Abs

[Stevelegh]

How often to people work on abs?

I really haven't put any focus on them yet, but looking at soo many impressive avi's, I realise I need to throw these in.

The thing is, I coulddo abs on my off days, but so many articles suggest treating them like any other muscle and working them into your workout days.

If anyone can give me an idea of what they do, and when, I'd be grateful.

[GreenWave1]

I do them once a week. I am considering adding a set or two on cardio days.

[snoack]

How often to people work on abs?

I really haven't put any focus on them yet, but looking at soo many impressive avi's, I realise I need to throw these in.

The thing is, I coulddo abs on my off days, but so many articles suggest treating them like any other muscle and working them into your workout days.

If anyone can give me an idea of what they do, and when, I'd be grateful.

I do mine 4x per week. Starting to see the upper a little, the lower is going to take a lot more work. Going with an every other day thing with them right now.

[ectoBgone]

I used to work them 2-3 times a week, but I've come to believe that it's not necessary if you're doing heavy compound lifts. If you have a real low percent bodyfat then maybe it would be worth it because they are more visible, but for most of us it seems unnecessary. To be honest I don't have the energy to hit them more often than once per week anymore. They seem to be responding just as well by hitting them harder one day per week than multiple times per week with less intensity. My $.02.

[dbx]

I used to work them 2-3 times a week, but I've come to believe that it's not necessary if you're doing heavy compound lifts. If you have a real low percent bodyfat then maybe it would be worth it because they are more visible, but for most of us it seems unnecessary.

X2

I actually still hit em' 2-3x per week, but I only do do high rep sets and I'm done with them. I have no fear about what's underneath......but I'd like to find out some day

[Stevelegh]

I used to work them 2-3 times a week, but I've come to believe that it's not necessary if you're doing heavy compound lifts. If you have a real low percent bodyfat then maybe it would be worth it because they are more visible, but for most of us it seems unnecessary. To be honest I don't have the energy to hit them more often than once per week anymore. They seem to be responding just as well by hitting them harder one day per week than multiple times per week with less intensity. My $.02.

Here goes Ecto with his sickeningly good washboard frontage. Ha ha!

What excercises / reps do you guys do?

I'm doing the compound lifts and you can sort of see the top one. I need to throw in cardio to get the BF down, but I don't want to go nuts as I need to grow some muscle.

Do they take long to get defined once the BF is down? I've heard of people over working them and finding they stick out further than their chest. Not a good look...........

[Skidmarx]

I do lower on chest day(leg lifts on the dip stand, after a set of dips)

Upper on back day(need to lay down after a set of deads)

[ectoBgone]

What excercises / reps do you guys do?

Ha, thanks for the kind words. I really like hanging leg raises and then I also throw in incline sit-ups and crunches. For a while I was doing weighted crunches and trying to crank up the weight, but I actually did not like the way I responded to that. I'm with dbx in preferring higher reps now, though with the hanging leg raises that's tough, LOL.

Do they take long to get defined once the BF is down?

No, that's actually the most significant part of getting them to show. You'll often hear abs are made in the kitchen, and that's largely true, but I would say that they will still show up sooner and look better if you do work them.

I've heard of people over working them and finding they stick out further than their chest. Not a good look...........

That's what I did not like about the weighted sets. I thought it was making me thicker rather than more defined. It could have been my imagination, but that's the way it seemed to affect me.

Good luck!

[Stevelegh]

Ha, thanks for the kind words. I really like hanging leg raises and then I also throw in incline sit-ups and crunches. For a while I was doing weighted crunches and trying to crank up the weight, but I actually did not like the way I responded to that. I'm with dbx in preferring higher reps now, though with the hanging leg raises that's tough, LOL.



No, that's actually the most significant part of getting them to show. You'll often hear abs are made in the kitchen, and that's largely true, but I would say that they will still show up sooner and look better if you do work them.



That's what I did not like about the weighted sets. I thought it was making me thicker rather than more defined. It could have been my imagination, but that's the way it seemed to affect me.

Good luck!

Thanks Ecto, all pretty much what I was guessing.

I think I'll throw these in on days off 3 x a week.

Thanks again

[Enduro]

90% of having nice abs is proper diet to get the body fat down. Heavy compound movements will take care of the rest.

[oldsuperman]

Starvation coupled with dehydration. That's what it takes for me to have poppin abs.

