Active Low-Carber Forums - Shawn Phillips on Ab MYTHS.

From an e-mail newsletter (on which distribution list you can be placed at www.bestabs.com )

MYTH #1: You MUST do hundreds of sit-ups to get your ABS in great shape.

What! Do hundreds and hundreds of sit-ups... are you crazy? Believe it or not (I know, I had struggled with it too), this myth is still one of the top "points of confusion" in ab training. I truly thought this age-old myth was long since gone. Just when I think there's been an evolution in collective training knowledge, I find that the power of a myth like this has a life of its own. It refuses to go quietly. So, here I sit, giving this vicious ab myth my best "left hook"--one more time. Let's see if we can't knock it out for good!

Let me share a "secret." This little tidbit of information is a rather valuable fact if you want to develop great abs. It's a simple truth I've applied to my abs for years. Ready? Your abs? You know, the ones you're going to build, sculpt, tone? They're not made from a space-age material: they're actually muscle. Yes, real muscle, like your biceps, quadriceps, hamstrings, pectorals, etc. Consequently, to stimulate hypertrophy (growth), you MUST train them with the same brief, intense workouts you use to train other muscles. Anyone using high reps to develop strong, muscular abs is wasting time and energy. It simply does not work. The High-Volume Trap You see, an effective ab exercise regiment requires a balance of INTENSITY (the force the muscle produces) and enough reps and sets to break down muscle. All too often, the challenge of creating intensity sufficient to "stimulate" the ab muscles gets this balance out of whack... Given that, for the most part, ab exercises are restricted to bodyweight for resistance, and you can't simply jump up another plate, this causes people to fall into what I call the "High Volume Trap." Helpless, without the knowledge to create sufficient levels of intensity, they end up increasing the volume, cranking out reps of sit-ups like Krispy Kreme pumps out doughnuts.

High-rep ab training is not without effort-be careful not to make the common mistake and confuse "effort" with "effective." Common sense can betray us--and in this case it does. Breathing hard and sweating profusely after your ab workout is effective IF your goal was to breath hard and sweat, but NOT if it was to develop your ab muscles. Shear volume of sweat is not a good measure of results. It doesn't work this way. I call this "bread sandwich logic"--it's like adding more bread to your sandwich when you've got no meat. Adding carbohydrates can't make up for the lack of protein any more than increasing volume can make up for a lack of intensity. High-rep ab training results in only fatigued muscles, not muscle development.

If you have any doubt, consider this dramatic example: Compare the leg development of a world class sprinter and a marathon runner--they're both track athletes, yet at opposite ends of the "intensity-to-volume ratio" spectrum. The muscular and defined legs of the sprinter are the product of repeated, short but very INTENSE bouts of training--as in the 100m sprint. In stark contrast, the marathoner is "engineered" for low intensity and maximum volume (time). Their lanky, thin muscles, and "bony" bodies are ideal for conserving energy and withstanding long, repetitive motions. Well then, so much for the age-old myth that hundreds of sit-ups would build great, well-defined abs.

The Solution: Focused Intensity

If you're ready to develop the foundation for great abs, the ab muscles themselves, then it's time to start treating your abs with the respect you give other muscles, and accept the fact that, like with all other muscles, INTENSITY is key. Increasing the intensity of our ab training is possible, but first we have to revamp your notion of intensity. You see, it's not just about weights anymore.When you think about it, you'll notice there is something very different about ab training in general.

Let's go back to the basics for a minute. How do you build muscle? Well, you pick up a dumbbell and you curl it. The weight serves as resistance, placing your biceps under tension. The greater the resistance (weight) the more tension is required to curl it. This level of tension is called the "intensity" of the exercise. The intensity must be at a certain minimal level to induce ANY muscle growth-the response to muscle tissue breakdown.

One of the biggest mistakes I see in ab training is people doing thirty, forty, fifty, or oftentimes even hundreds of reps-what I call the "marathon of ab training." Not fun. I cringe at the thought. Muscles, WHETHER YOUR BICEPS OR YOUR ABS, need an intense force to stimulate them. You can't curl your pencil a hundred times and get a bigger biceps. We all know that, yet for some reason, we think that abs are different, that they have their own set of rules (ah, the myths).

So, once again, we are back to the question: How do we generate sufficient intensity in our ab workouts? You could try putting a dumbbell in your teeth as you do your ab crunches to increase the intensity. But honestly, I think there is a better way. Correction, I know there is a better way. By applying the power of focus, you can and will create the type of intensity I'm talking about.

Personally, I've benefited from some specific techniques that elevate my mental and physical focus for many years now. The result is, by the eleventh or twelfth rep of simple ab crunches, my abs are burning so bad I want to scream for mercy. You may be saying to yourself, "Yea, I'd have to see it tobelieve it." Well, I have no problem with that but you might try it for yourself first. It'll save a lot of travel time.

When training your abs, intensity is in large controlled by your ability to focus. The POWER of focus is an amazing element... and if used properly, it will help you build your muscles. What is "focus?" Well, as a reference point I can tell you it's not watching television. No, that's not focus; rather it's simple, passive "observation" at best. Focus is "concentrated attention" and in the case of ab training it is specifically a concentration of attention on and in your ab muscles. The power of your mind to simulate the muscles is real. In fact, you can literally focus so hard on the contraction of your biceps that it feels like it could just explode. Have you ever practiced that? Just really focused on one muscle with complete attention? Try it! Try curling your arm in, and squeeze your biceps until it literally hurts and feels like it's going to explode... feel that? That, my friend, is FOCUSED INTENSITY!

I think you'll agree, the ability to control your attention, to focus and use its energy effectively is important in many areas of your life. Focus is required for true, deep enjoyment of life. The moments that we are most focused on are the moments we are most enjoying. Wouldn't you agree? Training has helped me build my body and at the same time strengthened my capacity to focus-and it has served me well in all areas of my life; in my work, my relationships, even when at play. I'm confident, whatever your current strength of focus, practice can serve you as well. The more focused, the more productive we are in all areas--and thus, the more time we have to invest. And the downside? You'll have some great abs!

So, what's the take-away? Intensity is KEY to the muscle building process. You can't make up for a low intensity in your ab training by doing a "sit-ups marathon." Think about abs like the muscles they are. I mean, you wouldn't treat your chest this way, right? You wouldn't bench 50 lbs. for 50 reps and expect your chest muscles to grow. Would you? (If so, we've got a lot of talking to do.) Give your abs the same respect--aim for training them with intensity and one effective route to intensity in ab training is through the POWER of FOCUS. When you learn to generate total "focused intensity" you'll be able to consistently promote muscle development--building stronger, fuller, and more sculpted abs.

BOTTOM LINE:
Forget the volume meter for abs: think "focused intensity!" To stimulate hypertrophy (growth) in your abs, you must train them with the same brief, intense workouts you use to train other muscles. Until next time...

Wishing you the ABSolute best,
Shawn Phillips