
If you want to drop some body fat focus on eating healthy, whole foods. Also, aim for a daily caloric deficit of 500 calories. Choose lean sources of protein, lots of veggies, whole carbs and root vegetables on workout days.
Mistake #8: Avoiding Total Body Exercises
Although the goal is a strong core and ripped 6-pack abs, one must also remember to do full body strength training movements. Movements like the deadlift, squat, lunges,presses, etc require a strong core and promote whole-body engagement.
If you want a strong core, use movements that make you stabilize your core and body in space.
Mistake #9: Not Progressing
One major oversight in most programs is progression. Many people get caught in the cycle of doing the same exercises over and over consistently because they like them, or they feel good, or simply because they worked for them in the past. The key to strength training of any sort is progression and making things more difficult.
If you can hold a plank for 1-minute, it's time to find something more challenging. Try adding a stability ball for added difficulty. Try adding an outside stimulus to your core exercises to bump up intensity.
Mistake #10: Training Everyday
Believe it or not, this might be the biggest and most common mistake of them all. It's a myth that more training or training something everyday will yield faster results. However physiology tells us otherwise. When we strength train we are actually doing damage to our muscle tissues, we are causing damage and micro tears. This is why we get sore, as the body attempts to repair itself. Training everyday prevents the body from being able to repair itself adequately and get stronger and get results.
Remember, we make the most gains through sleep, rest, and recovery. Off days are necessary, take advantage of them
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