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.
Make no mistake about it, the sculpted six pack you see in the Rocky movies didn't come cheap. However, if you can combine this style of training with some of the proven muscle building principles towards your diet and rest you will see fantastic results with it.
This workout is quite brutal and you are going to be pushed very hard. However, there is something about training like Rocky Balboa that seems to warrant a brutal session like this. After all, if it was ridiculously easy you would probably complain, right?
There are a few exercises in today's workout which you may not have encountered before so we will walk you through each one.
* Floor Crunch.
* Twisting Crunches
* Hanging Knee Raise.
* Broomstick Twist.
* Ab Wheel Roll-out.
The first exercise on today's schedule is the good old crunch. If you are able to perform this on the floor without any equipment then you should do that, however if you want to use an exercise ball to provide comfort for your back then this is a perfectly fine adaptation to make. In fact, Sly made this change himself in the late 1990's after injuring his lower back on a during a stunt on the disaster movie Daylight.
Attempt to perform three sets of thirty repetitions of the floor crunch. If you find this too difficult, you can start by aiming for fifteen and working your way up to the target figure at a later date. The key to crunches is maintaining a slow tempo, really focusing on the contraction of the upper abs each time you reach the top of a repetition.
Twisting crunches offer a good variation on the standard method and will target the oblique muscles, which run down the side of the six pack. They have the same principles as a regular crunch, but by aiming your elbow at it's opposing knee you will be able to target the small oblique muscles on each side of your stomach.
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.
The broomstick twist is an incredibly basic movement, yet it is the exercise credited with giving Sly his sculpted six pack for Rocky VI. To perform this move simply acquire a decline bench and place a broomstick or barbell across your shoulders. As you sit upright, twist to each side for ten repetitions. The combination of the twisting motion and the decline bench will present a fantastic opportunity for your to develop the midsection you have wanted to achieve for years.
Finally, we move onto the wheel. This piece of equipment has existed in gyms for many decades and remains one of the most underutilized pieces of kit. The reason this exercise is kept until last is because you won't want to work out any longer if you get this technique correct.
Come up onto your knees and simply push the wheel out in front of you as far as your balance will allow, the roll it back towards your body. Try to perform thirty repetitions without resting. As you progress here you will notice that you are able to wheel further away from your centre of gravity and provide yourself with an even tougher workout. To begin with, however, try to reach shoulder level with the wheel on each rep.
There you have it, folks. The Sylvester Stallone abs workout is a brutal affair but you probably wouldn't want it any other way. After all, if you want to learn how to build muscle the same way The Italian Stallion did you should be prepared for some of the most brutal workouts you have performed in your life.
Make no mistake about it, the sculpted six pack you see in the Rocky movies didn't come cheap. However, if you can combine this style of training with some of the proven muscle building principles towards your diet and rest you will see fantastic results with it. This workout is quite brutal and you are going to be pushed very hard. However, there is something about training like Rocky Balboa that seems to warrant a brutal session like this. After all, if it was ridiculously easy you would probably complain, right?
There are a few exercises in today's workout which you may not have encountered before so we will walk you through each one.
* Floor Crunch.
* Twisting Crunches
* Hanging Knee Raise.
* Broomstick Twist.
* Ab Wheel Roll-out.
The first exercise on today's schedule is the good old crunch. If you are able to perform this on the floor without any equipment then you should do that, however if you want to use an exercise ball to provide comfort for your back then this is a perfectly fine adaptation to make. In fact, Sly made this change himself in the late 1990's after injuring his lower back on a during a stunt on the disaster movie Daylight.
Attempt to perform three sets of thirty repetitions of the floor crunch. If you find this too difficult, you can start by aiming for fifteen and working your way up to the target figure at a later date. The key to crunches is maintaining a slow tempo, really focusing on the contraction of the upper abs each time you reach the top of a repetition.
Twisting crunches offer a good variation on the standard method and will target the oblique muscles, which run down the side of the six pack. They have the same principles as a regular crunch, but by aiming your elbow at it's opposing knee you will be able to target the small oblique muscles on each side of your stomach.
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.
The broomstick twist is an incredibly basic movement, yet it is the exercise credited with giving Sly his sculpted six pack for Rocky VI. To perform this move simply acquire a decline bench and place a broomstick or barbell across your shoulders. As you sit upright, twist to each side for ten repetitions. The combination of the twisting motion and the decline bench will present a fantastic opportunity for your to develop the midsection you have wanted to achieve for years.
Finally, we move onto the wheel. This piece of equipment has existed in gyms for many decades and remains one of the most underutilized pieces of kit. The reason this exercise is kept until last is because you won't want to work out any longer if you get this technique correct.
Come up onto your knees and simply push the wheel out in front of you as far as your balance will allow, the roll it back towards your body. Try to perform thirty repetitions without resting. As you progress here you will notice that you are able to wheel further away from your centre of gravity and provide yourself with an even tougher workout. To begin with, however, try to reach shoulder level with the wheel on each rep.
There you have it, folks. The Sylvester Stallone abs workout is a brutal affair but you probably wouldn't want it any other way. After all, if you want to learn how to build muscle the same way The Italian Stallion did you should be prepared for some of the most brutal workouts you have performed in your life.
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