Abs workouts

drockwood · 11-05-2009, 06:45 AM

Hello All, a newbie here searching for some tips and advice.
Please could someone forward me/post some routines for my abs/core. Its the area I really struggle with and if I'm honest put off in favour of anything else. I will update my profile soon and post some pics. Searching through this site I've found some very inspiring members who have total transformed there lives mentally and physically. Any other suggestions/advice please let me know.

Cheers D. rockwood

Dr_Broscience · 11-05-2009, 07:43 AM

You can go to this link: http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/ and click on the body part to view exercises on this site.

When you say you are struggling with your core\abs, do you mean fat loss? Core exercises will work well for building muscle, but if you want to lose fat on your abs, you will need to get your nutrition in order

hardwarz · 11-05-2009, 09:38 AM

Just curious... Why are you concentrating on ab work?

If you're trying to reduce fat around your abs, that's not the way to do it.

If you do a lot of ab work, you may end up building your abs up, making it look thicker.

Showing off your abs is directly related to diet, not working out.

I'm not saying do not do any ab work, I was just curious, especially since you said you're a newbie.

Hardwarz

drockwood · 11-05-2009, 12:11 PM

Thanks hardwarz and Dr_Broscience for your replies and link (excellent). I am eating healthy balanced foods throughout the week, but I'm not sure exactly what I should be doing in this area i.e. am I eating the right foods, so its a combination of abs work and nutrition? I need to lose fat on my abs but how do I know I'm getting my diet right? I'm concentrating on my abs as I'm not shifting fat from there, I certainly wouldn't want to make my abs thicker. Any suggestions about diet or workouts let me know.

Cheers D. rockwood

ygohome · 11-05-2009, 05:00 PM

cardio wouldn't kill you... as long as you don't slip and fall. ha. Your leg muscles are the largest muscles you have... running a few miles in the morning around the neighborhood then doing weights in the evening. Or run every other day and lift weights on the others. You'll drop that fat if you eat right and exercise. Its not magic

if you hate cardio... many in here despise it.... then do weights with minimal to no pausing between sets for 30 minutes
-1 set of 8-12 reps per muscle group
-rotate to the next lifting exercise after each set
-return back to the first muscle group and do that set again
-continue that rotation until you work each group at least 3 or 4 sets total

this is essentially cardio but with weight lifting.

And lift as heavy as you can with proper form.

In reference to the abdominal exercises... I do decline situps on a bench made just for that purpose. I do 20 reps per set... 3 sets total. 1st set is I hold hands to side of my head and rotate elbow to opposite knee... 2nd set is similar but without the rotate and I increase the angle of the bench... 3rd set is where I hold a 25lb plate to my chest as I do my sit ups.

I've also been doing gorilla pull ups. I do one set with overhand and the next set underhand.

drockwood · 11-06-2009, 04:50 AM

Thanks for your reply, excellent advice and good encouragement. I am going to adapt my workout plan. I think cardio's great! I'm going for a 3 mile run tomorrow morning. Been to the gym today, see my plan and comment please. What type of diet/nutrition do you stick to? I want to shape my body but would cardio work against building muscle? I guess I need to prioritise? I know these may be simple questions but if I don't know, it wont make sense. Any advice gratefully recieved.

Thanks again.

D. rockwood

hardwarz · 11-06-2009, 03:06 PM

I just went through The Abs Diet. It has a decent section on nutrition. There are a couple versions of the book. I have the large book and it goes into the science of the diet more than anything. My wife bought the smaller version which goes over recipes more. I don't think I needed the science part of the book, more the recipe part.

Here's a sample schedule from the book:

8 A.M.: Breakfast
11 A.M.: Snack
1 P.M.: Lunch
4 P.M.: Snack
6 P.M.: Dinner
8 P.M.: Snack

I've been sticking to roughly that schedule lately. I've come down from 210 to 183.8 lbs (this morning 11/06/2009).

Hope this helps.

