ABS...I want them

riffraff2112

Alright my educated hard working friends. I am very near the body I want and about the only thing missing for me is abs. I will be honest and have given them no special attention thinking (flawed I might add) that I was too old (48) and too fat to waste time working them out.
So, now I have some ground to make up. I realize abs can be largely genetic, and I also realize I have some fat to lose still BUT I know they are lurking there, and I swear I have seen them when I am working out if the lighting is just right

My questions are
#1 Should I work them everyday? Should I treat them like any other muscle and hit them 2 or 3 times a week?
#2 Should I work them different, lots of reps, high intensity vs few reps with weights?
#3 Anyone in my age bracket that discovered abs later in life or am I chasing an impossible dream?
#4 What exercises should I consider? In my few workouts I have done planks, leg lifts, and weighted crunches. I feel they are working during many of my other exercises, dead lifts, squats, and pushups in particular.

thanks in advance.

usmcmp

What's your current exercise/lifting routine like? Abs should not be worked every day, some of us rarely work them (although I have to do obliques twice per week because they lag). You are not too late to have abs. It sounds like you need to lose a little bit more fat to make them visible.

riffraff2112

The outline of my lifting routine follows the pattern
Day One: chest and arms
Day Two: shoulders
Day Three: Back, Legs
Rest
Repeat

Usually do about 5 or 6 sets of 2 or three exercises per body part. 10 reps per set.

Cardio is a mixed bag, but generally at least three steady state cardio workouts of 30mins a week. I also throw in some HIIT workouts during one of my weight training days, usually shoulder day.

I dropped another 5 lbs in the last few months after about 16 months of maintenance with a more determined effort In the gym, and better eating which made me want to see how far I could take this. I am pretty sure I can lose another 5lbs but I am not in a hurry to do that as I am very impressed with my gains in strength lately and enjoy eating about 2000 cals a day.

AS mentioned in original post, I never worked abs specifically in the past, so I want to throw it in there, and give it some more focus.

usmcmp

I would consider moving back to shoulders day and adding abs to leg day. Two exercises (I prefer them as a super set) with 3-4 sets of 12-15 reps. Weighted exercises are going to help add some volume to the ab muscles (such as cable crunches), but body weight work like hanging leg raises and ab roll outs are good as well.

riffraff2112

thanks, will do. Appreciate the help. No real reason I was doing things in that order other than I love chest and arm so I always do that first (in case I get busy later in the week I never want to miss that day).

usmcmp

Your set up is similar to this one: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/lee-labrada-12-week-lean-body-trainer-week-1-day-1.html

It's one of the first programs I followed. Not saying you have to do it (or do the cardio), but I find I make better progress when I follow pre-set programs.

riffraff2112

Had a quick look, super similar to what I am doing for the most part. Thanks. Appreciate the support. Been around the gym for 15 years but as with anything, you can never stop learning.