able

My roommate recently introduced me to the '8 minute abs' video. I've been doing it everyday for the past 3 weeks and it's the biggest improvement I've seen in my abs ever.

I haven't changed my diet at all and just did every excercise in that video. At first it would take me around 14 minutes to make it through, now I can do it at the pace of the video. I would highly recommend this workout to someone who wants to tone their abs.

Anyone else ever try this video before? How were your results?

stonegrody

Thanks for the info. I never thought of trying it but would definitely consider it now. I work out regularly and have made a bit of progress but my mid section is the hardest for me. I just don't focus on it enough. I may have to check this video out.

__________________

Xiangsu

I did it for quite some time and I noticed a big improvement as well. Far more effective than anything else I have tried on my abs. Even though I took a break for awhile, I am looking forward to getting back to doing it this summer.

Hain

We have to to the '8 minute abs' exercises every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for my gym class. It doesn't work when used that sparsely. So I do crunches at home. Also we have the 80's version where the guy always says "Come'on gang!" Need I explain why I hate doing 8 minute abs? But I am sure it would be better if it was done daily.

__________________

////\\// IRONSKY.NET \\//\\\\

R3d

anyone know what the seperate exercises are?

Hain

Well 80's version is:

-Sit Ups
-Left side sit ups (on back left arm to right leg)
-Right side sit ups (on back right arm to left leg)
-Lift Legs and touch toes
-Reverse Crunches [Edit, thank you Ranger]
-Left side crunches (crunches while laying on your left side)
-Right side crunches (crunches while laying on your right side)
-Push Throughs
-"Push Ups" Lay on back and push your legs to the ceiling
-And another set of crunches and an isomestric to make it 4 seconds longer than 8 minutes.

__________________

////\\// IRONSKY.NET \\//\\\\

ranger

take augi's list and change leg raises to reverse crunches. (better explanation)

also for those more advanced, do exercises 5 and 7 with your arms on the ground above your head instead of sitting on the hands.

__________________
there are three ways to do things: the right way, the wrong way, and my way, which is the wrong way faster.

LLL2

Here's an idea,How bout 7 Minute abs,and if your not happy with the 7 minute abs we will send you extra 1 minute for free.

sorry someone had to do it.

la petite moi

How many reps do you do of each?

Hain

^ I think roughly 50 seconds of each exercise (given extra time in between to reposition yourself for the exercise) except the last one only has the remaining time left.

__________________

////\\// IRONSKY.NET \\//\\\\

dman2

Sounds good. Will have to give it a try. It is so hard to stick with abs.

__________________
I have to exercise in the morning before my brain figures out what I'm doing. ~Marsha Doble

Anibal5

Some have mentioned "improvements".
It would be helpful to others if you stated those "improvements" clearly.

1. Abs "feel" tighter
2. Posture "feels" tighter
3. Looks more defined, How was it before? Have your bodyfat levels changed? Do you know your bodyfat levels?

__________________
Forgiveness is like the fragrance a flower gives after it's been stepped on.

ranger

50 seconds per exercise, actually feel the muscles when you tighten them. not too sure on burning off what covers the muscles but they do get built up underneath.

PS stronger abs = less lower back pain

__________________
there are three ways to do things: the right way, the wrong way, and my way, which is the wrong way faster.

Mondak

So what IS it? What do you do? There is some weird machine you use correct?

__________________
All truth passes through three stages:
First it is ridiculed
Second, it is violently opposed and
Third, it is accepted as self-evident.

ARTHUR SCHOPENHAUER (1788-1860)

pwrinkle

ive noticed my abs gradually gain in size, definition and surface area of my stomach (like going higher and higher towards my chest to make a six pack) over the last 8 months or so by just doing mon, wed , fri 5 sets of 30 situps (thats what i do now , but when i first started the first few months i did less reps and sets).

technique is very important
i keep my arms crossed behind my back with my hands flat on my shoulder blades with my feet flat on the ground and knees bent. when i do the situp my head only lifts like half a foot to a foot or so off the ground, i focus on bringing the front bottom part of my ribcage into my body and towards my hips, then i hold at the top for one or two seconds.

i combine this with 5 sets of pushups and pullups

Hain

If you are referring to the 8 Minute Abs, no there is no machine, it is just a video of exercises that you do while having some creepy flamer go, "Give it to me gang!"

__________________

////\\// IRONSKY.NET \\//\\\\

hossified

abs are like any other muscle.....long sets with high reps are more toning (whatever base you began with)....

if you want them to GROW, you need to add resistance...like any other muscle. short sets, few reps, high weights.....and plenty of time to recover. What take 8 months with 8 minute abs, could take 3 with heavy resistance

mokle

The problem with this is you can't spot reduce fat. If you do the 8 minute video and dont change your diet (assuming it's not a good one), you won't see good results.

