How quickly can you pump up your abs?
As for the timing, on average, it takes at least a month of regular exercise . It is better to exercise every day, spending half an hour on exercises. Assurances that there are miracle programs that can help you achieve perfect abs at home in a week are simply a myth.
The task becomes more complicated if the girl is overweight. A layer of fat on the abdomen more than 1 cm thick will hide the cubes even during the most intense exercise. In this case, strength training is necessarily accompanied by weight loss exercises (running, walking ), healthy eating and drying the body .
Features of the formation of abs in girls
- Firstly, compared to men, they have less testosterone, which is responsible for slimness and weight.
- Secondly, for athletes the norm is 9-15% of the fat layer, for female athletes - 18-20%. The relief is noticeable if the layer does not exceed 12%.
In this situation, it turns out that the cubes on a woman’s stomach are more a deviation than the norm.
Nevertheless, a systematic approach, including the right selection of exercises, gives excellent results. Special techniques and 3 workouts per week will help you achieve six-pack abs on your stomach. Perform them 12-20 times in 3-4 sessions. If you are overweight, devote 30 minutes to cardio and strength training techniques, separately working out the upper, lower and lateral zones.
To tone your abs without increasing your waist size, don't focus on dynamic dumbbell crunches or side crunches and weight lifting. To increase the load, ankle weights or 1 kg shells are sufficient.
How to properly pump up abs for girls
Now let's talk about the basic rules of the exercises. Even if you plan to exercise exclusively at home, you will not need special sports equipment. It’s entirely possible to do it on your own. It is best to do the press while lying on the floor, as we need a rigid base. Be sure to use a special mat for yoga or fitness classes.
Start each session with a warm-up. It doesn’t matter in what form - muscle stretching , gymnastics, dancing. Well-warmed abdominal muscles are the key to more effectively performed basic exercises. You need to start exercising 2 hours after eating and no later than 2 hours before going to bed.
Removing the tummy after childbirth - attention! Danger!
Dear young mothers, remember once and for all, the female body is a balanced system. You can start any abdominal training only after 6-8 months after giving birth, and preferably after a year. Gymnastics, swimming, light bending until the first fatigue are ideal for you. No swaying of the press and no strong constriction of the abdomen.
It’s clear that you want to get a wasp waist faster, use gentle exercises on how to get rid of your belly, details are here, but don’t swing... Why?
- You can pump up not your abs, but your hernia.
- Get uterine bleeding.
I think these reasons alone should be enough.
Abdominal muscle anatomy
When it comes to the abs, it will be useful to know that the abdominal muscles are not limited to 6-8 packs and, moreover, there are no upper and lower abs. Cubes are only the visible part of the abdominal muscles, under which lie deeper layers. The abs, like the lumbar muscles, belong to the core muscles. This is a whole complex of muscles responsible for stabilizing the pelvis, hips and spine. Strong core muscles mean beautiful posture, a flat stomach and a healthy spine.
Anatomy of the core muscles:
- rectus abdominis muscle;
- oblique abdominal muscles;
- transverse abdominis muscle;
- adductor muscles;
- small and medium gluteal muscles;
- muscles of the back of the thigh;
- infraspinatus muscle;
- coracobrachialis muscle.
The complete muscle atlas presents the following picture.
Abdominal muscles:
Core muscles:
Abdominal exercises for girls at home
Next, we will talk about the most effective exercises for girls for each of these muscle groups. In most cases, the abs need to be pumped while lying down.
Exercises for the rectus abdominis muscle
In the superficial layer is the rectus abdominis muscle, which is responsible for the visibility of those same cubes, provided that you have a low percentage of fat. This is a single paired muscle that is located on the anterior abdominal wall. It is not divided into either upper or lower abs. This division is adopted only for simplicity of expression. The rectus abdominis muscle consists of 6-8 cubes, the number of which is determined genetically and cannot be influenced.
| Classic twist - lying on the floor, legs bent at the knees, hands behind the head. Raise the upper part of the body 20-30 centimeters from the floor, and freeze in this position for 3 seconds. We do 2 sets of 15 movements. For greater load, you can use a ball. |
| Backbends - lying on your stomach, legs extended, hands clasped behind your back. We lift the upper body, lifting it as high as possible from the floor, fixate ourselves, and take 5 slow exhalations. 2 sets of 10 movements. |
| Lying leg raises are a strength exercise for pumping up the abs, performed while lying on your back with straight, outstretched legs. The legs slowly rise up, becoming perpendicular to the floor surface. 1 set of 10 movements. |
| Accordion – the exercise is performed while sitting, legs straightened forward. Slowly lift them from the floor by 20-30 cm, fix them for a few seconds, then pull them towards the chest. 2 sets of 15 movements. |
| Walking steps - lying down, legs extended, hands behind your head. Raise your legs 45 degrees from the floor and quickly make “stepping” movements. 1 set of 35 “steps” per leg. |
| Raising the legs and pelvis from a supine position - lying on the floor, legs bent at the knees. Using the strength of the abdominal muscles, we lift the pelvis and straighten the legs above the head. 1 set of 25 movements. |
| “Scissors” – lying on your side, legs extended and raised 30 cm from the floor. With straight legs we perform swinging, crossing movements. 2 sets of 30 movements. |
| Research shows that there is no difference in exercises for the “upper” and “lower” abs. All of them involve the entire rectus abdominis muscle, only some exercises to some extent work more on the upper section, and some on the lower. |
Exercises for oblique abdominal muscles (external and internal)
Girls should not get carried away with exercises on the oblique abdominal muscles, much less perform them with weights. Frequently performing side and cross twists, bending from side to side using additional weight does not remove the sides at all, but makes the waist even wider. Therefore, if your goal is to remove your sides and strengthen your oblique muscles, minimize or completely eliminate lateral dynamic exercises and pay attention to the side plank (this exercise will be discussed below).
