okay to work out abs everyday?

[chris5]

i was talking to someone and i mentioned how i work out my abs really hard about 2-3 times a week therefore i am sore the next day or two so i spread it out about 2-3 times a week. i then mentioned that i'd rather first get toned down on my stomach then go for a big six pack so she told me that i should cut down my work out so that i work my abs everyday. is this alright to do? i was treating my abs like i would treat my biceps or something..you know getting plenty of rest to them before you work them out but i do hear of people working out there abs everyday. she said that the moment it starts to burn i should stop that set and rest a min or whatever then start my set again so that the next day i will be able to work them out and so on. does this sound right?

[midian]

abs are still muscles fibers and they need rest + you use them with heavy compound movements liek squats and deadlifts so i would advice you to train abs last

and twice a week would do fine

[chris5]

how do chicks train them everyday?

[BigTraps]

Originally posted by chris5
how do chicks train them everyday?

That's quite the generalization...

Here look at this:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/layne4.htm

[Bigkpecs]

Your abs are one of the smallest areas of muscles and recover quickly, and its OK to work your abs everyday. If you experience DOMS (delayed on-set muscle soreness) continue working your abs, but on a lighter routine. My ab routine is followed by my cardio for 30 minutes. Experiment and find out what works for you.

[arghx]

That's blatantly false. Your biceps are small muscles but can you work them every day? No, not unless you are a complete newbie, but when you are a newbie you can get away with alot and put muscle on. Don't believe the big lie--just because they do it on infomercials and you hear it from an ignorant female trainer doesn't mean it's sound advice. She wants you to do low intensity abs every day which might burn a few calories but will certainly not induce growth or allow recovery. A light ab workout won't help you because weightlifting requires progressive overload. Try doing weighted crunches (with very heavy weights) once a week, especially since abs play a role in many other exercises.

[garg]

Half the articles I've read say that abs are muscles too.. and there should be rest..

Half say that since abs are always in use keeping the body upright they are used to very fast recovery rate thus working them out daily is fine..

I'm confused.. I just have a light ab day one day.. and heavy ab day the other..

[Big Dude 54]

Originally posted by garg
Half the articles I've read say that abs are muscles too.. and there should be rest..

Half say that since abs are always in use keeping the body upright they are used to very fast recovery rate thus working them out daily is fine..

I'm confused.. I just have a light ab day one day.. and heavy ab day the other..

The first half of articles that you read were correct. Your abs are muscles. If you give them a hard workout, they need time to recup, point blank. You're spinal erectors (lower back) also help in supporting your body while standing, but so do your quads, calves, so on and so forth. When you put an enormous strain on a muscle group, you need to let them heal.
It's possible to overtrain your abs. So at the most, train them twice a week. Don't waste your time with super high reps, because thats all it is, a waste of time. Concentrate on each rep, hold it for five seconds. Try new things, see what works.
Remember, the equation is something like this...75% diet, 25% exercise... Eat right, the fat will come off in time.
Big Dude 54

[7000rpmisheaven]

Originally posted by garg

Half say that since abs are always in use keeping the body upright they are used to very fast recovery rate thus working them out daily is fine..

The muscles in your legs are used for you to walk around. Do you compare the strain of walking around to the strain of doing heavy squats. I'd hope not. The same is for stomach. The amount of strain used simply to keep the body upright should be negligable compared to the stress when you are working it out.


chris5- most girls have no idea what they are talking about. You were right to treat them like other muscle. But instead of 2-3 times a week you should probably just do them once or twice. And you should be lifting to build big abs. There's no such thing as toning.

[scott_donald]

Originally posted by midian
abs are still muscles fibers and they need rest + you use them with heavy compound movements liek squats and deadlifts so i would advice you to train abs last

and twice a week would do fine

bump

[chris5]

Originally posted by 7000rpmisheaven
The muscles in your legs are used for you to walk around. Do you compare the strain of walking around to the strain of doing heavy squats. I'd hope not. The same is for stomach. The amount of strain used simply to keep the body upright should be negligable compared to the stress when you are working it out.


chris5- most girls have no idea what they are talking about. You were right to treat them like other muscle. But instead of 2-3 times a week you should probably just do them once or twice. And you should be lifting to build big abs. There's no such thing as toning.

b/c i was thinking i was on the right track before when i was training them hard but only once or twice a week. the girl that told me this looks good and has a nice toned firm stomach so i figured she knew what he was talking about but i guess now. it makes sense to treat your abs like any other muscle and give them plenty of time to recover. thanks for the responses.

[RippedGuitarist]

Well Ahmad Haidar works his abs out pretty much everyday, and he's probably got the best abs I've ever seen(He teaches an ab training class 5 days a week). Also I've heard of other pros working them out everyday for a few months before a contest, like Cutler. So I'm sure it can work for some people.

I myself like to do abs 1-2 times a week, I prefer to give them some rest

[mikee1530]

I try to do abs every time I workout. Abs are something u can do in 5 minutes. When I do abs that's all I really need. I just try & feel the burn. I workout about 4-5 days a week. Boxers do abs everyday & they're pretty ripped so it should be fine to build muscle endurance & strength.

[RockCrab]

I try to do abs every time I workout. Abs are something u can do in 5 minutes. When I do abs that's all I really need. I just try & feel the burn. I workout about 4-5 days a week. Boxers do abs everyday & they're pretty ripped so it should be fine to build muscle endurance & strength.

You bump a 10+ year old thread to post this crap? Runners run several days a week, so yes you can treat abs the same way, high reps = endurance. However, most people here do things with WEIGHTS. This is far more taxing and requires recovery.