As we get more conscious about out health and fitness, more and more people are trying to learn how to build muscle effectively. One of the biggest areas of interest is celebrity workouts and today we are going to delve into the Sylvester Stallone abs workout to explain how "Rocky" achieved his physique.
Despite the many celebrity workout plans which are keen to introduce the 'next big thing' or or present a new miracle weight loss formula, the ones which stand the test of time are those which focus on the proven basics. This one does just that and if you can combine it with some of the solid principles to a muscle building diet you will see great results.
Don't let this fool you, however. The workout may stick the the old classic movements but it certainly isn't easy. Naturally, given that you want to train like Rocky you probably weren't looking for something simple.
While some of the movements today will seem very familiar there are also a few old classics that most fitness enthusiasts have forgotten about so we'll provide you with a guide to each one.
* Crunches on the floor.
* Crunches with a twist.
* Hanging Knee Raise.
* Rotary Oblique Twists.
* The wheel.
The first stop in today's workout is a regular crunch. The trouble with crunches is most people perform them slightly wrong and put unnecessary stress on their neck by pulling from behind the head. For those who feel back discomfort while doing floor crunches, feel free to use an exercise ball instead. Sly himself made this change during the late nineties.
The aim here is to perform three sets of 30 reps. If you can't manage this at first you should start with fifteen and increase the reps as your strength improves. The technique here is very simple. Simply focus your attention on tensing the upper stomach muscles as you reach the peak of each repetition, resulting in a brief pause before returning to the starting position.
Another of Sly's favorite exercises is crunches with an additional twist at the end of each rep. This allows you to place the emphasis of the move on the oblique muscles. Most of us know these as the tiny muscles which run down the outside of the six pack area.
The hanging knee raise is an exercise which is performed incorrectly by most gym members. People tend to place too much emphasis on their legs and this results in a good workout for your hip flexor muscles but leave the abs relatively untrained. The golden rule for this particular exercise, which was adopted by Sly himself, is to bend at the knee to eliminate the temptation to swing. Contract the lower abdominal muscles to lift your knees up. Focus on rolling your abs back as you complete the move, making this a very tough exercise.
In the gym, Sly has stated on many occasions that if he could only take one core strength exercise with him to desert island it would be the next one. Rotary oblique twists, also known as broomstick twists, are a fantastic move for toning and strengthening your obliques. By performing this move on a decline bench you'll also be able to strengthen your entire core section, including your lower back.
Your final exercise is as old as the gym itself. The ab wheel was one of the first pieces of core stability equipment to be developed and it's so effective at it's job that the design hasn't changed very much over the last 50 years.
The trick is all in the technique. Get this wrong and you won't feel it where you are supposed to, or you will end up falling flat onto your face! Slowly roll the wheel away from your knees until you reach a point where you cannot roll any further forward without compromising your balance. As you become stronger and more familiar with the move you'll be able to generate a bigger range of movement.
Make no mistakes, the Sylvester Stallone abs workout is every bit as tough as you would expect it to be. However, if your primary goal is to learn how to build muscle with classic, old school moves then this workout definitely has some great benefits to it.
Despite the many celebrity workout plans which are keen to introduce the 'next big thing' or or present a new miracle weight loss formula, the ones which stand the test of time are those which focus on the proven basics. This one does just that and if you can combine it with some of the solid principles to a muscle building diet you will see great results.
Don't let this fool you, however. The workout may stick the the old classic movements but it certainly isn't easy. Naturally, given that you want to train like Rocky you probably weren't looking for something simple.
While some of the movements today will seem very familiar there are also a few old classics that most fitness enthusiasts have forgotten about so we'll provide you with a guide to each one.
* Crunches on the floor.
* Crunches with a twist.
* Hanging Knee Raise.
* Rotary Oblique Twists.
* The wheel.
The first stop in today's workout is a regular crunch. The trouble with crunches is most people perform them slightly wrong and put unnecessary stress on their neck by pulling from behind the head. For those who feel back discomfort while doing floor crunches, feel free to use an exercise ball instead. Sly himself made this change during the late nineties.
The aim here is to perform three sets of 30 reps. If you can't manage this at first you should start with fifteen and increase the reps as your strength improves. The technique here is very simple. Simply focus your attention on tensing the upper stomach muscles as you reach the peak of each repetition, resulting in a brief pause before returning to the starting position.
Another of Sly's favorite exercises is crunches with an additional twist at the end of each rep. This allows you to place the emphasis of the move on the oblique muscles. Most of us know these as the tiny muscles which run down the outside of the six pack area.
The hanging knee raise is an exercise which is performed incorrectly by most gym members. People tend to place too much emphasis on their legs and this results in a good workout for your hip flexor muscles but leave the abs relatively untrained. The golden rule for this particular exercise, which was adopted by Sly himself, is to bend at the knee to eliminate the temptation to swing. Contract the lower abdominal muscles to lift your knees up. Focus on rolling your abs back as you complete the move, making this a very tough exercise.
In the gym, Sly has stated on many occasions that if he could only take one core strength exercise with him to desert island it would be the next one. Rotary oblique twists, also known as broomstick twists, are a fantastic move for toning and strengthening your obliques. By performing this move on a decline bench you'll also be able to strengthen your entire core section, including your lower back.
Your final exercise is as old as the gym itself. The ab wheel was one of the first pieces of core stability equipment to be developed and it's so effective at it's job that the design hasn't changed very much over the last 50 years.
The trick is all in the technique. Get this wrong and you won't feel it where you are supposed to, or you will end up falling flat onto your face! Slowly roll the wheel away from your knees until you reach a point where you cannot roll any further forward without compromising your balance. As you become stronger and more familiar with the move you'll be able to generate a bigger range of movement.
Make no mistakes, the Sylvester Stallone abs workout is every bit as tough as you would expect it to be. However, if your primary goal is to learn how to build muscle with classic, old school moves then this workout definitely has some great benefits to it.
About the Author:
What to do next: Get your sylvester stallone abs workout for free from celebrity trainer Russ Howe PTI's blog. Learn how to build muscle with the UK's most followed personal trainer for free.
No comments:
Post a Comment