Abs daily or not?
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there is alot of misinformation on this thread. of course u can the same muscles everyday. maybe not with 100% intensity every time. if u r happy with ur abs just keep doin what u r doin. if u r not satisfied work them more.0
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Not a bad day, you just made an assumption that I am just about aesthetics... I returned fire... I agree no harm done just a little banter back and forthI have also wondered about working muscles every day. I am new to lifting, so I wonder about more than abs. I have heard both sides, rest/don't rest and it's all very confusing. I think it comes down to what works for you personally. I feel like my abs are getting a better work out when I do different core work on a ball than I do with just crunches. I rest becuase I need to in order to get other things done in my daily life. I still have a long way to go, but hopefully something will click! And for you as well
Lot's of great advice even if it is all confusing. And for the record. Gnosis and elka, you BOTH look great :flowerforyou:
I get it, though, people have bad days and get frustrated.
I only made that assumption because you look like a bodybuilder :P It wasn't meant to be an insult. Just goes to show you how things can be interpreted in all kinds of different ways. There's nothing wrong with training for aesthetics, imo. But hey I agree, I think we'd get along, and I'm glad we've cleared things up.
Anyway, in regards to the abs daily thing, I think it's safe to say that it really boils down to personal opinion. Fitness is like anything else, you'll learn the most through trial and error. So I say try abs every day for 3-4 months and then try abs every other day for 3-4 months and see which one works best for you. Like I said, I personally don't do any isolation ab work at all, and I'm happy with my definition.0 -
I do a dedicated ab workout once per week. That said, all my other workouts train abs indirectly... Pull-ups, push-ups, dead-lifts, squats, ring work, farmers walks and on and on. Sometimes I'll throw a plank in-between sets for some active recovery as well.0
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I don't do just ab crunches ab crunches, I will do one exercise maybe two at the end of my workouts.... Lets say Monday I will do hanging straight leg raises, 5 sets of 12-15.. Tuesday I will do bicycle kicks while on a bosu 5 sets till it burns too much, Wednesday 5 sets of 3-4 minute planks, Thursday I will lay reverse on incline sit up bench and bring feet up vertical 5 sets 15-20 reps (not sure what that's called), Friday I will maybe use the crunch machine 4 sets at determined weight... Now to address your comment about not doing legs everyday..
I could if I did it like I do my abs.. Monday I could squat, Tuesday I could straight leg deadlift, Wednesday I could Hack squat, Thursday I could do calves, Friday I could do hip sled....
No I am not seding you my email, you can post it on this thread or pm me..... I actually do believe you and commend you if they are good, in reality I know and you know everyone is different, everyones body responds differently to things, I am saying what works best for me...0 -
From what every personal trainer has told me, abs are made in the kitchen and not in the gym. That being said, I work them in the same way I do everything else during the week and concentrate more on what I eat throughout the day.0
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No I am not seding you my email, you can post it on this thread or pm me..... I actually do believe you and commend you if they are good, in reality I know and you know everyone is different, everyones body responds differently to things, I am saying what works best for me...
I've been meaning to put an ab picture on my profile. When I do I'll send your a "friend request" (that sounds so third grade LOL). I'm not as ripped as you, but I look good for an old chick.0 -
Twice a week for 10 to 15 minutes0
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Elka, I gotta say i think your advice would result in failure for a lot of people. I don;t doubt for a second that its what you do, but, while we aren't magic snowflakes we also aren't the same. And almost everyone in this thread doesnt have the muscuular base you have and most likely lacks your training experience.
Remember what they say "Dont train like a bodybuilder to look like one. You'll fail".... at the beginning stages thats absolutely true0 -
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I would expect that recovery time would have something to do with age. A twenty year old is going to recover much faster than a sixty year old. And yet the advice doled out in these threads rarely takes age into consideration.0
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twice a year, if that.
Compound lifts take care of abs. And yes, my abs are great, even while eating a surplus for two years straight.0 -
I have a hard time getting my abs to feel much, and I am often at a loss as to what I can do for exercise to get to an hour after lifting, so I'll do moves that mainly involve abs/core, lol. Other parts of my body get worn out faster (structural+nerve issues and Ehlers-Danlos). So that's one reason to do them every day. Not a common reason!
I only use weights for them 2-3x a week, though. That's for aesthetics so far, because I can't get that vertical line without weight on my upper abs for some reason. I can't do most compound stuff, so I can't do the recommended way to get abs.
My situation is so odd that I don't know that it helps. Um, weighted, isolated ab work isn't a bad thing might be a takeaway. It makes them look good, if you can see them. Presumably it makes them stronger, which is always nice. I know my weights have been progressing for abs just like any other muscle. But whether to do isolated ab work or not is personal preference if you do compound lifts that hit them, as far as I've heard
I can do some cool strength moves that take abs, so that's one motivation for me to keep at what is working. And I need a very strong core with my 'health' issues (I call them mechanical issues because my health is great
). A strong core is always awesome. Add more core work if you like, imho. I think planks, etc, one day and weights the next is not too much, but you'd have to feel it out for your body. 0 -
Elka, I gotta say i think your advice would result in failure for a lot of people. I don;t doubt for a second that its what you do, but, while we aren't magic snowflakes we also aren't the same. And almost everyone in this thread doesnt have the muscuular base you have and most likely lacks your training experience.
