top of page

Abdominal programs

The general obsession with a firm and well-defined abdominal area is not about to stop, judging by the number of advertisements for equipment intended to work this part of the body. The only problem with these machines, as with most abs programs even those used by beginners and intermediate bodybuilders, is the lack of progression in the training process.

Despite your enthusiasm and good intentions, you may be doing endless reps, day after day, with zero or disappointing results. To build your abdominal muscles, the secret is to graduate training based on what has been achieved each week. If you're willing to dedicate six weeks to this progressive abs program, you'll be amazed at the toned muscles and firm waistline you'll finally be able to flaunt. Certainly, it is not easy to have good abs, especially in the absence of genetic predisposition. If you're prone to gaining fat around your belly, it'll take more than a series of exercises to bring out your abs. To get results, you have to combine a healthy and balanced diet, do regular cardio training and, of course, a complete abs training program. Rather than suggesting that you do the same things week after week, the plan proposed here modulates these parameters over 1.5 months. It aims to bring your abs to the top in 6 weeks.

Cutting the abdominal strap

First you need to understand what you are trying to do. The rectus is actually a long muscle extending from the lower part of the pectorals to the pubis. Although considered to form a single muscle, it can be worked from different angles to better target particular regions (just as the incline press works more on the top of the pecs). It is true that you can never totally isolate the upper part of the abs from the lower part, but certain exercises activate one more effectively than the other. The difference isn't huge, but it's enough to warrant a full range of motion for this muscle group.

In general, stabilizing the torso and raising the pelvis (and the feet) puts more strain on the subumbilical region, while raising the rib cage towards the pelvis and the lower body held in a fixed position involves more of the upper part. ABS. In an abs session, we frequently include a third component: the work of the small and large obliques. These muscles are separate from the rectus abdominis, but are often considered part of core abdominal training. Generally they are solicited by exercises where one brings one shoulder closer to the knee on the opposite side. The intensive 6-week abs program below is designed to develop all parts of the core. Each week you will progress by selecting slightly more advanced exercises or making other changes to your work pattern, but each session should include an exercise for the upper abs, lower abs, and obliques. Training each region equally creates balance not only of that muscle group, but of the entire body as well.

When to do abs?

 

The best time to work these muscles comes down to personal preference. The answers to the questions below may affect the scheduling of your session.

Are your abs a deficient muscle group?
If so, you need to prioritize them in your training in order to develop them.

Will you want to work your abs after a strenuous session?
If you're tired after a hard workout, you'll struggle to find enough energy to exercise your abs. Instead, try to do them at the beginning of the session.

​

Frequency

 

It's quite amusing to hear about practitioners who work their abs every day thinking that it will develop them faster. Would you ever think of exercising your pecs daily to make them bigger? Remember that the abs are like any other muscle group: they need stimulation and recovery to grow, and it's just as easy to overtrain and stall any progress. That said, these muscles actually seem to recover faster than larger muscle groups. After an intense session of legs, you can drag your leg for a few days, but, after 48 hours, the abs are no longer painful. As a benchmark, know that if your abs still hurt, it's because they are not ready to be reworked. Also think of these as postural muscles and that you also involve them, up to a point, in many other exercises, although this is usually not enough to fully develop them. In our intensive 6-week abs program, you'll work these muscles every other day, or seven times over a 14-day period.

​

The key to having a flat stomach

 

Here, progression is the key word and the parameters that you will modify are the exercises themselves, your diet and your cardiovascular work. Let's see how your training goes and remember that since this program is designed to complement your regular strength training, you need to keep lifting weights! In our schedule, you will never do more than 25 reps. Once you get to that maximum with proper form (and getting a good contraction at the end of each movement), you'll need to gradually increase the resistance. During the mass and strength gain phase, you will only do 8 reps. If you're looking for muscular endurance without wanting a lot of volume, then do high reps. However, since localized slimming cannot be achieved, do not expect to have well-defined abs, as this result is more due to diet and cardio activities.

At the training level

 

Technique is key. If it's a rule in bodybuilding, it's an unavoidable law for abs. You'll start by building a base for these muscles, meaning the first few weeks will be spent building endurance and perfecting technique. This complete program targets the upper and lower abs as well as the obliques, alternating each week which area will be used first.

