Your favorite ab workouts?

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What are your favorite ab workout videos? I am currently doing Insanity and Jillian Michaels Killer Buns & Thighs. I am looking for a workout that will pay special attention to my abs and love handles. Please videos only... I am better at following along with those, I lose motivation just doing crunches by myself. :happy:

Replies

  • soni_me
    soni_me Posts: 95 Member
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    I have Comcast or Xfinity Cable and there are some great ab workout videos on there. I really like a couple of them with Robert Jones (the cardio core that is all standing and moving....no mat work is my fav).
  • whankammer
    whankammer Posts: 41 Member
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    I don't do the video thing. I love hitting the ab machine at the gym and I try and do at least 3 1 minute planks before I go to bed at night. That's about it. It's helped loose massive inches off my stomach. I also have an Ab Roller that I use from time to time.. Speaking of which I should bring that back in from my garage!
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
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    Compound lifts target your abs enough that not much accessory work is needed
  • Liftnlove
    Liftnlove Posts: 235
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    I did a video called "Perfect Abs"...it has several 8-9 minute ab-only routines. I liked it ok, but I prefer what I do now, which is to pick 3 solid ab exercises and do them back-to-back, repeating for 4 sets. It burns the *kitten* out of your abs and only takes about 8 minutes.

    Note--you can do ab-stuff all day long, but diet is king for getting your abs to show. Abs are made in the gym, and revealed in the kitchen.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
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    Compound lifts target your abs enough that not much accessory work is needed

    agree with this...but I still hit my abs about 30 minutes a week...my current favorite is decline crunches with 25# weight...or twists with 25# weight....
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,395 MFP Moderator
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    I absolutely hate ab work, well in the traditional sense. I generally work my whole core and it just depends on the program I am doing at the time. I was doing Les Mills Combat so it was core attach 20 but starting Sunday, which ever ab workout is a part of Tapout XT is the one I will do.


    But yes, diet is king when it comes to abs.
  • Cr01502
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
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    Squats, deadlflift, Straight leg deadlift, Standing overhead one arm dumbell press, overhead barbell press,
  • __RANDY__
    __RANDY__ Posts: 1,036 Member
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    squats
  • Cyclingbonnie
    Cyclingbonnie Posts: 413 Member
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    I also agree that diet is king. However, I also believe it is necessary to challenge the muscles to make them behave the way we want. The traditional ab workouts bore me to tears. So I know you are going to laugh but my favorite ab workout is Hula Hooping.

    I get a lot of people telling me they can't hoop, but it is imperative to have the right size hoop and they are easy and pretty inexpensive to make. So don't run out to the devil store (Wal-Mart) and buy a kids hoop it isn't the right size for most adults. The larger the hoop the easier it is to keep going. The larger around you are the larger hoop you will need. It is also important to do both direction. Everyone has the direction that is most comfortable for them. For most right handed people the dominant direction is counter clockwise and the opposite is true for most left handed people. It is fun and you'll get a lot of laughs as you work on it.

    I use irrigation tubing to make them, and I have found for me the easiest size to hoop is 42" diameter, which translated to 11.5' of irrigation tubing I like to use 3/4" tubing (it is a little heavier than the 1/2" and a little sturdier than the 1"). I like to use the small size coupler to bring the two ends together (if you use the larger sized one, you have to heat up the tubing to make it soft and stretchable, I just don't have the patience for that). The advantage to the larger size is it is really permanent. With the smaller size it isn't unless you use glue. I don't use glue. I use duct tape around the joint. WaaLaa you have a hula hoop. Buy some decorative tape and make it pretty if you like ... but it isn't necessary, plus it is going to get scuffed up anyway. If you don't decorate use a little sandpaper to scuff up the inside so it will grip a little.

    So about 15 minutes to measure and put it together and you have a really fun ab workout. Remember the same amount of time in both direction. Dominant will be easier for you to do than the non-dominant direction, but do both directions.
  • MN4US
    MN4US Posts: 78 Member
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    6 week 6 pac - Jillian Michael :D
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    Compound lifts target your abs enough that not much accessory work is needed

    Can you define how much is not much?

    Also, what's an accessory lift? Accessory to what, exactly?
  • K_Serz
    K_Serz Posts: 1,299 Member
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    Compound lifts target your abs enough that not much accessory work is needed

    Can you define how much is not much?