Abs are like any other muscle. If you want them to be stronger, slap a 45Lb (or whatever you can handle) plate on your chest and do crunches, and no more than 3 times a week. And be smart about it, do 2 or 3 sets max with between 8 and 12 reps.

If you want more definition, lose fat. Yeah, working the abs will make them a little bigger, and thus sometimes easier to see.

Another thing to consider is that abs are genetic. Not everyone is able to get a 6 or 8 pack.

__________________
Mokle
"Your hands can't hit what your eyes can't see" -Ali

Hain

If you want something that really works your abs...
If you have a declined bench to do crunches, instead of going straight up and down crunching, tilt yourself towards one side. Tilted Crunches (no joke). It does not mean you turn into it when you rise up, I mean you bend towards that side. I lean into each one so that my elbow can almost touch, any further and I usually crack my back. I suggest doing alternating tilting crunches.

__________________

////\\// IRONSKY.NET \\//\\\\

hossified

these 'side crunches'...will work yoru obliques moreso than your abs. yes you will find definition and tightness, but it will be focussed at your sides....your core (middle of stomach), will still be 'soft'

Mondak

Ah - thanks Augi. I would think that anything you did consitantly and somewhat correctly would work. The video as something to focus on is a good tool I would think.

__________________
All truth passes through three stages:
First it is ridiculed
Second, it is violently opposed and
Third, it is accepted as self-evident.

ARTHUR SCHOPENHAUER (1788-1860)

RickB

I just bought this last week and did the stretching/arms/abs this last weekend. At the end of each 8-min segment, the guy says, "See you in 24 hours" so I take that to mean that it should be done everyday. I was definitely sore on Monday. I took a break and will start up again tonight.

TopRamen66

Bingo. The only way to show those abs is lose the fat covering them, and it is impossible to reduce fat in one spot only. Abdominals are not huge mucles, you will not see giant gains in size. Just out of curiosity, How much did this video cost?

jorgelito

What I don't get is, I am a bit underweight now (5'8" - 5'9" - 155-160ish lbs), my arms and chest are ok, reasonably toned and getting better but it still looks like I have a "bit of a paunch - no visible six pack and when relaxed, the gut hangs out a bit. I also have "bit" of love handles.

I was 191 a year ago and lost 30 lbs in one month (August-Spetember).

My "work out consists mostly of brisk walkin (1-10 miles day), 2 hours of basketball Sundays, 4 sets of push ups M, W, F. That's it. Not really sure what else to do. I'm kind of old fashioned or old school and prefer tradtional methods.

TopRamen66

Your arms and chest are looking toned because of those pushups you are doing. You say you are old fashoned, but would you be open to try a strength training routine? I think it would be very beneficial to you. You are already getting a good amount of cardiovascular exercise, but try to cross train a bit, switch things up from just walking every day, or better yet do them both!

jorgelito

Hey thanks for your reply!

What I meant by ol' fashioned was that I prefer old school work out (like the army?). I don't even know what that means, LOL!

Hmmm...like maybe calisthenics (sp?), but I don't know what that is. Just like push-ups, sit-ups etc... I would rather not go to Bally's and stuff. Maybe I'll get some barbells, dumbells or something. That way, I could put all the weights on my stomach to flatten it out! Just kidding. Yeah, I think I'll try sit-ups or the 8 minute ab thingy.

What's cross train?

TopRamen66

By cross train, I mean diversifying your exercise routine. Mabey get out on a bike, rollerblades, play some tennis or raquetball, etc. Anything you break the cycle and exercise different muscles in a different way. You will also not get bored of your exercise plan as fast, the last thing you want your workout to be is "stale"

Gyms are scary I know, but once you get over the initial shock you will learn that all those big huge scary guys in the gym respect ANYONE who is there working out. They wont care that you are curling 10 lbs weights, benching the bar only etc and most of them are actually more than happy to help you out with tips and such. I would really recomend getting at least one session with a personal trainer in your area, if only for the motivation alone. Calisthenics are exercises that use your own body weight as resistance. Good to start out with, but you really can go only so far with your own weight.

Boot camp, eh? Now thats what I'm talking about! Drop down and give me 10! 10 slow pushups that is. Start in the normal push up position, do four SLOW reps, and on the downward movement of the 5th, pause for 4 seconds right before you touch the ground and then bring youself back up. Repeat

Squat Thrusts- Heels together, drop down untill your butt almost touches your heels. Explode upwards and jump into the air.

Lunges- Start at one end of your room. Take a big step foreward and lower yourself untill your knees are both at 90 degree angles. Keep your rear foot and knee aligned. Do this all across the room, your house, up the street, as far as you can go!

