THE ABS AND CORE BLUEPRINT

Created by Fit Trainers and Paulo D. Orantes

The Abs And Core Blueprint 1 Fit-Trainers and Paulo D. Orantes

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The information provided in this book is for educational purposes only. I am not a
doctor and this is not meant to be taken as medical advice. The information
provided in this book is based upon my experiences as well as my interpretations
of the current research available.
The advice and tips given in this course are meant for healthy adults only. You
should consult your physician to insure the tips given in this course are appropriate
for your individual circumstances.
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The Abs And Core Blueprint 2 Fit-Trainers and Paulo D. Orantes

 Table Of Contents
Introduction: ........................................................................................................................................... 4
Chapter 1:................................................................................................................................................ 7
Great Abs Error #1: Failing To Change Your Workout Routine ........................................................... 7
Great Abs Error #2: Neglecting To Work Your Abs From All Angles.................................................... 8
Great Abs Error #3: Only Doing Supine Exercises................................................................................ 9
Great Abs Error #4: Training Abs First ................................................................................................. 9
Great Abs Error #5: Devoting Too Much Time To Abdominal Training ............................................. 10
Chapter 2:.............................................................................................................................................. 12
Rectus Abdominis .............................................................................................................................. 12
Transverse Abdominis ....................................................................................................................... 12
Obliques............................................................................................................................................. 12
Chapter 3:.............................................................................................................................................. 14
Leg Raises .......................................................................................................................................... 14
Planks................................................................................................................................................. 15
Renegade Rows ................................................................................................................................. 15
Medicine Ball Twists .......................................................................................................................... 16
Single Leg Movements ...................................................................................................................... 17
The Ab Wheel .................................................................................................................................... 17
Chapter 4:.............................................................................................................................................. 18
Reps ................................................................................................................................................... 18
Sets .................................................................................................................................................... 18
Rest .................................................................................................................................................... 19
Training Frequency ............................................................................................................................ 19
Chapter 5:.............................................................................................................................................. 21
Beginner ............................................................................................................................................ 21
Intermediate...................................................................................................................................... 21
Advanced ........................................................................................................................................... 22
Chapter 6:.............................................................................................................................................. 23
Sleep .................................................................................................................................................. 23
Stress ................................................................................................................................................. 24
Alcohol ............................................................................................................................................... 24
Chapter 7:.............................................................................................................................................. 26
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 28
More information ................................................................................................................................. 28

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 Introduction:
Why It’s So Hard To Get Six Pack Abs

Ever wonder why you see so few people walking around with a full on set of six pack abs – but yet,
the abdominal exercises mats are always flooded with people crunching their heart’s away on the
quest to this very goal?

Why aren’t they making better progress?

Why is it that so many people fail to see the results they desire?

Before we even go into the details on what it takes to get six pack abs, it’s important that you come
to realize why you have not yet seen success and why you may never see success into the future
unless you do some specific things that will help assure you don’t fall victim to the six path abs
illusion.

The six pack abs illusion is that if you do the right type and amount of abdominal exercises, you will
get firm and flat abs.

This is, after all, why all these people are taking up space on those ab mats, hoping they get closer to
this end goal.

The truth of the matter however is that this is NOT all it takes to get six pack abs. Sure, proper
abdominal exercises are incredibly important for not only helping you gain enough muscle size and
definition so that they are visible, but also for promoting a stronger core so that you prevent back
pain and improve your performance on a wide number of exercises that the abdominals are engaged
in.

But in addition to all those abdominal exercises, you need more.

The real reason why most people don’t see the results they want from their workout program is
simply because they’re too fat, to put it bluntly...

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The problem in most cases is the simple fact that over the years, you’ve added a nice layer of
‘padding’ to your midsection through all your poor food choices and your sedentary lifestyle
tendencies.

On and on this fat accumulates until the point where your abs are no longer visible on your body.
Maybe you can never remembering having them. If you were heavy as a child, there’s a good chance
you didn’t.

But, at the same rate, all it takes is one look at a young 6 year old boy running around his front lawn
playing who isn’t carrying excess body fat to realize that you don’t need crunches to get abs.

These kids have the full on ripped middle that most adults would kill for.

But yet, is he going at it on crunch mats daily?

You can bet that playing with his trucks before bed is far more important than dueling it out with 100
abdominal crunches. That child likely doesn’t even know what a crunch is, but yet, he’s achieved the
goal you are working so very hard to obtain.

He’s done this because he simply doesn’t have a high level of fat covering his core.

Remember, all of us are born with abs. You need these muscles in order to support your body and sit
and stand up straight. If you had no abs at all, you’d fail to be able to stand. They are always
contracting to a very slight degree in everyday movements that you make.

Some of us have developed larger abs than others through progressive strength training (and you’ll
see why this is important in a second), but however you slice it, everyone has abs.

The bigger question then becomes, how thick is your layer of padding?

If you want to see those abs underneath the padding, you need to work on fat loss. The leaner you
get, the more visible the muscles will become.

