Humpday Health: Six-pack abs for summer

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — When most people think of the perfect beach body, trying to get six-pack abs are a top priority. But you have to consider the whole package when you work out abs.

“You want to make sure that you’re working all parts of the abdominal muscles,” Trainer Kasey Brown said. “Your rectus abdominus, your obliques and serratus muscles all have to be engaged during the abdominal workout.”

There are plenty of simple workouts to do like crunches, leg raises and ab twists. But make sure that work out your abs the correct way.

“You don’t want to go too fast,” Brown said. “You also don’t want to curl your back over when you’re doing crunches because you can cause issues with your lombard region.”

Slowing down your movements, as is the case with most exercises, is crucial to getting the most out of your workout. This goes for breathing as well.

“Something else you want to think about is your breathing. You want to slow down and control your breathing,” Brown said. “You want to exhale on the contraction of the muscle and inhale on the relaxation part of the exercise.”

Focus on these elements and you can get some great abs. But this doesn’t just happen over night.

“I would recommend five to six sets of each workout with maybe 10-15 reps,” Brown said. “You can do one workout, or if you’re more advanced, you can do two.”

Stick to the routines and with the summer around the corner, your body is ready for the beach.