Seriously, genetics do play a large part in having Brad Pitt abs. Off season I have em, yet not like Brad Pitt's. I've noticed tho, and Randy, MostMuscular, said this last year about abs, the longer you're lean, the easier it is to keep abs.

I had abs all year this year by keep my BF below 10%. I crunch on a big ball twice a week, two sets of 50 reps. Suck the gut in and squeeze the crunch hard.

[dvbuilder]

I train them about 2 times a week, the DOMS tends to stay as long as my legs do..so about 4days.

Then again I haven't trained them in over a year, just started recently

[Forced]

How often to people work on abs?

I really haven't put any focus on them yet, but looking at soo many impressive avi's, I realise I need to throw these in.

The thing is, I coulddo abs on my off days, but so many articles suggest treating them like any other muscle and working them into your workout days.

If anyone can give me an idea of what they do, and when, I'd be grateful.

I work my abs every training day (5 x per week).- I don?t make mention of it in my training program because as far as I?m concerned it?s a given..

I have a nice 4 pack now with the lower region under a little flab. I WILL get rid of this and have already seen it reduced.

I know that many a poster claims that doing stomach exercises are a waste of time and that ridding oneself of body fat brings them out. I very much disagree with this statement. Sure, getting rid of body fat does help, however, controlling it by diet and diet alone in my opinion is for the lazy man. My stomach is vastly improved because of my diet and also because of the hard work put in everyday.

My stomach routine is

Hanging Leg Raises 3 x Failure (raising my feet to the where my hands are hanging)

Twisted crunches 3 x 30

Sit Ups 3 x 30 (off the edge of a bench with my elbows flared out behind my head) My downward movement is no further than parallel to the floor with an upward movement range of around 60 degrees, keeping the tension on my mid to upper abs right through the set.

Cannot imagine neglecting this part of the body.

Why would I want to strut my stuff while having this thing wobble back and forth? I would rather cover everything up under floppy clothing than do that.

I guess each to his own, huh!!

[Stevelegh]

I crunch on a big ball twice a week, two sets of 50 reps. Suck the gut in and squeeze the crunch hard.

You're admitting to using a swiss ball?

You wait until Bodyhard reads this!

He'll want you to join his 'swiss ball pushup' club.

Ha ha!

Thanks

[goddessamazon]

I work my abs 3X a week.

BTW- Whoever said that diary kills abs was spot on. During a brief off period I went crazy with cheese (in addition to bread which is also a no no) and *POOF* my abs disappeared.

I'm back on my cut now for my third competition so I'll get my abs back in a few weeks. I can get abs fairly quickly due to my eating lifestyle.

[doofusdave]

I've taken to throwing in a few sets of floor crunches and leg raises after each workout after realizing my core wasn't as strong as I thought it was.

Usual routine is: 3 sets of leg raises, each to failure (reps vary depending on the day) and 3-5 sets of crunches. I don't do any oblique work because my bf is still in the teens and I don't need any extra baggage around my midsection.

[Stevelegh]

I work my abs 3X a week.

BTW- Whoever said that diary kills abs was spot on.

Wow! There some abs I can really get good advice from!

When you say Dairy kills abs, I normally take a milk / protein shake before bed to slow release the protein.

Do you avoid this as well? If so, what do you do to get around this?

[goddessamazon]

Wow! There some abs I can really get good advice from!

When you say Dairy kills abs, I normally take a milk / protein shake before bed to slow release the protein.

Do you avoid this as well? If so, what do you do to get around this?

I don't believe in drinking milk from a cow. Now drinking Casein Protein shake is different. Whey and Casein powders doesn't kill abs but milk from a cow tends to bloat many people due to the lack of digestive enzymes to assimilate lactose. I never was a "milk from a cow" drinker.

So the answer to your question is yes, I drink whey and/or casein protein shakes. In my opinion Casein Protein shakes are best taken before bed because it's a slow digesting protein which prevents hunger pains during the night while you are sleeping. Neither protein powder shakes will kill abs.

[5krunner]

I have been working my abs 5-6 days per week now for the past 3 months and am finally starting to see the results I've been after. I also have increased my cardio and changed a few things in my diet to help make the abs more visable.

[EBA84]

I work them once a week like every other bodypart. You can work them 7 days a week but if your bodyfat is too high, you are not going to see them.

