Are ab workouts worth it?

TuDominicano

i spoke to someone at the gym and he told me, "at my age, i'll never have a six pack. I would love to, but I wont. But, as long as my stomach is flat and it compliments the rest of the body, i'm happy." That's how I see it. To get to the level of model material takes a lot of dedication and lots of money cause to get or reach a goal it'll cost you one way or another.

I myself would love a six pack, but I know that's not going to happen. As long as i can get a flat one and my spouse is happy with how I look, it's all i care for.

TuDominicano

one thing i do now when hitting the weights, i contract the stomach area. when i'm bench pressing or doing curls i stomach vaccuum, you'll feel the difference.

schnarfo

I do a lot of cardio classes such as step and spin but i rarely do the ab classes on their own like another poster stated. I cheat.... I use my slendertone ab belt. I tried not using it and doing like 200 ab crunches and sit ups nearly everyday during my hr n half work outs but i just didnt get the same results!

TateFTW

If you want a weak, easily injured body, and long for a future of back issues, then feel free to skip core work altogether. Strong abs are like a back brace you wear all the time. They also allow you to work harder and lift more in almost every single exercise you can use.

As for the possibility of getting a 6-pack, it's as real as you're willing to make it. To me, having a 6-pack is about 5th on the list of benefits for core work.

I'm a big golfer. So I know the importance of a good core. No doubt. I guess the reason I get frustrated is because I know I need to lower my body fat to see them, but I can see changes in my arms and chest, etc.. more easily. Thus keeping me more motivated. I just need to change my thinking about it.

Rory Mcilroy spends most of his training time on his core. In fact, Golzilla himself Jason Zuback said even though he has huge muscles, the main thing golfers need for distance is core strength and balance.

Personally, I've averaged 270+ since I started playing 4 years ago, but that's just because I rock. I was a 5 hc before I more or less abandoned the game 5 months ago to focus on my physical training.

ME02134

I do ab classes and definitely see results! I find when I stop doing them my stomach is not nearly as tight. No, you can't see a 6 pack but when I do the ab classes it makes my abs sore when in turn makes my stomach feel tighter in general. I find the layer on top isnt as flabby (that sounds so gross haha) the day after an ab class and sometimes you can see an outline from the obliques or on another part depending on the targeted area. I get the best results from doing ab exercises on the ball. The hardest one on the ball is crunching with both arms above your head by your ears! OUCH but it work! I think you should incorporate the ab exercises for sure... good luck!

edorice

Doing ab work is very important. And although I am not 10-13% bodyfat I have found that i have tighter abs than most chicks in their teens and twenties. We work in a building that have college students coming and going, you'd be amazed at the jiggle that they have in their tight tops. So, as part of an over-all workout it's a very good idea to do ab work.

Egger29

if you look at the Abdominal region anatomically, they connect from the rib cage to the pelvis. In this case, a weak mid-section will create a bulge around the middle as the looser muscle allows the pelvis to rotate forward out of neutral posture.

This effect often happens for individuals with desk jobs as not only does the core loosen, but the hip flexors tighten causing an additional pull on the pelvis.

While spot toning won't have any effect, working out the entire core (inner and outer abdominals will help with the postural effectiveness of them to perform the function of stabilizing the pelvis (in coordination with the Spinal muscles).

This would naturally produce a slimmer waistline in a sense from the pelvis being in proper neutral position similar to "sucking in the gut" so to speak.

That being said, it won't have any effect on the body fat to get a 6-pack....but you'll be posturally better in relation to "anatomical neutral" which holds a tighter position around the entire core.

BoresEasily

If you want a weak, easily injured body, and long for a future of back issues, then feel free to skip core work altogether. Strong abs are like a back brace you wear all the time. They also allow you to work harder and lift more in almost every single exercise you can use.

As for the possibility of getting a 6-pack, it's as real as you're willing to make it. To me, having a 6-pack is about 5th on the list of benefits for core work.

No one mentioned skipping core work, he mentioned skipping ab isolation exercises. And you don't really need to do a bunch of crunches or other ab isolation exercises if you're doing squats, deadlifts, planks, et cetera that strengthen your core. A burpee/squat thrust does just as much for your core as a crunch or any other ab isolation exercise does.