Most people make this mistake however. They perform all kinds of stomach exercise variations
thinking that if they just do enough, they’ll start to see definition.

But, as long as that layer of padding is covering the abs, it won’t really matter how much exercise
you’re doing, you are not going to be seeing definition any time soon.

This isn’t to say larger muscles can help. The more abdominal core exercises you do, the larger you
can possible grow your abs and it can help with definition.

Let’s give you an example to illustrate this.

Pretend you have one marble and one large rock and you’re sitting next to a bed.

You place that marble under the sheets and stand back. How well can you see it? Chances are you
can faintly see the outline, but it’s pretty hidden by that sheet.

Now you take out the marble and put the rock underneath instead.

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How well can you see that rock?

Chances are you can see it a heck of a lot better – because it’s bigger. Even though the sheet is still
covering that rock, because it’s larger in size, it’s still going to be slightly visible. You still can’t see it
perfectly, but you can definitely make out that the rock is there.

This is precisely how it works with your body.

The size of your abdominal muscles represents whether you have a marble or a rock for abs. By
doing proper workouts, you can gain more of a rock-like tendency, so even though the sheet (your
body fat) is covering it, you can still see it.

Now, that sheet refers to your skin/body fat. If the sheet was switched to a blanket (which would
stand for a very thick layer of body fat), now you don’t see either the rock or the marble. That
blanket is just too thick and that even the rock is covered.

So whether or not you present six pack abs it comes down to two key things:

1. How large your abdominal muscles are

2. How thick the layer of fat covering those muscles are

The reason why most people never see abs is because they are completely neglecting the second
element of the equation.

To lose fat, ab crunches will not work. They simply don’t spike your metabolism, they don’t burn
enough calories, and they aren’t going to really impact your total daily calorie balance.

For that, you need a proper diet plan that’s lower in calories (to put you into a hypocalorie state for
fat burning) as well as a full body workout program that uses plenty of multi-muscle movements,
which will then elevate your metabolic rate and help you see enhanced fat burning.

Pair these two together and you will be taking care of requirement nr 2.

Do an effective ab workout (and this is what we’ll be talking about here in this book) and you’ll take
care of element 1.

If you do both, you will see success and be unlike all those other people who hit the gym daily, but
never seem to move closer to their goal.

Who do you want to be?

So now that you know why most people don’t have six pack abs, let’s move forward and talk about
some of the biggest mistakes that you must avoid at all costs if you want to succeed with your goal.

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 Chapter 1:
The Top Mistakes You MUST Avoid In Your Quest To Get Abs

Okay, so know now that you don’t just want to be doing an ab workout. You need to do an ab
workout, a full body workout, and a good diet plan to realize success.

But, what other mistakes could you possibly make that would hinder your success?

Lots.

Getting abs is not easy by any means and even those with the best intentions often never get results
if they aren’t being careful of some vital errors that are often made.

Let’s prime you with the information you need to know about these errors so you can be sure to
side-step them and not let them impact your progress.

Great Abs Error #1: Failing To Change Your Workout Routine

The very first error that is made time and time again is always doing the same workout routine. You
hit the gym religiously and are very proud of that fact.

But yet, each and every time you hit the gym, it’s for the same workout routine.

You’re bored – there’s no question of that. But you figure, these exercises have been proven to work
(or so some magazine told you they have) so if you just keep at them long enough, success should be
yours.

You’ve been working so hard now you can practically taste it!

Here’s what you need to know.

The abdominal and core muscles are the fastest adapting muscles in the body. This means that they
are going to be quick to learn the movement pattern you are doing and they are quick to grow back
stronger so that that movement no longer poses much of a challenge.

And, as soon as your body is no longer challenged by a particular exercise, that’s when all progress is
going to come to a halt. You will no longer get stronger. You will no longer get larger ab muscles. And
you are basically just wasting your time.

If you want to continue to see results, you need to continue to challenge your body.

It’s the basic concept of overload that applies to all muscle groups, but yet many people overlook this
when it comes to core training.

Would you go into the gym for months on end and perform the same bicep curl with the 25 pound
dumbbell? Clearly you would hope that in time, you would be able to inch up to the 27.5’s or even
30’s because that means progress.

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But yet, why do you do the same ab exercise for months at a time and think nothing of it?

It’s time to start thinking more about this. If you don’t, you’re headed for a progress plateau.

Now, this doesn’t mean you have to be lifting pounds and pounds of weight with your core muscles.
Clearly that isn’t likely to happen and if you want a svelte waistline (especially for the women out
there reading this), chances are increasing your overall waist ‘thickness’ isn’t exactly a priority.

But you can continually stimulate and challenge your ab muscles from many other ways. You can add
a new exercise for instance.

Each and every time you introduce a new exercise into your workout routine, your body is going to
have to respond by learning that exercise and that process in itself will make you stronger.

In addition to that, you can change the way you are performing your exercises ever so slightly. You
can decrease your balance or you can use an exercise ball.

