You can google all you want, but there is not a one-size-fits-all answer to the popular question of “how long should I rest between sets.” You’ll find plenty of recommendations — and plenty of people who claim to have the answer — but it varies dramatically between different coaches.

When there aren’t hard-and-fast rules, common sense can guide you in the right direction. Here’s our common-sense recommendations.

Be Flexible With Rest Time

If you’re doing a follow-along video workout, like in Fat-Loss Extreme For Women, Fat-Loss Extreme For Men, MOVE,  our Facebook groups for men or women, or in V-Shred University, a good plan rest as however long the coach in the video tells you to rest.

But even these rest times aren’t set in stone. If you’re one round in and you feel like your heart is in your throat, or you’re about to lose your lunch, just pause the video and rest a little longer. Don’t worry, doing this won’t sabotage your results in the least!

Now, suppose you’re following one of our gym-based programs, like Clean Bulk. In that case, our suggestion is that you rest about 60-90 seconds between sets of weighted exercises. That’s long enough to catch your breath and let your muscles recover, but not so long that you’ll totally cool down.

Again, this can also be altered to your fitness level. If you need to take a bit longer, like 2 or 3 minutes, and it will help you bring more intensity or lift more weight on the next set, that’s fine.

That said… it’s important to use your gym time as efficiently as possible. If you need to rest a little longer, take it, but only if you REALLY need it. Otherwise, get off your phone, stop socializing, and get to work.

Don’t sell yourself short, but also listen to your body! Recovery both in and out of the gym is crucial to seeing results! So take the time you need!

And if you find yourself struggling during your workout, that’s where the best workout-boosting supplements can be your best training partner. Consider pounding some Sculpt Nation PRE 15-30 minutes before a tough workout that, or supplementing with some intra-workout “fuel” in the form of Sculpt Nation BCAAs while your lift!

Let The Experts Help You

If you’re completely puzzled by rest times, if you are pushing hard enough, or by how to train for your goal of weight loss or muscle gain, you’re not alone. So let us help you!

V-Shred has a team of of highly qualified coaches who create customized workout programs and diet plans for thousands of people every day. This is what helped them build the bodies they’ve always wanted — and figure out the right way to train to keep those results once they earn them!

Click HERE or email coaching@vshred.com to finally start getting some answers to your questions.

The post How Long Should I Rest Between Sets? appeared first on V Shred.

If you are looking for an ab workout that can help create the abdominal “v-shape” you’ve always wanted — we have an 8 minute follow along you need to add to your ab workout routine!

Essentially, you are trying to develop your “v-lines” – which are the part of your stomach where your lower abs and obliques come together.

If you want these lines to pop, it takes some strategic ab work! You can’t just get on the floor and do some crunches and sit-ups.

You need to do several things, including target training a very specific part of your core — which is exactly what we are doing in this workout!

You don’t need any weights or equipment and if you are using our FOLLOW ALONG VIDEO BELOW, you won’t even need a timer!

Before we give you the workout …. if your goal is to build VISIBLE abs, we need to quickly talk about something important.

If you only care about developing core strength and don’t care if you see the abs you are building, then feel free to scroll down and skip straight to the ab workout.

But if you care about SEEING your abs, listen up!

Ab workouts ALONE will not give you VISIBLE AB DEFINITION

Ab workouts help build your ab muscles, but to see them, you have to get rid of the fat covering them, and the only way to do that is to focus on OVERALL body fat reduction!

This can ONLY be achieved in two ways …

Full Body Training — The more lean muscle you have all over your body, the faster your metabolism will be, which means you will burn more calories even while at rest!

Proper Nutrition — You can’t crunch, or even squat and run, your way to a flat stomach or shredded six-pack. You have to focus on your diet if you want to have visible abs! Your diet is just as important as exercise (probably more) to reduce overall body fat.

THE CATCH WITH BOTH EXERCISE & DIET
IS THAT THEY BOTH NEED AN INDIVIDUAL APPROACH.

This is especially true with diet!

The program that works for your friend or favorite fitness influencer probably isn’t the right one for you. You have to hit your personal macros and split them up in the right protein, carb, and fat ratios that are best for your goals and body type.

If you need help with any of this, we have a free fitness quiz that will tell you your body type, the exact amount of calories (broken down into macros) that you need for your genetics and goals, and the three most important things to do to reach those goals.

