better for abs: high reps or weighted?

[Mango52]

I'm about 5'9" or so, 146lbs, so clearly I don't have a lot of body fat...I have some ab definition but I'm trying to eat more and as soon as I start to eat more (even the first few days), my definition goes away....what should I do to stay defined?

Just body weight exercises with more reps? or should I keep some weighted things in too?

[BayAreaMike]

I'm about 5'9" or so, 146lbs, so clearly I don't have a lot of body fat...I have some ab definition but I'm trying to eat more and as soon as I start to eat more (even the first few days), my definition goes away....what should I do to stay defined?

Just body weight exercises with more reps? or should I keep some weighted things in too?

nobody knows...i have talked to many many trainers(i am a trainer as well)..the majority havve told me to train lower reps higher weight, but because there are a lot of fast twitch muscles i have heard the oppisote as well...e-arguement will ensue

[rockhuddy]

weighted

you wouldn't train any other bodypart with tons of reps and low resistance, so why would you train abs that way?

[Defiant1]

I'm about 5'9" or so, 146lbs, so clearly I don't have a lot of body fat...I have some ab definition but I'm trying to eat more and as soon as I start to eat more (even the first few days), my definition goes away....what should I do to stay defined?

Just body weight exercises with more reps? or should I keep some weighted things in too?

I train my abs with high reps. I am not trying to put size on them.

If you are thin, you may want to use weights for a while.

[IronAbrams]

Use both.

(someone had to say it)

[Lector606]

in my opinion, weighted. i don't really know why you wouldnt use weight but would still train your abs

[Husker12]

Use both.

(someone had to say it)

+1. Use a balanced approach. Do you only train other muscle groups with high reps or high weight? I think the general consensus is to vary, at least to a small degree. If you've been training high rep, switch to higher weight exercises for a few weeks, or vice versa if you've been training them with higher weight, and see what happens.

[rockhuddy]

rep range is a better indicator, actually. for example, i can only do about 10 reps of hanging leg raises. even though it's bodyweight only, it's not like i'm doing sets of 30 or something.

[thatolchestnut]

I prefer high reps explosive up slow down. Pause on top and bottom. Its been 3 days and may abs are still sore... i love it.

[johnsbod]

Personally, I train with sets of 15 and moderate weight.

[FreeWheeling]

I think it's a matter of personal preference and what works for the individual. Some people respond to weighted ab exercise and some people rep it out. I've seen good results both ways.

[readyforthepain]

weighted

you wouldn't train any other bodypart with tons of reps and low resistance, so why would you train abs that way?

x2

[Mango52]

x2

well abs aren't the same as every other muscle that's why...they're used much more than most in daily life...


anyway, I can do 3 sets of about 20 of leg raises without weight, so maybe I should lower the reps and try adding some weight to those?

I guess I'll just have to see what works...but does it sound unreasonable that I have lost definition so quickly? I mean I can clearly see that it happened, but is that expected or am does my body just suck lol

[Big Arm Big Pay]

you probably want more weighted just to make the abs muscles thicker

[earwig]

I've been going with weighted and 15 rep sets

[chodan9]

I ussually do 1 day per week with high weight on wednesday
on mondays and fridays I do lighter resistance with higher reps.

[evrim]

abs are not like other muscles in our body, they are the fastest adapting muscle group we have. If you keep training them with high reps for a long period you will end up doing 200 situps per set but will not reach your potential. Same goes for weighted training. Try training abs more often than what most people preach around here, its very hard to overtrain for most people. Change your routine every 2 weeks and try supersets or circuits

[908]

You aren't gonna be the same as everybody else so you have to mix it up and see what works best. You can let this thread go for days and you'll have 33.3%say high, 33.3% say mix it up, and 33.3% say low... so asking others online won't really help.

[CKJ]

weighted

you wouldn't train any other bodypart with tons of reps and low resistance, so why would you train abs that way?

Exactly how i feel.

That said it's not as easy as picking up
a dumbell and curling it but there are ways.

[Spikeyeyerish]

I prefer high reps explosive up slow down. Pause on top and bottom. Its been 3 days and may abs are still sore... i love it.

i agree with low weight explosiveness i know the best ab work out i ever get is from about 10 minutes of backtucks(what most people think of as a back flip)

basicly your jumping in the air and throwing your knees to your chest as fast as possible ..thats how you get your rotation

espicialy toward the end of the 10 minutes your jump starts losing a little height so you have to really pull fast to get around

[Stevo Supremo]

Weighted for "6 pack" muscle
and for obliques i find doing high reps works much better

just my .02

[Blk98Bird]

FWIW...

Both DeFranco and Madcow/Starr (among others) have a weighted day and higher rep unweighted day in their programs. Unfortunately I don't know the reasoning behind it, but I do know both programs have proven themselves over time to be quite effective...

[Squinky]

I have never progressed in situps, I hate them. Maybe I have used too much weight, maybe I should just get 10 pounds on my chest and go up from there. Low reps seems to do nothing for me.

[TheGunShowMane]

weighted, reps of around 10

[Alfz]

Correct me if im wrong but

why is there a need for weighted? Sure weighted works for all other muscle group as you want to add some mass/thicknes etc to it.

But why would you want to have a thick waist?

[AbAbber2k]

Weighted to promote hypertrophy. Higher reps for more functional ab strength.

[M4A1 Widowmaker]

Correct me if im wrong but

why is there a need for weighted? Sure weighted works for all other muscle group as you want to add some mass/thicknes etc to it.

But why would you want to have a thick waist?

It's called muscle. Muscle is big. That's how you get a 6-pack. Gotta have muscle. Understand yet? It's not that difficult.

[FreeWheeling]

It's called muscle. Muscle is big. That's how you get a 6-pack. Gotta have muscle. Understand yet? It's not that difficult.

Personally, I think genetics plays a big role in thick waisted people. You know what I mean. Sometimes guys just have a blocky waist and maybe adding too much muscle to the obliques may not be a great idea for that kind of a build.

I think people need to know the kind of build they have as to know how much or how little muscle will enhance their physiques in the ab/oblique area. Just a thought.

[dubano]

hmm actually doing high rep crunches can be dangers to your back, because while high rep training your stabilize muscles get fatigue and your spine become expose to injures

decline weighted crunches and hanging lag raises ftw

[jked4life]

I train my abs with high reps. I am not trying to put size on them.

If you are thin, you may want to use weights for a while.

Yep. It depends on your goals. If you are really looking for that V taper with a thin waist, doing higher reps will keep those muscles smaller.

Once the diet is in check those abs will come out, but at the size you trained them for.

Zane used to do thousands of crunches and other ab exercises. The result, a small waist when his bodyfat was lower.

It's called muscle. Muscle is big. That's how you get a 6-pack. Gotta have muscle. Understand yet? It's not that difficult.

Yes and no. Abs are a muscle, and they are there whether you train them or not. How you train them depends on what look you are going for.

If you want rippled abs with canyons between them, weighted would definitely be the way to go.




Once again, they are a muscle so train them according to what you want. The only thing that makes abs different is the tendency of males to store most of their bodyfat there.