How Often Do You Work Your Abs?

[3000calories]

I always heard to do them once a week and that's how I did it, but the other day someone said that the abdominals and calves are much denser than other muscles so they need to be worked out twice a week. Is this true?

[Steadfast50]

They're like any other muscle, but I train my abs 3 times a week.

[dollee]

Abs are used a lot in every-day life (calves are also used quite a lot). Because of this, a lot of people find that one heavy workout per week doesn't get them the results they want. I personally do abs twice a week, and I try to keep the reps pretty high. I'm not talking about doing like 40 crunches, but i don't put so much weight on my chest that i can only manage 5 crunches. I usualy do around 12-15 per set, which seems to work well for me.

[Enfeebler]

back when i was ab crazy, i used to do them every other night, instense for about 30min.

[Medic87]

I train my Abs for 3 sets of 25 3x a week. I've noticed the most results that way.

[3000calories]

I did like 30-40lbs crunches 10-15 reps 3 sets. I may do them more

[Eightpak]

I train abs and calves twice a week. Calves are what I really need to bring up though, kind of slacking.

[3000calories]

my calves look pretty good. they're hard, and I don't really want to get them real big.

[arnoldismyhero]

Ehh, i never work abs, i just have them, i just realized that i have to include them in my workouts

[half9]

5 times a week

3 sets of 15

2 exercises

[Liftinnewbie2009]

I do
crunches:3 sets 10,10,15
seated crunches:3 sets 10,10,8

i work abs about 3-4 times a week and i noticed a lil difference in the first 2 weeks but then i slacked off for a while so i am back to square one now

[Darkstar752]

Crunches, 6 inches, bridges, Leg throw-downs, rowboats.

About 30 minutes a day 3-5 times a week.

Should give you great results as far as strength and shape, even some fat burning if you do them intensely enough.

[hardestgainer]

3x

[hithard]

5 times a week

3 sets of 15

2 exercises

5 times a week is what I used to do, but then i learned it was over doing it, i swithced to 3x and got much better results. mens health has a great list of ab workouts. heres what i do, (Takes Days) hell I gona do them right now Instructions:
Do each exercise 15-20 times; rest for 1 minute between exercises. Boost to 25-30 reps as you get stronger. Exercise three times a week, with at least a day between workouts.
You'll Need:
An unweighted barbell
Muscles Exercised:
Oblique Abdominals
Starting Position
Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and place an unweighted barbell across the back of your shoulders.
No barbell handy? Use a broom handle. Keep your head up -- pretend you're working out with Sharon Stone.
Middle Position
Slowly twist your torso to the left.
Keep your back straight.
All movement is from the hips.
Your lower body shouldn't move.
The Finish
Return slowly to the starting position, then slowly twist to the right.
Don't swing the bar, you're not fighting off a bunch of ninjas.
Use slow, controlled movements.
You'll Need:
An exercise mat
Muscles Exercised:
Abdominals
Starting Position
Lie on your back with your knees bent. Fold your arms across your chest.
You can do this with your fingers touching lightly behind your ears -- but don't pull on your neck
Middle Position
Slowly curl your torso toward your knees, bringing your shoulders 4-6 inches off the floor. Hold for a few seconds.
Don't sit up fully. Your lower back stays pressed to the mat.
The Finish
Slowly lower yourself to the starting position.
Use controlled motion, don't just drop to the floor. After this set, take a few swigs of water. It helps you build muscle.
You'll Need:
An exercise mat
Muscles Exercised:
Abdominals
Starting Position
Lie on your back with your hands under your butt, palms down. Pull your right leg toward your chest so your thigh is perpendicular to the floor. Hold your left leg straight out with your heel off the floor.
Notes: Ouch. Take off your rings and watches first.
Middle Position
Bring your left knee towards you while pushing your left leg out.
Notes: Don't let your heels touch the ground. No cheating, tubby!
The Finish
Reverse the motion.
Notes: "Wow--I have the left knee of a god!"
You'll Need:
An exercise mat
Muscles Exercised:
Abdominals
Starting Position
Lie on the floor on your back with your knees bent.
Bring the soles of your feet together, so that your knees angle out.
Middle Position
Slowly raise your head and shoulders in a forward-curling motion off the floor.
The Finish
Hold for two seconds and lower yourself back to the starting position.
You'll Need:
An exercise mat
Muscles Exercised:
Abdominals
Starting Position
Lie on the floor on your back with your arms at your sides. Place your hands palms down under your butt, and press the small of your back firmly against the floor.
Keep your knees slightly bent and the backs of your heels just resting on the floor. Raise your head and shoulder blades off the floor.
Middle Position
Slowly draw your knees up to your chest, bending your legs as you go.
The Finish
Hold for two seconds and lower your legs to the starting position.
Keep your elbows out.
Notes: Keep that back against the floor.
Head and shoulders stay off the floor
You'll Need:
An exercise mat
Muscles Exercised:
Abdominals
Starting Position
Lie on the floor on your back, knees bent at a 90 degree angle.
Raise your legs off the floor until your thighs are perpendicular to your body.
Now lift your head and shoulder blades slightly off the floor.
Middle Position
In a curling motion, slowly bring your torso toward your knees.
The Finish
Hold for two seconds and lower your torso back to the floor, knees at 90 degree angle.
Your arms can be crossed in front of your chest or rest lightly behind your ears.
You'll Need:
A 5 - 10 lb. dumbbell
Muscles Exercised:
Abdominals
Starting Position
Stand with your back straight and your feet shoulder-width apart.
Hold a dumbbell in your right hand and place your left hand on your waist.
Middle Position:
Slowly bend to the right as far as possible.
The Finish
Return to the starting position, and then bend to the left.
After the set, do a second set with the dumbbell in the left hand.
Notes: Use slow, controlled movement -- don't jerk.
Pause at the top for 1-2 seconds
You'll Need:
An exercise mat
Muscles Exercised:
Oblique abdominals
Starting Position
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Touch your fingers to your head lightly behind your ears.
Some guys prefer to do this vampire-style, with their arms across their chest -- that's okay too.
Middle Position
Slowly curl your left shoulder toward your right knee until your left shoulder blade just comes off the floor. Hold for a few seconds and concentrate on squeezing your abs tightly.
Come on, Slim, squeeze those abs! Breathe out as you go up and in as you go down.
The Finish
Return slowly to starting position, then repeat by bringing right shoulder to left knee.
Use slow, controlled movements. Don't bounce or jerk. Don't pull on your head or neck.

