Hardknock

I need some advice on ab workouts...

What's the best way to get you abs to really show up? I've been working on mine for the last few months and I've been trying to get them to really show but to no avail. Any tips of exercise routines or certain exercises that I can do to get them to really show?

I'd appreciate any help or points in the right direction. Thanks.

stevie667

What kind of exercise program have you been using? Machines, crunches, weights?

Low bodyfat is the key to abs showing at the end of the day. For that Cardo + calorie defecit diet.

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skier

I'd like to add a question to this ab thread-

Will isometric exercises during the day for your abs (basically clenching and holding) get me any results or will I just be wasting my time?

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stevie667

You'll get yourself some strong abs with a high fatigue threshhold, but not much size wise.

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st33lr4t

try flexing your bicep all day long and tell me how big your guns get in a couple of months

st33lr4t

Ilow

yeah, low bodyfat is key, I would say less than 12% or better would be ideal, but not everyone is really going to get the 8pack, even with a low bf%, you would need weights to develop the muscles to accentuate them ( I like medicine ball tosses on an incline bench). Also, yes you will gain some benefit from isometric type exercises, try sucking in your stomach trying to touch your belly button to your back and hold it, repeat.

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jorgelito

But how do you balance that with working on arms and chest simultaneously?

If I'm trying to "bulk" up a tiny bit on arms and chest, but trying to "reduce" the fat around my stomach (I know you can't spot reduce) what's the best combo of cardio and muscle gain/build? I have a good diet already, I'm just trying to reconcile these two seemingly contradictory methods or philosophies.

Ilow

First off, you can work your abs several times a week, they are very resiliant and don't require the recovery that many of the other groups require. You can keep your regular diet if it is working for you, just calculate the extra calories you will be burning doing cardio and lifting to maintain a small defecit (maybe2-300cal). Continue your normal lifting routine for arms chest etc. Do cardio at least 3 days a week, 4-5 is optimal for a good half hour plus at a time.

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jorgelito

Cool thanks, I will give it a try.

Hardknock

I've mainly been using machines. I've also been doing a lot of cardio work such as treadmills to keep the body fat ratio down as much as possible. I've been looking for a good exercise regimen that works for my but haven’t found the right balance yet. Any suggestions are appreciated.

stevie667

I like approaching my abs the same was as i do every other muscle in my body, heavy weights low reps once a week.
It's taking a while to fill out my ribcage (i have a very big bone structure, i'll still look like a twig at 220 most likely), but my abs are damned strong. They've never given up on me during heavy lifts and compound exercises and look much 'thicker' than when i've just done normal bodyweight exercises.

Go heavy with your exercise regime is my advice.

Do you heavy compound weight lifting (e.g. squats, deadlifts, bench press e.t.c:?) as those will give you nice abs very quickly.

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jorgelito

But isn't the challenge to reduce the fat, and even harder the fat "around the middle"? Especially when trying to bulk up and lose fat at the same time.

hossified

best advise I can give is:

......abs are made in the kitchen...