A large number of people around the world strive to pump the famous six-pack abs, and even more, people do not strive for it but only dream of it. But those who tried to do so, quickly realized that it is not so simple. And you do everything right you train and eat properly, but the pack doesn't show. what's the reason?

Top 6 Mistakes That Prevent You From Getting Perfect Abs


There could be several reasons for this. And in this post, I've collected the top mistakes that stop you from getting results. So, this post will save you a lot of time and effort. So, read this blog post till the end, and you will understand how to get perfect abs. let's go!

Mistake 1:

Some people think the abs are a single muscle. The famous six-pack is only one of the surface phenomena. It is important to understand general anatomy. First, it's a rectus abdomens muscle, which consists of eight packs and some even feature a ten-pack.

In addition, there are internal oblique muscles in the abdomen, external oblique muscles of the abdomen, and a transverse muscle of the abdomen. This is the entire core muscle group. And, by understanding which muscles make up our abs and our beautiful stomach, we will be able to achieve results more effectively because we can change the load, change the exercises, and change the angle of the weight.

can do So, for example, if we fix the legs and perform crunches, the upper part of the rectus abdomens muscle is slightly more stressed. And, on the contrary, if we raise our legs and pelvis towards the body, for example, hanging on a pull-up bar, then the rectus abdomens muscle, first of all, works, and the emphasis is a little changed. lower pack.

Although, in general, I must say that hanging leg raises is one of the most effective, complex, and basic exercises for the abs. If we perform lateral crunches or raise the legs to the sides, it will train our so-called "side abs", i.e. the oblique abdominal muscles.

Mistake 2:

The next mistake is to avoid excess weight. Yes, it seems to many people that the abs can be pumped with only their body weight, meaning only crunches, only leg raises, and no additional weights are required.

Work with your body, and the result will follow. Some lucky ones succeed, of course, but, in general, this is an exception, because if you work with extra weight, the effect will be faster, because there are many exercises, especially if we Just don't exercise. On the pull-up bar, go to a full gym, and extra weight can be created for our abs as well. For example, a very good exercise is the cable crunch when we take the upper cables and perform a twist.

There you can adjust the extra weight so that we can do eight, twelve, or even twenty repetitions before failure. There are also exercise machines where similar exercises are performed. You can also raise your legs on the crossbar with the additional weight, for example, take a dumbbell between the legs. It is important to understand that if we have already moved twenty, thirty, forty, or fifty times, then, of course, it is very good that we are engaged in physical education, but from the point of view of muscle development.

This is not the most effective method. For abs, the benchmark is about twenty iterations, which should lead to a failure or near-failure state. Therefore, if you do too many repetitions, you need to add additional weight and increase the intensity.

Mistake 3:

The next mistake is to use the same exercises. For example, a person started doing crunches a year ago, and a year later he continues to do them and then wonders why the abs do not grow.

Exercises need to be changed at least once every two months, or even more often once a month, because the muscles need to be constantly surprised: they get used to the same kind of load very quickly. Are and stop responding well to it, so the most are to take several exercises. For example, this month we choose two or three exercises, the next month we do another two or three exercises, the third month, again, another.


Also, Read it: What happens if you do kettlebell workouts every day? Benefits & Potential Risks


Mistake 4:

Another mistake is to rest between repetitions. Here I mean iteration, not set. Between sets, of course, rest is needed, but what do I mean by rest between repetitions? This happens when we choose a range of motion, which consists of a certain amount of time in which the muscles do not work but rest. For example, we hang on a pull-up bar and raise our feet in a hang. What is the point at which the abs exert the least amount of pressure, or do not exert pressure at all, but completely relax?

It's okay when our legs hang down vertically. So, you don't have to go into this position: when you lower your legs, don't bring them to the lowest point to fully relax your muscles, but take them slightly higher than the lowest level. come on Of course, I understand the urge to lower our legs as much as possible to relax our muscles because it's a subconscious urge that's easy for us. Our body and our mind also try to minimize the load and somehow less stress

. It is a natural reaction for humans. We must understand that the most effective muscle growth occurs when the muscles are continuously worked and we do not allow them to rest within repetition limits.

Mistake 5:

The next mistake is recruiting other muscles to help us contract the muscle. It can be, for example, the hip flexor, our hands, or even our back in some movements. We should isolate our abs and work exclusively for them. For example, we lift the foot in the execution. If we just lift our legs, and our pelvis straightens, then an iliopsoas muscle and, a little more, the quads are working. And we feel like we're pumping abs, but we're not. And it is not surprising that we will feel the burning and pumping in the buttocks area.

Therefore, it is important to lift the pelvis so that the load goes to the abs. Or, for example, classic crunches. So, we straightened our legs and lifted our bodies up and down, up and down. Therefore, in addition to the rectus abdomens muscles, the iliopsoas and, a little more, the quads will also work here.

But really, you need to focus on your abs, think about that muscle, provide neuromuscular control, and constrain the abs. And don't help it with the hips, otherwise, we'll develop our hips, not the abs. Or another example: is when we support ourselves with our hands. This happens if we put our hands behind our heads and pull the body out with a jerk, pressing with our hands as well.

Mistake 6:

This is another mistake that steals tension from the abs. That is, you do not need to pull your head with your hands, this is cheating and reduces performance. And the next mistake in the development of abs is the lack of a comprehensive approach. If we want to see six-pack abs, we must not only pump the muscles but also provide food, so we must control our daily calorie intake.

Typically, we can see six-pack abs when a person has a lower body fat percentage, first. And only in the second place it depends on the degree of pumping of the rectus abdomens muscle. So, if your main goal is six-pack abs, then, in fact, you need to start with diet, and abs exercise will be just an addition.

By the way, guys write in the comments how you pump your abs. What exercises do you like? How often do you train your abs? Please, share with us, it will be interesting to read.