There are literally thousands of exercises out there that you can do for your core (and we will be
going over some of the most effective ones in this book), so there is no shortage of ones to try – or
excuse for doing the same workout over and over again.

Ask yourself, when was the last time you changed your ab/core workout program?

If it’s been more than 6 weeks, you are definitely due for a change and this could be one very big
reason you are not yet seeing results.

Great Abs Error #2: Neglecting To Work Your Abs From All Angles
The second error that many people make is failing to work their abs from all angles. The abs are a
very multi-purpose muscle group meaning they are going to move the body in a wide number of
ways.

As such, it’s important that you are training them over this wide range of movement patterns so that
they are getting stronger in all regards.

If you are constantly only doing forward movement patterns for instance, you’ll really be only hitting
the abs on one plane of movement.

Add a twisting action pattern to some of the exercises you do and you’ll see some excellent progress
because of it.

Or, perform reverse movement patterns where rather than crunching the front of the body up, you
bring the lower half of your body (the bum and hips) upwards instead.

Little changes in the plane of movement like this yield big results in terms of progress so you’ll want
to make sure you are incorporating this in.

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Great Abs Error #3: Only Doing Supine Exercises
The next error that people make time and time again is only doing supine exercises.

Basically, they have done every single crunch known to man, but that’s all they’ve ever done.

And, crunches are great for beginners. The right variety can definitely stimulate your core effectively
and help you see amazing results.

But you should be challenging the muscles from all angles as well, like we mentioned. This means not
always being on your back.

Try a prone position where your stomach is facing downward. Or you might even doing an upright
exercise such as a hanging leg raise.

By adding more variety, you get more results and also train your abs to a more effective level.

Not to mention the fact this will also make your workouts far less boring... which definitely helps
build up more interest and keeps you coming back for more.

If you’re bored to tears with your ab workout routine, you won’t be consistent in doing it and if you
aren’t consistent, results clearly won’t be yours.

Great Abs Error #4: Training Abs First

The next mistake that we must make mention of is training your abs first. Many people head into the
gym and hit the ab mats right away. They figure since getting six pack abs is their first and foremost
goal, this means that they should be working those muscles first when they’re fresh.

This is actually opposite of what you should be doing.

Keep in mind that each time you do a lunge, a squat, or a deadlift, you will be working the core
muscles. They are constantly engaged in each and every compound exercises you do because they
provide support and balance for the body.

If you train all of those exercises first then, you’ll actually fatigue out the abs to some degree. This
then means that by the time you hit your abs training (at the end of the workout instead), they are
already in a very fatigued state.

You’ll then have to do less work overall in order to bring them to that point of full fatigue.

If you train them at the very beginning instead, this is problematic for a few reasons. First, you burn
out your best energy on exercises that really aren’t as challenging.

No matter how you slice it, no crunch exercise is going to be as physically and mentally demanding as
a heavy set of squats. No one can deny this.

But in addition to that, since you will fatigue your abs to some degree doing those core exercises
first, this means you won’t have as much core strength and support behind you when you are doing
those heavy-weighted exercises such as squats, deadlifts, and otherwise. Those exercises are when
you need core support the most.

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If you don’t have it, you won’t be able to hoist as much weight on those exercises, thus won’t see
ideal progress, and furthermore, you also increase your risk of injury. Clearly you can hopefully see
why this is a very bad thing.

So do your abs last. Always. No exceptions to this rule.

Great Abs Error #5: Devoting Too Much Time To Abdominal Training
Finally, the last mistake that’s made too often is training your abs too much.

How can you train too much, you might be thinking – if it’s a primary goal.

Isn’t more work, better?

Definitely not...

Remember, your abs are just like any other muscle group. You’ve likely read time and time again that
after you work a muscle group with weights, you need to allow for 48 hours of rest between
sessions.

So why is your core exercise any different? Why should you be doing it daily? Are the abs ‘special’?

They aren’t.

If you’re training them effectively, they don’t need any more stimulation than a regular muscle group
does, so performing your core workouts two to three times per week is sufficient.

This allows for a more complete recovery so that they come back stronger and ready to give it their
all to your next workout session.

Keep in mind that if you are training your abs properly, you will be creating tiny microtears in the
muscle tissues. These micro tears then need to be rebuilt back up stronger than they were before.

If you go back to the gym and hit the abs again before they are built back up, guess what you’ve just
done?

Put them into an even weaker state. If you’re constantly breaking them down and never building
them back up, what do you think this is going to mean for your progress?

Hopefully now you can see why taking days off each week with your core training is vital to success.

If you can hit your abs daily and feel fine, this is a good sign that you just aren’t training them as hard
as you should be.

In addition to that, you also want to watch just how much time you are devoting to core training as
well. Some people make the mistake of spending 30+ minutes doing core exercises. This is simply too
much time and unless you have hours each day to exercise, it’s causing you to reduce the amount of
time you could be spending on exercises that help you burn more fat, which is also vitally important
for results, as we pointed out earlier.

