Welcome to the abs factory!

It was almost 11 pm— closing time at the gym—and I was on my way out when I suddenly heard sounds of commotion coming from the workout floor. Gym staffers, who wanted to shut shop and go home, were asking two members to skip their abs workout tonight, and try and come earlier the next day.

“But abs are the most important,” protested one of the members. “I’ll never get a sixpack if I don’t do at least 150 crunches a day.”

The arguments continued and I left. But not before thinking to myself how wrong the guys were. Overworking your abs is probably the single-largest gym mistake most people make in their quest for a harder core. Men’s Health contributor Michael A. Clark, D.P.T., insists that for any normalbodied man (read: not a competitive body builder), a total rep count of 150 repetitions, with proper form and intensity, is more than enough.

Mike recommends the following three exercises to help strengthen the main abdominal muscles—the transverse abdominis and the multifidus, and also adds a piece of advice: “Perform the drawing-in manoeuvre with each move,” he says, which means you must pull in the portion of your abs below the navel, and you’ll activate your transverse abdominis even more!

1. The plank
Lie face down in a modified push-up position, with your forearms resting on the floor. Your elbows should be under your shoulders, and bent 90 degrees. With your weight resting on your elbows and toes, tuck your chin so your body forms a straight line from your heels to your ears. Keep your shoulder blades back and down and your stomach tight. Hold the position for 10 seconds, rest for 20 to 30 seconds, and repeat for a set of 10 repetitions.

2. Long-lever swiss-ball crunch
Lie on a Swiss-ball so that your head, shoulders and back are in contact with the ball. Straighten your arms above your head until they’re perpendicular to the floor. Lift your shoulder blades off the ball and reach straight up towards the ceiling with your hands. Pause for a count of two, then slowly lower yourself. Do three sets of 10 to 15 reps.

3.  C able lift
Attach a rope or a handle to a low-pulley cable, grasp the handle with both hands, and stand with your right side toward the weight stack. Bend your knees and push your hips back to lower yourself into a partial squat. Keeping your feet pointed forward and your arms straight, stand up as you rotate your shoulders to the left till your hands reach about nose level. Pause, then slowly return to the squat position. Perform three sets of 10 to 15 reps on each side.

Ask the MH guy…
Q. Do the calorie counters on treadmills really tell the truth? Nutan Chhugani, Mumbai
A. Most electronic calorie counters on cardio machines are about as honest as Indian politicians. They can overestimate your calories burned by up to 30 per cent. But if you’re on a machine that allows you to input your body weight, you may be able to keep the count honest. Key in a weight that’s 20 per cent lighter than your actual weight. For example, if you weigh 70 kgs, punch 56 into the machine. This will give you a more conservative, but truthful, calorie tally!

—Jamal Shaikh is Editor, Men’s Health. You may write in to him at jamal.shaikh@intoday.com

Caveat: The physical exercises described in Treadmill are not recommendations. Readers should exercise caution and consult a physician before attempting to follow any of these.