It’s really quick to take, your results are instant, and it’s free!

CLICK HERE to check it out!

Alright .. let’s hit the floor … and build some v cut abs

We will specifically be targeting the obliques the most since that is the part of your abs that really helps create the v taper of your waist!

Since this workout is heavily focused on that part of your core, you will need to use this workout in addition to other ab workouts that hit the rest of your core just as hard!

We have hundreds of free ab workouts to choose from on our YouTube Channel if you need some ideas.

AT HOME V CUT ABS WORKOUT

Here is the breakdown, so you know what to expect when following along with us, or in case you want to print out the workout and do the workout on your own!

Equipment: NONE!! You don’t even need a timer if you follow along to THIS VIDEO.

Structure: 20 seconds on – 10 seconds rest – for each exercise.

Rounds: Two

Total Workout Time: 8 minutes (if you do not rest between rounds.)

Workout Breakdown
20 seconds – Side to side crunches
10 rest

20 seconds – Side to side crunches
10 rest

20 seconds – Side Plank Hip Dips (Left Side)
10 rest

20 seconds – Side Plank Hip Dip (Right Side)
10 seconds rest

20 seconds – Floor Wipers
10 rest

20 seconds – Floor Wipers
10 rest

20 seconds – Mountain Climbers
10 rest

20 seconds – Mountain Climbers
10 rest

Repeat for one additional round!

WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS AT HOME V CUT ABS WORKOUT
AND BEFORE YOU GO …
If you haven’t already, don’t forget to take our free fitness quiz!

Then send the quiz, or this article, to a friend that you see doing endless crunches in hopes of melting body fat or sculpting a shredded six-pack.

We’ve gotta get the word out that even the best ab workouts will never be enough if it’s visible abs you are seeking — because you can’t pick and choose where your body stores or loses fat!

We know it sucks.

It’s not fair that some people genetically lose fat in their stomachs easier than others. But instead of complaining about it and doing things that aren’t effective, why not accept it and shift your mindset to what will work!

If you want to get started on that CLICK HERE to learn more about what full-body strength training program and a diet is best for you!

The post Quick, Simple, and Effective 8 Minute V Cut Abs Home Workout appeared first on V Shred.

The most-watched videos on our YouTube channel are hands down our thousands of FREE AB WORKOUTS!!! 

Not all that surprising. After all, whether you are genetically gifted, have a six-pack but struggle to keep it, or have never had visible abs a day in your life, it seems everyone wants to know the best way to get rid of stubborn belly fat!

Today we are giving you something a little bit different than the typical ab workout you will find on the web or even here on our blog and YouTube channel. 

That’s because this is not a guided workout with set in stone exercises, an exact number of reps, sets, rounds, etc. 

Don’t worry! You won’t be doing it all on your own! 

We are giving you a list of twelve popular no-equipment ab exercises to choose from. But instead of giving you a step-by-step ab workout to follow…..

You get the freedom to pick and choose what ab exercises you want to do!

Once you pick your favorites from the list below, or better yet, the ones you know will challenge you the most — you will put together an ab workout that best suits your individual fitness needs! 

 If you aren’t sure how to create a custom ab workout —  it’s really easy! 

• Pick a minimum of 4-5 ab exercises from the list below.
  
• Make sure you select an exercise variety that targets all areas of your stomach (upper, lower, obliques, etc.) so you get a complete ab workout!
• Write out your workout using whatever training structure that matches your fitness level and workout needs!

Here are some ideas … 

• Go for AMRAP (as many reps and rounds as possible.)
• Pick a set number of reps and rounds.
• Use a timer and go for time instead of a number of reps. 
• Do each exercise individually for all sets before moving on to the next.
• Go down the list you create in order from exercise-to-exercise (“round” style.) 
• Rest between each exercise or only rest between rounds.

If you need some additional guidance, try watching some ab videos on our YouTube channel for some inspiration! 

There is no right or wrong way to structure your workout as long as it’s challenging, hits all areas of your midsection, and above all else — you use proper form!!

You can make sure you are doing each move correctly by watching this video tutorial we filmed demonstrating how to do each exercise below!

The post 12 Ab Exercises You Can Do Anywhere appeared first on V Shred.

Ahhhh, summertime!

Temps are rising, the sun is shining, the bbq is fired up, and days at the pool, beach, or lake are likely on your agenda. 

Pretty exciting stuff, right?

