How often should I train my abs? I’m not really in to training abs but include the following every time I train, which is normally five times a week. 60 - crunches 30 - leg lifts 30 per each side - full contact twists If I can be bothered I’ll also do some stomach vacuums or the reverse of that (my own creation). The only six pack I have would be in my fridge, I don’t train abs to look nice, but for strength, plus I cant see my abs cause of some soft blubbery stuff covering them, its not fat though. Do I train my abs too much (5 times a week)? Does such an abs routine have any advantage over say 3 times a week? Was thinking of getting an “ab wheel”, what do you think of these things? Have you found them useful?
Personally, I never used an ab roller for exercises, except maybe once it seem to challenge the abs well. Though, I read something talking about different ab products, the ab roller was one of the products from what I read it doesn't help the abs. Go figure.
ab rollers are a gimmick product and i would highly advise you not to buy one as they can cause back problems if used incorrectly. buy a swiss ball and a medicine ball, both make a great ab workout
I can't believe ab rollers are getting slagged off! They are without a doubt one of the few fitness fad products that you see on TV that is actually worth buying. Fantastic product. Do a search for some links to articles that show you how to keep good form and you're good to go. Beware - very difficult!
I am doing a similar ab work out within my training. 2x 30 of crunches with knees bent (extending when going down, bringing knees in when going up) 2 x30 obliques 2 x 30 of bicycle crunches I usually do it about 3 times a week or so, and increase the reps every other week or so. I am about 5'10, 160 lbs and have a decent body fat....so I should probably do some more I think in order to achieve the good 6 pack...that and lower the fat a bitmore
That ab wheel thing is awesome. Just go slow. My trainer has one that he whips out whenever he sees me coming.
Ab roller's are good, I have my own. My mum has one which has a resistance spring/coil built in, so the further you push it the harder it is. As for the exercises, i do weighted ab work on weight days and large repetition work on cardio days. The air bike exercise is a good one to use.
I gotta go with what pgm said on this one, once a week is possibly enough. Just think of the abs like any other muscle. Train once, maybe twice a week, but apply some resistence. Doing a lot of cruches will help build endurance but not lay on those thick slabs of organ protecting muscle. Would you bench press the bar 60 times a day to build up your chest? Try janda situps, reverse crunches (working up to dragon flags (someday)), weighted crunches, full contact twists, russian twists, etc. Also, doing other full body lifts will work the abs. Try doing overhead squats or pullups with a dumbell held between your ankles and a knee raise at the top. Good luck, Jay
I personally train the core briefly at the end of every workout. At the moment I am doing kettlebell sidebends and using the ab roller. (only using the kettlebell because it is the heaviest dumbell I have). The ab roller is a fantastic exercise, I wish I had found it years ago. If done with control it is a killer core workout and if you can progress to doing it superman style then you are a beast! -and all that for a fiver!..not bad.
Thanks a bunch for everyones advice. I will now proceed to purchase an ab wheel, any recomendations as to where from and what make in the UK.. cheers.
Here ya go mate; this one is pretty much the same as mine, they come up on ebay all the time due to muppetts buying them and then not using them. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Exercise-whee...210540002QQcategoryZ15274QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
I heard somewhere that abs were one of the only muscle groups that could be safley worked on daily. Any truth to that? Anyways I kind of invented my only 500 rep abdominal workout, scoff if you must 125 x situps (upper abs) 100 x leg extensions (mid abs) 100 x leg raises (lower abs) 100 x crunches 75 x oblique (twists?) I find it does the trick for me, but I am a novice when it comes to this kind of thing.
There are more expensive ones out there but it is just a wheel so brands don't mean anything. Take it slow at first though, my stomach had DOMS for about a week after my first workout on it.