    Also, what's an accessory lift? Accessory to what, exactly?

    Yeah, I was thinking the similar thoughts.

    Also, back when I was lifting a lot more I did compound lifts. Although I did get really big and really strong, I still had a very weak *kitten* core so Im not buying it.
  • Liftnlove
    Liftnlove Posts: 235
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    Compound lifts target your abs enough that not much accessory work is needed

    Can you define how much is not much?

    Also, what's an accessory lift? Accessory to what, exactly?

    Yeah, I was thinking the similar thoughts.

    Also, back when I was lifting a lot more I did compound lifts. Although I did get really big and really strong, I still had a very weak *kitten* core so Im not buying it.

    Um, yep...waiting on this answer too...because all those super stong powerlifters have fantastically defined abs....NOT. A strong core isn't the same as defined abs anyway. I know powerlifters who are strong as *kitten*, but they look incredibly fat. It takes more than pushing heavy weights around to see abs.
  • Glamazon90
    Glamazon90 Posts: 23 Member
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    I did a video called "Perfect Abs"...it has several 8-9 minute ab-only routines. I liked it ok, but I prefer what I do now, which is to pick 3 solid ab exercises and do them back-to-back, repeating for 4 sets. It burns the *kitten* out of your abs and only takes about 8 minutes.

    Note--you can do ab-stuff all day long, but diet is king for getting your abs to show. Abs are made in the gym, and revealed in the kitchen.

    Thank you! What kind of solid ab workouts do you do?
  • Glamazon90
    Glamazon90 Posts: 23 Member
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    Thank you everyone for your responses! I really appreciate it.
  • Glamazon90
    Glamazon90 Posts: 23 Member
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    I also agree that diet is king. However, I also believe it is necessary to challenge the muscles to make them behave the way we want. The traditional ab workouts bore me to tears. So I know you are going to laugh but my favorite ab workout is Hula Hooping.

    I get a lot of people telling me they can't hoop, but it is imperative to have the right size hoop and they are easy and pretty inexpensive to make. So don't run out to the devil store (Wal-Mart) and buy a kids hoop it isn't the right size for most adults. The larger the hoop the easier it is to keep going. The larger around you are the larger hoop you will need. It is also important to do both direction. Everyone has the direction that is most comfortable for them. For most right handed people the dominant direction is counter clockwise and the opposite is true for most left handed people. It is fun and you'll get a lot of laughs as you work on it.

    I use irrigation tubing to make them, and I have found for me the easiest size to hoop is 42" diameter, which translated to 11.5' of irrigation tubing I like to use 3/4" tubing (it is a little heavier than the 1/2" and a little sturdier than the 1"). I like to use the small size coupler to bring the two ends together (if you use the larger sized one, you have to heat up the tubing to make it soft and stretchable, I just don't have the patience for that). The advantage to the larger size is it is really permanent. With the smaller size it isn't unless you use glue. I don't use glue. I use duct tape around the joint. WaaLaa you have a hula hoop. Buy some decorative tape and make it pretty if you like ... but it isn't necessary, plus it is going to get scuffed up anyway. If you don't decorate use a little sandpaper to scuff up the inside so it will grip a little.

    So about 15 minutes to measure and put it together and you have a really fun ab workout. Remember the same amount of time in both direction. Dominant will be easier for you to do than the non-dominant direction, but do both directions.

    Haha you're right I did laugh about the hula hoop thing! But that's a great idea and it is something I can do with my kid. Thanks!
  • judykat7
    judykat7 Posts: 576 Member
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    I use the Jackie Warner Crunch-free ab video. It has two 15 minute workouts on it, one standing and one on the floor. I have only used the standing. I called her the ab winch for the first 3 weeks I did it and I could not stay with them at all but...it gets doable! I by no means have killer abs yet but I am pretty sure there are at least some there now.
  • MikeyD1280
    MikeyD1280 Posts: 5,257
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    at the highest setting, I use this doing twisting abs. I rotate so my right fingers touch the left side by my head then raise up and alternate.GS_101_Incline_Sit_Up_Bench.jpg

    and the ab wheel where I can stand up and stretch out fully and raise back up, lot of lowerback in this as well. GREAT burns...
    ab-wheel.jpg
    This has the person on their knees streching out. if you arc the wheel left then back then alternate, it will target your obliques