In each session, you will perform nine supersets, or three sets of two exercises for each part of the abdominal strap. Week 1 will start with the endurance phase, with a maximum of 25 reps and fairly easy exercises with no rest between supersets.

Over the weeks, you will add resistance or choose more difficult movements performed in shorter sets (8 to 12 repetitions) in order to gain strength and increase volume; you will also lengthen the breaks between sets by resting up to 45 seconds maximum.

​

cardio

 

Cardiovascular work is essential to burn calories and fat reserves and give a boost to the metabolism. The first steps of this program aim to establish a good base of physical condition thanks to 3 or 4 weekly sessions of at least 30 minutes. During weeks 3 to 5, you start doing cardio sessions for up to 1 hour if you find that your figure is not changing.

​

Food

 

As you've probably already seen, diet plays a big role in defining your midsection. If you eat too much, you'll never see your abs, no matter how hard you work them. From the start of this 6-week program, keep a food diary and get into the habit of writing down everything you eat. This will allow you to control your food intake, calories and nutrients, and more importantly, you will be less likely to cheat if you know you will have to write it down. Eat six small, well-balanced meals spread over the day, consisting of nutrient-rich foods, low in saturated fats and sugars with enough protein (about 2.2 g/day per kg of body weight). In addition, you will eliminate dairy products to minimize the effects of lactose which causes loss of definition. Over the six weeks, you will decrease your calorie intake so that you have a daily calorie deficit. This will help burn fat. By continuing to weight train, you won't lose muscle and your metabolism will stay elevated. Be sure to get all the essential nutrients, including fiber, vitamins and minerals. Tune in to your body, because if calorie restriction is excessive, it will start using muscle tissue for fuel. You will need to precisely modulate your calories from week to week depending on how your body responds to the program. Drinking plenty of water (4-5 litres) will help keep your muscles full and drained for the first five weeks. During week 6, you will reduce water intake, which will eliminate water retention (subcutaneous water) and bring out muscle relief.

6 week bodybuilding program

Abs training frequency: 3-4 times per week.

Week 1

  • Order: Up, down, oblique (during the six weeks, work each part with 2 exercises combined in superset).

  • Reps/sets: Do 25 reps of each superset; three passes in all.

  • Rest: No rest unless necessary.

  • Cardio: 3 times a week. 30 minutes. 60 to 70% of FCM (maximum heart rate).

  • Diet: Eat 2.2g protein/kg body weight evenly distributed over meals (over the six weeks). Drink plenty of water until the 5th week.

Week 2

  • Order: Low, oblique, high.

  • Reps/sets: Do 20 reps of each superset; three passes in all.

  • Rest: No rest during the superset; 30 seconds rest between supersets.

  • Cardio: 4 times a week. 30 minutes. 65-75% of FCM.

  • Diet: Reduce base calorie intake by 250 calories.

Week 3

  • Order: Oblique, up, down.

  • Reps/sets: Do 15 reps of each superset; 30 seconds rest between supersets.

  • Rest: No rest during the superset; 30 seconds rest between supersets.

  • Cardio: 4 times a week. 30 minutes. 65-75% of FCM.

  • Reduce your base calorie intake by 250 to 500 calories.

Week 4

  • Order: Up, down, oblique.

  • Reps/sets: Do 8-12 reps of each superset; three passes in all. Choose exercises that require more strength to perform, such as straight leg raises.

  • No rest during the superset; 45 seconds of rest between supersets.

  • Cardio: 4 times a week. 30 minutes. 70-80% of FCM.

  • Diet: Maintain the calorie deficit of 250 to 500 calories.

Week 5

  • Order: low, oblique, high.

  • Reps/sets: Do 8-12 reps of each superset; three passes in all.

  • Rest: No rest during the superset; 45 seconds of rest between supersets.

  • Cardio: 4 times a week. 60 minutes. 70-80% of FCM.

  • Diet: Do your assessment and adjust calorie intake accordingly.

Week 6

  • Order: Oblique, up, down.

  • Reps/sets: Do 20 reps of each superset; three passes in all.

  • Rest: No rest during the superset; minimum rest between supersets.

  • Cardio: 4 times a week. 60 minutes. 70-80% of FCM.

  • Diet: Do your assessment and adjust calorie intake accordingly. Reduce water intake.

bottom of page