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ABSculpting 101, Part 1

ABS 101

By Hugo Rivera, About.com

Anatomy of the Abdominal Muscles

Anatomy of the Abdominal Muscles

First of all, everyone in this world is born with abs. Ask any student of college anatomy that has opened up a human body and analyzed what is inside. They will tell you that every human subject had abdominal muscles regardless of training. So if we all have abs, then how come we can't see them? The reason for that is the wall of fat covering them that is preventing them from being visible. This leads to the first rule for getting abs:

Principle #1:
In Order To Get Abs, You Need To Decrease Your Body Fat Percentage.


There is no "if's" or "but's" about this. Too much body fat and you won't be able to see you abs. In order for men to start seeing some of their abs they need to be at 10% or below. Women, on the other hands, start to see lines at 13% since women typically store body fat in other areas such as the hips and glutes.

In order to lower body fat, a good and balanced nutrition program consisting of 40% carbs, 40% proteins and 20% fats, in conjunction with cardiovascular exercise and a good weight training routine that exercises your whole body and includes abdominal work are the key to long term fat loss.

Principle #2:
To have the best-looking abs, one needs to exercise them correctly and understand abdominal anatomy in addition to following principle #1.


This principle is pretty much self-explanatory and it leads us to the next topic, which is that of abdominal anatomy.

Abdominal Anatomy
There Are Four Main Muscle Groups That Make Up The Full Abdominal Wall:

  • The Rectus Abdominis (composed of upper and lower abdominals)
  • The Oblique Muscles
  • The Intercostal Muscles
  • The Serratus Anterior


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