Until you realize that likely means … wearing a swimsuit … and you glance in the mirror to see the not-so-flat stomach that has been hiding under jackets and baggy sweatshirts all winter!

Today we have an AB WORKOUT CHALLENGE that will help you get your abs ready for swimsuit season! 

But before we tell you about the challenge… 

It’s important to point out that if you are healthy and happy — the perfect “beach body” is the one you have right now! We support you in being confident no matter your shape or waist size. 

You do NOT need shredded abs to wear a swimsuit
Swimsuit ready can be at ANY SIZE….

Being healthy should be your priority and for most people, that won’t be having year-round rock hard abs. Getting a shredded six-pack requires having very low body fat.

There is nothing wrong with wanting abs or a totally flat stomach. Just know it takes lots of work (inside and outside of the gym.) 

If that is really your goal, or even if you just want to tone and tighten up a little bit, we have a great AB WORKOUT CHALLENGE that will help you achieve a flatter, stronger and more sculpted stomach —  in just minutes a day!

We aren’t saying that this ab workout challenge is all you will have to do to get summer-ready abs!! 

 Doing ab exercises is only part of the equation…..

Having great-looking abs requires consistently performing the right ab exercises with precise form, as well as full-body training, cardio, and eating for your goals and body type! 

You can no doubt strengthen your abs with our  AB WORKOUT CHALLENGE, but you won’t be able to see your abs until the fat covering them is gone.

You can not spot reduce fat. 

You can do 100 rounds of this ab workout challenge and you still won’t be able to see your abs —  if that is where your body holds on to fat. 

If you want help getting rid of that layer of fat you should check out our FREE BODY TYPE QUIZ .

After you answer 6 short questions, you will know your body type and the best way to eat and exercise so you can have your best shot at losing body fat and gaining lean calorie-burning muscle!

CLICK HERE to take it whenever you have a couple of minutes!

Now that you understand that ab exercises are just ONE thing you will need to do to get the mid-section of your dreams … let’s dive into our ab workout challenge!

This ab challenge is perfect for every fitness level. From advanced lifters to those that have never done a single sit-up!

It consists of FOUR EXERCISES. None of them are advanced movements. These are what we call the basic staples.

Don’t let the world ‘basic” fool you.

These exercises are staples because they work and hit all areas of the abs that you need to challenge to get six-pack abs! 

What makes this ab challenge .. challenging … is the number of rounds. 

You’ll start where you can. Even if that is only one round. But then the next day, you attempt to do another round, then the next time another round, and so on.

The idea is to keep adding rounds (as you can) so that you progressively overload your abs!

Because remember ..
Your abs are just like any other muscle in your body
and need progressive overload for growth.

Here is the thing with ab training though… it’s probably the muscle group where people use the crappiest form. 

And …  Crappy form = Crappy results! 

You might still manage to still get sore, but you will not see ideal results if you aren’t using proper form. 

If you are carving out the time …  make every rep count!?

Don’t just print out this AB WORKOUT CHALLENGE and assume  you know how to do each exercise– be sure to check out THIS VIDEO ⬇️!

We quickly show you how to do each of the exercises below with correct form. Take a couple minutes and watch it before you start the challenge! 

POOL PARTY AB WORKOUT CHALLENGE

STRUCTURE
10 reps of each exercise.
No rest in-between exercises.
After all 4 exercises, you will rest for 1 minute.
Repeat for as many rounds as you can. 

EXERCISES
Exercise One: Straight Arm Crunch

• Lay flat on your back.
• Stick your arms straight up over your chest.
• Crunch up ONLY using your abs.
• Raise arms toward the ceiling, but keep them straight. Do not rock or use your arms to gain momentum!!  If you do that, you won’t be working your abs very much at all! Keep those arms locked!!
• Repeat for 10 total reps.

Exercise Two: Russian Twist 

• Sit up on your tailbone.
• Lean torso “back” until your feet come up off the ground.
• Clasp your hands together and turn/rotate your shoulders to one side as much as you can until your elbow comes as close to the ground as possible.
• Do the same thing on the other side. 
• Once you have gone to each side, that is one rep.
• Repeat for 10 total reps. 

