Does the ab routine matter?

[chico1st]

There are a million ab workouts out there and i know its all about diet to get a 6-pack. So does the workout that you do matter that much?

Its a muscle so you would think it does matter, but are they all close enough for me not to worry.

Now i do: ball crunches, bicycles, and leg raises.

And i do planks/side planks when i get time 2x per week.

 

[fufu]

I think training all muscles is important. However, on whether or not "it matters" will depend on your goals. Your abdominals willl be trained in nearly every thing you do, but that being said, the intensity remains very submaximal(generally). So, you may consider training them in a way which offers greater intensity and in a way in which you can gauge progress.

I don't know what you mean by, "Its a muscle so you would think it does matter, but are they all close enough for me not to worry"

As for an "ab routine", I don't think it matters. If by that you mean the stereotypical routine which you left. Often the people who are doing loads of crunches and other like-gimicky movements have their training upside down. However, things like planks and various rotational movements of the trunk can be beneficial to other kind of training that require a great deal of spinal stabilization or movements which involve the rotation of the trunk. But like I said it, it all depends on your goals.

So what is it to you? Do you want the aesthetics, the benefits in other movements/activities? Because training your abs in a more specific and goal oriented manner can definitely help with those.

 

[Hoglander]

You need strong abs to protect your back your whole life. Crunches matter. Planks not so much for general health, IMHO.

 

[Blooming Lotus]

and balance your work between the front and back. Remember, the ab slab wraps right around your middle and meets at either side of the spine.
I believe in working it from all directions so the entire muscle gets a good range of stimulation but others will probably tell you otherwise.
Remember also that it's position is subjective to certain bone groups.. try to practicing stretching those and keeping the space they to move in flexibile and well limber in their joints and well aligned.

If you want your 8 pack to pop and your diet is good then just remember what angles you're aiming to hit it all from. Sculpt them out.

Blooming tianshi lotus.

 

[chico1st]

work between the front and back.

does this mean i should be doing things like birddogs and glute bridges? I already do squating and deadlifts which work my back pretty intensely, i figured that was enough back work.

Remember also that it's position is subjective to certain bone groups.. try to practicing stretching those and keeping the space they to move in flexibile and well limber in their joints and well aligned.

If you want your 8 pack to pop and your diet is good then just remember what angles you're aiming to hit it all from. Sculpt them out.

I want to get a 6-pack so aesthetics is why i want abs. I am cutting at the moment actually. I dont completely get this angles thing, and stretching my abs bit. I do yoga which does lots of funny ab stretches.

Its a muscle so you would think it does matter, but are they all close enough for me not to worry

what i meant was that it matters how you work out the rest of your muscles so i dont see why my abs would be any different and not need some attention to how i work them. But i just dont know if the difference between "Killer Ab workout" and "mega ab blast" is negligible or not.

 

[Blooming Lotus]

Bird dogs are fine. Maybe at the peak of the extension also squeeze/ lift up into your lower back.

glute bridges are a good exercise, but as you might know, how effective they are really depends alot on your form.
Lateral twists down and directly behind you and are great too. if you work themm from different angles and heights,meaning twisting back under behind you, ( elbows up and relaxed at shoulder height motioning in a rvs figure 8 movement.. something like using your elbows one at a time to paddle backwards tightening with each tuck ) that's where you'll likely start to see your eight pack if you were going to see 6. you might feel dicky at first, but if you want that angle, you just do.

I also like, from crunch position, lateral slides down the side along the ground to the toes. sets of one side then both sides together then alternating singles. That's a regulation army crunch. Try also coming up with alternating hand reaches through your legs from that position. .. also i like from the same position lateral twists outward at different angles from my toes to out to the side to up near my shoulders and back down
( single side then alternating) and up my calves to outside of my knee to the inside of the other and down the other side. Also opposite outside of finger tips to opposite outside of foot but sliding or crunching ribs to hips in nice too.

The reason i mention different angles and working them from the back is because it all just helps to support your posture better.. which as you also might know, has a direct impact on how visible your abs will be. think of the pot stomache of someone with a weak lower back and a shoulder hunch. We're going for the complete opposite.
Ideally the abs should pour down into your pelvic line. .. not over it.

All that said - I know others feel differently, but from my expeience of my own body, i think it does matter and it mostly comes down to form and angle.

Blooming tianshi lotus.

 

[P-funk]

good post lotus

 

[chico1st]

wow this is so crazy and different.

is a lateral twist like this?
Ridgeline Fitness Podcast 5 "Torso Twist" Video
Like a russian twist but you say keep changing the position you twist to and angle between your abs and legs?

and a lateral slide is where your butt is on the ground and you keep tension in your abs while trying to touch your toes (for example) without sitting up, therefore sort of squeezing you sides?

You think these should be added to my routines right? not replace everything.

Yeah i agree with P-Funk, but im having issues visualizing.

 

[Blooming Lotus]

I should nearly be feeling really ashamed and embarrassed to be back here posting, but I'm not and dont concede to being like that, so here you go.

Think of when you're boxing and you have your hands up under your chin in an opening guard.

This is part of my personal ab regime so i hope you enjoy it.

For the twists, I like to think of that as a very wide hook or back elbow, hand back to or beside chin at the end of each "strike". By thinking of it like that, and using single arm movements, I feel like I get a better rom and stronger wind into my torso. To get to different angles or heights, think of hooks or the back elbows from that position to various points or body parts of a phantom opponent in front of or to the side or behind you.

For the ones between the legs - the reaches, I like to think of them as jabs. With a jab, one would making a 'pouring a cup of tea upside down at "impact " point and quickly back upright as the arm begins to withdraw from the "strike".

With dumbells they are an absolutely kick ass exercise.

You can vary the weights of your Dumbells and the number of reps for each weight and use them for any of the exercises listed above.
As you saw with the fitball, ou can also vary platform heights to do those off meaning you can also incorporate deeper incline and decline motions.

If you really want to take it to a more compound advanced level and can maintain enough form throughout, you can add in DB skull crushers to a two section good morning set, or single and dbl shoulder presses for your overhead reaches in addition to the between the legs "jab" to superset or flys and crosses at different angles across or into your body or single and alternating db lat pulldowns and so on. If you need to you can hook your feet on something to ground.
I'm going to play with this again myself in only a matter of weeks.

I do quite like the other ab exercises you're doing aswell and being they work from different ranges and lengths to what we just spoke about, i would keep them in your regime, even if that meant on alternate days.

Have fun with it.

Blooming tianshi lotus.

 

[CowPimp]

I haven't done a crunch or situp in quite a while and my abs are still visible. I just don't really see the point unless you have such a weak rectus abdominus that some isolation is needed before proper integration of that muscle group can be achieved in compound movements.