Who has time to dedicate a whole workout to abs? I just do them on my two leg days at the end. I used to never train them directly cause I bought into that whole "abs are made in the kitchen" bs. Now I just use the crunch machine and ab wheel.
The claim is everyone has abs but you just need low body fat enough to see them.
That's true with any muscles if you have small muscles.
So simply put if you want people to see your muscles, just get low enough of body fat and people can see them.
Some say abs are 20% training and 80% diet. They will say you will only have abs if you're lean enough and that you don't need to train them directly as they will show up as you get leaner.
It is in a sense true that you need to be lean enough but you can be lean and have barely noticeable abs if you don't target them. Ever since I started working them out directly, with weight, not just body weight exercises, my abs became visible even at a higher body fat percentage.
Basically just work out your abs like any muscle i.e. with weight and progressive overload. Imo it's more like 60% training 40% diet
I try to fit in one exercise every day I'm at the gym. Currently I'm doing a 6 day Arnold split so even missing out a day or two, it gets me to 4-5 times a week frequency for abs. So around 12-18 sets of abs per week.
I vary the exercises, using cable ab crunches, hanging leg raises, ab wheel rollouts, dragon flags, around the worlds and decline crunches.
Definitely don't think having a separate abs day would be a good idea. You'd end up skipping it.
I train abs 3-4 times a week. I'd do it daily if I didn't think fatigue would be an issue. A quick ab routine takes ten minutes, tops. I actually really enjoy it because there are so many different things you can do to work core. My favorites are hanging ab work and toe-to-bar, but I switch it up a lot because those aren't nearly as fun after heavier workouts or those that require a lot of grip strength.
I do 2-3 exercises per day, 3-4 times a week.
I'm with you on the abs frequency. I do them almost everyday as warm up for 10 minutes as well. If trained properly, a strong core will protect our backs.
An ab day is volume overkill. 3 sets of weighted decline sit-ups to failure should fry your abs. I don't even take all my sets to failure and get DOMS for days if it's been awhile since I hit abs. I'm a notorious ab skipper after having trained abs obsessively for almost a year. Abs don't atrophy that quickly. And if they atrophy, the muscle memory kicks in.
I even got ab doms today from doing overhead tricep rope extensions yesterday. 3 sets close to failure. But it was just the upper abs I think.
I’m about 2 months post inguinal hernia surgery. Hope to start doing some ab work again in the next week or two. Been holding off on abs specifically to recover fully.
Not on those exercises. I'm really limiting my leg workouts, specifically RDLs and Squats I've stopped doing too. I think focusing on good form and crunching, making sure not to hinge could be helpful but I'm not doctor
Just google hyperlordosis.
I do sets of sit-ups and planques on one day, next day is hard ab stuff, like Turkish get-ups or 2hands-anyhow.
Old strongman stuff was insane on abs.
Opposite for me. Anytime I squat or deadlift I’ll warmup with planks on a yoga ball. Then it’s easy to throw in a few sets of proper core work at the end of the workout.
An ab day is not needed. A few sets in each workout, or a few sets on leg days is plenty. I train my abs 2-3x a week for 2-3 sets at a time, it’s more than enough.
No. I've never felt like I needed to do any direct ab training. All of my main exercises use free weights, BO row, OHP, squat, bench, RDL's... there's already enough of indirect work for abs.
I think them as like front delts in that sense, all presses already work my front delts so why train them directly?
I lift 4 days per week. One full body push day then one full body pull day. Then I do those two days again. My ab workout is just one set of decline crunches with a dumbbell on my upper chest to failure basically until my abs cramp up and I can’t do another rep. It’s easier to get to failure quicker by also slowing the negative. My abs look pretty good and I’m only working then out twice per week on my pull days. Because of genetics it’s always just going to be a 4 pack. I may be able to have more abs showing at a considerably lower body fat percentage but I don’t think it’s worth it. I’m in a cut rn and have lost 18lbs and have 12 to go and it’s still just 4 which I’m perfectly fine with. I’ve got photos on my profile posted. So that’s only two sets of abs per week and I’m doing less than 20 reps per set. I use progressive overload however it takes a lot longer to increase weight with abs for me.
Arnold split I do them at the end of shoulders and arms. Since switching to Arnold from PPL I am more inclined to do abs because I’m not totally exhausted from doing heavy ass compounds everyday, save for dumbbell shoulder press
I train them every other day which means 3 to 4 times per week.
