Squats and Deadlifts for flat abs?????

dym123

Just listened to the Get Fit Guy's recent podcast and he claims that the 2 best exercises for flat abs are not planks and crunches, but squats and deadlifts. He does give his reasons and discusses a study, so he wasn't pulling this out of his butt or anything

Here is a link to the transcript---> http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/health-fitness/exercise/best-exercises-flat-stomach

I had started adding more squats and deadlifts to my routine, mainly because I wasn't noticing as much definition in my legs as with my upper body and I have noticed the inches around my waist seem to be coming off faster, but I attributed that to being more conscientious of keeping my core tight during workouts and well...losing weight, but now I wonder....hmmmm. What do you guys think?

jzammetti

I completely agree from personal experience - full body compound lifting is a major fat burner which helps your ab muscles show through.

GetSoda

The worlds strongest deadlifter has a gigantic santa-clause belly. So, what do you think?







(Spoiler alert: It's all about the diet. Not to discourage you from getting strong, but diet.)

tartsul

squats and deadlifts for flat abs and everything else! i've definitely noticed a difference in my lower belly area since i've started lifting heavy weights.

cwolfman13

As far as exercises go for abs, you get far more benefit doing those big compound lifts like squats and dead-lifts than you do with 100s of crunches or whatever. It's always good to do some core work, but really, crunches and sit-ups are a big waste of time....much more efficient and effective results with heavy compound lifts than endless crunches.

That said, a flat belly is all about reduced BF, which is all about diet. Abs are still 90% made in the kitchen. But yeah...compound lifts are much more beneficial for developing those muscles.

dym123

The worlds strongest deadlifter has a gigantic santa-clause belly. So, what do you think?







(Spoiler alert: It's all about the diet. Not to discourage you from getting strong, but diet.)

Dude, check out my ticker, think I got the diet part down pretty good.

thebowhunter

The worlds strongest deadlifter has a gigantic santa-clause belly. So, what do you think?



That does not mean he doesnt have great abs, it just means he has those abs covered with fat. There is most likely a 6 pack under that fat.

irridia

The record holders tend to add weight on purpose. I do really wonder if they skipped the bulk if they'd be better lifters and be able to lift waay more though.

On the other, other hand, the days following lift day, I'm ravenous. This does make it harder to stick to the diet.

For balance, I recommend stronglifts 5x5 there's groups here on MFP and you can google it. Functional muscle baby! I however should have corrected my faults before starting. Hoping to start over in the fall.

funforsports

Squats and Deadlifts definitely put the most stress on the core and are the best exercise for building abs. That being said, diet and losing fat will cause your abs to show but having a stronger midsection will allow them to show at a slightly higher bf%.

ItsCasey

I think some people in the fitness arena try to simplify the educational process by saying "You don't need direct core training. Just do heavy compound lifting," because the typical fitness rookie thinks that having abs comes from doing a million crunches a day.

If we're talking about pure strength, then sure, heavy compound lifts are a safe bet. But an average person (average in terms of his or her knowledge about diet and fitness, that is), hears "Squats and deadlifts will get rid of belly fat," and that's not true, if we're isolating the training from the diet aspect.

mdn15

I love these compound lifting moves. They target the biggest muscles in the body. With the bigger muscles more fat burned.

Basia_and4345

Just listened to the Get Fit Guy's recent podcast and he claims that the 2 best exercises for flat abs are not planks and crunches, but squats and deadlifts. He does give his reasons and discusses a study, so he wasn't pulling this out of his butt or anything

Here is a link to the transcript---> http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/health-fitness/exercise/best-exercises-flat-stomach

I had started adding more squats and deadlifts to my routine, mainly because I wasn't noticing as much definition in my legs as with my upper body and I have noticed the inches around my waist seem to be coming off faster, but I attributed that to being more conscientious of keeping my core tight during workouts and well...losing weight, but now I wonder....hmmmm. What do you guys think?

I can see this... I had never thought about this. I will be adding squats and dead lifts to my weekly routine. Thank you for the post.

kdiamond

I completely agree from personal experience - full body compound lifting is a major fat burner which helps your ab muscles show through.

Ditto! I do maybe 5 minutes total a week of actual ab exercises (planks) but my abs are pretty defined thanks to compound lifts and a good diet. Ab work is unnecessary!