Abs and Legs!

Brooke4206

Morning routine-

-Insanity (month 1)
-legs (200 squats with 5 lb weight, 1 minute wall sit, 2 minutes of the exercise where your on your hands and knees and you push your leg back, hip thrusts)

-Abs (Ab ripper x and 1 day a week cardio abs and ab ripper x)

And I do an hour of zumba 5 days a week.



My question is, for better results should i do abs and legs every other day as opposed to everyday? I've seen gains in both my abs and legs, but i'm curious to know if i'll have better/faster progress by putting a rest day between. Thanks guys.

btw, i might add in more to my leg routine depending.

MagJam2004

Just curious, how long does that take you to complete?

hopefaithlove24

I thought this was a picture thread *** backs out slowly***

Brooke4206

Just curious, how long does that take you to complete?

It takes me about 1.5 hours in the morning and 1 hour at night for Zumba.

erickirb

No need to do abs everyday and def should not do squats daily, and should be a lot heavier for less reps

TR0berts

My question is, for better results should i do abs and legs every other day as opposed to everyday? I've seen gains in both my abs and legs, but i'm curious to know if i'll have better/faster progress by putting a rest day between. Thanks guys.

What results are you looking for? What type of progress are you talking about?

Brooke4206

.

Brooke4206

My question is, for better results should i do abs and legs every other day as opposed to everyday? I've seen gains in both my abs and legs, but i'm curious to know if i'll have better/faster progress by putting a rest day between. Thanks guys.

What results are you looking for? What type of progress are you talking about?

I am looking to develop a six pack. My stomach is toned as is, but only the top two abs show through.

MagJam2004

No need to do abs everyday and def should not do squats daily, and should be a lot heavier for less reps

sending you a message so not to hijack this thread

noKTdidnt

I agree on the previous poster commenting on squats at a higher weight. I've gotten the best muscle definition in my life just purely from doing heavy squats, 5 reps at a time. Not to mention what it's done for my butt...

On the topic of rest, typically muscle grows during your rest period. If you're constantly working the same muscle over and over again (daily high rep squats, daily ab work), you're not giving your body a chance to respond, get stronger and grow. Best to give each muscle group a full rest day in between.

erickirb

My question is, for better results should i do abs and legs every other day as opposed to everyday? I've seen gains in both my abs and legs, but i'm curious to know if i'll have better/faster progress by putting a rest day between. Thanks guys.

What results are you looking for? What type of progress are you talking about?

I am looking to develop a six pack. My stomach is toned as is, but only the top two abs show through.

In that case, small deficit to lose 0.5lbs/week, or a 10% reduction from TDEE, heavy lifting program focusing on compound lifts, adequate protein (100g+/day) and time

MagJam2004

I agree on the previous poster commenting on squats at a higher weight. I've gotten the best muscle definition in my life just purely from doing heavy squats, 5 reps at a time. Not to mention what it's done for my butt...

On the topic of rest, typically muscle grows during your rest period. If you're constantly working the same muscle over and over again (daily high rep squats, daily ab work), you're not giving your body a chance to respond, get stronger and grow. Best to give each muscle group a full rest day in between.

That is some valuable information.

Bamacraft

Probably TMI but my 2 cents. if you seek more defined abs and legs two suggestions: 1) i would do what erickirb suggested. You coulkd try a 5x5 program. Heavier weights fewer reps (squats will be your friend), along with lunges, leg press, hack squats, glute bridges, stiff leg deadlifts etc... 2) Abs = DIET. eat clean! no sugar, white carbs, alcohol and eat at a slight deficit. eat higher protein, plenty of good fats and complex carbs. fat doesnt make you fat btw. do not go below 10% fat! i aim for ~45% P, 30% F and 25% or less C. Eat lean P (skinless baked chicken, turkey breast, egg whites, good shakes), Fats are (good oils, nuts, seeds, beans etc) and my C comes from plain sweet potatoes green veggies etc..

