How Many Days A Week Should Abs Be Worked To Be Shredded?

[Surfgod]

Hey there I'm old to the site but new to the forums so I'm sure this has been asked before many times and for that I apologize. I currently work my abs five straight days then take the weekend off. I already have the outline on my abs but I cant seem to make them bulkier or have the shredded space look.

I mostly do crunches first with a ten pound weight behind my head and then without until I burn my abs to where I can do no more and do about five sets of this along with leg raises and side bends with a 35 pound weight.

Now I'm thinking of cutting down to three times a week and killing them in each session but is that not enough times to be worked?

I'm a hardaginer and have no fat on my abs so cardio isnt helpful for me as I lose weight which I'm trying to gain.

Can someone who actually has the shredded look please give me some guidance? Thanks to anyone who replies.

[bsr35802]

I currently work my abs five straight days then take the weekend off. I already have the outline on my abs but I cant seem to make them bulkier or have the shredded space look.

I mostly do crunches first with a ten pound weight behind my head and then without until I burn my abs to where I can do no more and do about five sets of this along with leg raises and side bends with a 35 pound weight.

Now I'm thinking of cutting down to three times a week and killing them in each session but is that not enough times to be worked?

Almost anyone else will flame you for this but i'll answer anyway..
*sigh* Abs is just like the rest of your body. Do you Benchpress, squat, and deadlift 5 straight days also??

Working them as often as that will result in endurance workout. If you want to gain "bulk" in your abs, then hit them hard, rest/recover, and grow. Hitting them again before anything is recovered is not efficient (not the way you are doing at least).

Also the "burn" you feel is just lactic acid build up, that doesnt mean anything. Many people dont feel a burn when doing low reps, high weight but they get stronger anyway

[Surfgod]

Yah I know fieve days are crazy. But I know some people who had the washbaord abs and they said they did it like every day. So is a day of rest in between workouts enough? And those who dont have washboard abs please dont answer as I'm looking for people who have it or had it before.

[madcap]

Abs are made in the kitchen. No matter how many crunches you do, if they are covered in fat you won't have a washboard stomach. You have to have a real clean diet.

[Surfgod]

Yah but I already said I'm a hardgainer and theres no fat there. Cardio is bad for me as I'm fighting just to gain. Someone told me that you need fat so you could turn it into muscle but I didnt belive him and since there is none I didnt care.

Heres a pic of me to see what I have.

[El_Animal]

I work my abs a little bit everday and I've noticed that it keeps them very toned. Working them often works for me and you should probably try it and see what works better for you. However, as some one already said, abs are made in the kitchen. Adjust your diet to get lower BF levels and the abs will come through without hardly any work at all. If you want to tone them try crunching your abs or doing stomach suctions throughout the day when you're doing schoolwork or watching TV.

[bsr35802]

Yah I know fieve days are crazy. But I know some people who had the washbaord abs and they said they did it like every day.

That doesnt prove crap! My friend weighs 120 with a 9% bf. He does 300 sit ups a night to keep his abs because he thinks that's how he got them. He's been playing hardcore tennis (lot of running and burning calories) and that's why he's hella thin.

And those who dont have washboard abs please dont answer as I'm looking for people who have it or had it before.

That is pretty close-minded you know. Just because someone has something doesnt mean they knew how to get it. If you ask 99% of the big guys in the school how to workout they will say "3 sets of 10 reps, monday-wednesday-friday. Creatine is a steroid too, dont take it"

[Surfgod]

Sorry I didnt mean to offend anyone who has no washboard abs, its hard to belive and get motivated from someone who doesn't have them. When you say stomach suctions, you mean stomach vacuums right?

And to the guys who does 300 crunches a day at night? Does he have washboard abs? Cause if he does it every day then who knows.

[hovz]

part of it is genetics in my opinion, but ur abs look fine anyway dude....u dont rly want to be that ripped....u want some body fat. just get ur chest bigger, it will bring out everything else.

[wasamata]

I was the same and though that I needed to do crunches until I fell asleep....but have been doing them every 2 days and using weights ......sure enough these bumps started to appear on my stomach! All I had to do was give my abs rest and next thing I new I saw great results. All in thanks to info from BB.comers and their experiences. Try it .....it works!

[Ineffable]

I don't like doing abs everyday, but if you are going to do them, then at least do two different exercises each day. There are plenty of different ones.

[Surfgod]

First of all thanks to everyone who replied. And yes I do need to get my chest bigger. I've been working out for six months now and was so stupid I was using the Smith machine bench press and was never going up in wieghts or gaining size. For last month I switched to free weights bench press and I feel better. I think msot of my problems was not eating enough. But now this is how I will do my nutrition starting next week.

Morning:

Mammoth 2500 Protein Shake (3 scoops not 4 as recommended to save money)

5 eggs in two burritos with grated cheese

After Workout:

Can of Tuna

Mammoth 2500 Shake

After 2nd Workout or Early Supper:

1 chicken breast in sandwhich

Supper:

Pasta with grated cheese

Snack:

Two peanut butter sandwhiches

Before Bed:

Mammoth 2500 shake

[Moreps]

Work abs twice per week, otherwise it's not necessary if you are lifting heavy. Another suggestion would be to improve your nutrition.

[Frink_]

If you do more than 20-25 reps on a set, you enter the endurance training zone instead of the muscle building zone. So really, doing one set with 300 crunshes dont do squat for ab size.

You have the smooth look. Your bodyfat % is to high to make them visible. That means you're to fat to see the abs. So you need to do cardio to burn the extra fat. This will result in visible abs. Mot people can get a sixpack purley from cardio. But if you whant deep abs, you have to work them with weights. Treating them like any other muscle group. Weights makes muscles bigger. That is why I train them hard with weights once a week. They get trained when you do squats, deadlifts, standing millitary press etc, so there really is no need to hit them as often.

Here is my training that works:

first month: Leg Lifts (with added weight) 2x12 to 15, Weighted Cable Crunches 2x8 to 10

second month: Weighted Cable Crunches 6x12

third month: Weighted Decline Crunshes 5x5

start over.

By the way, you're not an ectomorph. You might have a fast metabolism, but your build is mesomorph. Easily recognized by your wider bonestructure. My suggestion is to learn about nutrition. Read alot about it. When you know alot about it, you can simplyfy it by "keeping it simple". When you understand a tequnike, you know a teqnike. When you understand a concept, you know a tousand tequnikes.

[Surfgod]

Alright today was the first day of new ab routine and I hit it hard, with lots of focus on each rep and heavy weights. I mostly did crunches with a 25 pounder behind my head and then drop to 10 when burnt then drop to nothing to finish and hanging leg raises and side bends with a 35 pound weight. I did around six to seven sets until my abs couldnt move anymore.

I find the best way to work abs is to focus and I'm goona do it every two days.

Throughout the day I did lots of intense stomach vacuums and when I do them, my abs are pefectly spaced deep and bulky. My new question is if I do vacuums enough will my abs stay in the vacum postion? Thanks to all who have responded so far.