Pros/Cons of my ab workout

keater824

keater824

Member
My ab workout consists of
decline crunch 100 reps
medicine ball crunch 100 reps
crunch machine "double crunch" 100 reps

i perform this 3 times a week... i am wondering if its balance and if i am neglecting any abs" upper, middle or lower"

Thanks

Keater824
 
Maybe someone else can chime in on this but I see a lot of guys doing an overly large amount of reps on their abs. Is that all in one day? 300 reps?
 
keater824 said:
My ab workout consists of
decline crunch 100 reps
medicine ball crunch 100 reps
crunch machine "double crunch" 100 reps

i perform this 3 times a week... i am wondering if its balance and if i am neglecting any abs" upper, middle or lower"

Thanks

Keater824
Click to expand...

Think of it this way, you lift your chest for a bench press as an example in 3 sets of 8-15 reps max. Why would you do 100 reps of the crunch or any other ab exercise. You will overwork the muscle if doing it right but when doing it right, you will not be able to go for 300 reps in one workout.

Try going in circuit fashion
Decline
Medicine ball
Double Crunch
15 reps on each exercise small controlled and concentrated movements, those are the keys. it took me 4 months to get that concentration onto my abs and out of my neck, shoulders and throwing my chest up.

Try it for one workout and be ready for the pain. Concentrate on your abs pulling your body up in controlled movements.

Good luck on your quest to the six pack!
 
you should really do pull ups, with your legs lifted to the front, these will build your abs better than anything
 
keater824 said:
My ab workout consists of
decline crunch 100 reps
medicine ball crunch 100 reps
crunch machine "double crunch" 100 reps

i perform this 3 times a week... i am wondering if its balance and if i am neglecting any abs" upper, middle or lower"

Thanks

Keater824
Click to expand...

To me that is too much. 100 reps in TOTAL TWICE a week is sufficient enough. Your abs are like any other muscle and require the same rest; not to mention that your CORE gets used every time you do a resistance session with your compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, bench, etc. And for the record, your "abs" (although there are four muscles - transverse abdominus, rectus abdominus, right oblique, left oblique - involved) are really ONE muscle, and when you do ANY exercise you are activating the WHOLE muscle/s.

~Rosie
Team APPNUT
 
Guejsn said:
not to mention that your CORE gets used every time you do a resistance session with your compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, bench, etc. And for the record, your "abs" (although there are four muscles - transverse abdominus, rectus abdominus, right oblique, left oblique - involved) are really ONE muscle, and when you do ANY exercise you are activating the WHOLE muscle/s.

~Rosie
Team APPNUT
Click to expand...

BINGO!


And this is why I keep my ab workouts to a minimum and a primary reason for such a good shoulder to waist ratio.
 
how about dragon flags?

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHw0jXiYQXI&NR=1"]YouTube - Dragon Flag (full)[/ame]
 
thanks, i will definitely lower my ab count and try to minimize the movement in my shoulders back and neck when doing them..

Reps

Thanks
 
Guejsn said:
To me that is too much. 100 reps in TOTAL TWICE a week is sufficient enough. Your abs are like any other muscle and require the same rest; not to mention that your CORE gets used every time you do a resistance session with your compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, bench, etc. And for the record, your "abs" (although there are four muscles - transverse abdominus, rectus abdominus, right oblique, left oblique - involved) are really ONE muscle, and when you do ANY exercise you are activating the WHOLE muscle/s.

~Rosie
Team APPNUT
Click to expand...

I agree... People try to hard when it comes to abs. I usually just go by "feel." Slow repetitions where you can really concentrate on the muscle contracting is where it's at! Hold the flexed position of the crunch for a second, then lower just enough to let them relax a bit before you go at it again. 25 quality crunches can be a lot better than 100 fast, choppy ones.

Also, after every set of abs, do a stomach vacuum. I love it!
 
Guejsn said:
To me that is too much. 100 reps in TOTAL TWICE a week is sufficient enough. Your abs are like any other muscle and require the same rest; not to mention that your CORE gets used every time you do a resistance session with your compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, bench, etc. And for the record, your "abs" (although there are four muscles - transverse abdominus, rectus abdominus, right oblique, left oblique - involved) are really ONE muscle, and when you do ANY exercise you are activating the WHOLE muscle/s.

~Rosie
Team APPNUT
Click to expand...

I agree... People try to hard when it comes to abs. I usually just go by "feel." Slow repetitions where you can really concentrate on the muscle contracting is where it's at! Hold the flexed position of the crunch for a second, then lower just enough to let them relax a bit before you go at it again. 25 quality crunches can be a lot better than 100 fast, choppy ones.

Also, after every set of abs, do a stomach vacuum. I love it!
 
heavy front squats and ab wheel. really nothing better. front squats u can go so heavy and it gets your obliques really good. ab wheel gets the front with a lot more intensity.
 
i just pick a random machine and do 100-300 reps. I split up lower abs/obliques and upper abs. as long as u do them heavy enough and enough reps.. keep ur diet clean there gonna be seen.
 
All of this advice and no one really mentioned that it TRULY depends on your goals. If your goal is to get magazine abs then no amount of ab work, and no rep scheme is going to do jack shyyyat without a proper diet. If your goal is to build purely stronger abs to support the lower back, well, that's another approach. My abs used to look like something off of a cartoonist drawing board yet they were weak as a five yr old girl ....
 
Example of my core work out
3 Sets of Planks, Hold for 20 seconds or till burning.
3 Sets of Leg Lifts
3 Sets of Weighted Decline Crunches (holding a 25pound weight behind head)
3 Sets of Oblique Crunches (sometimes I don't even do these)
 
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