Slim legs, toned arms anda flat stomach– who doesn’t want that? A defined and visible six-pack has always been considered the epitome of healthy and fit and is strived for by women and men alike. A trained abdominal muscles not only looks good, but also strengthens the back and improves our posture. Unfortunately, the stomach is one of the biggest problem areas where we most often accumulate fat deposits. Do you do crunches until you drop, train like crazy every day and still nothing happens? Have you ever thought that you might be doing something wrong while exercising? So that you can achieve your fitness goals and show off your toned six-pack in the summer, we will tell you in our article the most common mistakes in abdominal workouts that each of us has made.
Abdominal workout mistakes: You perform the exercises incorrectly
No matter whether you want to tone your stomach, legs or buttocks - performing the exercises properly and using the correct posture are the be-all and end-all of every workout. There are a whole range of great abdominal exercises. But these only become effective if they are carried out correctly. Especially when starting out with abdominal muscle training, some mistakes are inevitable at the beginning. Incorrect technique not only affects our success, but can also significantly increase the risk of neck and back injuries. Here is a brief overview of the most common mistakes when doing abdominal workouts:
- Always perform the exercises without momentum and make sure that the power always comes from your stomach. It is better to work slowly and not to overstretch your body. When performing the exercise, also pay attention to your breathing: when tensing, breathe out, and when relaxing – breathe in. So you have to be present in the moment and just focus on the workout and correct technique. To benefit from training, you should also make sure you are engaging the right muscles.
- Avoid arching your back. Especially if you do abdominal exercises while lying down, you should always make sure that your lower back stays firmly on the floor and does not form a hollow back. This is one of the most common abdominal workout mistakes we make, especially in the beginning.
- Before you get newAbdominal exercisesIncorporate into your workout routine, first learn how to do them correctly and which muscle group they target. To avoid this mistake when training abs, first watch a few videos or film yourself exercising with your cell phone. This way you can compare whether you are doing it right or not. The following rule applies to abdominal workouts: Always tense your stomach and always pull your belly button towards your spine.
- One of the biggest mistakes in abdominal workouts is only training the rectus abdominis muscles. But in order to get the long-awaited six-pack, you should also use the oblique abdominal muscles. There are lots of great exercises you could try for this too. Different plank variations, Russian twist, etc. are an excellent addition to your training routine.
You do a lot of repetitions
The more repetitions you do, the faster you get six pack abs? Unfortunately that's not true. A high number of repetitions actually achieves very little and is undoubtedly one of the most common mistakes in abdominal workouts. It is much more important to challenge the abdominal muscles a little and still efficiently with the right exercises. In fact, a short workout is better than 200 crunches or sit-ups. The basic rule is: 4 sets with around 15-20 repetitions per set are completely sufficient to get your heart rate up and tone your stomach.
You train your stomach every day
Training your abs every day is perhaps the biggest mistake in abdominal workouts. Many people tend to do a few abdominal exercises after every workout. Although this might feel like you are making progress, in reality it is very counterproductive. Like any other muscle group, our abdominal muscles need time to recover after each workout. Muscles don't grow during training, but rather afterwards. Therefore, it is very important to always take a day or two break between workouts.
Abdominal workout mistakes: You always do the same exercises
Doing the same exercises over and over again gets pretty boring after a while. Our bodies get used to training pretty quickly, so the training no longer has any effect. So, to make progress, you should constantly challenge yourself. Admittedly, each of us has a few favorite exercises that we like to do. But to tone the stomach, we should add some variety to our routine and change the program every 4-6 weeks. So add some fun and try some new crunches orShelf Variants. But what's more important: improve! For example, try increasing the difficulty by adding weights.
You don't pay attention to your diet
Even the most demanding training program is of no use if we eat an unhealthy diet. Do you know the saying “Abs are made in the kitchen”? Well, that's true. Unfortunately, you won't get a defined six-pack from crunches and sit-ups alone. The decisive factor for this is the body fat percentage and this of course depends on our eating habits. A toned stomach only becomes noticeable when the body fat percentage is below 20% for women and below 15% for men. But that doesn't mean you should eat less or go on a crash diet. It is much more important to pay attention to a balanced and varied diet.
And no, there is no magic food that can help you get toned abs in just a few days. Or if you know of something like this, let us know too! So make sure you eat enough complex carbohydrates, healthy fats and proteins. An optimal nutrition plan consists of 55% carbohydrates, 30% fats and around 15% proteins.
