abs everyday

[bb5-0]

I'm a bit puzzled. I had always heard and read that abs were just like the other muscles and that they needed rest and time to recover and grow after you had worked them. And then I found some articles in which they said you had to work them everyday if you wanted a sixpack.
What's your opinion on this?
How often do you work your abs ?

[paolo59]

If I do weighted sit ups, and leg raises, there is no way in the world I can repeat that workout the very next day. I think one needs to mix things up just a bit, just like with every other muscle group!

[Marius_Ursus]

Want to really bake your noodle? Search for how many articles there are that say never to work abs at all.

[timberwolf]

Right now, I'm currently working out abs, 5x per week. Other times of the year, I'll go for months hitting them once or twice if that. Difference is negligible aesthetic wise.

[GoOrange]

Not all muscle groups respond exactly the same to the various loads and workouts, so what works for your pecs might not work equally as well for your abs.

I do abs every workout (4 days a week) but I only do 1 ab exercise per workout and switch between 2 different exercises depending on the day, so I don't do the same exercise on consecutive days.

If your doing more ab exercises each workout, like Paolo59, you might need a day off in between.

There's no definitive answer to your question so we're left with "try different things and find out what works for you."

[x-trainer ben]

i start every workout with abs while i am fresh, so this is 4-5 times per week. Hanging leg raises(hardest) 1st in the pull up station, broomstick twists, machine crunches and this new oblique machine we have.

diet is the biggest factor but that tight contraction is undeniable when you bend .

[adguy]

Everyday for me!

[namtrag]

Never work them. Maybe if I could see them I would see the point. Figure squats and deads are enough for now.

[dkemano42]

Originally Posted by bb5-0

I'm a bit puzzled. I had always heard and read that abs were just like the other muscles and that they needed rest and time to recover and grow after you had worked them. And then I found some articles in which they said you had to work them everyday if you wanted a sixpack.
What's your opinion on this?
How often do you work your abs ?

Hey,

I personally think they need to have a rest every other day, just like any muscle they need time to recover in order for them to grow, specially if you do weighted ab work.

I do mine 3 times a week, with a day between for rest, and each day do different exercises.

DK

[oldsuperman]

MMMMmmmmmmm ........ Hardly ever... If your training hard and bearing down hard when lifting, you work em every time you train. Unless you don't train that hard? Do you? Hmmm? Train hard or like a pu$$y?

[Old_Swole]

Originally Posted by bb5-0

I'm a bit puzzled. I had always heard and read that abs were just like the other muscles and that they needed rest and time to recover and grow after you had worked them. And then I found some articles in which they said you had to work them everyday if you wanted a sixpack.
What's your opinion on this?
How often do you work your abs ?

correct me if im wrong but i remember hearing that you can train forearms, calfs and ab's everyday. this is not how i train but i thought i just might throw this out there

[Blake Austin]

Two to three times a week. Why? Because I want to! I like training them.

Mix it up, have variety, see what works best for you.

But if your diet isn't tight, you most likely will never see them.

[eyelashes]

I do abs 2-3x a week, weighted exercises with little rest between sets.

I have never liked the idea of training them every day, but it sounds like it works for some.

[paddry69]

I work abs 3 x weekly. I really hate it, but do them anyway.

[ironwill2008]

I treat abs like any other muscle group; I train them directly once a week. They get plenty of work during most other exercises, especially squats, deadlifts, and overhead presses.

If it's a six-pack you're after, you'll find it in the kitchen, not the gym.

[Bamma]

Originally Posted by ironwill2008

If it's a six-pack you're after, you'll find it in the kitchen, not the gym.

So, that's where I left it!!! :-)

[oldsuperman]

Originally Posted by ironwill2008

If it's a six-pack you're after, you'll find it in the kitchen, not the gym.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

No amount of crunches will give you a six pack.

[Oceanside]

a little ab work here and there is actually good support for DL's and squattin..

[bb5-0]

Thanks a lot for all your answers. As I can see, there's no real answer to my question. But at least now I know where to find my sixpack and I'm heading to the kitchen at once !

BTW what do you consider the best exercise(s) to work and isolate the obliques?

[Marius_Ursus]

I think Timberwolf nailed an important aspect of training with a very subtle turn of phrase, "Right now..." Honestly you can work every muscle every day if you do it the right way. The "right way" in this case is in cycles with proper rest. What I do for my abs is depending on the cycle I'm on, work them every day, a couple of times per week, or not at all. Over time, they get all the work they need either through direct or indirect work.

When I'm focussing on barbell training, the abs get no work. When I'm doing a bodyweight-centric cycle, they get worked every day. When I'm alternating between iron and bodyweight, they get worked every couple of days.

Originally Posted by bb5-0

BTW what do you consider the best exercise(s) to work and isolate the obliques?

Kettlebell side bends.

[oldsuperman]

Originally Posted by bb5-0

thanks a lot for all your answers. As i can see, there's no real answer to my question. But at least now i know where to find my sixpack and i'm heading to the kitchen at once !

Btw what do you consider the best exercise(s) to work and isolate the obliques?

here is you answer ........again!


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Originally Posted by oldsuperman

mmmmmmmmmmm ........ Hardly ever... If your training hard and bearing down hard when lifting, you work em every time you train. Unless you don't train that hard? Do you? Hmmm? Train hard or like a pu$$y?

[Thuirwyne]

Resurrecting an old thread is better than starting a new one, right?

Has anyone noticed that the closer they get to 40, the more ab work it takes to keep them tight? I used to train abs maybe twice a week. Now I have to hit them at least that much with a dedicated portion of my workout, plus throw some extra stuff in there between sets of other things during the week.

It's not even a matter of visible 'abs' thos are there. It's the actual control of the abdominal wall. It want's to bulge! My mom said she noticed this around the same age. She was (always has been)lean but started to look bloated all the time.

UGH, maybe it's just some of us who have had 1 or more children? Mine turned 18 yesterday and I'm gonna blame her for this!

[MACHZ]

I do 1 ab exercise 4 times a week, one day it may be (4*25)100 or so decline situps weighted and the next day could be hanging leg raises.

[FlexinMike]

I do them at the end of every workout unless too sore.

[KWDreamun]

Originally Posted by bb5-0

I'm a bit puzzled. I had always heard and read that abs were just like the other muscles and that they needed rest and time to recover and grow after you had worked them. And then I found some articles in which they said you had to work them everyday if you wanted a sixpack.
What's your opinion on this?
How often do you work your abs ?

I do abs every day I work out for at leat 20 minutes, they are burning like fire. Remember you can have the best abs in the world and a layer of fat hides them just like a shirt.