Everyone wants abs. Or at least 95% of the male population does! Abs make a physique stand out and are extremely pleasing on the eye. Some people have the gift of being born with visible ab muscles and a six pack whereas others have to work for it. Remember though that just because you have a flat stomach does not mean you will have an impressive set of abs. Abs are just like training any other muscle group and need the correct type of training in order to grow. Here’s why your ab muscles are not growing:
You Completely Neglect Them!
A lot of people discard ab training because they are bulking and looking to build muscle. They are under the impression that their ab muscles will not be visible when they bulk due to the small amounts of fat they may gain. It’s true that your abs are likely to fade away a little during a bulk but by eating in a calorie surplus we give our body the ideal chance to build new muscle tissue. This applies to your ab muscles as well. Just because you cant see them does not mean training them will be a complete waste of time! Your ab muscles will grow far better when you are taking in a calorie surplus on a regular basis.
Once you cut down your body fat you will see them. When we attempt to lose weight we need to consume a calorie deficit. When we do this the body will find it a lot harder to build any significant new muscle tissue. Do not add your ab workouts into your routine when you start cutting. Add it in when you are bulking up and looking to put on muscle. If you want to see improvements in your abs then train them like you would any other muscle group!
You Do Not Train Them Enough!
I am sure you have all heard of overtraining a muscle but its also possible to not train them enough! How many sets and reps do you perform for abs? Do you just throw in a couple of sets for your abs at the end of your workout once a week? If this sounds like you then you are not training your ab muscles hard enough. Would you do that for your chest? Just throw in a couple of sets at the end of the workout? No, of course you wouldn’t!
Ab muscles are slightly different from other muscles groups in terms of size and recovery time. Ab muscles are relatively small. Because they are such a small muscle they recover quicker and can therefore be trained numerous times a week. If you are looking to train them numerous times a week a sensible amount would probably be 2 or 3. Give yourself a day or two between workouts to help them recover before you train them again.
Your Ab Sessions Are Not Intense Enough!
You probably associate intensity with far more gruelling workouts such as leg day or maybe even back day. In truth every workout session should be intense enough for your muscles to feel fatigued and your ab sessions are no different. Don’t just perform 3 sets of weighted ab crunches every week. Add more sets and perform more/less reps some weeks. Add more weight, lower your rest times or add some dropsets or supersets into your routine. These are all great for upping the intensity of your workouts and will help you really blast those ab muscles hard and build an impressive six pack.