Hardwarz

drockwood · 11-06-2009, 03:20 PM

Thanks for your email, I'll check out the abs diet book see what advice they offer. Interested in recipes as its always good to shake things up and add some different food to the menu.

Cheers D. rockwood

TreeHouser · 11-06-2009, 08:33 PM

Abs are easy, so to speak. It starts in the kitchen, and ends up doing REPS.

I do 500 a day.

I'm sick.

Bando · 11-06-2009, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ygohome

if you hate cardio... many in here despise it.... then do weights with minimal to no pausing between sets for 30 minutes
-1 set of 8-12 reps per muscle group
-rotate to the next lifting exercise after each set
-return back to the first muscle group and do that set again
-continue that rotation until you work each group at least 3 or 4 sets total

this is essentially cardio but with weight lifting.

And lift as heavy as you can with proper form.

I lost 35 lbs of flab this way, but I put 5 minutes of hard stationary bike in each rotation and went to 5-6 sets total. Funny that was 3 years ago and it's the first time I've read of someone else doing/suggesting it for weight loss (It works). repped.

drockwood · 11-07-2009, 05:22 AM

Thanks for all the comments, My current plan has had a positve effects, but I'm going to give the suggestions a blast and hopefully the results will be in the pictures.

Cheers D. Rockwood

vp63 · 11-08-2009, 12:18 AM

Starting out - ab definition is a great goal. My abs have come and gone, but for what is worth abs are easiest thru diet. Remember Rome wasn't built in a single day. Start out slow and keep the progress going. Once you start getting progress go to weighted low rep excercises. High rep work will tone, not build muscle. Dragon flags are the hardest excercise in my opinion and might be your ultimate goal- 1-2 years from now. Diet is first and by far the most important. Even if you ignore the diet part you will still have good abs, just won't see them. Good luck.

drockwood · 11-08-2009, 12:10 PM

thanks for you post, I think its good to be realistic that it will take time to get the abs I want. My diet does need fine tuning, would anyone recommend any supplements or further additional dietry information to whats already been suggested?
Cheers D. Rockwood

jmborr · 11-08-2009, 08:33 PM

I usually do one of two abs routines after the weights. I like to spice things up with variety

RECTUS ABDOMINIS (routine 1, about 40minutes)
legs crouching, hanging from the straps, with ankle weights
Lying down, sit-ups dumbbell on chest
Lying down, legs crouching/extend combo
incline sit-ups, arms extended behind head
Legs crouching at the captain's chair, with ankle weights
incline crunches, arms reaching upwards
Lying down, crunches, arms reaching toes
jack-knife sit-ups
Lying down, lhip raise straight up
incline sit-ups, dumbbell on chest
legs crouching hanging from the straps, with ankle weights
Lying down, crunches
Lying down, legs crouching/extend combo
Scissors
incline sit-ups, arms folded behing head
legs crouching at the captain's chair, with ankle weights

OBLIQUES (routine 2, about 40minutes)
bicycle lying down
oblique leg raises on captain's chair, with ankle weights
incline twisting crunches, arms folded behind head
oblique leg raises, hanging from the straps, with ankle weights
bicycle lying down
lying down and rocking the swiss-ball sideways
dumbbell side bend
oblique leg raises on captain's chair, with ankle weights
incline twisting crunches, arms folded behind head
oblique leg raises hanging from the straps, with ankle weights
lying down and rocking the swiss-ball sideways
sccisors lying down sideways

jmborr · 11-08-2009, 08:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ygohome

if you hate cardio... many in here despise it.... then do weights with minimal to no pausing between sets for 30 minutes
-1 set of 8-12 reps per muscle group
-rotate to the next lifting exercise after each set
-return back to the first muscle group and do that set again
-continue that rotation until you work each group at least 3 or 4 sets total

this is essentially cardio but with weight lifting.

This is the whole point of the P90X routines. It puzzled me why those routines left almost no time to rest, until I realized I was doing cardio and weightlifting together.