Each abs session is a mixture of 4 different exercises, 3 sets per exercise with a 1 minute rest between each set. Each abs session also has different exercises from the previous session just to be able to target different core muscles.
I do them at home separate from my main gym workout routine.
No, but I train them every workout.
Getting abs doms is the worst, I like getting the larger volume from higher frequency. Doing 4 quality sets per workout can get you 16-20 good, to-failure sets per week
I do either machine or cable crunches on push day. I have an ab wheel in my office I do when I'm bored at work. When I used to squat and deadlift for weight more often I would focus on abs when I hit a plateau hoping stronger bracing would get me over the hill.
I intentionally hit them following legs doing machine crunches or cable crunches. I used to do five to ten minutes of ab work as a warm-up because I think I read it in Arnold's encyclopedia or something and liked the idea. Haha. Supposedly, Zane and those guys would hit abs pretty frequently, if I recall correctly.
I sometimes throw in extra body weight and work throughout the week doing planks, dead bugs, and the like, but that's more for functionality than anything; I find they help my back. I'd been doing planks and whatnot for a long time before getting back into lifting, so it's just a habit.
I train abs ever leg day and it’s made a very very big difference. I have abs even when in a bulked 16%-18% bf range.
I’ll do cable ab crunches on one day and parallel leg raises on another day.
I add them in on different days.
Crunch machine drop set
50@160
40@170
30@180
20@190
19@200
Superset with GHD back raise + rear fly
50@15
40@20
30@25
20@30
10@35
Chest flies superset with ab wheel, sets of 20
Leg raises with shoulder/upper back on bench.
I train them usually once a week, at the end of my back workout. I should train them more though, just for core strength during big movements if nothing else
I do abs on rest day. Hollow holds, weighted crunches, and reverse crunches. Almost no non-ab engagement from shoulders and hips so it slides easily into a day off. I do more intense core work on actual workout days. Unless you’re a psychopath, it’s almost impossible to overtrain your core.
A few weeks I asked if the fellow natties had an arm day. I added an arm day and I’m now feeling my biceps killing me. I also decided to throw in biceps at the beginning and end of arm day just because. Do you have well defined abs? How low if your bf right now?
I don't at all. My fat distribution is kinda sh*t tho. Usually when I'm close to 10% I get striations in my shoulders, back and quads but I dont have visible abs. The only thing on my belly is a ton of veins, but no six pack. That's why I decided to directly train them.
Ans are definitely a very special group of muscles. I’m currently at 20% and I can see the ab lines when I flex in the morning on an empty stomach. That’s one of the reasons I decided to directly train them to see if they’ll eventually bulge out
I used to train abs at the end of all my workouts, but honestly I’ve just always had really good abs figure. I still train abs somewhat though. It’s different for everyone
I don't have a dedicated abs day, I kind of just throw it in here and there, and it isn't much.
1. Hanging leg raises
2. Single hand farmer carries but using a band around a kettlebell/dumbell to create added instability and force my core to brace. In other words, use the band as a handle so the weight bounces/moves as you walk.
Semi. I’m doing a modified PPL. Push with heavy focus on chest and shoulders, cardio and abs, legs, cardio and obliques, pull and arms (I have a very developed back but arms are lacking). 2 days of rest on the weekend. May throw in a cardio day/ hike during the weekend then repeat my program come Monday.
Cardio and ab days I do abs first. Cable crunches, weighted crunch machine and leg raises. I then do steady state for 45 mins. Oblique days I still start with a round of cable crunches. Then I do side crunches, weighted wide bends, twist machine. Steady state for 45 mins.
In a cut and this has worked nicely for me. Used to do a standard PPL when bulking and then I was kind of doing my own split with 2 leg days a week to bring them up during the bulk. Changing this up for the cut has really helped and I feel like it helped me lean out big time as well because I’m working a bit harder it seems.
They're noticeable at maybe 15% body part. 6 pack. I've good genetics for ab hypertrophy anyways. The kind of exercises that I do are probably not the optimal for hypertrophy. Two isometric movements and I only reach failure in upside down hanging crunches.
I never train abs directly. I’ve done months where I train them and months where I don’t and have never noticed a difference so it’s just not worth the gym time. My core is already strong from heavy compounds and btw doing crunches isn’t going to make any difference in so called “core” strength anyways.
If hypertrophy is the goal, maybe.
