Exercises

Abs of the Month Ash

Ash F.
Age:17
Height:5’11.5
Weight:195
Favorite Body Part: Chest & Abs
Waist: 31
Body fat: 7 %

 

About Ash

At the age of 8 years old I became a competitive swimmer. I started training 3 times a week and as I got older and stronger my swimming became more competitive and more intense, swimming as much as 11 times a week. this consistency led me to become one of the top swimmers for my age group in Canada in the 50m & 100 m freestyle. exercising has been a part of my life since I was very young. however at the age of 16 I got injured from over training for swimming and I changed my sights to working out. a few months after my injury, at the weight of 148 lbs, I curled my first dumbbell. As time went on, I learned more and more about muscle growth and genetics and diet and in 1 year I was able to gain 47lbs of muscle.

My Workout

I workout 3 days on 1 day off, I go to the gym after school almost every day at 4pm and workout until 5:30pm or 6pm depending on how i feel that day or my homework load. My focus is to be lean and athletic but well built. To do this I do 3 weeks of muscle building and 1 week of cardio mixed with a little bit of weights.
My workout schedule changes a little because some days i just don’t feel like working that body part, but i try to stick close to this.

Day 1 : Shoulders, traps, chest
Day 2: Biceps, Triceps, forearms
Day 3: Abs, Obliques
REST DAY
Day 4: Lower back, upper back
Day 5: Thighs
Day 6: Calves, Abs
REST DAY

The exercises I do for these body parts are always changing to keep my muscles confused.


Cardio:

Cardio is very important for muscle definition and to keep a healthy heart. Paced cardio is more for strengthening your heart where High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) focuses more on burning body fat.
on the week that I am doing cardio, I will run or bike to the gym holding a good pace, then at the gym I will do HIIT for 3 sets of 30 minutes and then 30 minutes of weights. The machine that is my most favorite for cardio would be the Elliptical. This is because it is just like running, however it takes the pressure off of your knees and keeps away injuries.

Diet:

I eat 5 – 7 times a day every 2 – 3 hours. this allows my body to take in the most protein for your body can only take in about 30 – 40 grams per meal. Also eating that regularly keeps my body fat down because it speeds up my metabolism. however for this to work you must eat HEALTHY.

My diet consists of Chicken, Salmon, Tuna, Cottage Cheese, Steak, Beef, Shrimp, milk, chocolate milk, etc.
but don’t forget to keep your meals balance, make sure you have your veggies, fruit, etc.

After my workouts, I go home and have 2 – 3 glasses of milk or chocolate milk. it is a great source of protein and re-fuels you for the next day.

Cottage cheese is extremely good too, it is high in protein, low in fat. I’m lucky in the way that I LOVE the taste of cottage cheese, i used to have it when I was much younger just for the taste. however i try to get my friends at school who ask me for tips to try it and they really dislike the taste of it.

Water is EXTREMELY important, it is what takes the nutrients to the cells of your body. I drink about 10 – 15 cups a day. DO NOT DRINK TOO MUCH water at one time, for it is fatal. Water intoxication is when you drink too much water at one time and it dilutes your sodium levels causing a dangerous shift in your electrolyte balance.

Supplements:

I don’t take supplements, I may have a protein bar here and there but that is only if I do not have time to have anything else. It is a last resort.

 

Abs:

Abs are one of the body parts most people want. Obviously there is tons of information about this on this website. I workout abs once or twice a week. you can work them every day, but I do abs with heavy weights so I need more recovery time. It’s all about Quality, not quantity.

Some of the workouts I do are:
— 5 sets x 10 reps of hanging leg raises ( bringing my toes all the way to the top of the bar and slowly back down to the ground)
— 5 sets x 10 reps of pull ups WITH a 40 lb dumbbell hanging off of each foot. ( when you do a pull up, your abs automatically contract, if you have 80 lbs of weight hanging off of your feet, this contraction will make your abs work very hard and will rip them up )
obviously you don’t need to use 40 lbs dumbbells, 5 lbs and 10 lbs work just as well depending on your strength.
— 5 sets x 10 reps Abdominal crunches on a Lat Pull Down Machine ( I will put the machine on 140 – 200 lbs, then I will grasp the bar in the middle with my palms facing me, pull the bar down the my upper chest, hold that, then contract my abs as hard as I can, trying to get my elbows to touch my ribs and obliques and then very slowly straighten my back keeping the bar at my chest. and then repeat. It is killer on your upper abs)

Ash

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