Plank- Get in the pushup position(i prefer on my elbows and toes) and do...nothing! Just hold in that position with your back and legs completely straight for as long as you can!

Crunches

More pushups

Jumping Jacks

Repeat at a fast, cardiovascular pace.

Thats a couple basic exercises you can do at home anytime, no gym required but it is a poor substitute for a real strenth training session. Now put on some Slayer and get pumped up! *Mean guy with buzzcut not required, but always helpful*

Hope I answered a few of your questions.

jorgelito

Thanks man! I prefer Metallica over Slayer though!

TopRamen66

haha word. Master of Puppets rules

edmos1

TED : That's right. That's -- that's good. That's good. Unless, of course, somebody comes up with 6-Minute Abs. Then you're in trouble, huh?
[Hitchhiker convulses]
HITCHHIKER : No! No, no, not 6! I said 7. Nobody's comin' up with 6. Who works out in 6 minutes? You won't even get your heart goin, not even a mouse on a wheel.
TED : That -- good point.


sorry, could not resist. I might try 8 minute abs, but want to get overall in shape first.

ktspktsp

I downloaded the video, and I'll give it a try. I'm sure I won't last 8 minutes though, my abs have always been sort of a week spot for me. All the more reason for doing it I guess!

Blackthorn

Nicely put mokle.

The one thing that always gets me on this topic is where people feel the need to train the abs like mad which does more harm than good. If you want to show off your best mid section then exercise the entire rest of your body and clean up that diet. Lean muscle mass burns more calories at rest than does that 20 piece chicken nugget gut so pay careful attention to what you eat.

On top of that develop a nice rotating exercise plan where you mix one day of cardio followed by one day of resistance training alternating muscle groups every other session.

But then again what do I know...I'm just your average 40 year old with 8% body fat.

__________________
What are you willing to give up in order to get what you want?

boredom

There a diagram or pics of each type of situp kinda lost on the proper form on some of them.

__________________
Wiggum: Find anything this time, boys?
Cop: Uh, no sign of him, Chief.
Wiggum: Princess Opal?
Opal: I see nothing here, but I'm afraid it's splitsville for Delta
Burke and Major Dad.
Wiggum: But they seem so happy!
-- ``Bart the Murderer''

fuzzer

Anyone ever heard of or do the "Health for Life - Legendary Abs". I've used the routine in the past. It is a great workout. I wasn't able to keep with it due to injury. I am healed now and am stating the routines again. Just wondering if anyone else used it?

0energy0

Is it bad to do 100 reps of each exercise for abs? takes a friggin long time...

__________________
Is the juice worth the squeeze?

meepa

I remember trying this for awhile and I managed to really make my neck sore. I don't know what I was doing wrong, if it was my technique or if I wasn't on the proper kind of surface or what. I made as big of effort as I could to do the exercises "from the abs" and not the neck, and the majority of them were fine, but a few of them I could always feel myself straining my neck to do it. Any suggestions??

Sultana

For neck strain I'd say you were likely pulling on your neck/head, rather than stressing the core ab muscles to do the crunch work. You could try crossing your arms over your chest instead of the traditional "hands behind head" position. Lift from the shoulders and contract the "gut". Keep your back straight (shoulders and chin to the sky, not to your knees). Don't be flinging yourself up, make it a slower but more controlled movement. Yes, it is harder that way.

I have to chime in with a note about how important it is to strengthen the back muscles too. It's not uncommon for folks heck-bent on defined abs to neglect the back, which can lead to back pain! Don't focus on just one side of the body, my friends.

Also, highly-defined abs = tight muscles. The physical ideal is to be limber *and* strong. OK, so it's my physical ideal, heh. Don't neglect the stretching!

And jorgelito, I'd recommend hiring a personal trainer. A good one will show you what to do without depending on a gym, etc. It can be an expense, but you will save time (that most precious of all commodities), effort, possibly prevent injury, etc. Shouldn't take more than a few weeks/sessions to get started on the right track.

__________________
"Love is a snowmobile racing across the tundra and then suddenly it flips over, pinning you underneath.
At night, the ice weasels come." -

Matt Groening

My goal? To fulfill my potential.

agk

I have the whole set for the 8 min workout. it's great, fast and effective.

Catmandu

Wow! I wore out a 8-min Abs tape, so now I have the DVD. I used the tape approx 350 days a year for 6 years. Some changes I've made to the routine:
1. never clamp the hands behind the head; it's better to cup your ears or cross the arms over your chest;
2. the 2nd to last exercise, where we alternate legs, I speed up and clench my abs.

I have 2 bad discs in my low back, and have found that when I regularly do this routine (approx 5 days per week, at 4a.m. after stretching), my back feels loose and stable and mostly pain free. It does a very good job of hitting all of the core abdominal muscles.

Zesty

abs are made in the kitchen