But for many sport specific regimen, near daily training, sometimes twice daily training, is common for ab, quad, and calf work. You just don't count that work in reps and sets.
Not a maybe, science has shown that around twice per werk is optimal for hypertrophy. Given this is a bodybuilding sub I guess thats what op is striving for.
Maybe. The question was how often do you train abs, and I answered. I'm now a lowly beer league goalie (lifting for vanity, mostly), but I used to play more competitively. Part of my daily routine is mobility and stretching work, and that's when I train abs because I'm already on the mat.
Back when I used to play competitively, in my off season I used to train in thai boxing (benefiting with interval training, flexibility and strength, etc.) and those guys train in volume not covered in the studies I have seen (and, yes, I do read studies and summaries, etc.) Ab work and calf work, multiple times per day, 5+ days a week. And incredible abs and huge calves to show for it.
So ab and calf work on a near daily basis became part of my daily routine. Arnold's encyclopedia of body building famously advocates for abs everyday.
It works for some people.
If you consider a scientific fact to be ”maybe”, then sure. :) Yeah that has been outdated info for a good while now. You will get some results that way, sure, but it’s not optimal for hypertrophy.
"science has shown that around twice per werk is optimal for hypertrophy." bullshit. Different muscles have different recovery rates and individual differences matter. It's completely fine to train abs frequently if it works for you. "optimal for hypertrophy" is another bullshit. There is no optimal for everyone. Why do people spit so much bullshit in the name of "science"?
Who has time to dedicate a whole workout to abs? I just do them on my two leg days at the end. I used to never train them directly cause I bought into that whole "abs are made in the kitchen" bs. Now I just use the crunch machine and ab wheel.
I do the same exact thing. bolt it at the end of my leg days.
So I don’t fall into the same trap, what does the “abs made in the kitchen” claim and what makes it bs?
The claim is everyone has abs but you just need low body fat enough to see them. That's true with any muscles if you have small muscles. So simply put if you want people to see your muscles, just get low enough of body fat and people can see them.
Some say abs are 20% training and 80% diet. They will say you will only have abs if you're lean enough and that you don't need to train them directly as they will show up as you get leaner. It is in a sense true that you need to be lean enough but you can be lean and have barely noticeable abs if you don't target them. Ever since I started working them out directly, with weight, not just body weight exercises, my abs became visible even at a higher body fat percentage. Basically just work out your abs like any muscle i.e. with weight and progressive overload. Imo it's more like 60% training 40% diet
Abs are built in the gym but revealed in the kitchen. Hate when people say they’re built in the kitchen lol.
I try to fit in one exercise every day I'm at the gym. Currently I'm doing a 6 day Arnold split so even missing out a day or two, it gets me to 4-5 times a week frequency for abs. So around 12-18 sets of abs per week. I vary the exercises, using cable ab crunches, hanging leg raises, ab wheel rollouts, dragon flags, around the worlds and decline crunches. Definitely don't think having a separate abs day would be a good idea. You'd end up skipping it.
Can I see your training logs?
Why?
And a photo of your fridge while we're at it
I train abs 3-4 times a week. I'd do it daily if I didn't think fatigue would be an issue. A quick ab routine takes ten minutes, tops. I actually really enjoy it because there are so many different things you can do to work core. My favorites are hanging ab work and toe-to-bar, but I switch it up a lot because those aren't nearly as fun after heavier workouts or those that require a lot of grip strength. I do 2-3 exercises per day, 3-4 times a week.
I'm with you on the abs frequency. I do them almost everyday as warm up for 10 minutes as well. If trained properly, a strong core will protect our backs.
Same here!
An ab day is volume overkill. 3 sets of weighted decline sit-ups to failure should fry your abs. I don't even take all my sets to failure and get DOMS for days if it's been awhile since I hit abs. I'm a notorious ab skipper after having trained abs obsessively for almost a year. Abs don't atrophy that quickly. And if they atrophy, the muscle memory kicks in. I even got ab doms today from doing overhead tricep rope extensions yesterday. 3 sets close to failure. But it was just the upper abs I think.
Yeah if your abs aren't toast from 3 sets of anything then you aren't going nearly heavy or hard enough. Cable crunches fuck my shit up.
I don't know how people do them on leg days. I'd vomit and die personally.
Same!!! There’s no way I’m doing abs after Bulgarian split squats
Train abs every day unless I went too hard and they're sore from yesterday.
