Best exercises for abs

[Myles]

So, recently I have started incorporating ab work into my leg day. What are the most effective ways to target the abs? I read most of the articles on the web page but I'd like some personal input. How many sets, reps, and what type of exercises should I be doing? Thanks.

[lostboyrufio]

Popular opinions around here are heavy squats and heavy deadlifts.


Then there's always the occasional machine crunches, leg raises, Twists on the cable machine, etc.


ExRx (Exercise Prescription) on the Net

[Spinman]

decline situps with a 15lb dumbell in each hand

do 50 with the dumbells. drop them. do 50 more. then do some lower ab work (roman chair.. plank... leg lifts)

thats mine anyway

[Myles]

Word. I have been dead lifting heavy for a while now (or what seems to be heavy for my body) and the weight has been increasing. I have been neglecting my leg day though, in order to get ready for the summer season. Bad idea and now I'm kicking myself for it!

I'll give all the ideas presented a go. Thanks.

[Betrayal]

Hey there, as I said Im new here, Im going to both ask something in here and just state some of my personal experience.


I practice, or used to practice actually, olympic gym, which required pretty much a lot of ab strenght, or at least for the excercises that I wanted to achieve.

I used to do lots of sit ups of different kinds, I reached an insane 1200 a day, not joking, which is pretty much crazy. Of course this was progressive, I started by doing 100 a day, took me like 6 months of hard work (not only the sit ups, the whole olympic gym physical preparation excercises), and I can say I was pretty happy with the results. I do recommend however, that if you have body fat in the ab area, DO NOT, start doing sit ups like a mad man or anything, cause although it will develop your ab muscles, if you have that fat excess, it won't be shown. I do recommend however that you first lose a bit of weight and then start doing ab excercises.


now here goes my question: if you're taking creatine, and you do lots of sit ups, will your ab muscles grow in a similar way than for example, your bisceps, and your back muscles when you're body lifting (under creatine use ofc).

if anyone could answer that'd be great.

[Weecrack]

Does your ab muscles really grow or when you work them your just actually filling them with more blood and water, and just destroying the surrounding b/f?

I read somewhere that they really dont gro like arm muscles extc...

but dont knock me if im wrong on that

[Myles]

I'm also wondering: what would be the ideal amount of sets and reps?

[Spinman]

from what I hear abs are just like every other muscle in the body. i dont think its a swelling of blood and water because they get hard, and blood and water isnt that hard.

And I only do one set of abs, others do more, its all up to you man

abs are so !@$#ing weird.

[narcsarge]

I treat abs like every other muscle group (w/ an exception). Your "core" muscles get worked when doing Deads and Squats so I usually tend to do one direct ab exercise. Usually, cable crunches. 3-4 sets w/ 110 for 25 reps and I have had good results.

I also do Tae Kwon Do so I do a lot of situps in training. Just an idea...

[POWERJIM]

Originally Posted by narcsarge

I treat abs like every other muscle group (w/ an exception). Your "core" muscles get worked when doing Deads and Squats so I usually tend to do one direct ab exercise. Usually, cable crunches. 3-4 sets w/ 110 for 25 reps and I have had good results.

I also do Tae Kwon Do so I do a lot of situps in training. Just an idea...

I really do treat abs like any other muscle group i train, its not uncommon for me to use 2 x 25kg - 55lb plates for decline situps etc, same rep range as all my other lifts around 8 - 12 slow focused reps, for Obliques i do stuff like dumbbell side bends with 150lb dumbbell in each hand and again its slow focused reps for 8 - 12, abs are pretty much pumped after that and are only trained once a week.

Take Mariusz Pudzianowski as an example of someone who is an extremely heavy lifter and has extremely thick strong abs with it, his waist has got to be 40 + inches of solid muscle.

[lee thompson]

to see your abs then you must shed fat,to work your abs then any ab exercise done correctly,my personal favourite is incline sit ups with varying degrees of the board.

[Myles]

I'm not incorporating abdominal work to see a six pack. I am doing it to help my "overall" strength to improve. I read that having a strong core can increase strength dramatically. This will be achieved with some ab and hip work.

[bigc]

you can easily work abs every second day. focus on the contracting of the muscle its that squeeze that rocks them.

[ANicholasH]

Dude I have read so much about the abdominal routines of IFBB pros and talked to friends about thiers and they are all different....You just need to find exercises that are comfortable for you.

[mike cp]

Abs are like everyother muscle of the body, as has been said, which means that they should be trained in a such a way. I prefer doing the majority of my ab exercises with a yoga ball. I feel that using a yoga ball increases one's range of motion which, if exercises are done correctly, results in increased core strength. I do 3-4 sets of 20 repetitions for each exercise.

Regular Crunches with Yoga Ball
Side to Side (oblique) Crunches w/ YB
Leg Lifts w/ YB
Hanging Leg Lifts