One caveat. if you are seeking more muscular legs it will be difficult to build muscle mass while in a deficit. cutting and building muscle is almost impossible IMO. you can get stronger but mainly due to newbie gains. if a six pack is goal #1 then diet and working out with weights (giant sets are good for this) so you maintain muscle you currently have. in the off season train heavy and eat at a surplus to gain muscle and then enter your cut phase (w/giants/cardio etc) a few months out from bikini season to cut...

erickirb

Probably TMI but my 2 cents. if you seek more defined abs and legs two suggestions: 1) i would do what erickirb suggested. You coulkd try a 5x5 program. Heavier weights fewer reps (squats will be your friend), along with lunges, leg press, hack squats, glute bridges, stiff leg deadlifts etc... 2) Abs = DIET. eat clean! no sugar, white carbs, alcohol and eat at a slight deficit. eat higher protein, plenty of good fats and complex carbs. fat doesnt make you fat btw. do not go below 10% fat! i aim for ~45% P, 30% F and 25% or less C. Eat lean P (skinless baked chicken, turkey breast, egg whites, good shakes), Fats are (good oils, nuts, seeds, beans etc) and my C comes from plain sweet potatoes green veggies etc..

One caveat. if you are seeking more muscular legs it will be difficult to build muscle mass while in a deficit. cutting and building muscle is almost impossible IMO. you can get stronger but mainly due to newbie gains. if a six pack is goal #1 then diet and working out with weights (giant sets are good for this) so you maintain muscle you currently have. in the off season train heavy and eat at a surplus to gain muscle and then enter your cut phase (w/giants/cardio etc) a few months out from bikini season to cut...

You do not need to eat clean, or avoid sugar, if you get your minimum fat and protein (which should be pretty high) the remaining cals can come from anything. Just have a small deficit, get protein and lift. clean/sugar/carbs will not matter. And fat is important no reason to avoid, it could even make up a large % of total cals (much more than 25% is you wish) Minimum fat should be in the 0.35-4.0 grams per lb of body weight, but more is fine, as long as it doesn't limit your ability to get the 100+ grams of protein.

Bamacraft

Probably TMI but my 2 cents. if you seek more defined abs and legs two suggestions: 1) i would do what erickirb suggested. You coulkd try a 5x5 program. Heavier weights fewer reps (squats will be your friend), along with lunges, leg press, hack squats, glute bridges, stiff leg deadlifts etc... 2) Abs = DIET. eat clean! no sugar, white carbs, alcohol and eat at a slight deficit. eat higher protein, plenty of good fats and complex carbs. fat doesnt make you fat btw. do not go below 10% fat! i aim for ~45% P, 30% F and 25% or less C. Eat lean P (skinless baked chicken, turkey breast, egg whites, good shakes), Fats are (good oils, nuts, seeds, beans etc) and my C comes from plain sweet potatoes green veggies etc..

One caveat. if you are seeking more muscular legs it will be difficult to build muscle mass while in a deficit. cutting and building muscle is almost impossible IMO. you can get stronger but mainly due to newbie gains. if a six pack is goal #1 then diet and working out with weights (giant sets are good for this) so you maintain muscle you currently have. in the off season train heavy and eat at a surplus to gain muscle and then enter your cut phase (w/giants/cardio etc) a few months out from bikini season to cut...

You do not need to eat clean, or avoid sugar, if you get your minimum fat and protein (which should be pretty high) the remaining cals can come from anything. Just have a small deficit, get protein and lift. clean/sugar/carbs will not matter. And fat is important no reason to avoid, it could even make up a large % of total cals (much more than 25% is you wish) Minimum fat should be in the 0.35-4.0 grams per lb of body weight, but more is fine, as long as it doesn't limit your ability to get the 100+ grams of protein.

