What ab workouts do you all recommend?

[purbeast0]

Througout my whole working out phase ever since college, I have never done much variation in my abs workouts. I have pretty much always had pretty strong abs that show when I get leaned up where I can have a very visible 6 pack.

Now that I'm gaining weight though (trying to gain size) I am gaining muscle everywhere and increasing strength, but my ab exercises I'm just doing some extra reps or so in them, but I'm still doing the same workout. It typically consts of the following.

3x sets of declined leg lifts (typically 17-20 reps)
2x sets of leg raises (on the thing you can do the leg raises and dips), usually 10 where I lift my legs out and keep them straight, and 10 where I pull my knees straight up, intertwined
3x sets crunches with my legs up, where I hold for 2 seconds (about 15-17 reps)
2x sets crunches where I sit on the roman chair that has no back to it, and I do 10 reps holding at the peak.
3x sets of side twists on that thing you can lean on and do lower back as well, but I'll do each side about 12 reps or so, sometimes w/a dumbell.

sometimes for my obliques I'll do other stuff instead of that as well.

i just need some type of change because i've been doing this for so long, and I can typically feel it the following days as well. But since everything else is getting stronger I'd like to try incorporating different exercises in my abs to strengthen those other areas that I may not be using as much w/my current routine.

so post away your routines that you recommend!

 

[Special K]

I think you need to focus more on resistance training for your abs. Here are my favorites:


Cable Crunches - just use the rope attachment for the cable machine, kneel down in front of it, and crunch. It's really easy to vary the resistance on these.

Weighted Leg Lifts - hold a DB with your feet and do leg lifts. Don't raise your legs up too high, or you will take the tension off your abs.

Weighted Crunches on a decline bench - hold the plate on your chest or behind your head.

Weighted crunches on a swiss ball - similar to the decline bench, except sit on a swiss ball. I found these to be surprisingly difficult, especially if you keep your feet close together. You have to work just to keep your balance and your core stable as well as crunch up.

The above are very brief descriptions. For more details on how to do these, refer to websites like EXRX or AST-SS's training section.

Really, the emphasis should be on adding resistance, not doing more reps or crazy variations. Abs are a muscle like any other - there's no reason to get incredibly creative when training them.

I should also add that having visible abs is more about diet than anything, but you already seem to know that. It's mainly aimed toward any n00bs on the board.

 

[crt1530]

Hanging leg raise (hands on pullup bar, legs straight, raise feet until they touch the bar). Link

Weighted decline sit up (plate held behind your head, rep completed when your elbows touch your knees).

Standing cable crunch (Link)

 

[purbeast0]

Originally posted by: Special K
I think you need to focus more on resistance training for your abs. Here are my favorites:


Cable Crunches - just use the rope attachment for the cable machine, kneel down in front of it, and crunch. It's really easy to vary the resistance on these.

Weighted Leg Lifts - hold a DB with your feet and do leg lifts. Don't raise your legs up too high, or you will take the tension off your abs.

Weighted Crunches on a decline bench - hold the plate on your chest or behind your head.

Weighted crunches on a swiss ball - similar to the decline bench, except sit on a swiss ball. I found these to be surprisingly difficult, especially if you keep your feet close together. You have to work just to keep your balance and your core stable as well as crunch up.

The above are very brief descriptions. For more details on how to do these, refer to websites like EXRX or AST-SS's training section.

Really, the emphasis should be on adding resistance, not doing more reps or crazy variations. Abs are a muscle like any other - there's no reason to get incredibly creative when training them.

I should also add that having visible abs is more about diet than anything, but you already seem to know that. It's mainly aimed toward any n00bs on the board.

I've done cable crunches before and worked them in the past few months of my abs day. I don't know if I'm doing them wrong or something but I never get that burn that I do from just good ol crunches. And I can do the whole 150lbs stack on the cable machine.

I've also done those DB leg lifts. I just kind of stopped doing them because I was getting worried about the damn DB slipping off. I've also used medicine balls between my legs that seemed a little easier to grip than the DB. I've been contemplating getting those weights people put on their ankls when jogging, to put on my ankles when I do leg lifts. Yo uthink that's a good idea?

Also I forgot to say when I do those seated crunches on that thing w/out the back, sometimes I hold a 20 or 25 pound dumbell accross my chest, definitely ads to the toughness. I think it's pretty similar to the ones you were talking about on the swiss ball.

I will try out the declined weighted ones today for my main upper abs workout.

Also do you recommend using resistance on EVERY crunch exercise? I sometimes also would do those seated leg lifts with a dumbell between my feet, which I didn't mention before heh. Typically I would do some sets of non-weighted exercises, then finish up with 2 sets of some kind of weighted exercise. Would you recommend strictly doing resistance training for abs?

And yea I don't do any crazy sets like when people talk about doing 100 crunches in a row. Early in my lifting I read that it's better to just do focused ab work which is why I do about 17 crunches or so and hold it at the peak for a few seconds. Typically it's hard for me to even get 17 of these out.

