7 rules of ab training

1. If your abs are weak, then work on them at the beginning of the training
If your energy levels are decreasing during the course of the training, then it is highly possible you will be so tired by the end that you will simply leave out the ab exercises. The best solution for you is that you start your training with the ab exercises when your energy levels are full. Or you can work on your abdominal muscles between the exercises for other body parts.
 
2. Make sure your trainings are intense
Abdominal muscles require a different approach because they have the highest percentage of slow muscle tissue (red) in the body – this means we categorize them under slow or endurance muscles. The exercises for abs have to be composed in 3 to 5 series with 15 to 20 repetitions. If you also want to consolidate the core, then the exercises for stabilizing the body is a very good option. We know of different exercises for stabilization and what all of them have in common is that we have to hold the last move longer, so that we feel the muscles tensing. Static body position in a specific position should last from 30 to 60 seconds.

3. Learn the difference between lower, upper and side abdominal muscles
There are different categories of exercises that activate upper, lower or side abs. We need to know that no matter which exercise we choose, all the muscles will be included and we cannot include only upper or only lower abdominal muscles. With different exercises we can only focus on a certain part of abdominal muscles and we can decide which will be working more intensively.

4. For maximum results the exercises need to be diverse
Do you have a feeling that there are no visible results, even though you work very hard? The secret lays in the fact that your abdominal muscles adapt fast to the strains of the exercises. Because of that, the intensity of the exercises has to be changing regularly, different exercises have to be used and additional work-out accessories need to be included in the workout.

5. Hold your breath for a better contraction
With each exercise that we perform, we need to be focused on our breathing. Before the muscle contracts we need to breathe in. When we let go of the tension on the muscle, we breathe out and hold our breath in the final position. While we stretch the muscle we need to breathe accordingly. This means we breathe out until the starting position.

6. Give your muscles time to recover
Your muscles need time for regeneration and growth. Give them time and don’t train the same muscle group every day.  Even though abdominal muscles belong to a smaller muscle group and recover fast, train three times a week or approximately every 48 hours. Don’t forget to stimulate them indirectly with other exercises as well, so that the direct strain three times a week becomes a good starting point. If your muscles are weak and you are still a beginner, then it is sensible to work on your abs once to two times a week.

7. Food is important as well
It is true that the abs are not made in the kitchen, but are gained through hard work and exercising in the gym. However, the right diet is very important if you wish for beautiful and well defined abdominal muscles. You can exercise every day, but if your diet is not balanced, you will never even see the muscles, because they will stay hidden under the fat.

Sources:
- http://muvfitnessclubs.com/the-seven-laws-of-ab-training/
- http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/18-laws-of-ab-training.html