Exercise Three: Reverse Crunch (Vince’s favorite bodyweight ab exercise) 

• Lay flat on your back. 
• Put your hands on the floor next to you or under your butt.
• Put your knees up at a 90-degree angle.  This is your starting position. It is where you will start every single rep. 
• Drive your knees into your chest until your lower back comes up off the floor.
• Bring your knees back to the starting position.
• Repeat for 10 total reps.

Exercise Four: Heel Taps

• Stay on your back. Put your feet on the floor with knees bent. 
• Your arms stay down by your sides.
• Crunch up (shoulder blades off the mat) and then reach out as far as possible with your hands.
• Twist to the left, tap your left heel, and then twist to the right and tap your right heel. Keep your shoulder blades off the floor the entire time!  
• One rep is once you have tapped each heel.
• Repeat for 10 total reps.

You may be thinking that this sounds pretty “easy” —  but remember that you are going for as many rounds as possible and there is no rest between exercises. You only get to rest after all 4 exercises are complete! 

Your first attempt will be setting your personal “base-line.”  You are determining how many rounds you can do as of right now. Then in a day or two, you will do the workout again and try to get in at least one more round.

If  you can’t do another round yet, no problem! Try adding another next time!!

You will keep attempting more rounds every time you do the workout (which we suggest doing at least a few times a week.) 

Don’t get frustrated if you can’t advance right away, or get stuck on a certain number of rounds, just make sure you aren’t doing fewer rounds than the time before.  Aim to do the same number of rounds as the previous day — or more!

Even if it takes you a couple weeks to add another round — as long as you are progressing, consistent with doing the challenge at least a few days a week, focusing on full-body exercise, and eating for your body type and goals — you will lose fat and get those abs poppin!

And don’t forget….  if you aren’t sure how to eat and exercise for your body type or aren’t even sure what your body type is, we have that FREE QUIZ you can take! 

It’s already helped tens of thousands of people reach their goals faster and easier!
CLICK HERE to check it out!

The post Let’s Get Your Abs Ready For Summer — 4 Exercise Ab Workout Challenge appeared first on V Shred.

If you are ready to take the appearance of your abs to the NEXT LEVEL – – we’ve got 4 exercises that you need to add to add to at least one of your ab workouts!

Bodyweight ab exercises are excellent for core strength and stability. Plus, if you are doing them “circuit style,” they also provide some additional cardio burn.

By all means .. keep doing bodyweight ab workouts!

But if you want those eye-catching .. 3D .. blocky .. popping .. kind of abs — you can’t ONLY do bodyweight ab exercises like sit-ups and russian twists!

You’ve gotta throw in some weighted movements. 

Adding weights to certain ab exercises can make a significant difference because your abs are like any other muscle in your body – they need progressive overload if you want them to GROW (i.e., pop)

Today we are taking you through a Weighted Six-Pack Workout that consists of four of our favorite weighted ab movements!

We are also showing you some modifications that are easier if you find any of the movements too difficult! As you progress, you can always work your way up to the more advanced/weighted version! 

Before you get started – make sure you watch THE INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO BELOW!

Form is crucial with ab training; otherwise, you could hurt your back and/or recruit other muscles and not fully activate your core!

WEIGHTED SIX-PACK AB WORKOUT

What To Do:

• 3 sets of 8-10 repetitions of each exercise. Rest as much as you need between sets to properly recover. Approx 60-90 seconds.
• Pick a weight that is challenging while still being able to use proper form!
  
• Do this weighted workout at least once a week in addition to any bodyweight ab training that you already do. ** If you need any ideas for bodyweight ab workouts, we have thousands to choose from HERE.

Exercises:

• DB Leg Raises (Power Tower for beginners)
• BB Sit-ups (No BB for beginners)
• Cable Side Ab Pulldowns
• DB Side Plank Hip Dips (No DB for beginners)

Throw in these weighted movements at least 1x a week for at least a month, and we know that  you WILL see better results than from doing bodyweight ab exercises alone!

ONE LAST PIECE OF ADVICE…..

This workout alone (or any workout for that matter) — WILL NOT GIVE YOU 3-D SHREDDED ABS!!

You can train abs every day, even with weighted movements like the ones we showed you today — but if you have excess belly fat covering your stomach, your ab muscles will NOT show!! 

You can not train your abs to get rid of belly fat!!!

To get rid of the fat that covers your abs,  you have to focus on consistent full body resistance training and most likely being in a calorie deficit.

The best way to do that is to – know your body type – so you can eat and exercise in a way that is best for your genetics! 

