General information
We define fitness and muscle strength especially by the appearance of the body’s centre. Men should have a six-pack, women a flat, firm stomach. That is why abdominal muscle training is particularly widespread, especially among beginners and people who want to lose weight.
However, some women are also afraid that muscle building training in the abdominal area will make them too muscular and thus appear unaesthetic. Since women have a much lower testosterone level than men and this determines their predisposition to muscle build-up, this will not happen with balanced strength training. In principle, care should be taken to train not only the abdominal muscles but also other areas, such as the back and legs.
This is the only way to keep the ratio of the muscles balanced and to move and support the body ideally. Beginners should be careful not to overdo it and risk injuries. It is best to start with a few simple exercises and gradually increase your performance level.
Abdominal muscles and body fat percentage
First of all, good news: basically, everyone has a six-pack. This is formed by the rectus abdominis muscle (straight abdominal muscle) and this muscle is basically present in every person. However, it is not equally strong in everyone and is not visible in everyone, but is covered by fatty tissue.
Therefore, the classic washboard abdomen is only visible in people with a low body fat percentage and a comparatively high muscle percentage. In order to have a flat, defined abdomen, one should therefore not only train the abdominal muscles, but also pay attention to a general fat reduction on the body, because unfortunately this cannot be concentrated directly and exclusively on the abdomen. If a person has more muscle mass, the muscles burn more calories (even at rest) than fat tissue and thus alone ensure a more favourable energy balance.
In principle, women with a lower body fat percentage will notice a positive effect more quickly than women with a high fat percentage. For them, fat tissue must first be reduced and muscle tissue built up in order to make a clear training success visible. You should therefore not be discouraged if the clear result is a little late or if the scales initially show a little more (because of the increased muscle mass).
Training types
Where and how abdominal muscle training should be done differs from case to case. Many people prefer to train in the gym because there they can concentrate completely on the sport, have professional guidance and all the necessary equipment and weights are already available. Others prefer to do their training in a group because they have a greater incentive and the social component also helps them.
However, abdominal muscle training can also take place at home and can be done with your own body weight or simple household items. Ideally, the training should be done three times a week. Between the training days there should be a day off for muscle regeneration.
Sports scientists differentiate between dynamic and static exercises in abdominal muscle training. Dynamic exercises:The straight abdominal muscle is tensed when the upper body is bent forward or rolled up. The appropriate exercise therefore involves lifting the trunk or pelvis (e.g. crunch).
To strain the oblique abdominal muscles, the upper body must be rotated during the exercise. Therefore, rotational movements of the upper body (e.g. diagonal crunches) are ideal here. Static exercises:Static exercises, on the other hand, only tense the abdominal muscles without moving the upper body (e.g. repeated 20-second muscle contractions).
The training should always consist of a warm-up, a muscle-building workout with several exercises for different muscle groups and a cool-down with stretching of the muscles and possibly a subsequent endurance training. To build up muscles, the training intensity must be increased step by step. This can be achieved either by changing the speed, increasing the number of repetitions or by using dumbbells.
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