Weighted crunches question

[yeayead]

I'm a begginer, my current ab work out consists of 3-5 sets of around 8-10 crunches holding around 25 pounds behind my head.

I can only get a few inches off the ground, but It has been bulking me up. I just want to know if there is a better way to work my abs without an incline.

should I do less weight and a full crunch or keep doing what I'm doing now?

I do this every other day.

[poloralphloren]

Weighted crunches are excellent ab work, but I prefer to hold the weight over my chest rather than behind the head. Obviously it feels "easier" this way, but you can add more weight and isolate abs better, rather than hitting the hip flexors which tends to happen with a more stretched-out movement.

Other great ab exercises include the rope crunch, weighted hanging knee raises, and woodchoppers, IMO.

Your set/rep scheme looks solid. Every other day may work to start out, but once you build more strength you'll be hitting them hard enough you can drop it down to just once or twice a week... Again, IMO.

[freyer]

EVERY DAY!?!? Good lord haha, just doing abs twice a week will get you great results as long as you are working them hard enough. The abs are an easy muscle to overtrain, you HAVE to give them recovery time haha.

As for the workouts I would suggest anything weighted, even though you obviously won't get as many reps in. - As said above, the rope crunch, weighted hanging knee raises, and woodchoppers are all GREAT!

[terman1]

No need to change something that isn't broken. If it's working for you then that's great. Stick with it for a while and when you stall you can change something up.

Do you work other muscles every other day as well? If doing weighted, 1-2 times a week of direct ab training may be enough, if you are doing heavy compounds weekly and using the core quite a bit as well.