We created a fast and easy quiz that will tell you what your body type is!!

It’s only 6 questions .. it’s free .. and will instantly tell you what to do so that you know you are training in a way that is best for your genetics and goals.

Over 2 million people have already taken our free quiz and are seeing AMAZING results! CLICK HERE to get started! 

The post Want POPPING abs? Try this weighted six-pack workout! appeared first on V Shred.

Is a WIDER waist one of your physique goals? We are guessing the answer is .. no!

But there is a really popular ab exercise you may be doing, that could be giving you bigger obliques. As a result… the appearance of a wider, thicker, and bigger midsection.

This trendy exercise isn’t bad for a small percentage of people. A little further down in this article, we will tell you who may benefit.

But it’s a horrible idea for the vast majority of people reading this. 

• Do you have normal to high levels of body fat?
• Do you have a “blocky” or short waist?
• Do you tend to store body fat in your midsection or lower back?
• Are you in the initial stages of fat-loss?
  

Then you need to … STOP DOING THE WEIGHTED SIDE BEND!

If you subscribe to our YouTube Channel or friends with us on Social Media, then you may be scratching your head right now, saying, “Wait, Vince does these, and now you are telling me they are bad?”

We said that they are bad for MOST people. Just because an exercise is popular doesn’t mean YOU should be doing it.

Monkey see monkey do, should not be a philosophy you use when it comes to ANYTHING health and fitness!

That is why we preach the importance of knowing your body type and why we developed a FREE BODY TYPE QUIZ that anyone can take. It will help you determine the best way to train and eat, based on your personal genetics!

THE WEIGHTED SIDE BEND
Most people do side bends because they’re trying to spot-reduce. They think that doing side bends will somehow magically get rid of love handles.

We can see why you would believe this. We tell you how important lifting weight is for every other part of your body .. so why wouldn’t you think that bending with weight will somehow tone your love handles. 

But your obliques (the muscle that runs up and down your sides) are different. 

This is a muscle you do not want to grow because it will not help change the shape of your body in a GOOD way!

Some trainers say you should NEVER do this exercise, no matter what.

We are not going to say NEVER, because it can be a decent core exercise for SOME people if done with proper form.

Even then, it is not the best oblique exercise. Many are far superior. 

We put together an entire video that explains why the weighted side bend is an exercise you should probably delete from your gym vocabulary.

You will want to watch this one, save it, and have it on hand, so you can share it the next time you see someone attempting to bend their way to a smaller waist!!

Your obliques are a muscle, just like your arms or legs. If you are training them with weight, they’ll most likely grow. 

If your goal is to have a smaller waist, you want to focus on strengthening and toning your obliques, not building them. 

HOW TO TONE & STRENGTHEN YOUR OBLIQUES
The best love handle exercises are those that involve and target this muscle the way it’s meant to be trained, which is NOT a side-to-side motion like you do with a side bend.

Instead of just BENDING .. you want to focus on rotation. 

Your core muscles are designed to resist movement, not create it. When working side to side, you will feel it stretching .. but you aren’t CONTRACTING the muscle.

Instead, you want to think about rotating or resisting rotation.

It would be much better to do things like …

Wood chops, side planks or similar isometric holds, a farmer carry, med ball tosses, or anything else that trains your obliques in a rotational plane.

Another reason you may want to chill out on side bends… they aren’t ideal for you to do long term.

You are holding the weight and doing a lateral spinal flexion, which over time, can place excessive pressure on your spine and can cause nerve impingement.

THE SIDE END EXCEPTION
If you have a longer torso and extremely low levels of body fat, you can probably get away with weighted bending movements. But we still think there are far superior exercises.

We have tons of videos on our YouTube channel for core strength, we also have complete ab programs available that teach you how to train your core! 

BOTTOM LINE….
It would be nice if we could spot reduce fat through diet or exercise, but we can’t.

If your genetics mean that you hold on to fat in your stomach or lower back … it is what it is.

If you want to lose your love handles, you need to focus on OVERALL stomach toning, and most important, losing body-fat.

Doing side bends won’t help. After reading this article, we hope you learned that even worse, they may hurt. 

Don’t forget that your genetics will determine the extent to which your obliques will develop “thickness” through exercises like the weighted side bend.

Make sure you take a couple of minutes and check out our FREE BODY TYPE QUIZ! 