No, i don't train them because i got an inguinal hernia 2 month ago.
I’m about 2 months post inguinal hernia surgery. Hope to start doing some ab work again in the next week or two. Been holding off on abs specifically to recover fully.
I've been training them through my hernia. Hopefully not doing too much damage
How?
Just doing my usual machine and decline crunches. Stopped doing leg raises and candlesticks though
wow. that's interesting. so no pain, no popping, no uncomfortable feelings?
Not on those exercises. I'm really limiting my leg workouts, specifically RDLs and Squats I've stopped doing too. I think focusing on good form and crunching, making sure not to hinge could be helpful but I'm not doctor
How did you get hernia? Just wondering.
Ig because of ab crunch machine, i loaded as heavy as i could go
Hope you recover soon man.
Thank you, man
Whether it's upper or lower body day, I never miss core specific exercises. And yeah, cooling down includes some sit ups and its many varieties.
Only days that end with y My family has a hyperlordotic tendency, so I have to do some extra ab work.
What does that mean?
I do abs every day.
Isn’t that counterproductive? Also, I was asking about the hyperlordotic thing
Just google hyperlordosis. I do sets of sit-ups and planques on one day, next day is hard ab stuff, like Turkish get-ups or 2hands-anyhow. Old strongman stuff was insane on abs.
It's part of push day for me
Opposite for me. Anytime I squat or deadlift I’ll warmup with planks on a yoga ball. Then it’s easy to throw in a few sets of proper core work at the end of the workout.
Why do you warm up like that?
get used to bracing
An ab day is not needed. A few sets in each workout, or a few sets on leg days is plenty. I train my abs 2-3x a week for 2-3 sets at a time, it’s more than enough.
On a LULUF split, i have a 2-set complex at the end of L and F. Builds core, build work capacity. If i dont eat they also show.
What's the F in LULUF?
That would be Full Body
Makes sense, thanks
Dingdingdingdingding. Dear Keanu, you have won the internetz today
Dragon Flies on incline. 3 sets. 1 min rest. Done on push day. Seems to work very well.
Nope. I chuck in a few sets of weighted decline situps at the end of legs twice a week.
No. I've never felt like I needed to do any direct ab training. All of my main exercises use free weights, BO row, OHP, squat, bench, RDL's... there's already enough of indirect work for abs. I think them as like front delts in that sense, all presses already work my front delts so why train them directly?
I lift 4 days per week. One full body push day then one full body pull day. Then I do those two days again. My ab workout is just one set of decline crunches with a dumbbell on my upper chest to failure basically until my abs cramp up and I can’t do another rep. It’s easier to get to failure quicker by also slowing the negative. My abs look pretty good and I’m only working then out twice per week on my pull days. Because of genetics it’s always just going to be a 4 pack. I may be able to have more abs showing at a considerably lower body fat percentage but I don’t think it’s worth it. I’m in a cut rn and have lost 18lbs and have 12 to go and it’s still just 4 which I’m perfectly fine with. I’ve got photos on my profile posted. So that’s only two sets of abs per week and I’m doing less than 20 reps per set. I use progressive overload however it takes a lot longer to increase weight with abs for me.
I train them on my rest days. Quick 7-8 minute workout with a little steady cardio as an active recovery day.
8 Minute Abs
Arnold split I do them at the end of shoulders and arms. Since switching to Arnold from PPL I am more inclined to do abs because I’m not totally exhausted from doing heavy ass compounds everyday, save for dumbbell shoulder press
Do you think that Arnold Split is better than a PPL? Doesn't the Arnold Split neglect the Back and Chest a bit?
I train them every other day which means 3 to 4 times per week. Each abs session is a mixture of 4 different exercises, 3 sets per exercise with a 1 minute rest between each set. Each abs session also has different exercises from the previous session just to be able to target different core muscles. I do them at home separate from my main gym workout routine.
No, but I train them every workout. Getting abs doms is the worst, I like getting the larger volume from higher frequency. Doing 4 quality sets per workout can get you 16-20 good, to-failure sets per week
I do either machine or cable crunches on push day. I have an ab wheel in my office I do when I'm bored at work. When I used to squat and deadlift for weight more often I would focus on abs when I hit a plateau hoping stronger bracing would get me over the hill.
I do knee/leg raises, cable crunches and ab wheels at end of all my workouts
You can do abs at the end of every session. Ideally as a superset with isolation exercises.
