How Do You Train Abs?

[Mr Scorpio]

Often/never? Heavy/light? Machines/bodyweight?

[USMCHokie]

Often/never? Heavy/light? Machines/bodyweight?

 

I personally feel that abs are like any other muscle group in that it needs to be trained with low repetitions and high weight to build strength. So you'll never see me doing planks or other body weight exercises...they just don't build mass...

 

But then again, I just f*ck around at the gym...

[tman666]

High rep, high frequency sexin'.

 

(I usually just throw in some sort of plank, med ball twists, or dip station straight leg raises at the end of my lifting sessions. I guess this would probably be considered lighter weight and higher rep)

[thefooloftheyear]

Abs are worked in many movements..A lot of it is genetic. Some people are very lean, yet never show any(or very little) ab definition. Others show great abs and never did a sit up in their life...Its kinda the same deal for forearms and calves.

..

 

So for whatever thats worth, I train hi rep/hi intensity ..Crunches, decline situps with light weight, rope pulldown crunches, etc..

 

TFY

[fortyninethousand322]

I used to train my abs for like 2 hours every other day. Not a good idea. It's a waste of time.

 

Now, I train abs 3-4 times a week for about 20-30 minutes. The exercises vary depending on where I am (home, or one of two gyms I go to). At home I have some weights, rubber cords, and an ab roller (one of those "evolution" models, not the wheel), and each gym has a different array of machines. I aim for sets of 25-50. Lots of twisting motions, compound movements, etc. No more than 5-10 seconds rest between sets if you absolutely need a rest.

 

And I also do them after I'm done with whatever else I'm doing weight lifting wise, but before cardio. So if it's chest day, and I get done with chest workouts, I'll go do 20 minutes of abs then hit the treadmill or go for a run outdoors (if it's a running day).

 

Most of the process of getting abs to show is lowering your body fat percentage anyway...

[hppr]

Do you want a strong core or do you want abs to show off? Because one anybody can do, the other is a lot harder depending on your body and how it stores fat. If you are naturally pot-bellied good luck lol.

[USMCHokie]

Most of the process of getting abs to show is lowering your body fat percentage anyway...

 

Yes and no...yes, you need a low enough body fat to see the abdominals; unfortunately, most people have disappointingly small abs...so even if they are visible, they tend to be very flat and unremarkable. And if aesthetics are what you're going for, then no amount of stability exercise is going to increase their mass to make them look like the abs you see on TV and in magazines.

 

Abs get their own day for me. I don't make them an afterthought after I've lifted something else. I lift with heavy tension just like you would on a squat, deadlift, or bench press. Heavy is what makes muscles grow, and the abs are no exception.

[fortyninethousand322]

Yes and no...yes, you need a low enough body fat to see the abdominals; unfortunately, most people have disappointingly small abs...so even if they are visible, they tend to be very flat and unremarkable. And if aesthetics are what you're going for, then no amount of stability exercise is going to increase their mass to make them look like the abs you see on TV and in magazines.

 

Abs get their own day for me. I don't make them an afterthought after I've lifted something else. I lift with heavy tension just like you would on a squat, deadlift, or bench press. Heavy is what makes muscles grow, and the abs are no exception.

 

Don't get me wrong, I love my inclined sit ups with a 45 lb weight plate. I just know quite a few people with "abs of steel" who do 100 sit ups after they're done with their squats or deadlifts or whatever else they did.

 

Probably genetic too I guess...

[AlexDP]

Often/never? Heavy/light? Machines/bodyweight?

 

Personally I just do front planks with an emphasis on squeezed glutes and a neutral neck. Other than that I feel they get trained plenty by deadlifts and squats. I must say though that doing planks with a neutral neck really helps my posture and I seem to feel much happier when my posture is good.

[Mr Scorpio]

Do you want a strong core or do you want abs to show off? Because one anybody can do, the other is a lot harder depending on your body and how it stores fat. If you are naturally pot-bellied good luck lol.

 

I am more concerned with a strong core, as my higher priority (guitar) suffers due to low back-pain. That being said, who wouldn't want abs to show off?

 

I asked my original question mainly because, when I was working with a PT, he advised me to stay away from ab machines at all costs. So I did hanging leg raises, decline situps with a 25er on my chest, roman chairs, and a lot of floor work. However, my recent back/hip-flexor tweak came from either roman chairs and/or hyper-extensions. I'd rather not repeat that pain.

[AlexDP]

I am more concerned with a strong core, as my higher priority (guitar) suffers due to low back-pain. That being said, who wouldn't want abs to show off?