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You only have so much time to exercise each week and losing that fat from your abs is absolutely
essential to your success. Regardless of how strong or big your abs are, that fat covering them is
always going to be a limiting factor to your results.

So you need to make sure you are devoting enough time to getting rid of that fat or you are going to
see results elude you.

You shouldn’t need any more than 10-15 minutes devoted to core week two to three times per
week. If you are spending more time than this, you’re short-changing yourself.

So there you have the primary mistakes that you need to avoid as you go about your abdominal
training. If you can make sure you side-step these, you can feel more confident that you will be on
track to success and will finally arrive at that end goal you’ve dreamt of.

Now let’s give you a brief lesson in abdominal anatomy so you know which areas you are targeting in
the movements we will go over.

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 Chapter 2:
Ab Anatomy 101
In order to fully understand how each of the exercises we are going to talk about below improves
your core strength and gets you closer to six pack abs, it’s important that you come to learn about
your abdominal anatomy.

While you do have the main ‘six pack’ muscles that most people already know exist and are the ones
they want to make visible, there are other muscles that make up your core as well.

Here are the main muscles you’ll be targeting.

Rectus Abdominis
By far the largest muscle in the core region is the rectus abdominis. While this one may look like it’s
six individual muscles in those who are very lean, it’s actually just one long muscle that runs from
your rib cage down to your hips and has a tendinsous intersection that forms that separated look.

This muscle is a very powerful muscle and performs the functions of stabilizing the body whenever
you are performing a rotational movement pattern and also helps you move the spine forward
(basically helps you sit up).

You may also think that you can target this muscle in different areas. You hear about ‘lower ab’
exercises and ‘upper ab exercises’ and while you may be able to get one area contracting slightly
more than another area, the entire muscle group will contract altogether because it is just one
muscle.

So note that even if you are doing an exercise that is going to target your lower abs to the most
degree, you will still be hitting those upper abs as well.

Transverse Abdominis
The next muscle to make up the core is the transverse abdominis, which runs underneath the rectus
abdominis.

It’s muscle fibers are perpendicular to the rectus abdominis and while you won’t see this muscle, it’s
still important to train.

It will help you maintain an upright position as you go about your day and is needed for good
stabilization in all movements that you perform.

It also helps to keep your stomach pulled in tight, helping you maintain a flatter-stomach
appearance.

Obliques
Finally, you have your obliques. This muscle group is the one that runs along the side of the body and
helps form the area often referred to as the ‘love handles’.

This muscle is responsible for rotational actions and also has some degree of a stabilization role as
well.

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You’ll hit this muscle very well whenever you are doing any form of twisting movements as that’s
what it specializes in.

So there’s a brief summary of the main muscles that make up the core. There aren’t many, but they
each do have important roles and must be targeted.

Now let’s give you the exercises that you will use to target these muscles.

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 Chapter 3:
Top Ranking Ab Exercises
When it comes to ab exercises, there are a few things that you’ll want to focus on.

First, the less stable you are as you move through your exercises, the better. Destabilizing yourself is
an excellent way to help get greater muscle activation and really make your muscles contract with
full force.

Next, you’ll also want to make sure that you are targeting your abs from a number of different
angles. This means moving in all direction patterns for the greatest overall stimulation.

Finally, you’ll also want to incorporate isometric contractions, which will build up muscular
endurance, not just muscular strength.

So let’s show you your line-up of exercises that will help you accomplish all of these tasks.

Leg Raises
The first exercise is the leg raise. This one is primarily going to hit the lower abs portion of the rectus
abdominis but will also call the upper rectus abdminis into play as well as the obliques depending on
how you perform it.

The basic leg raise has you lying flat down on your back and bringing the legs up to a 90 degree angle.
From there, you simply lower them down so they are almost touching the floor and then lift them
back up to complete the rep again.

Note that as you do this, it’s very important to keep the lower back pressed flat into the floor at all
times as this will help you avoid lower back strain.

Some excellent variations of this exercise including doing it hanging from a bar (so the body is vertical
rather than horizontal), doing it with a slight rotational effect, which will then call into play the
obliques, and doing it with the legs maintaining the lower extended position and then bringing one
knee up into the body and then pushing it back out, simultaneously changing legs as you go.

Lying leg raises are perfect for strengthening the muscles and really making your abs ‘pop’.

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 Tip! You can click on
the picture to see a
video on how to
execute the exercise!

Planks
Next we have the plank. This is an isometric contraction based exercise to build muscular endurance
and help you train your abs to stay tight at all times.

To perform this one, you simply get down on the ground, balancing the body on the toes (knees
straight), and forearms. You should resemble a table top in this position.

You then hold this position for as long as possible before coming out of it to complete the rep.

For added challenge, you can do a number of things with this exercise.

Some ideas include:

 Lift one leg up off the ground and balance on just the single leg
 Lift one leg up and bring the knee into the shoulder as high as you can go before returning
and switching legs
 Place the hands up on an exercise ball
 Place the feet up on an exercise ball
 Lifting one leg and the opposing arm up off the ground

Start with the basic form however and only progress once you can hold it for at least 30 seconds.