And yah I know about the visible part, I'm still in my bulking size and just not really worried about it being visible currently. I can still see my abs but not nearly as much as before I started bulking. I just want them to be properly trained for when I go on my cutting cycle around March or so.

Also what is your view on situps compared to crunches?

 

[Jgtdragon]

8 mins abs works

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

Originally posted by: Jgtdragon
8 mins abs works

LOL n00b, don't you know that 7 min abs > 8 min abs??

 

[purbeast0]

Originally posted by: Cerpin Taxt

Originally posted by: Jgtdragon
8 mins abs works

LOL n00b, don't you know that 7 min abs > 8 min abs??

you guys are both wrong.

the new fad is "Ripped in 60 Seconds".

i'm in and out of the gym in 5 minutes now.

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: purbeast0
I've also done those DB leg lifts. I just kind of stopped doing them because I was getting worried about the damn DB slipping off. I've also used medicine balls between my legs that seemed a little easier to grip than the DB. I've been contemplating getting those weights people put on their ankls when jogging, to put on my ankles when I do leg lifts. Yo uthink that's a good idea?

I did use those for a time before I moved to DBs. The problem is that they don't make those ankle weights very heavy, so sooner or later you will outgrow them anyway. I found that holding a DB between my feet took quite awhile to master. My best advice would be to just keep trying, and eventually you will get the hang of it. The shape of the DB can make a huge difference. My old gym had DBs with a very large base, which made them very easy to hold with my feet. My current gym uses DBs with much smaller bases, at least in the range of weights I would realistically be using to do DB leg lifts with. It took me quite a bit longer to get used to those.

Originally posted by: purbeast0
Also do you recommend using resistance on EVERY crunch exercise? I sometimes also would do those seated leg lifts with a dumbell between my feet, which I didn't mention before heh. Typically I would do some sets of non-weighted exercises, then finish up with 2 sets of some kind of weighted exercise. Would you recommend strictly doing resistance training for abs?

Yes, I would recommend using resistance on EVERY crunch exercise, unless one is doing them as some type of PT/rehab routine, but it doesn't sound like that is the case with you. Would you do curls with no weight? Would you do a bench press with no weight? Abs are a muscle like any other, and should be trained as such.

Originally posted by: purbeast0
Also what is your view on situps compared to crunches?

Crunches are definitely preferable to situps if you want to work your abs. Situps use the psoas a lot more than the abs once you get up past a certain point.

 

[jman19]

Originally posted by: purbeast0

Originally posted by: Cerpin Taxt

Originally posted by: Jgtdragon
8 mins abs works

LOL n00b, don't you know that 7 min abs > 8 min abs??

you guys are both wrong.

the new fad is "Ripped in 60 Seconds".

i'm in and out of the gym in 5 minutes now.

I just walk to the gym, look at the entrance, and leave. By the time I get home I'm ripped.

 

[Megatomic]

I use exercises found in the ABS Diet book. I rotate them once every 2 months so that I don't get too used to the workout.

Something I haven't mentioned in any thread so far is that all my workouts are circuit based, including my core workouts. Circuit training is best for fat burning as it keeps your metabolism up during the workout and longer afterwards.

 

[TallBill]

Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym.

 

[purbeast0]

Originally posted by: TallBill
Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym.

umm thats not true at all...

making your abs visible has to do with the kitchen.

building them up and making them stronger has everything to do with the gym. just because you can see someones abs doesn't mean they are strong.

Special K thanks for the tips. The funny thing is that I ALWAYS say the same thing you told me about abs being just like any muscle, yet you made me realize that I need to reenforce it heh.

But I wouldn't make the analogy you did exactly. It's not really like doing bench presses w/out weight, its more like doing a pushup since you are still lifting your own body weight.

But you are right, I wouldn't do pushups as a primary exercise for my chest by any means.

I did weighted exercises for everything today and it felt pretty good.

Question about the cable crunches ... is the proper way to do them facing the stack of weights or with your back to it? I was doing it with my back to it, kind of pulling the weight down/out from the cable machine.

 

[crt1530]

Back to the machine. Don't stand right beneath the pulley. They're more difficult if you take a few steps away and the cable is at a 45 degree angle.

 

[TallBill]

Sorry, I read six pack and went into bb.com mode.

 

[GenHoth]

I read six pack and go into friday night mode! :laugh:

 

[kindest]

i only do situps and use an ab wheel....

 

[FearoftheNight]

those ab wheels from a standing position = omg pain

 

[Jack Ryan]

I do a bridging and a rotational exercise each workout.

Bridging:
4-point plank
3-point plank
2-point plank
Side plank w/reach
etc...

Rotational:
Wood Chopper (mixing in kneeling/reverse)
Seated Russian Twist (probably one of my favorites)
Cable Push-Pull Rotation
Windshield Wipers
etc.