ABS how many times a week?

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  • Relevant97
    Relevant97 Posts: 3
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    500 is pointless, you need to stop curling into a ball and start deadlifting and squatting.
  • OverDoIt
    OverDoIt Posts: 332 Member
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    If you have or are holding visceral fat and subcutaneous water in your abdominal region, sit ups crunches and the like will only make matters worse. Why ? As the abdominal muscles are stimulated and grow the layer of fat and water will be pushed out making the region appear distended and therfore larger. We all have abdominal muscles, how they appear when body fat levels get into the single digits comes down to genetics. Some people have 4 packs, 6 packs 10 packs and all other varieties. For the majority of humans, abdominals are made up of red muscle fiber. Red muscle fiber can tolerate higher volume and stimulus due to the fact we use this fiber the most in daily living activities. Think about it, every time you get up, kneel down, stand, sit down you are asking your abdominals to work. The same is true for calves, we ask alot of those little guys back there. What seperates them from other muscle groups ? They are small and therefore recover faster. Get you Bf % down and you will see your abs, using compund lifts is good but getting that bf % down is #1.
  • abadvat
    abadvat Posts: 1,241 Member
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    Abs are there and it wont take much to develop them to give that visual fullness when you drop to 10-8% BF.
    I personally bash them twice a week - purely because I sort of enjoy being soar the day after - freak i know :noway: -
  • steve0820
    steve0820 Posts: 510 Member
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    Hubby is tryin to convince me to do 500 abs (crunches, situp, etc.) a day. I feel like that's overkill.

    Opinions?


    Doing 500 crunches/sit ups a day, will get your better at doing 500 crunches/sit ups a day!

    Like other posters have said, compound lifts are great for core, and lowering your BF is needed to "reveal" them.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
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    Activities that target the abs will will improve your abdominal muscles.
    If you already have fat there, you will get fat ONTOP of muscle. There will be more, not less.
    HOWEVER, when you get your bodyfat down, you should have a more defined mid section underneath.
  • Chadomaniac
    Chadomaniac Posts: 1,785 Member
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    NEVER

    This

    But I do core once a week (Lower back issues)

    Your husband wont get abs faster by doing abs every day , he will prob end up with a hernia or something especially if he isn't used to it .
    He needs to start lifting to increase his LBM . Then he can go onto a calorie deficit in order to lose fat to expose the abdominals
  • Chadomaniac
    Chadomaniac Posts: 1,785 Member
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    ...
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    it's long but a good read.

    http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/sexy_female_training;jsessionid=66665DD569C8D429A57CD23301C4703A-mcd01.hydra

    direct ab training often doesn't give us the results we'd like.
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
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    I do "abs" twice per week.

    2x10 weighted Russian twists
    2x10 Windshield wipers
    2x1minute planks

    I mostly do it because I can feel them better, when I lift, if I do a bit of a warm up first. Reminds me to keep them tight. I also like the twisting motion because it feels like a good stretch that I dont get from lifting.


    Doing some crunches is fine but 500 is just....well lets just go with pointless.
  • just_Jennie1
    just_Jennie1 Posts: 1,233
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    I do abs every other day so some weeks I'm doing them 3x and other weeks 2x depending on what day they fall.
  • DrMAvDPhD
    DrMAvDPhD Posts: 2,097 Member
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    <-- These abs were obtained by directly training them zero times per week.

    I do heavy compound lifts, 3 times per week, with 1-2 stability exercises (never crunches but maybe something like hanging leg lifts). I also occasionally practice yoga which is a great core workout.

    In reality, a nice set of abs is made in the kitchen.
  • FrauMama
    FrauMama Posts: 169 Member
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    I agree that specific ab work is not usually necessary IF you are doing other compound movements that utilize core and decent general weightlifting and/or plyometrics.

    I add some ab exercises (Russian twists with 20#, v-ups, etc) into supersets sometimes, mostly as a break--like in between a set of burpees and heavy deadlifts, for example--but it is all of the OTHER work (and *diet*) that are responsible for definition in that area.
  • eAddict
    eAddict Posts: 212 Member
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    ... I'd venture to say the biggest thing you'll get from 500 crunches a day is bored.

    This
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
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    I work my abs 3 times a week after a run... not because I am convinced that it will make my abs poke through but because it feels good.

    Doing 500 crunches a day with or without a crappy "diet" won't do you any good. I'd stick to working abs in other ways and only a reasonable frequency per week.
  • Phaedra2014
    Phaedra2014 Posts: 1,254 Member
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    Sit ups are one of the worst exercises you can do just generally speaking.
  • bradXdale
    bradXdale Posts: 399
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    Try doing compound lifts and exercises that not only target your core but your entire body.

    Squats, deadlifts, planks, pushups, burpees, wall sits. Pilates and Yoga will also destroy your mid-section, in a good way.
  • ElliottTN
    ElliottTN Posts: 1,614 Member
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    I can't remember the last time I did crunches. Maybe in high school? I don't have the best definition and my lower is lacking but if i get to a lower bf% than I plan on doing something like hanging knee raises or at the very least something weighted. If you can do 500 of anything then I just don't see that as a path to making any visible changes.

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