Renegade Rows
The Renegade Rows roll in is a perfect move for hitting all the muscle groups in the core and will also
add more variety to your workout.

To perform this one, place two kettlebells/dumbbells on the floor about shoulder width apart.
Position yourself on your toes and your hands as though you were doing a pushup, with the body
straight and extended. Use the handles of the kettlebells to support your upper body. You may need
to position your feet wide for support.

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Push one kettlebell into the floor and row the other kettlebell, retracting the shoulder blade of the
working side as you flex the elbow, pulling it to your side.

Then lower the kettlebell to the floor and begin the kettlebell in the opposite hand. Repeat for
several reps.

Medicine Ball Twists

To really target those bigger part of the core, Medicine ball twists are the route to go. With these,
you’ll get down on the floor and sit down, with your back on a slight angle backwards. Hold on to a
medicine ball with the weight of you choice.

From there, twist to one side of the body and then twist to the other side.

This movement builds up good muscular endurance as well as those abs will maintain such a high
level of total time under tension.

As you do this, you want to make sure you are using a very fast but controlled movement pattern to
keep the focus on the abs and not let momentum carry you through the movement.

To advance this movement, you can lift the legs up off the floor

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Single Leg Movements
Another great way to stimulate the abs isn’t actual an ab exercise at all, but rather, doing single leg
exercises. We won’t be including these in the workout programs here as these would be placed into
your overall workout program, but they are definitely worth mentioning.

Simple picking up a leg as you do exercises – doing lateral raises on a single leg, doing bicep curls on a
single leg, doing single leg deadlifts, squats, or split squats for example will all call those abs into play
far more as they will have to be contracting to keep you balanced.

Basically any time you reduce your base of support (ex. Standing on one leg), you will challenge the
abs to a larger degree.

Add these in on occasion to your regular workout program and you can focus less on actual ab
muscles because the core is already being worked to such a large degree.

The Ab Wheel
Finally, the last exercise that’s important to note is the ab wheel. This one does require a piece of a
equipment – the ab wheel itself, but is very intense, so a move highly recommended.

This one has you in the prone position as well and you’ll simply hold onto either side of the ab wheel
and then with your knees on the floor (bent) and your hands holding the wheel, you’ll lower yourself
down as far as you can go.

It’s vital as you do this you keep the abs tight so as to form a straight line with the body and not let
the hips sway upwards or downward. If you do, you can risk some severe lower back pain, so it’s very
essential you are keeping proper form in this exercise in particular.

So there you have the main abdominal exercises to be focusing on during the workout. These will
help build an excellent base and then you can build upon those from there as you gain more
experience.

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 Chapter 4:
Effective Workout Program Elements
So now that we’ve introduced you to the top abdominal exercises that you should be including in this
workout program, we need to talk details.

How you choose to structure these exercises into a workout session is going to have a significant
influence on the results that you see, so you need to be wise in your approach.

Just like with any other workout program set-up, there are a number of different factors to take in.

Let’s walk you through each one so you fully understand how to create the most effective abdominal
workout possible.

Reps
The very first thing that you need to take into account is the rep range that you’ll be working in. If
you’re adding weight to the exercises, your rep range is going to decrease compared to if you were
doing them without weight. This is because the higher the weight, the fewer the reps you’ll be able
to complete at that weight before hitting a point of fatigue.

For most exercises, using a rep range of around 15-20 reps is right where you want to be, until
weight is added, upon which point you’ll want to decrease the rep range down to 8-10 reps.

You shouldn’t ever be taking core exercises lower than 8-12 reps as you simply won’t ever use high
enough weight to warrant say a five rep set. Leave that to your squats, deadlifts, and bench press
exercises.

Sets
Next you should also factor in sets. Your set range is another variation that will depend upon how
many reps you’re doing as well as your overall fitness level. The total number of exercises you want
to include in your program is also going to need to get factored in as well.

The more exercises you are planning on doing, the fewer sets of each exercise you can do before you
start reaching a point of doing too much volume.

Your body can only do so much per workout so there needs to be balance.

A good rule of thumb is to aim for 8-10 sets per workout if you’re a beginner, 12-15 sets per workout
if you’re intermediate, and 18-20 sets per workout if you’re advanced.

If you’re doing lower rep sets (with weight), try and lean towards the higher end of those set ranges,
however if you’re doing higher rep sets, then you’ll want to be towards the lower end of the
spectrum as that is what will help you ensure that you are keeping volume where it needs to be.

Sets are never written in stone and it’s important that you do learn your body over time. On some
days, you may be feeling more fatigued than on other days, so this could mean reducing your sets
performed.

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Then on other days, you may feel like you can push the barrier more so your total sets would
increase. Listen to your body and make sure you are continually adapting your routine based on how
you feel.

Rest
Rest is the third element to take into account and another important one for maximum success. The
amount of rest you use is really going to have a big influence on the overall level of intensity the
workout and is therefore a big factor in how fast you see strength gains.