| Cross twisting - the exercise is performed lying on your back and in a half-sitting position, legs suspended, knees bent so that the calves are parallel to the floor surface. We stretch one leg at a time and hold it in this position for several seconds. 2 sets of 15 movements. |
| Tilts from side to side - in a standing position, rhythmically bend to the right and left. For additional load, you can use dumbbells. 3 sets of 30 bends in each direction. |
| Lateral twist - lying on your back, legs bent at the knees and pulled up to the chest. Keeping the upper part of the body motionless, we throw the bent legs from side to side using the force of the press. 3 sets of 30 movements. |
| The big misconception of many girls is that they think that exercises on the lateral (oblique) abdominal muscles will visually make the waist narrower compared to the hips. On the contrary, developed lateral muscles make the waist wider and the figure more straight |
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Core exercises
There is only one exercise for the core muscles - the plank, in which all muscle groups are involved at once. It is not aimed at pumping up cubes, the main goal is to strengthen the muscle corset, which allows you to make your stomach more toned and your waist narrower.
Classic plank
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If you don’t have enough strength to do the exercise, try a lighter version - with emphasis on bent knees. As you master it, you can move on to more complex variations of the plank.
Side plank
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Plank with push-ups
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Plank jump
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Plank with arm extension
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Transition bar
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Abdominal training program at home
As practice shows, working out your abs every day is not only useless, but also harmful. The abdominal muscles, like other muscles, need to recover, which will take at least 48 hours. Therefore, we will consider a training program for girls, designed for 2-3 sessions per week, alternating a set of exercises. Training for girls should include:
2-3 exercises for the rectus abdominis muscles; 1-2 core exercises; vacuum exercise.
First set of exercises:
| Exercise | Approaches | Repetitions |
| lying leg lift | 3 | 15-20 |
| "harmonic" | 3 | 15-20 |
| side twist | 3 | 15-20 |
| exercise "Plank" | 3 | 30-60 sec |
Second set of exercises:
| Exercise | Approaches | Repetitions |
| "steps on weight" | 3 | 15-20 |
| lifting the legs and pelvis from a lying position | 3 | 15-20 |
| "scissors" | 3 | 15-20 |
| exercise "Plank" | 3 | 30-60 sec |
Third set of exercises:
| Exercise | Approaches | Repetitions |
| deflections | 3 | 15-20 |
| classic twist | 3 | 15-20 |
| leg straightening | 3 | 15-20 |
| exercise "Plank" | 3 | 30-60 sec |
To make it more convenient for you to practice, we have prepared a special table on how to pump up your abs at home in 30 days .
The table file can be downloaded completely free of charge from this link.
Exercise "Vacuum"
The exercises described above will not help you lose excess weight, make your stomach flat and reduce your waist circumference. With their help, you will give it relief (the cubes will become noticeable) and only on the condition that you do not have excess weight.
But there is one exercise in which the internal abdominal muscles, which are responsible for retracting the abdominal wall, are involved. This is a vacuum exercise . By doing it daily, you:
- reduce the percentage of internal fat;
- get rid of a distended abdomen;
- make your waist visually thinner;
- you will get a flat stomach without the risk of pumping up your abs.
Technique for performing the “Vacuum” exercise:
- stand up straight or take a lying position;
- slowly take a deep breath through your nose;
- With a powerful exhalation, get rid of the air, drawing in your stomach as much as possible;
- stay in this position for 10-15 seconds.
- exhale. Repeat the exercise 10 times.
If you are not trying to get six-pack, but just want to tighten your stomach and make it flatter, then this exercise is just for you.
In building a six-pack, 90% of success comes from diet. Therefore, if you are overweight, reconsider your diet. And remember, by pumping up your abs, you will not make your stomach thinner, but only give it definition. And then, provided that the percentage of body fat is minimal.
How long does it take to pump up your abs to get six-packs?
The time it takes for abs to appear on the stomach is calculated individually for each person. Everyone has abs, even obese people, but they are visible only when the percentage of fat reserves in the body does not exceed the norm. To get sculpted abs at home, you need to exercise regularly and eat right, reducing carbohydrates in your diet.
For an overweight person, the process will be long - you need to lose weight so that the cubes become noticeable. For those whose weight is within normal limits, the speed at which results appear will depend on the intensity and systematicity of training. You won’t notice any noticeable changes in a week, but if you work out every day with full dedication, in a few months you’ll be able to boast of pumped-up abs.
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