 

Well, conventional science, e.g. Stuart McGill, would say that flexion work is horrible. So no sit ups, crunches, et cetera. Planks would be good, but focus on form. It's not as easy as it seems to have proper form.

[Imported]

I guess I lucked out. I have good abs, calves and forearms. I don't do anything specific. I don't do any movement specifically for anything really.

 

I do not like a bulky looking mid-section. I couldn't tell you for sure that doing low reps with high weights will do this to you (for abs), but seeing a lot of the other guys at the gym that are hardcore into getting huge, I like my abs better. Some of these guys have bloated out looking abs.

 

I also just do whatever at the gym and think it's more about intensity than anything else, but I am not looking to get huge. (when I started is a different story)

 

I swim a lot. Freestyle has you twisting the torso a lot, helps for your adonis belt and abs in general probably. Butterfly is pretty intense for the lower abs. I do 3000 to 5000 yards almost everyday of the week. Works the abs and burns calories.

[USMCHokie]

Well, conventional science, e.g. Stuart McGill, would say that flexion work is horrible. So no sit ups, crunches, et cetera. Planks would be good, but focus on form. It's not as easy as it seems to have proper form.

 

Easy fix for proper form. Focus on maintain your lumbar curve throughout the movement and keep your head and neck in a neutral position. Look "up."

[USMCHokie]

I do not like a bulky looking mid-section. I couldn't tell you for sure that doing low reps with high weights will do this to you (for abs), but seeing a lot of the other guys at the gym that are hardcore into getting huge, I like my abs better. Some of these guys have bloated out looking abs.

 

I also just do whatever at the gym and think it's more about intensity than anything else, but I am not looking to get huge. (when I started is a different story)

 

You still need to get bigger before you get close to getting "huge"...it takes a lot of time and work to get to the bloated abs stage...it's not like you do high weight exercise one day and wake up the next day with abs that stick out farther than your chest.

 

Just trying to help people out from becoming "skinny ripped."

[Emilia]

High rep, high frequency sexin'.

 

(I usually just throw in some sort of plank, med ball twists, or dip station straight leg raises at the end of my lifting sessions. I guess this would probably be considered lighter weight and higher rep)

This is probably closest for me.

 

About 4x a week, 2x after my weightlifting session and 2x part of the whatever else I'm doing that day for strength training.

 

Not so much planks nowdays, though do sometimes front ones. Lots of Russian twists, old fashioned sit ups, crunches, leg raises, good morning darlings, jack knives, bicycle crunches, the lot. I use weight sometimes and I do have strong abs and strong core muscles in general.

 

EDIT: also to add, I find helping out my training partners with setting the weights up - especially for squats - very useful. Just picking up 15-20 kgs from the floor, raising it to shoulder height to put it on the bar helps with core strength when you have to perform it several times during a session. Training your abs/core really isn't just about sit ups.

 

I also like chucking medicine balls up towards the ceiling

Edited May 21, 2013 by Emilia

[Mr Scorpio]

Just trying to help people out from becoming "skinny ripped."

 

I'm guessing that is where my preference lies, although aesthetics are not my top priority. I have no interest in obeying a diet -- particularly an expensive one -- for the sake of maintaining any gains I should achieve. I imagine that I enjoy cardio too much for any aspirations of bulk.

[hppr]

I'm guessing that is where my preference lies, although aesthetics are not my top priority. I have no interest in obeying a diet -- particularly an expensive one -- for the sake of maintaining any gains I should achieve. I imagine that I enjoy cardio too much for any aspirations of bulk.

 

Honestly it's not about an expensive diet so much as a time-consuming one. Some guys talk about stuffing red meat down their throats but pasta, chicken, bread, fish has worked better for me than anything else. But that kind of food typically takes time to prepare so when you come home tired from work at 6-7 spending an hour or so cooking a couple potatos, chicken, noodles, veggies, it's a pain. And then your midday meals as well. Frankly it's a pain in the ass but I don't want to go back to being skinny again.

[Mr Scorpio]

Honestly it's not about an expensive diet so much as a time-consuming one. Some guys talk about stuffing red meat down their throats but pasta, chicken, bread, fish has worked better for me than anything else. But that kind of food typically takes time to prepare so when you come home tired from work at 6-7 spending an hour or so cooking a couple potatos, chicken, noodles, veggies, it's a pain. And then your midday meals as well. Frankly it's a pain in the ass but I don't want to go back to being skinny again.

