Abs advice
 

OK so the girlfriend got this great idea that she would start joining me at the gym. She is primarily concerned with doing her abs cause she wants a toned stomach. (Just for a reference, she's already pretty thin.) Now I know from working out before that you shouldn't work the same muscle group two workouts in a row, but I've heard conflicting reports about abs. Some people say you work them enough simply by walking and other everyday things and therefore shouldn't do them doing a workout on consecutive, like any other muscle group. However, some other people say that you can indeed work them everyday.
We also run, if it makes a difference.
Advice please?

My advice is to use the search function because this question is asked every week.

If you're working your abs hard enough, you shouldn't be able to work them every day ;)

For me, 2-3 times a week is good for abs.

They need to be a little sore after a workout, as you are tearing a certain amount of muscle fibers to rebuild stronger. Be sure you are using resistance, rather than just pumping out crunches until you pass out. You can use the crunch machine at the gym, or do a kneeling crunch (that is my favourite exercise to do, period!! feels sooooooooo good). For obliques, side bends are great. -----click on those exercise names to see them-----

Just work them like any other muscle - say 3 sets of 8-10 reps, with enough weight so that it is very difficult to finish the last few reps of the 3rd set.

That's one point of view. Here is another:
I hit my abs every time that I hit the gym after my main workout. Only one or two exercises going 2 reps of 12-15 (cycling through 8 differnet ab exercises). My rest in between sets is two deep breathes ~ 4-5 seconds.
Never use weight for your obliques - it'll just make your sides look fat; in fact, I don't like using weights on any ab exercises. I want that section to be trim, not bulky.
Two Canadians with two different points of view towards working your abs. Now it's just finding what you (or your gf) prefer.

You wont be gaining bulk by using weights to train your abs. You will achieve a more cut look to your stomach that way. Hitting your abs everytimg you work out is overtraining them.

plan9 is exactly right


djp.. what ??? you dont use weights because you want your abs to be trim not bulky, what in gods name does that mean?? LOL

the best way to train abs is with weight resistence,
you should always be training under 10 reps with any muscle group


ABS ARE LIKE ANY OTHER MUSCLE IN YORU BODY

would you train biceps every day? how about legs

you need to get good abs by performing good ab exercises with weight resistence, and then do cardio to get rid of the fat, and eat healthy

best ab exercises that i like are weighted ab crunches (with the rope that you use for tricep pulldowns just kneel down)

and hanging leg raises

http://www.bestabs.com/ab-exercises....rent=resources


great site with good info on exercises

One of the best exercises you can do for your abs is to exercise the rest of your body. Well defined abs are there but most often just burried under excess body fat. To reduce your body fat covering your abs work on developing lean muscle mass in other parts of your body. Lean muscle mass burns more calories at rest than does fat so tone up other areas including the large leg mucscles.

It also helps to watch the diet .... they don't call it a beer belly or a nugget gut for nothing :D Hope this helps.

Hey everyone - thanks for the various points of view and the links. A sweeping decision hasn't been reached yet, but now we have much more info. Thanks a lot!

Nicely put. Funny thing is that I know a nice amount of people who have a six pack and never train their abs at all. This is because they hit every other muscle hard and have a low bodyfat % because of proper nutrition. Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym. Training them will just make the cuts in the abs more prominent once they show (usually happens once you get below 10% bodyfat) Personally, I like training them. I love the burn and don't like to neglect any of my muscles.

I do train my legs everyday that I hit the gym - what do you have to say about that? It all depends on what you want and how your body adapts to your exercising routine. I was just giving the flip side of the coin. The only exercise that I use weights for on my abs are off-the bench single arm presses.
To each there own - so no need laughing at my routine now was there.

I say that, unless you are taking steroids, you are overtraining your legs and you will not get proper muscle growth as well as you are subjecting them to injury and most importantly you WILL develop long term problems training your legs that often. Thats what I have to say about it ;)

I agree with Plan9. Over training is another common mistake people make in the gym. You should have at least 48 hours rest between hard core push to failure training on any muscle group. His point about injury and other longer term problems from over training can't be taken lightly. That doesn't mean you shouldn't go to the gym 5 or 6 times a week. It means you need to vary your training to target differnt muscle groups. This will also help you prevent boredom by keeping your workouts to an hour or less each session and giving you variety each time you go.

No, I'm not taking steriods.

So by that standards, one shouldn't walk or run anywhere after a leg workout. Besides, I never said that I do a hard core failure workout on my legs each time. I do 1 set for my legs before I hit the rest of my routine. The whole point of my original post was to show that view's differ on what can or can not / what should or should not you do.

Excellent point djp and I certainly wasn't trying to offend. In the spirit of the original question (Abs advice) I was trying to point out that building lean muscle mass over the entire body will increase your BMR (base metabolic rate) by burning more calories at rest which will lead to an overall reduction in bodyfat. How you get there is up to you and there are many methods and views out there. Personally I prefer a shorter duration, high intensity work out with a Monday - Friday - Wednesday pattern. Push to failiure with rest works for me.

Alot of people forget about the side abs, you need those too. When you do normal crunches or whatever, instead of going straight up and down, go from side to side too which will work out you side abs.

That is exactly my problem. I've got about an inch to take off my stomach and I'm starting to eat more healthy now, but I need to get more cardio in.