One of us is misreading our response. >>And fat is important no reason to avoid, it could even make up a large % of total cals (much more than 25% is you wish)<< I stated that my carbs was 25% or less and my fat was 30%. Not the other way around. Also think we iterated the same thing in terms of protein and fat being important. we can agree to disagree with eating clean to get a six pack. People's definition of extra cals coming from whatever is quite broad on here and often miscalculated in terms of how much they consume. For me, i have to eat clean and avoid processed sugary junk food, alcohol and precooked/packaged meals. Otherwise i start over again on Monday.

erickirb

Probably TMI but my 2 cents. if you seek more defined abs and legs two suggestions: 1) i would do what erickirb suggested. You coulkd try a 5x5 program. Heavier weights fewer reps (squats will be your friend), along with lunges, leg press, hack squats, glute bridges, stiff leg deadlifts etc... 2) Abs = DIET. eat clean! no sugar, white carbs, alcohol and eat at a slight deficit. eat higher protein, plenty of good fats and complex carbs. fat doesnt make you fat btw. do not go below 10% fat! i aim for ~45% P, 30% F and 25% or less C. Eat lean P (skinless baked chicken, turkey breast, egg whites, good shakes), Fats are (good oils, nuts, seeds, beans etc) and my C comes from plain sweet potatoes green veggies etc..

One caveat. if you are seeking more muscular legs it will be difficult to build muscle mass while in a deficit. cutting and building muscle is almost impossible IMO. you can get stronger but mainly due to newbie gains. if a six pack is goal #1 then diet and working out with weights (giant sets are good for this) so you maintain muscle you currently have. in the off season train heavy and eat at a surplus to gain muscle and then enter your cut phase (w/giants/cardio etc) a few months out from bikini season to cut...

You do not need to eat clean, or avoid sugar, if you get your minimum fat and protein (which should be pretty high) the remaining cals can come from anything. Just have a small deficit, get protein and lift. clean/sugar/carbs will not matter. And fat is important no reason to avoid, it could even make up a large % of total cals (much more than 25% is you wish) Minimum fat should be in the 0.35-4.0 grams per lb of body weight, but more is fine, as long as it doesn't limit your ability to get the 100+ grams of protein.

One of us is misreading our response. >>And fat is important no reason to avoid, it could even make up a large % of total cals (much more than 25% is you wish)<< I stated that my carbs was 25% or less and my fat was 30%. Not the other way around. Also think we iterated the same thing in terms of protein and fat being important. we can agree to disagree with eating clean to get a six pack. People's definition of extra cals coming from whatever is quite broad on here and often miscalculated in terms of how much they consume. For me, i have to eat clean and avoid processed sugary junk food, alcohol and precooked/packaged meals. Otherwise i start over again on Monday.

Sorry did misread the fat.

That said OP I eat 40-45% cabs, 30% protein and 25-35% fat. I don't eat clean either, nor would you have to, may help control caloric intake, but not necessary. I do eat lean meat, fruit and veggies, but will eat "dirty" for 20-25% of my overall diet, but as long as I meet my micros and macros that is all that is required.

Huffdogg

My question is, for better results should i do abs and legs every other day as opposed to everyday? I've seen gains in both my abs and legs, but i'm curious to know if i'll have better/faster progress by putting a rest day between. Thanks guys.

What results are you looking for? What type of progress are you talking about?

I am looking to develop a six pack. My stomach is toned as is, but only the top two abs show through.

In that case, small deficit to lose 0.5lbs/week, or a 10% reduction from TDEE, heavy lifting program focusing on compound lifts, adequate protein (100g+/day) and time

/thread

FrnkLft

So 6 pack... muscle only really grows when there is a surplus of calories. Muscles show through best when you've eaten a deficit of calories and the fat has burned away. Step 1, then Step 2. Grow them, then show them.

Do heavy ab work (by heavy I mean weight, not high reps...) using things like cable crunches and weighted situps (weight over your head, not on your chest). That will help you develop your abs so when you diet down they will show better. This will take time.

With all the cardio you're doing, it'll be tough because eating a surplus will be even harder.

freddi11e

BUMP

KrissyRawrz

Sorry for the randomness but holy hell! That sounds exhausting lol