The shorter the rest period, the harder your body is going to have to work through each point during
that workout session, thus the more fit you become.

In addition to that, using shorter rest periods also has a greater tendency to help increase your
metabolic rate even higher after the workout is over, so you’ll receive that added benefit as well. This
then assists with the fat burning process significantly.

The one thing to note however is that you never want to allow shorter rest periods to cause you to
sacrifice proper form. Especially when it comes to abdominal crunches, if you aren’t using good form,
it’s going to mean that you likely aren’t targeting the proper muscle groups for the exercise and
furthermore, you could also be putting your back at risk for serious pain.

Those who do abdominal exercises incorrectly will place great strain on their spinal column, so this
can definitely be problematic over the long term if you keep up that poor form and it becomes a
habit you’ve now built right into your pattern of movement.

You’ll be noticing different rest period protocols in the workouts we’ve presented here with them
becoming shorter as your skill level goes up.

Do try and stick to these as best as you possibly can, but at no point sacrifice form over it. If you need
another 10-15 seconds to rest before starting, so be it. It’s far better to take that rest than to keep
going and not be able to train properly.

Improper form isn’t going to get you the results you desire anyway, so there’s no use in continuing if
you can’t execute the exercise correctly.

Training Frequency
Finally, the last factor to get integrated into the mix is your overall training frequency. We mentioned
briefly above that you should be aiming for 2 to three abdominal workouts per week.

As long as everything else is in proper alignment with your program, this is going to be enough
frequency for you to be seeing the results that you’re after.

If you have an effective abdominal training program, you’ll actually do yourself a disservice by
training more frequently than this. Remember, your ab muscles, just like any other exercise, needs
time to recover after you dish out a beating with your intense training regime.

So there you have the main elements that will go into formulating your workout program. You can
perform abdominal exercises in all the same manners as you would a standard workout routine,
doing a circuit training approach where you perform a series of exercises one after another until the

The Abs And Core Blueprint 19 Fit-Trainers and Paulo D. Orantes

entire list is complete, supersetting where you stack two exercises back to back, or through normal
set training where you simply perform all sets of one exercise before moving onto the next exercise.

Remember, variety is key and the more often you can vary your program, be it in its structure or the
actual exercises you are using, the more likely you are going to be to see the success you’re after.

Now that you know all the integrative elements of a proper abdominal training routine, let’s move
forward and show you your workout programs.

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 Chapter 5:
Your 4 Week Abdominal Training Protocol
Below you’ll find an abdominal training program for beginners, intermediates, and advanced level
trainees. Each workout consists of two workouts done per week, but if you want to squeeze a third
in, simply do an ABA BAB approach as you go.

Remember that these workouts are to be done after your normal style workouts or on another day
altogether. Tip! Click the links on the exercises for video demonstrations

Beginner

Workout A

Perform the following series of exercises, doing 10-15 reps each, taking 30 seconds of rest between
each movement. Once all are finished, repeat a second time through.

Lying Leg Raise

Medicine Ball Twists (30 seconds)
Plank Hold (30 seconds)
The Ab Wheel (as many reps as you can do)

Workout B

Perform 10 reps of each exercise, rest for 15 seconds, and then perform another 10 reps. Repeat
thisfor three sets per exercise total before moving on.

Lying Leg Raise ( on a bench or a mat)

Renegade Rows
Medicine Ball Twists (30 seconds)
Plank Hold (30 second hold)

Intermediate

Workout A

Perform the following circuit of exercises doing 15-20 reps per exercise. Rest for 10 seconds between
each exercise before carrying on. Once the full circuit is completed, rest for 30 seconds and repeat a
second and third time.

Lying Leg Raises

Medicine Ball Twists (60 seconds)
Plank Hold (30 seconds)
The Ab Wheel (15 reps)

The Abs And Core Blueprint 21 Fit-Trainers and Paulo D. Orantes

Workout B

Perform each superset, doing 20 reps per exercise, 3 times. Rest for 60 seconds and then move to
the next superset.

Superset #1:

Lying Leg Raise

Plank Hold (30 seconds)

Superset #2:

Medicine Ball Twists (60 seconds)

Hanging Leg Raise

Superset #3:

Renegade Rows
Plank Hold with feet on Exercise ball (30 seconds)

Advanced
Perform the following circuit of exercises doing 20-30 reps per exercise. Rest for 10 seconds between
each exercise before carrying on. Once the full circuit is completed, rest for 45 seconds and repeat a
second and third time.

Lying Leg Raises

Medicine Ball Twists (60 seconds)
Straight Plank Hold With Hands On Exercise Ball (30 seconds)
The Ab Wheel
Renegade Rows

Workout B

Perform each superset, doing 20 reps per exercise, 3 times. Rest for 30 seconds and then move to
the next superset.

