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ABDOMINALS |
ADVANCED
ROUTINE: RICHARD JONES
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WINNING HIS PRO CARD AT THE
2003 NPC USA Championships in Las Vegas, Richard Jones
is looking to make a big impact in the IFBB ranks. With
great symmetry and a cut-to-the-bone six-pack, you’d be wise
to not bet against him.
>>
This is Richard’s pre-contest ab workout he pairs it with
cardio in the morning.
>> Off-season, he
drops the rope crunch and bumps up his repetitions.
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#6 |
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EXERCISE |
SETS
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REPS
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Ab Wheel
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4
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To failure
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Rope Crunch |
4 |
25 |
| Hanging Leg Raise |
4 |
20-25 |
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Seated Knee-Up |
4 |
10 |
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AB WHEEL
START: “This is a hard
exercise, so I get it out of the way first,” Richard says.
“I don’t count reps on this.” Centre the ab wheel about 4–6
inches in front of your knees, which are slightly apart.
Your arms should be straight down from your shoulders,
elbows slightly bent.
MOVE: Slowly roll the
wheel out in front of you. “Don’t go too far out the first
time until you build some strength in your abs and auxiliary
muscles: your back and triceps,” Richard cautions. “I get a
nice stretch all the way out; my torso ends up probably 2–3
inches off the floor.”
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ROPE CRUNCH
START: “Facing the cable
station on your knees, grasp the ends of the rope and bring
your hands down to the top of your head, where they remain
fixed throughout the movement.
MOVE: Bring your
elbows toward your knees, squeezing your abs as you exhale,
and return under control to the start. “I try to keep my
hips stable because I want to focus on contracting and
stretching my abs. I don’t want to incorporate my lower
back, lats or triceps,” Richard says.
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HANGING
LEG RAISE
START:
“These are tough, but they hit the whole abdominal wall,
with emphasis on the lower-ab region,” Richard points out.
Place your hands roughly shoulder-width apart on the bar and
hang in a vertical position, torso erect.
MOVE: Contract your
abs while lifting your straightened legs up to horizontal,
then slowly lower your legs until your body returns to
vertical before beginning the next rep. “I perform every rep
this way — slowly and with control. The faster you perform
it, the more momentum builds, which lessens the tension on
the abs,” he adds.
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SEATED
KNEE-UP
START:
“At this point my abs are pretty fried, so I don’t
need a whole lot of reps,” Richard explains. Sit
crosswise, glutes slightly off the bench, hands
gripping it just outside your hips. Lean back and
raise your legs off the floor, knees slightly bent,
to start.
MOVE: After
leaning your torso forward while bringing your knees
toward your chest, crunch your abs at the top, then
slowly return to the start position.
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‘‘For a nice set of abs, you don’t
need to build them, you need to burn them,”
Richard says.
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Source:
One
of the
magazines of MUSCLE
& FITNESS
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