The post If You Want a Smaller Waist – Stop Doing This Ab Exercise appeared first on V Shred.

Only 6 minutes?! Really?! You’re telling me that I can get a flat stomach in that short of time?

Well … not exactly. 

But hopefully, we have your attention because we have something important to talk about if a flat stomach is your goal!

There is a mistake you are probably making in your quest to get rid of belly fat.

Like any muscle, you obviously can’t exercise once and see results. You need to train your abs consistently for them to tighten up. 

So no, you won’t get abs in ONLY 6-minutes.

What we are saying is that it’s a waste of time to spend endless hours crunching away in an attempt to get rid of belly fat and have a flat stomach!

Why?

For starters, you already work your ab muscles quite a bit if you are doing exercises in the gym that require core stabilization or compound movements like squats and deadlifts. For this reason alone, a couple sets of only a few ab exercises each week, is usually sufficient.

But doing exercises that target abs is only a very small part of getting a flat stomach.

There are some other AB FACTS  we need to quickly discuss before giving you that free 6-minute lower ab workout!

These are important, because we don’t want you to think you can do this 6 minute workout (or any ab workout for that matter) and magically have a flat stomach!

That is because…  YOU CANNOT SPOT-REDUCE FAT!

You can do 1000 crunches every single day, but they WILL NOT remove the fat that covers your abs. Just like you can do squats every day, and they won’t remove the fat from your legs.

To see your abs, you need to do what you would do if you want to lose fat in any other area of your body — focus on full-body exercise, cardio, and a proper diet.

After that, where your body decides to both hold onto fat and shed it the fastest, really comes down to genetics! 

This is exactly why we created a free body type quiz. It tells you what your genetics are and how you should train and eat to achieve your goals! If you are interested, we’ll tell you about it at the bottom of this article.

Even if your genetics cause you to hold on to fat in your mid-section, most people can still get pretty decent mid and upper ab definition with the right diet and exercise program.

The lower area of the stomach is another story. Which is why we want to focus on lower abs for this free 6-minute workout. 

The area below the belly button is hands down the most difficult part of the mid-section to tone and flatten because the lower stomach is where most people store excess fat. Especially women, due to the hormone estrogen. 

Getting a super shredded six-pack is simply not attainable for most people, (especially long term,) but with the right diet and exercise plan a FLAT stomach is possible for almost everyone! 

Just remember, to achieve that, you need to nail your diet, do full-body training, and exercises that strengthen your entire core, especially your lower abs.

This short 6 minute home workout will definitely help you do that!

Throw it in a couple days a week, and you will be well on your way to a flatter stomach in no time!

6 Minute Lower Ab Workout for a Flat Stomach
(NO EQUIPMENT REQUIRED)

Timing:
30 seconds on, 15 seconds rest.

Exercises:
Reverse Crunches
Flutter Kicks
Mountain Climbers
Leg Lift Extensions

You will do each exercise above for 30 seconds, rest for 15 seconds, then move on to the next exercise. Do the entire circuit twice! That’s it!

If you don’t know how to do any of these movements or just want to follow along with us while we do it, we created a video for you! 

We hope you like the workout, just don’t forget that while just 6-minutes a day may be enough time to put into exercising your abs, it won’t be enough to show a six-pack.

Workouts like this one simply help you strengthen your core and build ab muscles that can be revealed once they are no longer hiding under a layer of fat.

The best way to do that is to perform full-body exercises and diet in a way that is best for YOUR genetics. 

Our FREE BODY TYPE QUIZ is a great tool to help you determine how to eat and train in a way that works WITH your genetics (instead of against them) – allowing you to see results faster and easier! 

https://vshred.com/sp/survey/survey-aka1/

It’s only 6 questions, takes seconds to get your results, and again, it’s FREE! 

Find out your body type by clicking HERE!

The post Hit your lower abs with this 6-minute no equipment at-home workout appeared first on V Shred.

Home workouts are really popular these days. They are quick, convenient, often require no equipment, and can be just as effective as paying for a pricey gym membership. 

But have you noticed that most call for a ton of jumping (plyometric) movements?

Plyometrics are used in many home workouts because they are a great alternative when you don’t have access to weights. 

Studies show that plyometric workouts can produce similar effects on muscle growth as resistance training. Plus, the fast-paced movements also get your heart rate up, allowing you to burn a ton of calories in very little time!

But here is the problem…. 

They are high-impact. So, if you have achy joints or are a beginner, plyometrics can be a little too much to take on. 

Does that mean you can’t get an effective home workout without them? Absolutely not! 

If you are unable to do jumping movements or aren’t in the mood for a high-impact workout — we put together a 10-minute low-impact lower body and abs workout you will love!Even without jumping, this workout can still help beginners build calorie-burning lean muscle, and it uses a HIIT timing format for optimal fat burn!

To do this workout, all you need is a small space. Yup, that’s it! You don’t even need a timer because we filmed a follow along video so you can workout with us in REAL-TIME! 

In the video you get step-by-step instructions on how to do every movement with perfect form, but here is a breakdown of what we are doing. 

Workout structure:

Do each exercise listed below for 45 seconds, followed by 15 seconds of rest.

Once you are done with the last exercise, your workout is over; however, pending your fitness level, feel free to repeat it again! 

Exercises:
Side Step Squat
Side Step Jacks
Side Knee Drives (right)
Side Knee Drives (left)
Squat Butt Kicks
Plank Rotations
Reverse Lunge Knee Drives
Side Plank Hip Dips (right)
Side Plank Hip Dips (left)
Skaters

THAT’S IT!! An effective home workout that is low impact and perfect for beginners!!

If you like super short workouts that help sculpt muscle and burn fat simultaneously and that you can do from home without any equipment, you will love our workout program MOVE!! 

This one-of-a-kind program gives you 30 days of workouts that are all 20 minutes or less and have no repetitive exercises.

That’s right, you get a totally different workout every single day! How’s that for keeping you from getting bored and keeping those muscles guessing! 

MOVE is designed for males, females, beginners, and trained athletes. It requires NO equipment, and in addition to your daily workouts, you also receive healthy recipes and access to our private Facebook mens or womens group!

We’re so confident that this program will help you quickly shed inches in just 30-days – that it is backed by a 100% 60-Day Money-Back Guarantee.

You have nothing to lose and only a stronger, more toned body to gain!

CLICK HERE to instantly gain access to the program!

Source – If we need to link the study I mentioned – https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095254620300764

The post No Jumping Low Impact Home Workout For Beginners (Lower Body + Abs) appeared first on V Shred.

You are probably reading this because you are searching the internet for the best ways to get a flat stomach, how to get a shredded six-pack, or maybe just the fastest way to get rid of belly fat – right?

Let’s go ahead and get one thing straight……

The idea that you can remove stubborn body fat
from one particular body part – IS A MYTH! 

Doing ab exercises will not burn more fat off your mid-section anymore than doing bench press will burn fat off your chest, or shoulder presses will burn fat off your arms.

You can NOT spot reduce fat!!

Getting a six-pack requires achieving a low level of body fat that has nothing to do with how many crunches or abs exercises you do.

You can’t see your abs if you have excess body fat covering them! 

Now, there are some exceptions. Some people do genetically store less fat in their mid-section. If that is the case, their abs will be more visible even with higher overall levels of body fat.

Unfortunately, you can’t pick and choose where your body stores fat, but you CAN workout and eat based on your genetics. 

Either way, no matter your genetics, you still have to tone and tighten your abdominal muscles so that as you lose body fat through whole-body exercise, cardio, and diet – they can be revealed!

Before we show you a short workout that will do just that, let’s quickly touch on another AB MYTH! 

Many people believe you need to do HUNDREDS of crunches every day to work your core. More is better right? This is also FALSE!

If you use your time efficiently, you don’t need to spend hours in the gym, and you certainly don’t need to limit your ab exercises to endless crunches. 

The ab workout we are giving you today uses exercises that we carefully selected, so you hit ALL of your ab muscles in the most effective way possible!

The best part – it only takes 6 minutes from start to finish!

So go ahead, get on the floor and get moving as soon as you wake up, while dinner is cooking, or even on your lunch break!

If you aren’t sure how to do any of these movements or want to follow along with Vince, he filmed a follow-along video for you – BELOW! 

6-MINUTE HOME AB WORKOUT

WORKOUT STRUCTURE:
40 seconds on/20 seconds off (each exercise)
1 round

EXERCISES:
Straight Arm Crunches
Mountain Climbers
Side Plank Dips
Sprinter Situp
Scissor Switch
Plank Side Hops

There ya have it! A quick but VERY effective ab workout you can do anywhere, anytime, no matter your fitness level!

But don’t forget what we touched on earlier….
To see the abs you build, you do need to reduce overall body fat. The only way to do that is through full-body exercise and a proper diet. 

This is where knowing your BODY TYPE is really helpful. 

Everyone is born with different genetics. The diet and workout that will help you shed the most body fat and build the most calorie-burning lean muscle may not  be the same as someone else. 

That is why we created a fast and free body type quiz. 

Our quiz has helped hundreds-of-thousands of people achieve mind-blowing transformations!

All you have to do is answer a few questions, and in minutes you will be given tools that will help you customize your diet and training around your genetics!

The combination of dieting and exercising for your body type, as well as the 6-minute home ab workout above, will no doubt help you get on the right track, so you can show off your flat stomach in no time!!

The post 6-Minute Home Ab Workout (Yes, that is all the time you need) appeared first on V Shred.

How do I get abs?! That is one of the top questions we get here at V Shred.

If it were as easy as doing sit-ups, everyone that trains would be walking around with a 6-pack.

But it’s not!!

To complicate things even more… there is a muscle you probably don’t realize you need to train to have a sculpted midsection… because (technically) it’s not an ab muscle! 

You need to work the Serratus… and there isn’t a single crunch or sit-up variation you can do that will get the job done.

In this article, we are going to tell you all about the serratus muscle and show you some very effective exercises that target it! 

WHAT IS THE SERRATUS?

The serratus is under your lats. It runs all the way back and attaches to the inner part of the scapula. 

Your body fat does have to be pretty low to be able to see them, but the serratus muscles look like three little “gills” or “shark teeth” … they look like ribs. 

Some people actually refer to them as RIB MUSCLES. They aren’t..  but they do attach to your ribs and span over the top 8 or 9 ribs.

You may have also heard them called the “boxers muscle” — that is because they are usually very well developed in many boxers because the Serratus is what contracts when you are throwing a punch.

HOW DO YOU TRAIN THE SERRATUS?
It’s not easy, and you have to really THINK about contracting it.

But there are a lot of great exercises you can do. 

Here are 4 SERRATUS SPECIFIC EXERCISES

(++ a killer serratus activation drill)

You work this muscle some when training back or chest, but because it is NOT easy to isolate, you want to do some targetted training.

Throw in a couple of these at the end of some of your ab training sessions each week.

EXERCISE ONE – DB PULLOVER

Get a full stretch and think about squeezing down into serratus

Go slow, and do NOT use too much weight! You will recruit other muscles if you go too heavy.

EXERCISE TWO – AB WHEEL ROLL OUT

Roll out, keeping your shoulder blades forward and down.

Open up your scapula and use mind-muscle connection to concentrate on using this muscle the entire movement. 

** If you do not have an ab roller, you can also do these using a spinning barbell, TRX system, or even bands**

EXERCISE THREE – PLANK UP (also called The Dolphin Plank)

You will be in a standard plank position, then you let your shoulder blades drop down and add the motion of pushing backward and forward. Go back into plank and repeat.

You can also do this in a push-up position. To do this, push up – then push further by rounding up an extra two-inch additional range of motion. 

EXERCISE FOUR  – BAND RESISTED SERRATUS PUNCH

Wrap a band around something behind you (doorknob or any gym equipment) so that the band is around waist height .. maybe a little lower.

Standing in a “square stance” .. let the band bring your chest and shoulder all the way back .. then think of pushing to the wall in front of you as far as you can. When you think you can’t reach anymore.. try to reach a little further to really get tension on the band.

You will be punching slightly “up” instead of straight out. Focus on contracting your serratus during the movement and then HOLD THE PUNCH for ten seconds in the stretched position. 

The serratus is one of the most critical muscles for the

overall look and development of your core!! 

Add in a few of the serratus focused exercises to complete your “ab” training routine! 

We should point out that if you ever want to SEE the serratus muscle (or any other muscle in your abs) .. you will most likely need pretty low levels of body fat.

To achieve this… it’s best that you eat and train based on YOUR BODY TYPE.

We have a FREE QUIZ that will tell you exactly what your body type is and what diet plan and training techniques are best for your genetics.

It only takes a couple of minutes .. check it out HERE!

The post The UNKNOWN MUSCLE That Gives You Sculpted Abs appeared first on V Shred.