Superset #1:

Lying Leg Raise

Plank Hold with alternating leg raise (45 seconds)

Superset #2:

Medicine Ball Twists (60 seconds)

Hanging Leg Raise

Superset #3:

Renegade Rows
Plank Hold (45 seconds)

The Abs And Core Blueprint 22 Fit-Trainers and Paulo D. Orantes

 Chapter 6:
Lifestyle Factors That Help Our Hinder Progress
Before you dive right in and get going with your training protocol, you also must come to learn some
of the lifestyle factors that will also influence whether or not you are going to be seeing your abs.

Some people overlook some critical elements in their day to day lifestyle choices that will seriously
impact their progress – so much so, it could derail them entirely.

If you don’t make sure you are getting these in alignment, I will guarantee that you will not see as
good of results as if you would have.

So what are the elements?

Let’s take a look.

Sleep
The very first element and possibly the single most important element in the equation is sleep.

Sleep is the forgotten element of success for so many people.

Here are the reasons it’s a must you aren’t neglecting sleep.

First, it’s going to allow for recovery. After you put in those hard sessions, sleep is when your body is
going to go into serious repair mode, rebuilding back the tissues so they are stronger than they were
before.

Additionally, if you aren’t sleeping enough at night, this is also going to cause your body to release
cortisol. Cortisol is the stress hormone that will actually promote fat storage in the abdominal
section. So basically, if you sacrifice sleep, your body is going to be primed to store fat in your middle.

How’s that for a set-back? Clearly this is something you don’t want.

Sleep is also going to influence your rate of insulin sensitivity. This refers to how well your body is
going to handle the carbohydrates that you’re consuming. If you’re suffering from poor insulin
sensitivity, upon eating carbohydrate dense foods, you’re going to be highly likely to shuttle them off
into the body fat stores.

If you’re very insulin sensitive on the other hand, you’re going to use them for muscle tissue
rebuilding as well as energy.

Basically, insulin sensitivity also refers to how likely you are to gain body fat from the foods you eat.
Sleep helps ensure that you’re less likely to gain fat even if you indulge once in a while.

Sleep also impacts your appetite. Ever had one of those days where you’ve woken up after not much
sleep and felt so ravenous, almost like you could eat anything that passed you by?

You aren’t losing your mind – your body is actually craving more food – especially carbohydrate
dense foods since it knows that’s a fast source of energy that you could consume in your diet plan.

The Abs And Core Blueprint 23 Fit-Trainers and Paulo D. Orantes

Since sticking with your diet is going to be vital to your success, this is another major element in the
equation that must not go overlooked. Sleeping enough is going to give you better physiological and
better mental control to do so.

So commit to at least 8 hours of sleep per night. No less when fat loss is the goal. Trust me, it will
make a difference.

Stress
Next, you also need to look at your stress levels. How stressed out are you on a day to day basis?

Remember how we mentioned the issue with cortisol and sleep? Well the second thing that will
cause an increase in cortisol in the body is stress.

If you are stressed out – and it doesn’t matter what kind of stress it is – relationship stress, financial
stress, work stress, or otherwise, it’s going to take a toll on your body.

Over time, it may cause you to actually lose muscle mass (cortisol will also break down muscle tissue
when present in the body), and gain body fat.

If you do this, you’ll be actually changing your entire body composition and not for the better. It’s
simply not something that you want to have happening if you want to get lean abs.

Stress can also lead to stress-induced eating and I think we all know just how horrible that can be for
the overall progress you are making.

Taking good stress controlling measures, be it writing in a stress journal, talking to a close friend,
doing some yoga or meditation, or booking fewer tasks to have completed each week so you are less
stressed about being busy (an over packed schedule, as we’ve all experienced before can be a major
stressor in itself!) is important.

Not only for getting leaner abs, but also for being healthier overall. Don’t ever neglect the fact that
stress impacts all areas of your health.

It can increase your risk of diabetes, it can increase your risk of heart disease, and it raises blood
pressure levels. All very damaging to your health status.

Alcohol
Finally, the last lifestyle issue that you need to know and remember your alcohol intake. In a perfect
world, if you really wanted to see six pack ab success as fast as you possibly could, you would want to
completely eliminate alcohol entirely.

Basically, not a single drop would pass your lips.

But, not everyone is willing to go to this extreme. Just remember though that each and every drink
you take will be a step away from optimal results.

Alcohol is a toxin you are putting in the body and the minute it goes in, all other body processes
basically come to a stop. Your body’s number one concern is removing that alcohol from your
system. Fat burning is no longer a priority so it will be put on hold until that alcohol is gone.

The Abs And Core Blueprint 24 Fit-Trainers and Paulo D. Orantes

Once it is, then fat burning can resume and you can continue on your way.

Don’t forget as well that alcohol is extremely calorie dense. It’s going to contain 7 calories per gram,
compared to proteins and carbs which have 4 calories per gram (fat is higher however at 9 calories
per gram).

This adds up fast.

Plus, unlike food which actually fills you up, alcohol is a liquid and liquids have a far lower satiety
value compared to solid foods.

If you mix your alcohol, you’re in for a double whammy. Typically you’ll be mixing it with high calorie
sugary syrups or else cream, which adds fat calories.

