building ab and core muscles (question)

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alexbusnello
alexbusnello Posts: 1,010 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
When you want to grow your ab (upper and lower) and obliques, do you have to work them separately or can you build them doing full body workouts that require your core like weighted lunges, squats, push-ups, dead lift, superman, ect? Crunches and sit-ups are two of my worst enemies when it comes to working out.

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  • alexbusnello
    alexbusnello Posts: 1,010 Member
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    Bump
  • vegas711
    vegas711 Posts: 92 Member
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    I do P90X Ab ripper X 3 times a week. in that 15 minutes, it does 349 exercises working all Ab muscles, so yes you can work them all yet individually. Good luck!
  • gxm17
    gxm17 Posts: 374
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    Total body or isolated ab exercises, both approaches work. So if you hate crunches, don't sweat it. There are many different ways to build up core strength.
  • Gunsentry
    Gunsentry Posts: 121 Member
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    Compound lifts will target abbs nicley.

    Squats, Deadlifts, Good Mornings etc - you could also throw in some planks and hanging leg raises.

    Hanging leg raise I mean you hang from a bar and lift your legs and feet up to touch the bar which engages the abbs

    - NOT the captains chair moves I see people do in the gym where the hang on there arms and lift there knees up and down!)
  • palmerar
    palmerar Posts: 489 Member
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    You have to do both if you want to see definition in your abs. Always engage your abdominals while doing any exercise but also take the time to specifically isolate each ab group.
  • strikerjb007
    strikerjb007 Posts: 443 Member
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    Look at my abs. I don't do crunches or sit ups or targeted anything. I do AB ripper X from P90X once or twice a week. 15 minutes is all you need.

    If you are lifting weights, you don't even need that. Your core works a lot when you lift. Unless you want to have really big abs, then you have to do isolated moves with a few weights.

    I lift weights now. I am not a big dude but lifting works my core so I don't even do abs workouts anymore.
  • misselemental
    misselemental Posts: 28 Member
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    Ditto to Ab Ripper X, but you might want to look into some core specific exercises like planks!
  • alexbusnello
    alexbusnello Posts: 1,010 Member
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    Thank you :)
  • alexbusnello
    alexbusnello Posts: 1,010 Member
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    Planks hurt my back since i have very little ab muscles and back muscles due to muscle loss....
  • strikerjb007
    strikerjb007 Posts: 443 Member
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    Planks hurt my back since i have very little ab muscles and back muscles due to muscle loss....

    Unless you have an injury there, I suggest you suck it up. Planks are one of the best "abs exercises" I do.
  • Greekism
    Greekism Posts: 1
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    You cant isolate certain abbs. Even when you try to like doing leg raises for lower abbs, you end up using quads and hamstrings instead of abbs. Just keep it simple dude
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
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    Just lift heavy weights/do compound movements. I don't do any ab work apart from when Yo my other half makes me do it when we train every now and again and my ab's look like:

    533300_10150878195941611_820015953_n.jpg
  • strikerjb007
    strikerjb007 Posts: 443 Member
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    Just lift heavy weights/do compound movements. I don't do any ab work apart from when Yo my other half makes me do it when we train every now and again and my ab's look like:

    533300_10150878195941611_820015953_n.jpg

    +1. QFT.
  • alexbusnello
    alexbusnello Posts: 1,010 Member
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    Planks hurt my back since i have very little ab muscles and back muscles due to muscle loss....

    Unless you have an injury there, I suggest you suck it up. Planks are one of the best "abs exercises" I do.

    Even if I don't, can't I cause one by forcing myself to do them when they hurt me?
  • LeenaRuns
    LeenaRuns Posts: 1,309 Member
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    You cant isolate certain abbs. Even when you try to like doing leg raises for lower abbs, you end up using quads and hamstrings instead of abbs. Just keep it simple dude

    Can't even spell abs...wouldn't listen to this advice.

    ETA: Obviously I have a six-pack and know this...don't know what this guy looks like.
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,843 Member
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    - NOT the captains chair moves I see people do in the gym where the hang on there arms and lift there knees up and down!)

    Actually I disagree with you. I do those all the time and I'm not just "lifting my knees up and down" as I am actually doing the exercise properly and using my abs to lift my legs and believe me I am struggling to get off ten reps when I'm on my second set because my core is spent.
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,843 Member
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    Planks hurt my back since i have very little ab muscles and back muscles due to muscle loss....

    Unless you have an injury there, I suggest you suck it up. Planks are one of the best "abs exercises" I do.

    Even if I don't, can't I cause one by forcing myself to do them when they hurt me?

    Your form might be off which is causing you some pain. Is your body in a straight line or are your hips sagging? Also you don't have to hold it for a really long time, just however long you can.

    I absolutely LOVE planks.
  • jimmie65
    jimmie65 Posts: 655 Member
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    Add another vote for compound lifts. Deadlifts, squats, and presses work the core.

    Also, note that it doesn't matter how hard your work your abs; you will only get a six-pack if your body fat is low.

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