Do you work on Abs everyday?

Reneefit135

I know there are different thoughts on rather or not you can overwork your abs. I usually try to work them a few times a week but notice that i haven't been doing that. I work them during Zumba and Pilates but i guess its not really a targeted workout and with my belly being the place where fat clings on my body i wonder if i should work them hard each day. I know that diet is the most important factor in losing belly fat but wondered if anyone recommends doing a targeted ab workout each day when it is the problem area.

Elen_Sia

Different strokes for different folks but I don't have abs-only routines. I do compound exercises with weights 3x a week and they work the core like hell.

Sublog

I know there are different thoughts on rather or not you can overwork your abs. I usually try to work them a few times a week but notice that i haven't been doing that. I work them during Zumba and Pilates but i guess its not really a targeted workout and with my belly being the place where fat clings on my body i wonder if i should work them hard each day. I know that diet is the most important factor in losing belly fat but wondered if anyone recommends doing a targeted ab workout each day when it is the problem area.

Your abs are like any other muscle in your body. You can over train them. They need rest to grow and get stronger.

wellbert

When I'm active in boxing - yes.

There's a few things to know about abs:

They are a muscle like every other muscle, and need to be rested when overloaded.

Beginner exercises like crunches and such don't really overload them much, except when you are first starting to exercise.

Abs are an isometric muscle - that means they are basically meant to flex and not move. They are stabilizers. There's a school of thought that any kind of ab-movement exercise is counter-intuitive. Like crunches. Better would be: Plank variations.

Abs can be worked out without doing ab exercises. Anything that hits the core hard will do it. Such as barbell squats and deadlifts.

If you really and truly overload them, TAKE SOME REST (1 day). You'll know, because your core will be thrashed the next day.

SeaChele77

I do something that engages my core almost daily. I've been increasing my ab workouts (Ab Ripper X and similar) so now I only do an actual ab workout every other day (3x per week). I notice I'm getting mroe results than before when I was doing abs (crunches, etc) every day.

erickirb

You shouldn't do direct ab work everyday, they need time to recover. You actually don't need to do any direct ab work to get a strong core. If you focus on compound lifts with heavy weights your core gets engaged and works as a secondary muscle leaving no need to do isolation work.

That said, I do direct ab work one day/week, the majority of my core work comes from my lifting routine (compound lifts) as mentioned above.

OP, what exactly are you expecting out of your ab work?

If it is to get visible abs, working your abs will not give you a 6 pack, you already have one covered in a layer of fat, just lower body fat enough and you will see abs.
If it is for a functional and strong core, just do compound lifts and they will strengthen along with the other muscle groups you are working at the same time (killing 2 birds, in this case 3-5 birds) with one stone)

o2bADyer

Funny that you bring this up now...or ironic. I have hit abs hard (maybe too hard) for the last several days in a row. I'm feeling the pain and was wondering if I should alternate that area just like I do the rest of my workouts. Thanks for bring this up!

m60kaf

I never work abs directly - tbh probably should a bit

Cant comment too much cos my abs dont remotely show over my excessive fat but they are pretty solid I reckon all from compound exercises

taylor5877

Considering the nature of the muscle...YES.

If you call working abs isolation excercises, then NEVER.

Goal_Line

You shouldn't do direct ab work everyday, they need time to recover. You actually don't need to do any direct ab work to get a strong core. If you focus on compound lifts with heavy weights your core gets engaged and works as a secondary muscle leaving no need to do isolation work.

That said, I do direct ab work one day/week, the majority of my core work comes from my lifting routine (compound lifts) as mentioned above.

Second this. Whole body compound lifts.

contingencyplan

Isolated abs training is unnecessary and pointless and if you need it that means you're not doing enough full body movements in the rest of your training. A proper workout consists of doing full body exercises that consist of integrating the core into the movements.

jbella99

Doing countless hours of ab work will indeed make them stronger but it will not get rid of the fat clinging to the top of them.... Diet is the biggest factor. Eat clean and build muscle to improve metabolic burn.

erickirb

Doing countless hours of ab work will indeed make them stronger but it will not get rid of the fat clinging to the top of them.... Diet is the biggest factor. Eat clean and build muscle to improve metabolic burn.

You don't have to eat clean, just eat at a caloric deficit for long enough to lose fat. Make sure you lift and get plenty of protein so the majority of your weight loss comes from fat, instead of losing muscle.

Madux1818

You shouldn't do direct ab work everyday, they need time to recover. You actually don't need to do any direct ab work to get a strong core. If you focus on compound lifts with heavy weights your core gets engaged and works as a secondary muscle leaving no need to do isolation work.

That said, I do direct ab work one day/week, the majority of my core work comes from my lifting routine (compound lifts) as mentioned above.

Second this. Whole body compound lifts.

