A good abs routine?

J

JayZeus

0
I've been searching for a good abs workout routine, and so far I've had not much luck, so I decided that I should ask here.

I'd like to get a nice 6-pack for the summer. I've got almost no body fat, I excercise regularly, my diet seems to be pretty good (been gaining muscle mass - about 15 lbs in past 2 months, but I could use 15 more), but my stomach is just flat... Now there *is* some "tonage" showing (like a 4-pack), but I'd like it to be really showing up when I flex it.

Which excercises should I do? How many reps? How many days a week should I work on my abs? I'd like it to be as efficient as possible.

TIA
 
there are many ways to work on abs. The most effective way i have seen between me and my friends is the ab roller. they have them at walmart very cheap. its just a wheel and what you do is get on your knees and roll forward and bring yourself back up. very hard, but works.
 
I rarely (closer to never) do crunches of any sort but I still have a very defined six pack. Why? Because other compound movements work the abdominals. Bench press, incline press, stabilizers for military press, ect. The key to abdominals is in the way you eat, not exactly the way you work them. All of the other exersizes for the rest of my body use them, so I see little need to hit them very hard with isolation crunches or other machines.
scott
 
I have a new routine that I do. I don't know if it's only good because i've only been doing it hardcore for about a week. I'm a student and I have weight lifting class so what i do is do all my usual exercises... bench, squat, hang clean ect. , then i do my ab work. It consists of major crunches. I do about 4 sets of 50. Then i do 4 sets of 20 with weight. After that I do what my teacher calls bridges where all ur weight is all up on ur elbows and toes. Then i lift one leg and switch the leg and then lift each arm up. Then i do 4 sets of 50 raised push ups. Soon i will put in running because my basketball is over. It will include running with ankle weights, running hills (decline and incline), and just running regularly. Then when I get home whenever i'm laying around doing nothing I do crunches and bridges and raised pushups all the time. Just make a commitment to yourself you want abs and u wanna work hard to get them. My advice is eat right and exercise.
 
tyrannyoffrank said:
there are many ways to work on abs. The most effective way i have seen between me and my friends is the ab roller. they have them at walmart very cheap. its just a wheel and what you do is get on your knees and roll forward and bring yourself back up. very hard, but works.
Click to expand...

! thats the LEAST effective way I've seen!

I wouldnt waste money on an ab roller when imple crunches on the floor are more effective.

crunches have the best ratio of abdominal muscle activity to compressive forces acting on the lower back, but not the greatest absolute values for activation of all the abdominal muscles. So, to develop strength of all the abdominal muscles, other exercises besides the crunches have to be done (Axler and McGill, 1997).

Contrary to common belief, the combined crunch (combining a crunch with a reverse crunch, in which both the shoulders and the pelvis and lower limbs are simultaneously lifted off the floor) activates external oblique muscles more than the twist crunch (Willett et al 2001).

The range of motion for abdomen crunches done in gizmos such as the ABS Health Rider, AB Shaper, ABS T45, or AB Trainer is smaller than that for the normal crunches (Sands and McNeal
2002). The greater the range of flexion (flexion angle) in a crunch, the greater the activation of abdominal muscles (Andersson
et al 1997).

Sternlicht and Rugg (2003) tested other devices (Ab Roller Plus, Torso Track 2, AB-Doer Pro, and Perfect Abs). Muscle activity as measured by EMG was either not significantly different than in a normal crunch (Ab Roller Plus and Torso Track 2 at high resistance) or even lower (ABDOer Pro, Torso Track 2 at low resistance, and Perfect Abs at low resistance). Only
Perfect Abs with medium and high resistance caused more activity in abdominal muscles than the normal crunch. Conclusion:
Instead of buying and using strange gizmos it is better and more convenient to do normal crunches and when that is not
challenging enough then hold a weight in one’s hands and for even more muscle tension combine normal crunches with reverse
crunches and put ankle weights on. (Kurz, 2003)
 
I haven't got a 6 pack due to my diet.

But I would say this:

- gain muscle first, then take fat off with diet

Anyone else on this thread think that's a better approach?
 
The whole problem is what to do to gain muscle in the first place. That's why I've been looking for a good routine. I'm not exactly sure what I should do...
 
anything that makes you sore the next day.

e.g. crunches 3 sets of 15. when these get easy do
crunches on swiss ball 3 sets of 15. when these get easy try
crunch + reverse crunch on floor (raise chest and pelvis at same time) 3 sets 15.
then try
reverse crunch 3 sets 30
then weighted/incline crunch.

also throw in some squats, side bends, trunk rotations, leg raises, and isometric squeezes for variety.
 
also can i say if someone is trying to build muscle in abs why go against typical beliefs for every other bodypart (i.e biceps - bodybuilders do low reps) and start giving them 3 x 15 this and 3 x 15 that. Ending up that they are in actual fact overtraining the area with 6 different exercises and due to the fact it supports them in every other exercise anyway.
 
Yeah, I never thought of either the Bicycle maneuver, or the Captain's chair as being the best exercises anyway. sounds strange. But if they used EMG testung there must be truth in it!
 
the difference between the abs and the majority of the other muscles in the body is that they are used in 99% of all activity you do in a day.
And as such, recover a lot faster and can handle a lot more exercise than other body parts ... they are a very stubborn muscle and require extra simulation.
 
supposedly. I have heard theories either way: work them in the 6--8 rep range, like any other muscle you want to gain mass, VS working them unwieghted in the 20-100 rep range. Also debateable about how much rest they need to recover.

would say that if your abs are still sore from the last workout, dont work them again. If they feel fine, work them again!
 
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