If you do both, you can basically just see the fat gain as you drink (well, not quite, but you’re damn
close). If you have alcohol, sugar, and fat mixed together, it’s the worst possible scenario.

The sugar will boost your insulin levels, which puts your body into a ‘nutrient storage’ mode. (If
you’ve just done a workout, this can be good and help you build muscle, but if you haven’t, it means
you’re in fat gain mode).

The alcohol will completely disable fat burning, so the only option is to store excess fat.

And the fat, well, it goes straight to fat. It’s so calorie dense that you won’t be using these calories for
energy so they will end up on your hips, thighs, or butt.

So as you can see, drinking alcohol beverages like this is not going to be a wise move if you want to
see fat burning taking place.

If you want to have a drink on a Friday night outing with friends, fine. Just keep it as limited as you
possibly can. If you really truly want to see six pack abs, this is one sacrifice you really do need to
make.

So there you have the primary lifestyle factors that you must know and remember if you are going to
move forward with this goal and get the results you deserve.

Make sure you aren’t devoting so much time and energy into your workout program and then
committing one of these lifestyle errors and screwing everything up.

Now let’s move forward and go over a few key things to know about maintaining the look you’re
after.

The Abs And Core Blueprint 25 Fit-Trainers and Paulo D. Orantes

 Chapter 7:
Lean Ab Maintenance – How To Keep The Look
So you’ve just completed the program and are now sporting your own set of six pack abs. You feel
great.

You’re excited, you’re proud of your results, and you semi-can’t believe that you actually got the goal
of your dreams.

But, will you maintain them?

For many people, the sad answer is now. They may see abdominal muscle definition for a brief
period of time, but shortly thereafter, those abs seem to take a vacation and are no longer going to
be present in their body.

So what can you do to ensure this doesn’t happen to you?

Follow this 5-step plan.

1. Take Action Immediately Upon Weight Gain

First, if you notice that you are starting to gain weight, take action immediately to stop it. This is the
single best piece of advice that you could use.

Remember, it’s much easier to cut back slightly and eliminate a pound or two than it is to go back on
a full-fledged diet and lose the 10-20 pounds you’ve gained over time.

Don’t let yourself slip and you will maintain your abs for the long term.

2. Continue Exercising

Next, also be sure that you are continuing with your exercise program. This will help to keep your
metabolism up, which is important for burning up any fat that you do start to regain.

In addition to that, it’ll help you maintain proper abdominal muscle definition and also help you stay
in a healthier frame of mind.

For most people, after putting in an hour at the gym, they’ll want to eat right simply so they don’t
‘lose’ that hard work they just finished.

Find new ways to exercise if you need to. Try a new sport. Go on a new workout. Or do something
else that interests you. Just stay active and maintenance will be much easier.

3. Maintain Healthy Lifestyle Habits

The third quick tip to remember is to make sure you are maintaining healthy lifestyle habits. These
are the things that we talked about previously. Sleep, stress, alcohol – keep tabs on those. Even once
you’ve lost the weight, if you start making errors here, your progress is still going to slip between
your fingertips and you’ll land right back where you started.

The Abs And Core Blueprint 26 Fit-Trainers and Paulo D. Orantes

 4. Acknowledge Normal Fluctuations

It’s also important that you do realize that there are always going to be some fluctuations taking
place. If you eat a salty meal, your abs are not going to be as visible the next day. This isn’t fat gain –
it’s water retention.

Likewise, if you are a female and it’s ‘that time of the month’, your abs may vanish entirely. But
stress-not, a week later, as long as you keep up your healthy diet, they will re-appear again.

It’s normal that these fluctuations take place so make a concentrated effort to recognize when this is
what’s at play and when it’s fat gain at play.

The better you can notice the difference, the saner you’ll stay throughout this process.

5. Practice Some Dietary Constraint

Finally, it’s also a must that you practice some dietary constraint as well. Remember, now that you’ve
realized your goal, this does mean you can relax on your diet a little bit.

But, that doesn’t mean you should completely let yourself go.

It’s important that you still practice moderation. Have a small slice of cheesecake, don’t eat half the
thing.

Have a small scoop of ice cream – not the whole carton.

If you eat wisely, this will really go a long way towards helping you maintain the abs you worked so
hard to obtain. Diet will account for 80% of your results, so it’s where to really put your focus.

The Abs And Core Blueprint 27 Fit-Trainers and Paulo D. Orantes

 Conclusion
So there you have your guide to six pack success. Follow these principles and this goal that you’ve
been chasing for far too long can finally be yours.

There will be set-backs along the way, you can be almost guaranteed of that, but if you choose to
learn from those set-backs and use them to help fuel you moving forward, you can see the results
that you desire.

Stay committed, stay dedicated, and enjoy the process!

More information
Visit our site for more inspiration and sport gear.
We give away free tips, free workouts, and free healthy recipes on our site.
Please visit us here:
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The Abs And Core Blueprint 28 Fit-Trainers and Paulo D. Orantes