 

Time isn't a problem for me. I usually cook once per day, each time making a big enough batch of something that I have leftovers for at least the next two days. I always have something nutritious with protein ready to go. But the vast majority of my protein comes from lentils and pasta. Even if I ate 6 meals per day, I don't think I'd be anywhere near 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight. As much as I'd love to eat salmon and chicken, that isn't viable on a $40 per week budget.

[pie2]

I swim a lot. Freestyle has you twisting the torso a lot, helps for your adonis belt and abs in general probably. Butterfly is pretty intense for the lower abs. I do 3000 to 5000 yards almost everyday of the week. Works the abs and burns calories.

 

5000 yards??! That's incredible!! How do you make your workout...are you on a team? Any sets you especially like?

[Imported]

I am not on a team and I don't really have much purpose to my swim workout other than to clear my mind and enjoy it. Not trying to get faster, think I topped out already in breast stroke and freestyle. Maybe if I got a coach again to nit-pick my form and I rigorously held to the form, I will go a little faster without completely spending myself.

 

Yardage just takes time. I do at least 3k and if I have the time and am really enjoying myself, I do more. Usually I'll do 1500 yards non-stop in either breastroke (@8 to 9 minutes per 500 without pushing off) or freestyle (@6 minutes and lightly pushing off). Then I'll do just arm pulls with huge hand paddles and flutter kicks with fins for 1000. Then I do 100 yard sprints in whatever style (trying to learn butterfly now) till I stop which usually takes me over 3k and sometimes I just don't want to get out of the pool and end up doing more. Or I mix it all up and do whatever. I like swimming, it's fun!

[pie2]

Yardage just takes time.

 

Yes, but it takes more time for some of us, lol .

 

500 free @ 6min is amazing...not to mention a 500 breaststroke (in any amount of time)!! That's so awesome.

 

For me, I don't find general swimming to work my abs that much, though my back seems to get super strong, which is good for my overall core (hopefully!). I have to specifically do butterfly kicks to really get my abs working, though I agree that I do feel a lot of pull down my sides.

 

I like swimming, it's fun!

 

Me too!! I love it .

[hppr]

I used to do free diving a lot, down to 50-60 feet with weights and even back then I think I'd drown halfway through 5000 yards.

[pie2]

I used to do free diving a lot, down to 50-60 feet with weights...

 

Whoa! That's incredible . I can barely make it to the bottom of the deep end (12 feet). How does it work? Sounds scary.

[Razzic]

I used to train my abs for like 2 hours every other day. Not a good idea. It's a waste of time.

 

Now, I train abs 3-4 times a week for about 20-30 minutes. The exercises vary depending on where I am (home, or one of two gyms I go to). At home I have some weights, rubber cords, and an ab roller (one of those "evolution" models, not the wheel), and each gym has a different array of machines. I aim for sets of 25-50. Lots of twisting motions, compound movements, etc. No more than 5-10 seconds rest between sets if you absolutely need a rest.

 

And I also do them after I'm done with whatever else I'm doing weight lifting wise, but before cardio. So if it's chest day, and I get done with chest workouts, I'll go do 20 minutes of abs then hit the treadmill or go for a run outdoors (if it's a running day).

 

Most of the process of getting abs to show is lowering your body fat percentage anyway...

 

This ^^ is what I was going to say, I use to train my abs all the time, got me no where, you can train every muscle around it and once you get lean enough they'll start to show. 90 - 95% of people will not get low body fat % to ever show them. Those either know how or have good genes or both.

[Razzic]

Time isn't a problem for me. I usually cook once per day, each time making a big enough batch of something that I have leftovers for at least the next two days. I always have something nutritious with protein ready to go. But the vast majority of my protein comes from lentils and pasta. Even if I ate 6 meals per day, I don't think I'd be anywhere near 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight. As much as I'd love to eat salmon and chicken, that isn't viable on a $40 per week budget.

 

If you are lifting (resistance training) you'll need to get up there, shakes often are extremely cheap I go 100% organic whey concentrate as its cheaper and has other nutrients in it that isolate does not that is beneficial to building muscle and recovering and when bought it bulk it will save you A LOT. Hell my breakfast is lucky to cost me $3 for a shake and that is including organic whey protein and organic almond milk. If you aren't fussed about chemicals and stuff in your milk and protein you can go a hell of a lot cheaper and nastier like most people do.

 

Even saying that if your not at LEAST at 0.5g per pound you'd need to at least hit that to see some better results.