Direct Ab Work and Aesthetics

[Dustin07]

I go back and forth on whether or not I think direct ab work really has any effect on the abs. generally, most of my ab/core work comes in the way of compound movements such as squats, cleans, snatch, etc. I always feel like the abs are going to show through based upon where I am nutritionally, bodyfat, etc.

But i'm curious to as what other people with experience at +10% and under 10% BF think. do you think targeting abs in your workouts makes a difference? I've had squat days and deadlifts days where I walk away feeling like my abs are jello.

I know a thousand crunches aren't going to give you abs if you're sitting at 20% BF. so when you're at 10% or better, do you think targeted core work makes a difference?

 

[Rodja]

Biceps and triceps get a huge amount of indirect work through rows and presses yet people still do them weekly. I never understood why this same concept wasn't applied to abs.

 

[Gutterpump]

Yes. I always train my core on upper body days (3-4 days per week), but not during lower, unless it's after squatting and I feel I'd like to cramp up that day (so no, not on leg days lol). I'm sitting at about 13% and can see abs, not perfectly though, but I'm also not doing much weighted core work atm.

 

[Jebrook]

I go back and forth on whether or not I think direct ab work really has any effect on the abs. generally, most of my ab/core work comes in the way of compound movements such as squats, cleans, snatch, etc. I always feel like the abs are going to show through based upon where I am nutritionally, bodyfat, etc.

But i'm curious to as what other people with experience at +10% and under 10% BF think. do you think targeting abs in your workouts makes a difference? I've had squat days and deadlifts days where I walk away feeling like my abs are jello.

I know a thousand crunches aren't going to give you abs if you're sitting at 20% BF. so when you're at 10% or better, do you think targeted core work makes a difference?

My abs get plenty of stimulation from my legs days. Normally this is the only attention they get. However, when I do focus on them directly and am lean they definitely look better than normal. For me this is in the 8-10% range and training directly 2-3 times per week. Hanging leg raises are the exercise I find most effective for core strength and ab definition, other than squats.

 

[paul56778]

What about weighted ab work, with a 45 lb disc behind your head for sit-ups or 35 lb disc for incline sit-ups either on the chest or behind the head.

 

[Dustin07]

What about weighted ab work, with a 45 lb disc behind your head for sit-ups or 35 lb disc for incline sit-ups either on the chest or behind the head.

so for people who do believe in additional ab work, this would be my next question then. training tris and bis in that 8-12+rep range for many sets, lots of volume, hypertrophy aimed, what is the ab equivalent?

do you believe that abs will respond in similar nature? 12 hard sets of 15 reps in weighted movements trying to achieve a "pump" experience in the abs? I'm tempted to give this a try.

I used to do a lot of weighted stuff (a lot by my previous definition) but never felt that anything was more efficient than just keeping 10% BF or better.

 

[Gutterpump]

so for people who do believe in additional ab work, this would be my next question then. training tris and bis in that 8-12+rep range for many sets, lots of volume, hypertrophy aimed, what is the ab equivalent?

do you believe that abs will respond in similar nature? 12 hard sets of 15 reps in weighted movements trying to achieve a "pump" experience in the abs? I'm tempted to give this a try.

I used to do a lot of weighted stuff (a lot by my previous definition) but never felt that anything was more efficient than just keeping 10% BF or better.

When doing weighted ab work, I do 3-4 sets of ten. For weighted work, I do spread-eagle situps, holding a plate on my chest (as prescribed in Westside). Then on a couple other days of the week I'll do unweighted ab work in a circuit (also been prescribed in the Westside program - WS4SB III). Depends on how much I'm squatting though.

 

[Rodja]

Trunk flexing (aka crunching) isn't an efficient way of training the abs. The ROM for this is too short to have much real-world application. My main lifts for abs are hanging leg raises (I try to get my heels to the ceiling), anti-extension work (e.g. ab wheel, fallouts), and planks. The weighted plank is horribly underrated for strengthening the core, but most don't keep their lumbar and hips in the right spot.

 

[acambra2]

I have pretty good genetics, but not for abs. I definitely have to be sub 10-12% to see them, even when my arms/legs are pretty darn lean. I found that training them about twice a week, with a mix of weighted lower-rep sets and body weight work, works best for me. Any more and they're flat, plus my compounds suffer a bit due to core fatigue.

 

[Dustin07]

Have you guys ever done windmills? we used to do those with a barbell in the floor press position, then windmill the legs. maybe i'll work those back in too.

 

[Gutterpump]

I'll be adding in Russian barbell twists and rollouts soon into my routine, and Pallof press

 

[Dustin07]

oh good stuff,I need to start making a list if i'm going to do this right. Doing russian med ball twists are pretty good too.

 

[Gutterpump]

Another good thing to do which I do sometimes, is to take off your belt after squatting heavy, drop the weight down and squat beltless. I usually do a 5x5 (with a weight I can only get up to 5 on) without the belt, and it blasts my core.

 

[money0351]

Take my anecdotal testimony and publish it in the journal of "N=1" but I've seen fairly good hypertrophy of my rectus abdominis through direct weighted ab work.

While I agree with (and use) most of the exercises suggested I feel that even when I am at higher bodyfat percentages, my abs are big and deep enough to poke through

Do you need direct ab work for a strong core? No... Like many have mentioned, the TVA (also RA/ext and int obl) is strengthened through compound movements but may not be enough for an impressive set of abs

 

[Jebrook]

Another good thing to do which I do sometimes, is to take off your belt after squatting heavy, drop the weight down and squat beltless. I usually do a 5x5 (with a weight I can only get up to 5 on) without the belt, and it blasts my core.

^^^^I like to do this too. I really sit deep in the squat and pause for a few seconds. Not only taxes the core which is pre-exhausted but helps to stretch out and cool down the legs which are pumped up from heavy *ss squats. Good stuff. Hanging leg raises after a heavy squat workout is also killer but I usually don't have enough gas left in the tank for that.

 

[money0351]

I'm not genetically gifted by any means but I will say I don't have the worst abs I've ever seen...

 

[banjobounce]

I have found that contracting my hamstrings, blowing out all of my air for better contraction, pushing my ribcage toward my hips, and holding peak contraction for ~5 sec isometric each rep has given me the best results as far as ab training goes. That goes for any movement that I have tried. I usually do the 12-20 range.

 

[Gutterpump]

I've just switched my 20 rep bodyweight abmat situps (100 total reps x 3-4x per week) to 3 sets of 10 weighted situps 3-4x per week. My abs were twitching post workout last night while I was laying in bed. Definitely getting more stim this way now.