What exactly are compound lifts?

vtachycardia

First, the "spot fat reduction myth" - because the fat is on the belly, doing targetted exercises for a body part will not shift the fat any faster - you will tone or build the muscle.

Second, the "ab craze" - once such a minor uninteresting body part and now the fitness juggernaut of cash is on to promoting ABS we cannot look but through a sea of crass useless devices and fad diets.

Third, a well rounded exercise program as already hinted at works your core muscles just fine.

Fourth, there is a UK fitness trainer calleds "Abs Man" - Natural Bodybuilding Champion for a number of years. He states that he does NO ABS EXERCISES accept close to competition to get a pump.

The ABS like the trapesius and the obliques respond really well to weighted training, thus spending to much time on them overdevelops them in relation to other muscles (overdevelop as in disproportional). Other muscles need more time, much more useful muscles like rotator cuff, core stability, balance, hips.

Lastly, someone wrote that the ab exercises are mainly shortening exercises like the crunch and then said that the plank is better. The plank is a great core exercise, it is not that great for targetting ABS. However, you can stretch the ABS by laying on your stomach and reversing the crunch and there are many alternatives where you can lengthen, stretch the abs and not just shorten the ABS.

Hope this helps.

ps.Compound lifts the squat,deadlift,chest press- not old hat but there are ways of really hitting the core dynamically and as stabilisers and the old compounds are pretty much stabiliser. You core twists and turns, goes back and forth not just strict form weight lifting!

blonde71

I train my abs twice a week for 10 minutes and that's it. Works for me.

m60kaf

First, the "spot fat reduction myth" - because the fat is on the belly, doing targetted exercises for a body part will not shift the fat any faster - you will tone or build the muscle.

Second, the "ab craze" - once such a minor uninteresting body part and now the fitness juggernaut of cash is on to promoting ABS we cannot look but through a sea of crass useless devices and fad diets.

Third, a well rounded exercise program as already hinted at works your core muscles just fine.

Fourth, there is a UK fitness trainer calleds "Abs Man" - Natural Bodybuilding Champion for a number of years. He states that he does NO ABS EXERCISES accept close to competition to get a pump.

The ABS like the trapesius and the obliques respond really well to weighted training, thus spending to much time on them overdevelops them in relation to other muscles (overdevelop as in disportional). Other muscles need more time, much more useful muscles like rotator cuff, core stability, balance, hips.

Lastly, someone wrote that the ab exercises are mainly shortening exercises like the crunch and then said that the plank is better. The plank is a great core exercise, it is not that great for targetting ABS. However, you can stretch the ABS by laying on your stomach and reversing the crunch and there are many alternatives where you can lengthen, stretch the abs and not just shorten the ABS.

Hope this helps.

Think you have gone slightly off OP topic re-asserting spot reduction myth (which I do agree is a myth) OP said they know that doesn't work

I do agree though that the fitness market heavily targets the abs which do not need working in isolation. But its simple - abs are last to show through minimum fat. I know super fit cool looking people, they still struggle and moan about abs - its a marketing dream which is perpetuated through ignoring fat/food is more important than exercise for abs

Most people who work abs directly in hope of definition are many stone, %age bodyfat, months even years away from achieving them

erickirb

You shouldn't do direct ab work everyday, they need time to recover. You actually don't need to do any direct ab work to get a strong core. If you focus on compound lifts with heavy weights your core gets engaged and works as a secondary muscle leaving no need to do isolation work.

That said, I do direct ab work one day/week, the majority of my core work comes from my lifting routine (compound lifts) as mentioned above.

Second this. Whole body compound lifts.

What exactly are compound lifts?

Compound lifts are strength training moves that use a variety of muscle groups in each movement. Examples are :
Squats (Pretty much the whole body is involved to varying degrees, mostly legs)
Deadlifts (Total Body gets involved in this one)
Bench Press (Chest, shoulders, Tricpes, some core)
Shoulder Press (shoulder, a little upper chest, tricpes, core)
Pendlay rows (Back, biceps, core, a bit of hammies and glutes)
etc

_beautiful_disaster_

bump

bpwparents

The trainer at the gym told me to let them rest in between workouts, only to do the ab specific exercises a couple times a week. She said that it was best to alternate upper/lower body workouts. This has worked for me so far. I remember when I first started her ab workouts, there was no way I could do them again the next day. After a few days I was good to go. I can do more reps that way. That's just me though, everyone is different.

johnpangan

Nope! Besides doing planks, I could go for months and not do abs. Its all about diet. Plain and simple.

contingencyplan

You shouldn't do direct ab work everyday, they need time to recover. You actually don't need to do any direct ab work to get a strong core. If you focus on compound lifts with heavy weights your core gets engaged and works as a secondary muscle leaving no need to do isolation work.

That said, I do direct ab work one day/week, the majority of my core work comes from my lifting routine (compound lifts) as mentioned above.

