Dr. Andy Galpin

So we want to train them.

We want to train them with the same principles.

You can use whatever rest interval you'd like.

You can probably train the muscles, you know, two to four times per week.

And you want to use that classic 10 to 20 working sets per muscle per week.

Split this up however you'd like.

You want to train hard, something like one to two reps in reserve.

So this means at the end of every set, you could feel like you could maybe do one more rep, maybe two at the most, but not more than that.

So it's got to be to failure or really close to it.

And like every other muscle, you need to have some form of progressive overload.

And as we just described, more reps is not necessarily the only or best approach to that.

The exercise choice you select, I've given you some insights a second ago, and I apologize for kind of bouncing around a little bit here.

But what you also might want to consider

is the unique effects of the transverse abdominus.

So because it is that belt, and you'll see this actually pretty commonly in women postpartum.

They feel like they have this little pooch, or they're like, man, I'm lean again, but this thing is sticking out.

Well, because the transverse abdominus pulls your stomach back in, by working that, you might be able to get yourself close to that appearance of a flatter stomach.

So do not disregard the transverse abdominus, even for aesthetics, even though you can't see it directly.

A real critical missing component for a lot of people who are failing this because you're doing all RA work, right?

You're doing the sit-ups and the crunches in there, and maybe you're doing some side bends.