Thread: Trying to find good exercises for abs.

Ab visibility is all about bodyfat %.

For stability do things like planks, supermans, side planks, birddogs etc. Throw in some crunch variations and other things like that aswell.

Spot on - abs dont need massess of work - the key is in stripping away the fat above them.

A friend of mine was complaining not long ago that despite doing between 500 and 1000 crunches and situps a week (wow!) he wasnt getting a six pack. his big belly didnt help!

Good luck!

Well he already said he's working on his diet so I'll answer the question :P

Of all the various exercises the bicycle movement, providing you keep your legs fairly high so you're not just working your extensors, is considered to hit the abs harder than any other.

Here ya go, it's not a video but it's pretty clear:

Top 10 Most Effective Ab Exercises



B.

Yeah i do work on my diet and also i run everyday ...and thanks for the link

Strong core stability exercises will lead to strong abs. IMO if you're doing enough heavy compound movements where you have to stabilize the weight, your core will be getting a good workout. Other than that, the exercises Gaz listed are good ones. I also like pikes or V-ups.

Your core is engaged in most movements that you do, you don't need an excessive amount of isolation resistance training to strengthen it.

this thread just got me thinking about someing. isnt core work the same as other muscles were by there is isolation exercises and compound exercises. what i mean is hyperextensions is a isolation exercise for the lower back, and cruches are a isolation exercise for the abs, so wouldnt planks be like a compound exercise working the lower back and the abs. when ever you are working other muscle people focus on the compounds first, so shouldnt it be the same for core work.

what i am saying is whenever there are people training abs, (which so many people are obsessed) shouldnt they be doing compound exercises which work the abs and lower back, inshead of just doing isolation work for the abs. not to mention that the core gets worked alot with other lifts, so all you really need is a little bit of extra work, not alot. well that a low bodyfat % for abs to show.

am i just talking bullshit, is there really isolation and compound exercises for the core? or am i just talking out my ass.

Well a lot of BBs seek to isolate the abs without working the rest of the trunk, as who wants a big trunk?



B.

Originally Posted by Biggly

Well a lot of BBs seek to isolate the abs without working the rest of the trunk, as who wants a big trunk?



B.

Athletes? I think having a strong core is important to a person's overall health. Just focusing on abs is a bit short-sighted IMO.

But I can see a bodybuilder's desire to work the abs without working the rest of the trunk.

But, well, there's a hell of lot of abs advice for starters, but I think I'm out of the'ir league. I do abs shit every day. This is not play.

But, I think I've found a new direction with the kettle bells folk. Man, this looks like fun( I love power streching). And, it seems to fit in with my goals. I'm not a competition guy, (doesn't interest me a bit), but I want to do strength!

Experience?

Any body have experience with this direction. I haven' a clue

Originally Posted by NFOMan

But, well, there's a hell of lot of abs advice for starters, but I think I'm out of the'ir league. I do abs shit every day. This is not play.

But, I think I've found a new direction with the kettle bells folk. Man, this looks like fun( I love power streching). And, it seems to fit in with my goals. I'm not a competition guy, (doesn't interest me a bit), but I want to do strength!

Experience?

Any body have experience with this direction. I haven' a clue

The abs are a muscle like any other one, what makes you think you aren't massively overtraining them by doing that? Not to mention that the entire core gets worked on a variety of exercises that don't directly target it.

Well it's true that the abs tend to be endurance-biased, precisely because they are indeed used all the time (including just breathing). As such some people have found they respond well to being hammered frequently with high reps. Personally I'd call that self-inflicted torture and beyond doing some ab work to ensure they are OK if trying to actually grow beyond 'OK' I use weighted work.

If hitting them with weights then yes, treat em as you would any other body part, ie at least 48 hrs between exercises, more if especially sore.



B.

Best way to train abs? Eat the right foods.

Best way to read a thread, start at the beginning



B.

The better the core the better the bench

For me the best response for my abs has been weighted crunches via the overhead pulley and a rope attachment, maxing out at around 15 reps. This all depends on your body and how it reacts though. Others may react better to lower or higher reps.

In my opinion, if you want a flat stomach with definition, do the usual planks and other unweighted exercises. If you want a six pack that actually has some mass to it with deep separation (as seen on many bodybuilders), then you need to add weight to the exercises.

I don't buy into all of that "large trunk" talk with weighted crunches. A large trunk is either genetics, your diet (bodyfat), or a very small/disproportionate shoulder girdle. Your lower back, when gaining muscle, will add more circumference to your waist than your abs ever will.

I also agree that your abs get a workout doing squats, deads, military press, etc but they are more stabilizer muscles and not the prime muscle being worked.

Another note about endurance-based muscles/slow twitch fibers. Based on my experience (I don't claim to know everything), abs and calves best respond to lower reps with high acceleration and weight added to the exercise. Proof of this is to compare the calf muscles of a sprinter to a long distance runner. The sprinter will have much larger calf muscles compared to the long distance runner. Abs and calves are used to being worked daily at high repetitions, so adaptation isn't needed for them when you work them with bodyweight exercises at high reps. Blasting them with low reps and high weight has worked for many people.

Originally Posted by Biggly

Best way to read a thread, start at the beginning



B.

I have been...

What I've been saying all along in this thread is that having visible abs really boils down to having a lean enough frame. Do effective cardio and put yourself in a small caloric deficit and you should be able to see your abs. Most people don't need to do too much resistance training for their abs to be visible.

V-ups are probably my favorite abs exercise.