[bb4life123]

ya i never concentrated on abs. Just throw in 3 sets during some days of routine.

[bLeDZePPeLiN69]

Abs are a very small muscle and can easily be overtrained... look at the cross-sectional area; it's only a tiny flap of muscle! If people trained their legs like they did their abs, we would have Dorian Yates running around all over the place!

Also, one of the leading causes of back problems in amatuer US athletes is overwhelmingly strong, tight abs. Do abs to strengthen your core, but for God's sake, don't go as volume crazy as some of you go.

[3000calories]

hey, hithard, could you space those out and number em? it looks so confusing. all I do is weighted crunches. where should I hold the plates? I put them on my chest, but when I lift up, it feels weird, I know I'm going as far as I do without weights, but I don't really feel any burn like I do with most exercises.

[hithard]

hey, hithard, could you space those out and number em? it looks so confusing. all I do is weighted crunches. where should I hold the plates? I put them on my chest, but when I lift up, it feels weird, I know I'm going as far as I do without weights, but I don't really feel any burn like I do with most exercises.

I'm not going to space em out for ya sorry but I will give u Abvise (what a chessy pun) it sounds light u are doing sit ups, and even thow the army may swear by them most bb won't. crunches are much better.
expeirment more with where u are holding them if it fells uncomfortable.I believe if you concentrate on tighting up(flexing) while ur doing crunches your body will put the weight in the most comfortable place. I don't know what u use as on pounds. But the sise of the plate matters in how you hold in. I find 25lb plate easiest to hold but thats alot of weight.
Hold it centered on your chest, don't place it make sure your holdiong the weight.
just do a whole bunch of reps of crunches if the plates are too uncomfortable

[3000calories]

actually, I do crunches, I do 30 lbs ( 3x10lb weights) and it's not efective to do a bunch of crunches, that just builds endurance.

[kliplemet]

never, they are always sore form jumping exercises

[Hench]

About twice a week.

Generally do leg raises, 3x12/15 and weighted or cable crunches.

[Ging]

Usally once a week, about 3-4 set of 8-12 or something along those lines.

[Mr. Dan]

i train my abs every workout

[3000calories]

I'm gonna start doing them and calves every time I do a workout then.

[Trappy]

Never. My abs get trained with core work. If I get to a low enough bodyfat they'll show, like with anyone. I find if I train them, my other workouts suffer from sore abs, so I leave them alone.

[3000calories]

I do them at the end so it doesn't mess with my legs

[JamesD3]

I don't really train my abs. But now I started a new work-out that hopefully can get myself into the ab workout. Mainly I didn't train them because I am trying to bulk and didn't care too much about them. I have read a great article about ab training on bodybuilding.com and it said to train every other day and in 1 year you will have great abs. The workout seemed extremely reasonable and I did it for about 2-3 weeks and my abs were improving so I thought I would do it when I reach the cutting stage.

[3000calories]

yea my firend who hadn't seen my abs in a while said that I lost fat on my stomach and I know I haven't because I;ve been bulking

[Nonphixion90]

I do them twice a week...on my off days, so I do them Tuesday and Thursday.
Plus whatever we might do in PE which is usually 20 every day (nothing big, but still works them)

[3000calories]

when you do bodyweight exercises, it builds endurance more than anything. really no gains when it comes to mass. it does build strength, but endurance comes more.