[7digits]

I work my abs with shoulders. I choose three of these excercises,

Hanging leg-raise
Weighted plank
Sit-up
Crunches
Side-bends

[Stevelegh]

I don't believe in drinking milk from a cow. Now drinking Casein Protein shake is different. Whey and Casein powders doesn't kill abs but milk from a cow tends to bloat many people due to the lack of digestive enzymes to assimilate lactose. I never was a "milk from a cow" drinker.

So the answer to your question is yes, I drink whey and/or casein protein shakes. In my opinion Casein Protein shakes are best taken before bed because it's a slow digesting protein which prevents hunger pains during the night while you are sleeping. Neither protein powder shakes will kill abs.

So you don't use whey and milk in a shake, you use actual casein protein?

Would that be the same as protein and skimmed milk?

[Stevelegh]

I have been working my abs 5-6 days per week now for the past 3 months and am finally starting to see the results I've been after. I also have increased my cardio and changed a few things in my diet to help make the abs more visable.

And they look so bloody annoyingly good.

I know places where you'd beaten up for having those!

He he.

[goddessamazon]

So you don't use whey and milk in a shake, you use actual casein protein?

Would that be the same as protein and skimmed milk?

When it comes to protein powder I either use water or soymilk.

My post workout shakes consist of 2 scoops of whey and water.

Before bed I put two scoops of casein powder in chocolate soymilk.

[Gunn27]

Dairy may or may not "kill abs", only you can figure this out for yourself because we are not all the same. For most, I would think elimination of dairy would only be required to reach competition b/f levels, while some may need to reduce it just to see a hint of abs. You have to figure this out for yoursleves and not get "sold" because it worked for someone else.

If you did what you were told by every "expert" out there, you'd eat more of everything and less of everything, and you'd eat it earlier, later, and not at all. Fat would save you and kill you, carbohydrates would make you skinny and fat, and protein would turn you into Jay Cutler and put you on dialysis.

[ShepherdCaddy]

The bedtime protein question...

I eat cottage cheese, every night b/4 bed. Easier than buying special additional protein blend, and anytime you can use a natural food as productively as a supplement/powder, I go natural. However, that begs the dairy kills abs point. I'm bulking so my abs are more of a rumor right now.

[goddessamazon]

The bedtime protein question...

I eat cottage cheese, every night b/4 bed. Easier than buying special additional protein blend, and anytime you can use a natural food as productively as a supplement/powder, I go natural. However, that begs the dairy kills abs point. I'm bulking so my abs are more of a rumor right now.

LOL@ your "my abs are more of a rumor right now" statement.

I guess if you really look at it........those who cut for a competition vs. those who want to look good naked will have different eating regimen.

Cottage cheese is very high in sodium which makes the body hold water. This is why most competitors exclude cottage cheese from their cutting diet. I will agree that cottage cheese is a slow digestive protein and is best to eat as a late night snack to avoid early rising from hunger.

During my off season I eat cottage cheese, goat cheese, swiss cheese, blue cheese, feta cheese, mozzarella cheese................OMG I LOVE CHEESE!

But I stay away from the stuff when I'm cutting for a comp. So if you are not preparing for a competition your diet will be different from those who do.

[kimsquit]

I know that many a poster claims that doing stomach exercises are a waste of time and that ridding oneself of body fat brings them out. I very much disagree with this statement. Sure, getting rid of body fat does help, however, controlling it by diet and diet alone in my opinion is for the lazy man. My stomach is vastly improved because of my diet and also because of the hard work put in everyday.

<snip>

Cannot imagine neglecting this part of the body.

Why would I want to strut my stuff while having this thing wobble back and forth? I would rather cover everything up under floppy clothing than do that.

I adhered to this ^^ same perspective for years, until last year when I hired my current trainer. His attitude is identical to Enduro's:

90% of having nice abs is proper diet to get the body fat down. Heavy compound movements will take care of the rest.

and as skeptical as I was, I followed his plan to the letter, thinking I'm just gonna end up with a flat, featureless abdomen. Lo and behold: my trainer was right. I haven't done a single ab exercise since July 2007 and my abs are fuller, stronger and more pronounced through indirect heavy lifting than they ever were with dedicated abdominal work.

[rpaul11]

maybe once a week....not nearly enough

[IdahoViking]

90% of having nice abs is proper diet to get the body fat down. Heavy compound movements will take care of the rest.

I like this idea!