Ab work - do you do it?

Nope I don’t. I do a barbell based hypertrophy programme which has a lot of compound lifts eg squat and deadlifts. The person who wrote the programme - Eric helms- says direct ab work is not needed for most people who do this type of programme .

No, I don't do a lot of ab work. Occasionally I'll jump on the pull-up bar in my kitchen and do some windshield wipers or knee to elbows to make sure I still can, but I play with heavy logs, flip a massive tire, farmers walk heavy, deadlift heavy, and squat heavy - all without a lifting belt, ...among other things. My core gets hit plenty.

Not really. A little bit in yoga class and maybe twice a week I throw in some core work.. only in a deficit though.

I'm 63 and started a few weeks ago to add ab crunches to my daily routine, but, I also try to be mindful of how my abs are my CORE so they have a role to play in just about every thing I ask my body to do.

So....I'm 'engaging' that core every chance I get. I read this trick in a ski magazine for how to engage the core: Imagine holding tight to a $100 bill with your butt cheeks. Yes, I can walk, talk, and sip my cocktail while holding this virtual bill!

I'm hoping that the ab crunchies I do daily will do even a little bit towards reducing the post-obesity saddle bag I'm now sporting.

Lying down leg raises with snail-pace slow lowering and raising is a killer ab exercise. I do the same with weights. Nothing quickly. Everything is active and controlled on the lifting up and especially on lowering it back down. Nothing is passive in either movement. Same with my legs. People who can do a hundred crunches quickly even find these slower exercises really intense.

Most people fall at the two extremes—either doing a lot of focused ab work (often doing below average exercises), or they follow the “compound lifts are all the core work you need” maxim.

Neither approach is ideal, IMO. Compound lifts are not a complete “core” workout, although they do help. Again IMO, most focused “abdominal” exercises—crunches, planks, twists—either lose effectiveness quickly or just train you to do those exercises better—they don’t train the core that well.

I think the best approach is a combination of compound lifts (done correctly of course) supplemented by a small/modest volume of focused core exercises.

To give an idea of what I think are the “better” types of core exercises:

Pallof press (done correctly—most people do these too fast)
Weighted dead bugs, dead bug w/iso hold
More progressive planks—e.g. long-lever, body saw, reach
Rollouts
Offset rack holds—with step ups, lunges, squats, etc; also various offset carries
Suitcase deadlifts

Azdak wrote: »

Most people fall at the two extremes—either doing a lot of focused ab work (often doing below average exercises), or they follow the “compound lifts are all the core work you need” maxim.

Neither approach is ideal, IMO. Compound lifts are not a complete “core” workout, although they do help. Again IMO, most focused “abdominal” exercises—crunches, planks, twists—either lose effectiveness quickly or just train you to do those exercises better—they don’t train the core that well.

I think the best approach is a combination of compound lifts (done correctly of course) supplemented by a small/modest volume of focused core exercises.

To give an idea of what I think are the “better” types of core exercises:

Pallof press (done correctly—most people do these too fast)
Weighted dead bugs, dead bug w/iso hold
More progressive planks—e.g. long-lever, body saw, reach
Rollouts
Offset rack holds—with step ups, lunges, squats, etc; also various offset carries
Suitcase deadlifts

Love these as a plank progression

https://youtu.be/qjZuoKtI3Xc

You can vary the number of balls based on ability

Yes I do specific core work including but not exclusively ab work to help support my damaged back - generally the stronger my core the less back problems I get.
Unusually I do a high volume of sit ups and other exercises on a gym ball (virtually cardio for abs) as strength endurance for my core muscles as a long distance cyclist is more important to be me than absolute strength or aesthetics.

One of the few compliments I got from a very high standard but ultra critical cycling mate was on a 100+ mile ride when he said he could see my legs were completely shot but I was still maintaining a stable core. That's why I do it - not to look pretty on the beach!

Agree with @Azdak about the value of Pallof presses, often I can't do rotational exercises and Pallof presses allow me to work my core without grinding my facet joints. You do get sideways looks from fellow gym users who don't really understand what the exercise is doing.

But TBH I wouldn't recommend my routines to the general gym population who don't have the same goals and disabilities as me.

sijomial wrote: »

Yes I do specific core work including but not exclusively ab work to help support my damaged back - generally the stronger my core the less back problems I get.
Unusually I do a high volume of sit ups and other exercises on a gym ball (virtually cardio for abs) as strength endurance for my core muscles as a long distance cyclist is more important to be me than absolute strength or aesthetics.

One of the few compliments I got from a very high standard but ultra critical cycling mate was on a 100+ mile ride when he said he could see my legs were completely shot but I was still maintaining a stable core. That's why I do it - not to look pretty on the beach!

Agree with @Azdak about the value of Pallof presses, often I can't do rotational exercises and Pallof presses allow me to work my core without grinding my facet joints. You do get sideways looks from fellow gym users who don't really understand what the exercise is doing.

But TBH I wouldn't recommend my routines to the general gym population who don't have the same goals and disabilities as me.

This concurs with the instructions I was given when I strained my SI joint. "A lot of times with back pain we blame tight hamstrings when the real culprit is a weak core."
Unfortunately, I had both problems. Hamstrings engaging when my glutes should have and weak hip flexors. So now I include hip thrusts on leg day and also target my hip flexors when doing core work (instead of deliberately leaving them out like many articles about ab work recommend).

I will look for exercise variations that don't have me seated or lying on a bench that reduces core engagement. As an example standing cable row a opposed to seated.

https://youtu.be/XqXemUOEOu4

Theoldguy1 wrote: »

I will look for exercise variations that don't have me seated or lying on a bench that reduces core engagement. As an example standing cable row a opposed to seated.

https://youtu.be/XqXemUOEOu4

This is another way to incorporate “core training” into one’s “regular” routine.

However, one thing that people need to realize is that there is a trade off—you won’t get as strong doing this type of exercise. The process of “destabilizing” to make the core work harder lowers the amount of weight you can effectively lift.

That doesn’t mean anything negative—there are many reasons to include exercises like this in your routine, and I have done this specific exercise dozens of times with clients. It just means—as always—you have to make sure the exercises you choose are compatible with your goals.