Is training abs really necessary?

[nothuman]

I have always trained abs but I keep hearing about guys who don't and have incredible midsections.

Curious to hear everyone's thoughts on the matter

 

[desibaba]

I think if you do lots of basic free weight movements like squats, deadlifts, lunges or bent over barbell rows you abs get trained very hard anyway however if you use a lot of machines where other muscles dont come into play ab training might be a good idea. I always like to do 2-3 sets for abs every time i go to the gym along with 2-3 sets for calves.

 

[Johnny Ringo]

Biggest benefit I get from moderate AB training is it helps my lower back aches and pains.

 

[Flex2019]

I spent a good amount of time last year trying to bring my waist in and I think I trained them three times or so during the entire season, including precontest. My waist came in side to side, but I definitely need to thicken up my abs a bit more now. I'll be training them more this year.

 

[matt1164]

Biggest benefit I get from moderate AB training is it helps my lower back aches and pains.

Amen. if you have back issues ab work is a must.

 

[sammy555]

People are always asking me how I have such great abs. I never train them and never do cardio. What I do do is eat a ton of clean food, a little fasting, cycle my carbs and squat and dead lift with extreme intensity. Abs are built in the kitchen and the squat rack. Genetics play a role too though. Traps and abs I was born with, the rest takes some work :banghead:

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

 

[jm425]

Biggest benefit I get from moderate AB training is it helps my lower back aches and pains.

Couldn't agree more. I have ruptured discs in my back and having a strong core is a must for me to limit back pain.

 

[Swaglantern]

Yep...train the abs....also something that people don't realize is that one of the biggest culprit in regards to lower back problems is the hamstring.

 

[Bertucci]

Biggest benefit I get from moderate AB training is it helps my lower back aches and pains.

:yeahthat: Doing abs has helped me on my heavy squats by stabilizing my core. Even with a belt well developed abs make a world of difference.

 

[markandspike]

Proof: plank is better for your core than crunches

If you want to build up a good mid section, with strong lower back muscles and abdominals that can take a punch or two, you're better off doing an exercise like the plank rather than crunches. Better trainers have been saying this for a few years already, and a study from Pennsylvania State University, which will soon be published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, now proves them right.

There are two disadvantages to old-fashioned sit-ups and crunches. In the long term they are likely to lead to back problems because of the pressure they create on the discs between the vertebrae, and, more to the point, they are not very effective. The muscles in your midsection area are not so much meant for moving your torso, but above all to keep your torso stable when your spine is subject to tension.

So the better exercises for your lower back and abdomen, as you can read in nearly every Men's Health magazine, are ones where the muscles in your mid-section have to work so that your vertebrae don't move. That's why the plank is a better exercise than sit-ups or crunches, and the side-plank is better than the oblique-crunch.

The better exercises don't require you to isolate muscle groups. They involve all muscle groups in your midsection [what magazines and trainers like to call your core], including muscles in your hips, upper back and shoulders. To use sports scientists' jargon, these are integration core exercises.

 

[nothuman]

I'm going to give the no abs training a shot and see if there is a difference. I can't help but think I am wasting my time doing abs twice a week.

 

[chinadragonexports]

I gotta do abs...I've noticed over the years that if i slack on the abs for a few weeks my lower back screams!!!! As soon as I start doin them again the pain subsides. I don't use weighted crunches or anything I do lay on the floor and do 3-4 rounds non-stop of: rev crunches,crunches, oposite elbow to knee, side oblique crunches. Takes about 5-6 minutes is all and the abs are screaming!

 

[D-NUTZ]

Biggest benefit I get from moderate AB training is it helps my lower back aches and pains.

x2.

I used to have a stiff/sore lower back all the time, started training abs on a regular basis, and bye bye back problems.

 

[ripped45]

x2.

I used to have a stiff/sore lower back all the time, started training abs on a regular basis, and bye bye back problems.

same thing everyone else already said. better back health with trained abs

 

[thebigguy84]

I hate training abs so therefore I don't do so I trained them a shitton when I was younger including a lot of weighted abs so therefore they are there when I diet.I may do them a little this year for the hell of it but I despise them.

 

[nothuman]

Ok, back support, I get it. I'm more interested in knowing whether you guys have crazy good abs when dieted down without training them. Kind of like Dexter Jackson, who admittedly doesn't train them

 

[bbg420]

pull ups and chins work well for abs

 

[JD408]

i do abs, but not a lot. 2 times a week and i think it takes no more than 10 mins or so

 

[BushMan]

Abs are made in the kitchen

But I still play around on an ab roller because I like to. One of my favorite ab roller exercises is to 20 reps, every 5 reps hold in "out" position for 5 seconds. Rest a minute or so and repeat 3 more times.

 

[jm425]

pull ups and chins work well for abs

I don't see how those exercises would work the abs very well. Please enlighten us.