Question about Abs

terar21

How often should you work out abs if you are looking to do a significant amount of toning and strengthening there?

I've read some that some people say you have to give your abs a rest day and I've read that others say it's not an issue to work them every day so I'm not really clear on what's best / most effective.

And what about if you've been doing yoga that's very ab-focused about every other day. Is it safe to do other ab exercises of those off days?

babyblake11

some of the best exercise for abs are things you wouldnt expect. running is awesome! i started getting my abs when i started running, but do some ab exercises as well.
and yeah give them a rest just in case.

mrau719

abs are like any other muscle. You need to give them rest days. Once or twice a week is all I do, but honestly abs are made in the kitchen...not the gym. So if you really want 'em to show make sure you've already started there

krypt5

I've experimented over the years with different frequency, rep ranges and what not. Doing it frequently has never affected aesthetics, but it certainly affected strength. I know this isn't really a good answer for you, but it could depend on your goals.

Since you are talking about aesthetics, the frequency doesn't matter. You can workout 2-3 times a week and that would be fine. Also, to get your abs to show, no amount of exercise will help, you have to reduce your bodyfat for that.

blakeman187

For core strength it depends, some people say every day, some say once a week. I work abs every other day.
As for tone, that is all about diet. You could do 1000 crunches a day with a crappy diet and not have toned abs.

If you want to see your abs you need to lower bf%

Sidesteal

For core strength it depends, some people say every day, some say once a week. I work abs every other day.
As for tone, that is all about diet. You could do 1000 crunches a day with a crappy diet and not have toned abs.

If you want to see your abs you need to lower bf%

^ This, and IIFYM represent.

Samerah12

abs are like any other muscle. You need to give them rest days. Once or twice a week is all I do, but honestly abs are made in the kitchen...not the gym. So if you really want 'em to show make sure you've already started there

^yep.

aprilhelmreich

I'm not even bothering focusing on my abs right now cuz I won't be seeing the results anytime soon anyway! Not to say I don't do ab stuff but I don't focus on it. Like the guys said, I'm working on lowering my bf% first!

idiocracy

I don't work out muscle groups, I do calisthenics and the abs just get caught up in the movement. I am getting nice abs, without doing any crunches. It's the overall workout.

babyblake11

I don't work out muscle groups, I do calisthenics and the abs just get caught up in the movement. I am getting nice abs, without doing any crunches. It's the overall workout.

this, im getting abs and i only started incorporating ab exercises like this week. its all about your overall workout!

calderst

I used to hate the phrase "abs are made in the kitchen"... until I lost 13 pounds and suddenly had the definition I'd been working hard for in frustration. As much as it sucks for those of us who love to workout as much as we love to eat whatever we want-- abs are made in the kitchen.
If you're doing a lot of plank style moves in your routine, you're probably already building the necessary strength and foundation. What other types of abs moves are you considering adding? That would probably determine whether or not you should give yourself a rest day in between.

terar21

I've experimented over the years with different frequency, rep ranges and what not. Doing it frequently has never affected aesthetics, but it certainly affected strength. I know this isn't really a good answer for you, but it could depend on your goals.

Since you are talking about aesthetics, the frequency doesn't matter. You can workout 2-3 times a week and that would be fine. Also, to get your abs to show, no amount of exercise will help, you have to reduce your bodyfat for that.

I'm doing cardio regularly now to try and drop my body fat but my core strength is terrible. I'm fine in my arms and legs but for some reason I have the hardest time strengthening my abs.

terar21

some of the best exercise for abs are things you wouldnt expect. running is awesome! i started getting my abs when i started running, but do some ab exercises as well.
and yeah give them a rest just in case.

I'm definitely making sure I'm running! Maybe I'll just up how much I'm working them on the days I do abs but make sure I give plenty of rest.

terar21

For core strength it depends, some people say every day, some say once a week. I work abs every other day.
As for tone, that is all about diet. You could do 1000 crunches a day with a crappy diet and not have toned abs.

If you want to see your abs you need to lower bf%

Thank you! How much do you work abs on days you do them?

terar21

I used to hate the phrase "abs are made in the kitchen"... until I lost 13 pounds and suddenly had the definition I'd been working hard for in frustration. As much as it sucks for those of us who love to workout as much as we love to eat whatever we want-- abs are made in the kitchen.
If you're doing a lot of plank style moves in your routine, you're probably already building the necessary strength and foundation. What other types of abs moves are you considering adding? That would probably determine whether or not you should give yourself a rest day in between.

There's a ton of plank moves and I can already tell a difference as far as strength but I guess I'm looking to strengthen even quicker since I've never really had much core strength even at times when I was pretty toned.

I'm not entire sure what I'd add but I think there would be crunch and adding small weights to try and up the difficulty. Maybe I could do them on the same days as yoga?

Huskeryogi

IMO - yoga type ab exercises you're fine without rest days. I do planks everyday. I wouldn't do crunches every day (I don't do crunches at all, I think they over build upper abs). I'm a big fan of leg raises.

crisanderson27

I'm doing cardio regularly now to try and drop my body fat but my core strength is terrible. I'm fine in my arms and legs but for some reason I have the hardest time strengthening my abs.

Studies, and my personal experience show cardio (traditional cardio anyway) to be useless for shedding bodyfat, as compared to heavy strength training. Cardio WILL drop weight, as it utilizes both fat and muscle loss for fuel. Heavy weight training however, preserves lean mass (you WILL NOT BULK if eating on a deficit!!), and concentrates almost completely on fat loss for fuel.

That being said...tabata or interval style cardio...has a bit of a different effect...and are always beneficial!

Anyhow, sorry for the side track...but I feel it's related enough to your question to warrant a post =D.

rachmaree

Abs is more about being at a bodyfat % low enough for them to actually show. So eating at a deficit is a must. Eating clean will help. If cardio helps create that deficit, go for it. I train my abs 2-3 times per week, and I don't do much, just hanging knee raises, some planks, and maybe weighted ab crunch machine. I've read that the abs are more dense than other musles, but they recover pretty quickly. You should train them like any other muscle group- using weights.
Good luck!