Steel abs, how do you train?

Endurance plays an important role in good posture and physical performance, but how do you get abs of steel?

This abdominal endurance is the ability of your abs to maintain a workload for long periods of time.

You may not realize it, but simply standing all day with your bones and joints aligned and honoring the three natural curves of your spine requires a lot of work from your midsection.

You need endurance to maintain this good posture and a solid foundation from which your limbs move.

If you have good posture but poor abdominal endurance, you may experience back pain and other undesirable muscle imbalances.

What about the abs?

Most people see the abs as the small, hard blocks in the middle of their torso, but the muscular system is actually much more complex.

Your abdominal wall is made up of the rectus abdominis (the six-pack), internal and external obliques that run along the sides of your rectus abdominis, and the transverse abdominis, which lies beneath the internal oblique.

We include the serratus anterior because if you can see the muscles on the upper part of your rib cage, you already look like a bodybuilder—and if you are one, you know what we mean.

The abdominal muscles help the torso flex, extend, and rotate; most importantly, these muscles also help the torso remain stable against flexion, extension, and rotation.

If you only train them to flex by doing endless crunches, you will not activate each muscle in a way that allows them to grow.

Like any other muscle in the body, the abs must be trained from multiple angles and dimensions so they can really stand out.

Alongside training, it is also important to follow a balanced diet, eat foods that improve your digestion, and occasionally add a diuretic or thermogenic supplement.

Training your abs at home

Having those defined abs is everyone's goal, including yours, whether you are a professional or not. Are we wrong? Then…

• To work this muscle group more effectively, you should vary your exercises according to each way your abdominal wall functions.

On Monday, our MM Fit trainer Iván prepared an intense but effective workout in which you will use only a weight, a mat, and a towel.

Remember to warm up before training and cool down your muscles by stretching as we show you in the video.

Also keep in mind that because you really activate your abs by doing many other exercises such as squats, deadlifts, military presses, etc., it is better to give your rectus abdominis a break during the week.

Although you may not be training your abs directly, they still receive stimulation during your compound lifts.

As your abs develop and grow stronger, you can shorten the duration of your workout and include them in your workouts every other day.