My go-to ab-etching ideal move is the crunch—but on an incline. No, not with my head at the lower end, but at the top—like this…
Remember, the optimal resistance curve for any muscle is loaded at the stretch and unloaded at contraction, which is what the above positioning accomplishes…
That’s because a muscle is strongest near its stretch position and weakest when it is at “peak” contraction due to fiber crowding, which causes impaired fiber recruitment…
In Old Man, Young Muscle I have two options for ab add-ons to the above incline crunch:
1) Flat-bench crunch, which causes more resistance at the weak contracted position
2) Incline hip curls, which is a midrange move providing synergy from the hip flexors while training the hip-curl function
I use a riser on #2, with my head at the high end; however, I recently came across this variation from former pro bodybuilder Lee Labrada on his Instagram (@LeeLabradaOfficial). His son Hunter is now in the hunt for the Olympia title and is a big—huge, actually—fan of this move…
The higher-incline provides more resistance than my low-incline version, so you’ll need strong abs to perform it correctly. Notice that his hips curl up off the bench. That is key; however, I personally would take my legs down a bit lower at the start for more stretch…
This is much better than a hanging leg raise or hanging knee up, both of which have way too much resistance at the top and cannot be performed correctly by 99 percent of trainees—they can’t curl their hips toward their torso.
As for Labrada’s version, he said, “The first time I did it, I just did 3 sets of 12, and I couldn’t flex my abs for two days.”
If you have a fairly strong core and want a unique variation for extra abdominal delineation, give this one a try.
Latest Release: Get the ideal exercise for each muscle, the best add-on moves for ultimate mass, complete 35-minute workouts, exercise start/finish photos and details on building muscle fast and efficiently in Old Man, Young Muscle.
And you still get The Muscle-On, Belly-Gone “Diet” ebook FREE for a limited time when you add Old Man, Young Muscle to your mass-building library. Go HERE.
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
—Steve Holman
Former Editor in Chief, Iron Man Magazine
www.X-Rep.com
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