Second this. Whole body compound lifts.

What exactly are compound lifts?

Compound lifts are strength training moves that use a variety of muscle groups in each movement. Examples are :
Squats (Pretty much the whole body is involved to varying degrees, mostly legs)
Deadlifts (Total Body gets involved in this one)
Bench Press (Chest, shoulders, Tricpes, some core)
Shoulder Press (shoulder, a little upper chest, tricpes, core)
Pendlay rows (Back, biceps, core, a bit of hammies and glutes)
etc

Cleans! Nothing I've done hits the core harder than cleans.

vtachycardia

[/quote]
M60KAF said:
Think you have gone slightly off OP topic re-asserting spot reduction myth (which I do agree is a myth) OP said they know that doesn't work

I do agree though that the fitness market heavily targets the abs which do not need working in isolation. But its simple - abs are last to show through minimum fat. I know super fit cool looking people, they still struggle and moan about abs - its a marketing dream which is perpetuated through ignoring fat/food is more important than exercise for abs

Most people who work abs directly in hope of definition are many stone, %age bodyfat, months even years away from achieving them
[/quote]

I say,
The OP if you re-read said shall I work the abs harder to remove fat. So, I think mentioning the MYTH is very sensible. And then I take it you read nothing more of my post. Which is fine, but why quote it all because essentially you just said what I said.

Thanks.

jbella99

Doing countless hours of ab work will indeed make them stronger but it will not get rid of the fat clinging to the top of them.... Diet is the biggest factor. Eat clean and build muscle to improve metabolic burn.

You don't have to eat clean, just eat at a caloric deficit for long enough to lose fat. Make sure you lift and get plenty of protein so the majority of your weight loss comes from fat, instead of losing muscle.

Well if you ever wanna see that six pack. You need to stop putting artificial food in your body. Eating clean is the most effective way to get the results you want. I could eat a bag of toll house cookies everyday at a caloric deficit but I am certainly not gonna look healthy,

erickirb

Doing countless hours of ab work will indeed make them stronger but it will not get rid of the fat clinging to the top of them.... Diet is the biggest factor. Eat clean and build muscle to improve metabolic burn.

You don't have to eat clean, just eat at a caloric deficit for long enough to lose fat. Make sure you lift and get plenty of protein so the majority of your weight loss comes from fat, instead of losing muscle.

Well if you ever wanna see that six pack. You need to stop putting artificial food in your body. Eating clean is the most effective way to get the results you want. I could eat a bag of toll house cookies everyday at a caloric deficit but I am certainly not gonna look healthy,

This is totally and utterly false. All you need to do is lower your body fat % enough to see them, by eating at a caloric deficit, the form of the food may have an impact on health, but not the amount you lose.

If you have a low caloric intake it may be able to not go over by eating "clean" as the food is typically lower in calories, but if you can hit your target intake with"dirty" food, your weight loss results will be the same.

mhotch

Bump

vtachycardia

Doing countless hours of ab work will indeed make them stronger but it will not get rid of the fat clinging to the top of them.... Diet is the biggest factor. Eat clean and build muscle to improve metabolic burn.

You don't have to eat clean, just eat at a caloric deficit for long enough to lose fat. Make sure you lift and get plenty of protein so the majority of your weight loss comes from fat, instead of losing muscle.

Well if you ever wanna see that six pack. You need to stop putting artificial food in your body. Eating clean is the most effective way to get the results you want. I could eat a bag of toll house cookies everyday at a caloric deficit but I am certainly not gonna look healthy,

This is totally and utterly false. All you need to do is lower your body fat % enough to see them, by eating at a caloric deficit, the form of the food may have an impact on health, but not the amount you lose.

If you have a low caloric intake it may be able to not go over by eating "clean" as the food is typically lower in calories, but if you can hit your target intake with"dirty" food, your weight loss results will be the same.

Well said, a calorie is a calorie is a calorie - 4 for 1 gram of protein and carbs and 9 for 1 gram of fat.

Even recently, a doctor did the opposite of supersize me, eating only junk food but restricted calories. Guess what, he lost weight.

Was it good - http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/junk-food-diet/MY01589

A calorie is a calorie, but good nutrition is better.

MoveTheMountain

It's my understanding that the only muscle that can handle being worked every day is calves, and I'm not even sure that's right. Muscles need recovery time, plain and simple. If you don't rest them, you'll get into a situation where you're over-training, and you'll do more harm than good.

ilovedeadlifts

Unless your abs are holding back your other lifts, it's kind of silly to work them every day.

you can't spot reduce fat, and you won't get amazing abs from doing bodyweight circuits for your core.

ilovedeadlifts

A calorie is a calorie

In terms of energy, possibly.
In terms of body composition/results from that eating, absolutely not.

Jacwhite22

People do dedicated ab work? :huh: