How often should you train your ABs?

[JayBee74]

I've been doing it every three days, but maybe because I'm older (55) I had unrealistic expectations. I just went from 216 pounds to 190 pounds in less than 8 weeks on a consistent 2000 calorie diet which included a daily 4 mile walk, light weight upper body/ab training every three days and a light lunges/single leg press workout every three days. So I've lost 2.5 inches from my waistline and 26 pounds.

I might not be doing enough. Besides one or two long sets (30 reps) on an oblique ab machine, I generally do three long sets (20-30 reps) on this machine.





Any advice would be appreciated.

[Beantown]

Re: How often should you train your ABs?

I thought abs were something you could do every day if you wanted to, but every other day is usually what most people I've talked to would recommend.

[hogfan]

Re: How often should you train your ABs?

I'd recommend not using that machine.

I properly performed crunch along with straight and sideways planks are more beneficial.

Put yourself in a mirror and make sure you have good form. Most people don't. They use a lot of neck and hip flexors.

[NYJets]

Re: How often should you train your ABs?

Kind of just have to see what works imo. You'll get a different answer from everybody with abs. I've seen a lot of places say every day, I've also seen a lot of places say they are the same as any other muscle and only 1-2 a week. And everything in between.

[KSUowls]

Re: How often should you train your ABs?

I've been doing p90x and every day parts of the workout are for the core, and every other day there is an additional workout that is specifically for the abs. So you're probably okay doing ab workouts as often as you want.

[Seymour Scagnetti]

Re: How often should you train your ABs?

You can have the best developed abs in the world but the majority of men have a layer of stored fat around thier midsection that hides them. If you genetically predisposed to storing belly fat (which are most men) then they will always be hidden. It is almost impossible to lose unless you have enough time to devote several hours a day to train and have a rigid diet to lower your body fat that usually bodybuilders only have the time and resources to do.

Personal trainers won't tell you that because they want to earn a living and telling you a ripped 6 pack is a pipe dream tends to kill most people's motivations to work out. Many people who have ripped abs and don't even work out that much is because they have the body type (which is rarer) where any midsection fat is stored underneath the muscle rather than overtop. Arnold Schwartzenegger once said he never did an abs exercise in his life but were develpoed because of his rigid weight training schedule and diet which allowed him to lower his body fat to minimal levels and allowed those abs to show. And steroids helped too.

A sufficent ab workout can be done by simply lifting weights because your abs go thru various degrees of tension when you do many dumbell workouts. While stronger abs thru specific exercises are always good for stabilizing your lower back many of the exercises that personal trainers recommend are harmful to that same lower back because of the strain. Most abs exercises really take a toll on your lower back over a prolonged period. But they want to mix things up for you so people don't get bored.

Honestly ab exercises are the least important ones because the greatest benefit of weight lifting is maintaining your muscle mass and bone density as you age. That's why it's so much more important to do weight training as you age than cardio because cardio reduces bone density and muscle mass hence you see those older joggers with that caved in chest look, not to mention it kills your joints. Doing high rep weight training is the perfect combo for an older person it mixes both cardio and weight training and is much beneficail overall than jogging or a treadmil 5 days a week. Do some low impact brisk walking with your high rep weight training and you get the best of both worlds. As you hit your mid 40's you shouldn't put your heart thru extreme cardio (like jogging or spinning classes) on a regular basis.

I've worked out for 20 years and am pretty well developed in muscle mass, my mid section is toned and I have a 31-32 inch waist but I don't have rock hard or ripped abs. I'm predisposed to a certain layer of belly fat. The only time I had ripped abs was when I had a thyroid problem and my metobolism went thru the roof and I dropped 30 pounds in 3 months. I didn't do an hour of exercise in that time either but I was so underweight that I even lost that layer of belly fat and my abs looked ripped but my arms and the rest of my body were much skinnier as well. I didn't like the tradeoff.

Unless you plan on being a bodybuilder you're never gonna have a 6 pack unless you do only cardio every day and drop another 30 pounds which isn't very healthy and don't mind having toothpicks for arms and legs.

[Jonesy]

Re: How often should you train your ABs?

I'd recommend not using that machine.

I properly performed crunch along with straight and sideways planks are more beneficial.

Great post. Those machines are generally pretty terrible.

The old saying is true in many ways: "Abs are made in the kitchen, not in the weight room".

Sure you can make them stronger and make them 'pop' a little more but at the end of the day abdominal definition is mostly about having a low enough bodyfat to see them and genetics.

As for the actual exercises I generally prefer more core strength moves like planks and / or weighted lower rep work rather than just doing coutless crunches or situps:



Try holding this position for as long as you can 3 times. From what I have heard if you can get over 2mins each time you have very good core strength.

Hanging leg raises are also good:



Try starting out with 3 sets of 20 and see how you go.

Being a gentlemen of slightly advanced years having good core strength is vital for reducing the chance of back trouble etc in later life.

Awesome progress so far by the way!

EDIT: Damn I missed Seymours reply, good stuff

[CMH]

Re: How often should you train your ABs?

Seymour speaks the truth about abs. You can do a million sit ups a day (ok, that's an exaggeration) and not get that six pack if your body isn't made to show it.

I've always been a skinny guy and when I was younger, before getting older and more weight training helped add some weight, I had the easiest six-pack because I never did any crunches. People would look at me and say: "I bet you have a six-pack just because you're so thin." Yep.

But I'm on the other end of the spectrum because it's hard for me to add weight so I can get those abs but not get anywhere with my chest.

[Kashanova]

Re: How often should you train your ABs?

its possible to have big arms and chest and also have the six pac, you just need to lose the body fat, and eat alot of protein so that you don't lose the muscle as well when your trimming the fat

[MachoMyers]

Re: How often should you train your ABs?

its possible to have big arms and chest and also have the six pac, you just need to lose the body fat, and eat alot of protein so that you don't lose the muscle as well when your trimming the fat

Absolutely. Number 1 rule about abs is that they are made in the kitchen!

[Seymour Scagnetti]

Re: How often should you train your ABs?

In thoery that sounds great but you have to have a strict diet and a high protein diet is not the healthiest thing to do. The best diet over the long run is a 40/30/30 mix of protein\carbs\fat(healthy fats) and genetics play a huge part especially as you get older as there are certain fatty areas that remain stored around certain parts of your body that are virtually impossible to lose without losing a great deal of weight.

When I got my thyroid fixed, I gained my 30lbs back within 3 months and I worked out like crazy and while I got all my muscle mass back I also got back that thin layer of fat around my abs even though I ate very healthy.

It's like that women you see who has that big butt but rail thin mid-section and eats like a bird. That stored predisposed fat has been there for years and is absolutely the last place the body will look for energy with any weight loss. It's also the 1st place fat will return if any weight is gained as you gain muscle mass and increase your caloric intake. As you age and your metobolism lowers your body kinda "settles" into a body type that genetics give you.

That's why steroids are so popular and are vital in bodybuilding. Every bodybuilder takes them because he won't be able to compete if he doesn't. You can only do so much naturally with building muscle without storing fat in your predisposed areas. It allows your muscle mass to increase much quicker and not rely solely on increased calories to do that which makes it easier to gain siginificant muscle without the accompanying fatty areas.

[NDAlum]

Re: How often should you train your ABs?

Genetics are king
Eating is 2nd
Working out is 3rd

I see people all day long who don't work out, smoke weed, and eat whatever they want. They have 6-packs

I bust my rear and won't have one...well at least not one that looks great.

[SuperBowlNachos]

Re: How often should you train your ABs?

I've been doing p90x and every day parts of the workout are for the core, and every other day there is an additional workout that is specifically for the abs. So you're probably okay doing ab workouts as often as you want.

At the very end he says, "You don't work other parts of your body every day and you shouldn't work your abs every day."

I wouldn't do it every day unless it's light.

[JayBee74]

Re: How often should you train your ABs?

At the very end he says, "You don't work other parts of your body every day and you shouldn't work your abs every day."

I wouldn't do it every day unless it's light.

Who says?

Thanks for the input guys.

[DueceDiggla]

Re: How often should you train your ABs?

Who says?

Thanks for the input guys.

Tony Horton