What’s the best abs exercises?

chrishamilton894

Hi peeps,
What’s the best exercises for a good ab workout? Currently I’m doing,
Ab crunch machine
Crossover crunches
Kettlebell sidebends
Machine knee lift

I do 3 sets of each 3 times a week.
Any advice please?

quiksylver296

Best for what?

The best ab exercises for me are deadlifts and pull-ups.

Rawrmachin3

Squats with no belt.

Doing all these accessory abs exercises are not really of any benefit for most. Want to see your abs? It’s about genetics and body fat percentage.

I don’t use a belt from when I start at 135lbs all the way up to 625lbs. Why? Builds core strength and stability among other benefits. Back when I first started weight lifting I used one on my heavy sets until it broke (scheik pro lever). For years now I haven’t and I’ve gotten much stronger in all facets of my lifting and even my big powerlifting butt can do sit ups.

BeautifullyBroken52

For me honestly it’s been yoga. Some will laugh at this but, I used to live in the gym doing all the traditional things heavy and light. When I got sidelined by a back injury yoga helped me heal my back and made my core pretty strong. Not necessarily more visible ( that happens when you eat right and lower your body fat) steroids helped me pack on 40 lbs over two years. But the strength you get in your core from holding the poses and the balancing was definitely what did it for me since I have to be carful what I lift and how now. It strengthens your entire core, back and legs at once. I use it in addition to my lifting. Hope that helps.

sgt1372

DLs, SQTs and hanging leg raises.

CipherZero

Squats and dead lift. Maybe rows, if you can work them in.

DancingMoosie

I feel like my abs get a good workout on my hydraulic rower. Also, any heavy free weight exercises. Jillian Michaels 6 weeks 6 pack abs is good too.

Mcwi3681

Pushups

Kita1818

Bicycles
Hanging leg raises
Mountain climbers
Cable pull crunches

mom23mangos

Hollow Body holds
Superman holds
Ab roller
Pullups/pushups/planks
L-sits
Levers

Jthanmyfitnesspal

Laughter. (Well, at least that's the most fun.)

mom23mangos

Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »

Laughter. (Well, at least that's the most fun.)

I took a class called Laughter Yoga. I had no clue what it was, it just sounded interesting. Strangest experience of my life. I wanted to run so bad, but there were only 3 of us and 1 bailed first so I felt too guilty and stuck it out. Google it if you want a real laugh.

rummyqueen

A great work out for abs which I do is Gilad’s hard Core with the medicine ball it works fantastic

giantrobot_powerlifting

Snatch grip power shrugs
Overhead barbell press
Cable Face Pulls
Atlas Stone Bear Hugs
Bodyweight Farmer Carries


Those are my faves



#trapsoverabs

MelanieCN77

I do planks, bicycles, reverse crunches, russian twists. Just vary it and keep it interesting.

thanos5

how does one do progressive overload with ab exercises? off to the googles.

CipherZero

thanos5 wrote: »

how does one do progressive overload with ab exercises? off to the googles.

Crunches while holding progressively larger plates?

kenyonhaff

Yoga and Classical Stretch. Be careful to stretch out the muscles of the core as well as strengthen folks!

TheBigFb

No eating loads of *kitten*

mom23mangos

thanos5 wrote: »

how does one do progressive overload with ab exercises? off to the googles.

Here are a few examples for bodyweight ab work. If you use the ab machines in the gym you can always add more weight.

Hold isometric poses for longer.

Add ankle weights.

Hanging knee lifts -> Hanging leg raises -> Toes to bar - Skin the Cat

Banded pullup -> normal pullup -> L-sit pullup -> Weighted pullup

Ab rollout partway from knees -> Ab rollout full length from knees -> Ab rollout from standing

Reverse crunches holding onto bar -> Single leg dragon levers -> straddle dragon lever -> full dragon lever

Plank from elbows -> Plank from hands -> One arm planks -> Extended plank

quiksylver296

giantrobot_powerlifting wrote: »

#trapsoverabs

So much that!

Man, I love a developed set of traps.

pdmatthews

As others have said overhead press, dead’s, squats and farmers walks. I like a standing cable crunch as well and a crunch press

Chieflrg

thanos5 wrote: »

how does one do progressive overload with ab exercises? off to the googles.

Just like any lift or cardio. Intelligently add more of it.

For running adding about 10% of your distance of your weekly total is pretty norm.

For abd it would depend on how you stimulate them AND your preferred method of progressive overload within your program as there are endless ways to progressively overload.

If you use a timer on a ab wheel, you could try to add a couple more reps or time.

If you were doing v-holds for sets, you could add a additional set.

There are a ridiculous amount of ways.

thanos5

sorry, i'm a newb.

rheddmobile

Abs rollouts got me the most bang for my buck. I was starting with a diastasis recti (an muscle separation) caused by obesity, and a recent abdominal surgery. No muscle tone to speak of. Abs rollouts fixed the diastasis recti and now I have hard solid abs - still not low enough body fat to be visible but at least they are under there!

Carlos_421

https://youtu.be/_xdOuqokcm4[/yt]

ChrisCatMama

Kneeling on the floor while doing overhead presses (found that in a men’s health magazine)
Crunches and cross crunches on an exercise ball (easier on the back)
Straight leg crunches
Side to side chops with a weighted ball

nighthawk584

the best burn for me is hanging leg raises. at this point in my journey , i am just grateful to have shrunk my gut! At 54, If I get defined abs, great...if I don't , who cares!

psuLemon

Carlos_421 wrote: »

https://youtu.be/_xdOuqokcm4[/yt]

So much this.

While compound lifts should be a focus in the workout, they are not optimal when it comes to ab recruitment. So if one wants to develop their ab/core muscles, they should do direct ab exercise. This would be no different than if someone wanted to develop their arms. Of course you need to have low enough body fat if you want to make abs visible.

hrvojecavar25

I do planks 4 sets of 1 minute, leg raises, dead bug i think its called, rolling wheel, bycicle crunch,mountin climber, boxer crunch and icing on the cake 3 x 15 holding a 5 kg plate over my head and doing a normal crunch, best of luck

MidlifeCrisisFitness

exercise ball pull overs