The importance of the abdominals

[farzamk]

Abs are sometimes neglected or not put enough time into strengthening. The result is a weak core.

The problem with this is that during a sprint, a whole bulk of one's power goes comes through the core. After the acceleration, one requires strong abs for optimal stride length in max velocity.

In sports, a lot of movements required to do require a lot of core strength and stability, practically every athletic movement requires some sort of abdominal movements.

Now thinking doing 5000 crunches is going to get you a 8 pack and give you the core strength of bruce lee is ridiculous.

The core is developed in three ways best:

Traditional Ab work (crunches, bridge/plank, weighted crunches and etc.)
Rotational Ab work
Lifting

Traditional ab work is often not neglected, so continue doing that as it is, and do weighted exercises as well, that is the base of your core strengthening.

Rotational ab work is often neglected, in sports your trunk doesn't stay still during a entire game does it? Plus rotational ab work is more benficial for core strength than traditional ab work. Russian twists, bicycle, standing trunk rotations and other med ball work is great for this.

Finally we get to the lifts. Where the abs are trained mainly for their purpose, and that is stability as well as power production. Squats, deadlifts, overhead squats, cleans, snatches, clean and jerk, front squats all will get you this.

For a very large variety of ab exercises, go here:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=6264801

[DesVaro]

Charlie Francis mentioned that his athletes didn't do hundreds of repetitions for abdominals, they did thousands!

What do you think of that?

[farzamk]

Charlie Francis mentioned that his athletes didn't do hundreds of repetitions for abdominals, they did thousands!

What do you think of that?

Charlie uses very high reps for abs, saying 5000 was meant to be as in the old saying of 3x50 sit ups is a good ab workout. Meaning you require a large variation to get good abs. Also his thousand/s his total reps done in a workout.

I use a variety, both very high reps in total, including holding bridges/planks for extended periods of time and increasing per workout + lower reps with very heavy resistance. So I use a mix.

[DesVaro]

Charlie uses very high reps for abs, saying 5000 was meant to be as in the old saying of 3x50 sit ups is a good ab workout. Meaning you require a large variation to get good abs. Also his thousand/s his total reps done in a workout.

I use a variety, both very high reps in total, including holding bridges/planks for extended periods of time and increasing per workout + lower reps with very heavy resistance. So I use a mix.

Ah okay, thanks for shedding light on that.

Is it possible for you to give me a detailed ab training program? I'm a soccer player, turning 18 end of the year. Been lifting for 2 years.

[farzamk]

Ah okay, thanks for shedding light on that.

Is it possible for you to give me a detailed ab training program? I'm a soccer player, turning 18 end of the year. Been lifting for 2 years.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=6264801

[DesVaro]

Yeah I've seen that thread, I was just hoping you could help me out with exercise selection, set and rep schemes etc.

Anyways, in soccer there's often alot of "shoulder-to-shoulder" contact and if you're not strong enough you get knocked off the ball.

What exercises will you recommend to strengthen my core to face that? I assume the ability to not get pushed around relies on core stability.

[farzamk]

Yeah I've seen that thread, I was just hoping you could help me out with exercise selection, set and rep schemes etc.

Anyways, in soccer there's often alot of "shoulder-to-shoulder" contact and if you're not strong enough you get knocked off the ball.

What exercises will you recommend to strengthen my core to face that? I assume the ability to not get pushed around relies on core stability.

Overhead squats, deads and front squats will get you the specific core strength for your soccer.

Other than that, you basically want to do everything. Russian twists and the bicycle should get 4-5 sets per ab workout and do the russian twists for 30 seconds, then do them with a throw, catch-side to side-throw back to perosn infront of you = 1 rep. Do 30 reps x 3 sets for that too.

The bicycle 2x60 seconds unresisted, 2x30 seconds with med ball or plate.

Crunches, weighted crunches, oblique crunches, side sit ups, v ups, reverse crunches, prisoner squats, leg drops, double legged bicycle should all be done as well. Use 1-2 sets for each, generrally anywhere from 10-40 reps depending on the intensity of the exercise. Split them up among workouts, dont be spending 3 hours a workout working on abs!

You want to also make regular progress on the regular bridge as well as side planks. Increase time until you reach 3 minutes on the bridge, then begin doing weighted and increase weight while maintaining time, once you get to desirable weight, focus on increasing time only.

[crppleman51]

Yeah I've seen that thread, I was just hoping you could help me out with exercise selection, set and rep schemes etc.

Anyways, in soccer there's often alot of "shoulder-to-shoulder" contact and if you're not strong enough you get knocked off the ball.

What exercises will you recommend to strengthen my core to face that? I assume the ability to not get pushed around relies on core stability.

you could probably do well with just putting on some weight

[qb0708]

couldn't agree more that abs are neglected and extremely important, i personally enjoy doing med ball throws into a wall while balancing on a bosu(sp?) ball then doing finger toe touch raises for 4 sets in a circuit

[Joelio36]

Hip flexors are more important for sprinting. Increase stride turnover rate and length.

[farzamk]

Hip flexors are more important for sprinting. Increase stride turnover rate and length.

Then you could do high knees everyday and not anything else and become the fastest person...?

thoughts?

[qb0708]

Then you could do high knees everyday and not anything else and become the fastest person...?

thoughts?

no... lol

[farzamk]

no... lol

exactly, hip flexors have a good role, but not something where their individual strength = more speed.

[RAW87]

When even I do full situps, i feel it a little in the abs, but a lot in the hip flexors, is that normal? Bad? Good?

[farzamk]

When even I do full situps, i feel it a little in the abs, but a lot in the hip flexors, is that normal? Bad? Good?

Ya it's generally fine, although I personally dont like sit ups. Might as well do crunches instead of them.

[RAW87]

I like to do crunches, then leg raises while lieing on back, and reverse crunches