GOAL:
Program for increasing muscle mass dedicated to beginners.
DESCRIPTION:
Basic exercises + cables exercises to increase pumping training.
2 training session to alternate three times a week (1 week: A-B-A ; 2 week: B-A-B)
Use medium-heavy loads that allow to complete the series indicated with difficulty.
Reps 3 minutes
Rest 1 minute
START POSITION
Sit down holding yourself erect and grasp a barbell. Lean the barbell behind the neck and hold it parallel to the floor.
MOVEMENT
Twist the waist from side to side up to the maximum contraction of the muscle.
GOAL
The seated barbell twist involves all the abs both the central ones and the external oblique ones.
BREATHING
Breathe out moving towards one side and breathe in moving towards the opposite one.
TIPS
The exercise is used as warming-up to perform other more difficult abs exercises and for people not so trained, in order to strengthen the oblique abdominals. Twisting towards one side you should feel the contraction of the oblique abdominals on the opposite side.
Muscle Map
Reps 20-20-20
Rest 1 minute
START POSITION
Sit on a roman bench securing the ankles to the bench and lower the chest up to the maximum tension of abs.
MOVEMENT
Flex your chest forward, hold the contraction of the abdominals for a moment and than bring the chest back to the starting position.
GOAL
The roman bench crunch or sit-up exercise focuses on the rectus abdominis and the external oblique abdominal. The position of the legs is such that it involves the top of the quadriceps (rectus femoris), especially when the abdominals are not trained.
BREATHING
Breathe out flexing your chest forward and breathe bringing the chest back to the starting position.
TIPS
The motion of the chest shouldn’t be extreme, but the range of motion should be such that the muscle contraction is steady both flexing down or lifting up. You can lean your hands on the abdominals, or on chest or cross them behind the head. The more the hands are up and more difficult the exercise is. Flexing forward you can twist lateral and train the oblique abdominals too. As many exercises for abdominals, this one involves the quadriceps (rectus femoris) too, especially when the abdominals are not trained. So after performing this exercise it’s normal to feel muscle soreness of the thighs.
MISTAKES
– Don’t flex backward the chest too much not to overload the lumbar region.
– Don’t flex forward the chest too much in order to keep the abs contraction.
– Flexing forward and backward slowly.
Muscle Map
Reps 15-15-15
Rest 1 minute
START POSITION
Kneel in front of the cables and grasp a rope or a handle with both hands. You can place yourself both in front of or with the back toward the equipment.
MOVEMENT
Flex the chest up to the maximum contraction of abs without touching the floor.
GOAL
The cable crunch exercise is the best one to strengthen the whole abdominal wall, using the steady resistance of cables.
BREATHING
Breathe out flexing yourself and holding the contraction, breathe in bringing the chest back to the starting position.
TIPS
You can grasp the rope/handle with the hands on the head, with the hands to the sides of the neck or even with hands in front of the chest. The more hands are up, greater the resistance is and therefore the effort, set on the equipment for the same weigh, is greater. You can flex by turns towards left side and right side. In this case you strengthen the oblique abdominals and in particular the serratus anterior muscle.
MISTAKES
You shouldn’t move the hips, but only contract the abdominals in order to stimulate the flexing movement.
Muscle Map
Reps 15-15-15
Rest 1 minute
START POSITION
Place yourself between the parallel bars, lean the back and the elbows against the provided pads, the body is straight and in vertical position; the shoulders push downwards and are aligned with the vertical axis of the elbows.
MOVEMENT
Lift up the legs bending the knees and bringing them towards the shoulders. During the return phase control the speed with which you lower the legs, in order not to arch the back.
GOAL
The exercise involves the rectus abdominis and in particular the lower part of the muscle.
BREATHING
Breathe in when the legs are lowered, breathe out during the motion.
TIPS
It is a very hard exercise and it isn’t fit for beginners. It’s very important the upward push of the arms, when you are in the starting position, in order to hold the shoulders wide open.
MISTAKES
Control the motion speed, do not lift up the knees leaping, in this way you load and arch the back.
Muscle Map