Training abs, who does not?

[GorillaGenetics]

a have sex everyday at least 2 times a day unless shit comes up so yes i work abs all the time

 

[tweb123]

 

[tweb123]

a have sex everyday at least 2 times a day unless shit comes up so yes i work abs all the time

WHAT HE SAID

 

[thebrick]

I only work abs when I am dieting and then its 2 sets of crunches on an incline bench and two sets of leg raises a couple times a week.

 

[maldorf]

for once a half-way decent poll thread

abs only precontest for me

my abs get hit indirectly with
-heavy tri pushdowns
-front sqauts
-dumbbell pullovers
-straight arm pulldowns (for lats)

Im glad someone mentioned the tricep pushdowns. So im not the only one that feels like I get a good ab workout doing those! All of these exercises you mention hit them for sure. A few times though I can remember having to stop doing the tricep pushdowns because my abs would cramp up. Anyone thats had their abs cramp knows just how painful that is. It was all I could do not to lie on the ground because it becomes really hard to even breathe!

 

[rippedyearround]

I grew up as a gymnast, and abs were hit everyday (5 days/wk) either thru direct conditioning like sit ups or indirectly thru parallel bars and/or rings, etc. I feel like STATIC STRENGTH in this area really causes separation of the muscles. Now, I only train abs pre-contest. IMO, the best way to train abs is on the still rings. Simple leg raises just chisel out everything from your upper abs/intercostals all the way down to the rectus femoris. They are hard to find in standard gyms, so you can substitute with a chin-up bar.

It's crazy because I somehow have retained depth in that area even tho I directly train only it pre-contest...but I still have great static strength. "L" holds for 30 seconds are a great way to achieve static strength. I also feel like the ability to intensely flex the abs,(the way you would your quads or whatever) keeps the gut small...but then again...I ain't that big of a dude...SO...these are just my opinions.

 

[screamfighter]

hate doing abs no matter what i do it seem to hurt my lower back.

 

[The BB Monad]

I train abs about 2-3x per month or less but come around summer time I will do them more frequently. I only do bodyweight and it seems to work fine for me.

I concentrate on them on other exercises but mostly to prevent injuries.

 

[Alex A]

To me.. training abs is like doing cardio..... you either do it regularly or you dont do it at all...

I seriously think that training abs is important but can be done in very short workouts that dont take much time at all...

it seems to be much easier to train them....when you can see them..

 

[latimus]

In offseason I dont do as much volume. I will hit them hard couple times a month. when dieting I hit them once a week hard with more volume.

 

[cachexic]

To me.. training abs is like doing cardio..... you either do it regularly or you dont do it at all...

I seriously think that training abs is important but can be done in very short workouts that dont take much time at all...

it seems to be much easier to train them....when you can see them..

Alex, perhaps you could post a sample ab workout for you? I would like to incorporate a very short ab workout into my routine. Do you add resistance, or just bodyweight it up like a lot of the other people in this thread?

 

[lightofmyboner]

It's always interesting to see the amount of guys out there with great sets of abs who never train them directly.

 

[Alex A]

Alex, perhaps you could post a sample ab workout for you? I would like to incorporate a very short ab workout into my routine. Do you add resistance, or just bodyweight it up like a lot of the other people in this thread?

sure thing... But i keep it simple.. i have had pretty decent abs at all my shows.. never a weak area but not John basedow either....

But here is all i really advocate...

Crunches to failure...4-5 sets...
Cruches with resistance(5-10lb plate across chest) or ab machine where i can add resistance..
trunk twists ( with stick across shoulers) sit and twist/crunch
or one arm cable crunches...4 sets...

Not much rest between sets.. not much at all, just catch breath.

 

[cachexic]

Thank you!

 

[greenpatch]

ab and lower back r very important, most people dont now how to do em right,tht th real problem,so they tend to skip em. tht being said,u need to also do em at low rep never at high rep. high rep have a way of beakin th body down.russain.europe aussi chinese have known this for years and can even prove it,so drop th cardie and high rep, third u only need once a week to work em good

 

[thebrick]

Also, when I train abs I like to really feel it in there using a little resistance vs. tons of reps. For example I visualize they are like a sponge, squeezing every drop of water out of there when I compress them, really getting a nice burn and cramp.

 

[aussiebulldog]

I usually train them while waiting on a piece of equipment.

 

[DetDydayPat]

lampy gdańsk

**broken link removed**

 

[AJW91]

I don't get it... if 60% of people who voted on this poll don't work their abs directly, then why do many of them do isolation exercises for other muscles?

If compound movements are good enough for abs, they should be good enough for arms, delts, pecs, back, and legs.

 

[btech]

I want to keep my lower back safe, and I want to lift more in squats and deadlifts. I train abs every time I train (just a couple of sets). I train every other day.