The adonis belt is the term given to the v-shaped lines between your hips and lower abs that run from the hip bone down to the pubis.
Other names for this muscle are v abs, v cuts, v lines, sex lines, sex v…the list goes on.
There is nothing extraordinary about this ‘V’ except that girls seem to love it. It’s like a trail / path for them.
Despite your genes, there are specific exercises you can implement into your routine that will improve your adonis belt.
Honestly, it is possibly as genetic as any other body part.
Some people are just more genetically gifted with this feature than others.
Just like some have lower bicep insertions that make their arms appear fuller, while others have higher insertions that make their biceps peak higher.
Just like you can target the sides of the biceps to make them fuller or train for a better peak, your adonis belt can also be improved.
Today I will give you specific exercises you can use to hack your genetics and get that V that women go crazy for.
This will not end your social anxiety issues and instantly make you win at life, but it will give you a reason to start wearing your pants lower than usual.
“Adonis, in Greek mythology, is the god of beauty and desire. His name is often applied in modern times to handsome youths, of whom he is the archetype. Also, the Golden Ratio of a tape measure of shoulder-to-waist ratio is called the Adonis Index. Adonis Complex refers to a body image obsession with improving one’s physique and youthful appearance.”
*For obvious reasons you need a low body fat percentage for this to work, there is no way around this.
Adonis Belt’s Composition
The Adonis Belt’s is created by the Inguinal Ligament and the Transversus Abdominis (TVA). The transversus abdominis is a layer of muscle of the abdominal wall which is deep to the internal obliques. It’s responsible for creating intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) to keep the core stabilized and protect the spine.
You can consciously activate your TVA, but in extreme real life scenarios where core stabilization is vital such as a woman giving birth or…deadlifting, your TVA will automatically engage. This muscle is also activated when you cough and sneeze.
Naturally, the internal obliques are also essential to the adonis belt. These muscles are activated by rotating and side bending.
Trunk-twisting movements utilize both the obliques and transversus abdominis.
Putting it together, the inguinal ligament is what creates the line while the transversus abdominis and internal obliques are the muscles that make it stand out. You’ll not have a good adonis belt if your TVA and oblique muscles are underdeveloped. Therefore, the more mass your transversus abdominis and internal obliques have the more visible the adonis belt will become.
The transversus abdominis is also responsible for pulling the abdominal wall back. What means that even if you’re not tensing your abs or your belly is relaxed, a strong TVA will prevent it from protruding keeping your waist tight all the time.
While strenghtening your TVA may not directly improve your abs, it will definitely make your waist more aesthetic.
Beware that it’s difficult to develop hypertrophy in these muscles so you’ll have to put in some extra dedication, patience and consistency to see results.
How To Develop An Aesthetic Adonis Belt The Thick Solid Tight Way:
First, any heavy movement that requires serious core stabilization will help. That is squats, deadlifts, snatches, clean & jerks and any other major loading movements that require intra-abdominal pressure.
Now onto more specific exercises:
1) Planks
- Time yourself
- Keep your body aligned
- Keep progressing by adding resistance / time to the holds and beating your last effort
- Advance to other progressions like side planks
2) Swiss Ball Pikes
- Add resistance
- 10-20 reps
- Keep the thoracic area from rounding
3) Decline Sit Ups With A Twist (elbow to opposite knee)
- This exercise can be quite stressful on the lower back so don’t add too much weight
- Don’t add any resistance at all
- Or you can use alternative exercises with anti-rotational efforts if you don’t want to take the chance, but that’s for another post
4) Cable Woodchoppers
- Twist with the hips, not the lumbar spine
- High pulley works better for me
- Make sure to twist and bend (correctly)
5) Stomach Vacuums
- Think trying to pull your belly button through your lower spine
- Suck in your stomach as far and as hard as you can
- Squeeze & Contract real hard
- Experiment which position works best for you, I do them standing straight
- If you can hold it for too long, you’re doing something wrong
- This exercise could be the most effective of the list, don’t underestimate it
- Perform this at least once everyday
6) Swiss Ball Crunches
- Add resistance
- Use the TVA to balance yourself
7) Side to Side Knee Ups
- Add resistance
- Use ab straps if you want
8) Loaded Carries: Farmer’s Walks, Stone Loading, Sandbag Carries
- Loaded carries work your transversus abdominis by forcing you to create intra-abdominal pressure
- Do them heavy and for distance
9) Leg Lifts (Lying leg raises, Hanging leg raises)
- This is ideal because the wall prevents him from swinging and gaining momentum and the straps support his grip so it doesn’t break before his abs do. This way you can focus 100% on the abs.
- Add Resistance & Avoid Swinging
10) Russian Twists – Landmines
- This one is a safer alternative to the decline sit ups with twist because the hips can move more freely
- Feel the burn, go all Muhammad Ali on this one; “only start counting when it starts hurting”
- When you’ve built some conditioning progress to the landmines:
11) Single Arm, Kneeling, Cable, Twisting, Rope Pulldown Crunches to opposite side
- It’s like a standard cable crunch with the rope attachment except you hold it single-armed and twist to the opposite site
- For lack of a better name
- Focus on bending and twisting
- Keep your arm fixed at all times
12) V Holds – L Sits – V Sits
- Isometric nature
- Keep progressing
- The last 2 aren’t easy on the wrist and elbows
Other Helpful Exercises:
1) Dumbbell / Barbell / Kettlebell Bent Press
- Careful
2) Turkish Get Ups
- Try using barbells, dumbbells and kettlebells
3) Reverse Crunches
- I like to do these hanging on an incline / decline – bench / board
- Knees Bent (crunches not leg raises)
- This is also one of those you start counting when it starts hurting
- Add resistance, you can use cable attachments on the ankles or a dumbbell
5) Side Crunches
- Well these aren’t side crunches but those are some aesthetic tights she’s wearing
- On side crunches you are lying on your sides
- Start side crunching, make sure to raise the legs off the floor too
- Semi-bent knees work best
- High reps, go for the burn
6) Push Up Position Alternating Knees to Chest or opposite side
- Focus on contraction and squeezing your TVA
- Add resistance by putting plates on your back, a weighted vest or get your woman to mount you
7) Scissor Kicks
- Oldschool drill
- Put your hands under your lower back
- Superset with flutter kicks
8) Side Bends
- Dumbbell / Barbell / Cable Side Bends
- Focus on contraction
- In the video Lu Xiaojun makes fun of your mobility
- *These can add size to your waist if you do them heavy and frequently enough
Seems like this turned into a complete core training repertoire
Final Points:
- Don’t lose focus, you may find some of these exercises boring
- Always add resistance when possible, increase reps or progress to a more complex variation
- Always contract your abdominal wall during these exercises and during any heavy movement
- Train your abs 3 times a week with high volume and “heavy” weight, this is the perfect spot between too little and too much
- These exercises will improve your six pack too
- To maximize results do stomach vacuums everyday first thing in the morning
- If you’re a woman feel free to start doing these, but I’d focus on those that strengthen the TVA to keep your waist tight and develop a strong core. I’d say you avoid the ones that focus on adding size since I don’t see the Adonis Belt adding much to a woman’s physique.
- Bad nutrition = no results
- No rest = no results
The Adonis Belt is part of the Thick Solid Tight look
There you have the best exercises to get the Adonis Belt / V Cuts.
You can get there with some work and dedication.
Nothing says dedication like consistent, detailed, tedious and monotonous ab training. It requires true will power to commit yourself to that.
