Hi FitnessRx women! It’s been a long season of competing and now it’s time to get back into the gym for some serious off-season training! Lets start with abs!
My goal is to build my abdominals while keeping my waist small and tight! For Figure training, I believe that you don’t want to do any specific oblique work or it will build your waist and diminish your V-taper! Training in multi-planar movements is important for sports performance (i.e., Cross Fit). However, this type of training is not generally ideal for a Figure physique.
EMG studies have shown that on straight spinal flexion in the sagittal plane (crunching movements without rotation), your obliques fire just as hard as your rectus abdominis. So no need to twist and rotate during any abdominal exercise! 😉
With that said, here’s my ab training for this week!
Hanging Knee/Leg Raises
6 sets/reps 12, 12,10, 10, 8, 8
Lift knees or legs, depending on your strength level, toward your hands
As you lift, roll your hips upward while rounding your spine
Slowly and in control, lower your legs back to start position
Cable Rope Crunches
6 sets/reps 15, 15,12, 12, 10, 10
Kneel on a yoga mat while grasping the rope above your head near your ears
Crunch down while rounding your spine, keeping abs contracted
Slowly release your abs while returning to start position
Make sure you stack the weight heavy enough that you feel the burn in your abs
Keep movement slow and controlled and do not use hip movements