Remember what they say "Dont train like a bodybuilder to look like one. You'll fail".... at the beginning stages thats absolutely true
Maybe you're right about a new lifter, but rarely can you hurt yourself don't core workouts... The original op asked "how often do you do abs?" I was just answering the question... Ps I didn't have theses abs a year ago...0 -
I'm so far away from seeing abs that this was not about creating them, or defining them at all. It's another muscle/body part that I want to work into my routine. I workout with weights three days a week, but I haven't done anything for my abs. I'll just add it into these days, or do them on my cardio days.
Thanks for all the suggestions.0 -
Elka, I gotta say i think your advice would result in failure for a lot of people. I don;t doubt for a second that its what you do, but, while we aren't magic snowflakes we also aren't the same. And almost everyone in this thread doesnt have the muscuular base you have and most likely lacks your training experience.
Remember what they say "Dont train like a bodybuilder to look like one. You'll fail".... at the beginning stages thats absolutely true
Maybe you're right about a new lifter, but rarely can you hurt yourself don't core workouts... The original op asked "how often do you do abs?" I was just answering the question... Ps I didn't have theses abs a year ago...
As a physical therapist i can guarantee that it is close to impossible to hurt your core muscles seriously (lower back excluded, you all know that **** is tricky) doing sensible workouts like planks, good form crunches or whatever you want0 -
Plank until you can't plank no more! 0
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I do ab work after ever session. Compound lifts hit the core, but doing dedicated ab work is going to help out all your lifts.0
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twice a year, if that.
......... And yes, my abs are great............
yes.they.are! 0 -
I'd like a pic ms lewis
i do direct ab work 3-4 times a week
I like to do it before a resistence or cardio workout. its a great warm up for either, and i'm a firm believer that if there is a particular body party you want to capitalize on, doing it first helps.
i do squats, OHP, pull ups (no deadlifts but i should) plus a lot of crazy HIIT that always envolves core. So in reality, they are getting SOME kind of work at least 6 days a week. I could say the same things for my arms, or at least my forearms.
its a general 'rule' that you shouldn't work a body part every day, or even two days in a row. if your advanced, or you need to break a plateau, its not crazy to bend the rules. But the intelligent thing to do would be to break them for a limited time only. the longer you keep doing something daily, the greater the risk of an over use injury (which are chronic PIAs).0 -
This is only true in part. The thicker the abs the less BF% is needed to be visible. Heavy resistance with weights proven to help in adding size to the muscles would result in abs being seen with more BF%. That being said, proper lifting will aid a great deal in abs indirectly so to isolate them is really not necessary unless you are competing and need every little striation to show.I've seen people struggle to get ripped abs, they never would show through until they got their act together in the kitchen to shed the fat. You can work your abs until you are blue in the face but it won't matter if your BF isn't low enough to see em.
Now I'm still working on mine of course But I firmly believe in the saying "Abs are made in the kitchen"
Crap posted this on my wifes account
James69980 -
I do ab work after ever session. Compound lifts hit the core, but doing dedicated ab work is going to help out all your lifts.
^^^^^ this0 -
Plank until you can't plank no more!
I actually hurt my lower back pushing myself to hold a plank too long, I'd suggest you work up to a minute. Remember your abs and your back work together to stabilize you, so if one is weak, the other will compensate. Both were weak and I tweaked my back for about a week.
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i also agree that direct work can only help.
is it necessary? i suppose it depends on how well the compound lifts are doing it for you AND what level of development your going to reach.
I've certainly exerperienced some magnificant core muslce contractions during an over head press... but doing extra work is only going to make your core more resiliant and therefore make you more physically fit.
My top exercises are the hanging leg raise and hanging knee raise.
personally think crunches get a bad wrap. when your 'six pack' muslces contract, it brings your sternum about and inch closer to your pelvis. aka a crunch.
I understand that most people can do crunches all day long, but if you do hanging leg raises (or any other lower ab exercise) to failure, and then you do crunches, you'll start feeling an intense burn by 30 crunches. I also contract the crap out of my abs and hold it at the top for a count.0 -
3 times per week, every other day.0
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I RARELY work my abs directly.
Instead I squat, do pushups, planks (which is core work), and box.
I'm now also adding lifting into my workout.
My best ab workout this week (i.e. the sorest they have been in a long time) came from: Pushups, squats, deadlifts, and bench press.
ETA : I will amend that to say, however, that I am very aware of my core, and do my best to keep it engaged most of the time.
I keep my abs contracted when I'm walking, running, lifting, boxing, sitting... You get my point. It's incredibly tiring at first, but it seems to work for me - at the very least, it's great for posture.0 -
I do "ab moves" 2-3 times a week, usually on lower body day.
But I'm doing mostly compound exercises or TRX stuff for my "other body parts".
I'd say my abs look pretty good for someone who was fat at the beginning of the year.0 -
I do a focused ab workout once a week. But most all other workouts included core conditioning.0
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When I was a teenager I did 500 crunches a day trying to get Britney abs...didn't do a damn thing.
Dropped a stone with diet and total body workouts - abs more chiselled than ever!0 -
When I was a teenager I did 500 crunches a day trying to get Britney abs...didn't do a damn thing.
Dropped a stone with diet and total body workouts - abs more chiselled than ever!
why assume the crunches were of no benefit?0
http://youtu.be/MpnaRG8i-o4
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