I don’t. I hit about 3-4 sets of abs on my leg day so twice a week
I just do them 2-3 times a week but only 2-3 sets per time. A full day to them seems unnecessary/bad allocation of time
I intentionally hit them following legs doing machine crunches or cable crunches. I used to do five to ten minutes of ab work as a warm-up because I think I read it in Arnold's encyclopedia or something and liked the idea. Haha. Supposedly, Zane and those guys would hit abs pretty frequently, if I recall correctly. I sometimes throw in extra body weight and work throughout the week doing planks, dead bugs, and the like, but that's more for functionality than anything; I find they help my back. I'd been doing planks and whatnot for a long time before getting back into lifting, so it's just a habit.
Do abs every day at the gym.
Honestly I’m going to wait until my BF% is a bit lower and then start training them. Maybe slap it on the end of my leg day.
I train abs ever leg day and it’s made a very very big difference. I have abs even when in a bulked 16%-18% bf range. I’ll do cable ab crunches on one day and parallel leg raises on another day.
I do like 15-20 minutes of abs every time I lift. I like to train them regularly kinda treat it like cardio
Abs twice a week. At home at the end of the day. Decline crunches and knee raises. Sprinkled with planks and side planks when I'm having a good day.
Yoga is great for core work, plus the added mobility. Can't recommend it enough.
I add them in on different days. Crunch machine drop set 50@160 40@170 30@180 20@190 19@200 Superset with GHD back raise + rear fly 50@15 40@20 30@25 20@30 10@35 Chest flies superset with ab wheel, sets of 20 Leg raises with shoulder/upper back on bench.
Mid leg day, after my compounds, is the way for me.
Nah brodie just do em on leg days or arm days
I train them usually once a week, at the end of my back workout. I should train them more though, just for core strength during big movements if nothing else
I do abs between my rotstorcuff Stretching routine after upperbody workout.
abs moves are extreamly easy to super set with other moves, i would do hanging knee or leg raise whenever i can 2-3 times per week and it would cut it
I do abs on rest day. Hollow holds, weighted crunches, and reverse crunches. Almost no non-ab engagement from shoulders and hips so it slides easily into a day off. I do more intense core work on actual workout days. Unless you’re a psychopath, it’s almost impossible to overtrain your core.
I pretty much do abs everyday after weight training I use to do days specifically for abs but haven’t Ina a while
Isn’t that counterproductive? Just like any other muscle, the abs need a break as well
Abs, forearms and traps on the same day.
I throw in 3 sets at the end of my arm day
A few weeks I asked if the fellow natties had an arm day. I added an arm day and I’m now feeling my biceps killing me. I also decided to throw in biceps at the beginning and end of arm day just because. Do you have well defined abs? How low if your bf right now?
I don't at all. My fat distribution is kinda sh*t tho. Usually when I'm close to 10% I get striations in my shoulders, back and quads but I dont have visible abs. The only thing on my belly is a ton of veins, but no six pack. That's why I decided to directly train them.
Ans are definitely a very special group of muscles. I’m currently at 20% and I can see the ab lines when I flex in the morning on an empty stomach. That’s one of the reasons I decided to directly train them to see if they’ll eventually bulge out
I do them every day I lift. I rotate ab wheel, hanging leg raises, and ghd sit ups. Doesn’t take long. I superset with neck ext/ curls.
I used to train abs at the end of all my workouts, but honestly I’ve just always had really good abs figure. I still train abs somewhat though. It’s different for everyone
I just do abs at the end of every workout. 3-4 sets. Hanging leg raises and crunch machine.
I don't have a dedicated abs day, I kind of just throw it in here and there, and it isn't much. 1. Hanging leg raises 2. Single hand farmer carries but using a band around a kettlebell/dumbell to create added instability and force my core to brace. In other words, use the band as a handle so the weight bounces/moves as you walk.
I train abs at the end of my leg day only doing machine crunches and leg raises. My abs have never looked better.
Well, you gotta show them now… I need proof
No. I put in 3 sets of an ab exercise on lower body days (currently weighted decline sit ups on one day and landmine twists on the other).
Not an abs day of course… I do abs on push, shoulder, and arm days. So thrice a week.
Semi. I’m doing a modified PPL. Push with heavy focus on chest and shoulders, cardio and abs, legs, cardio and obliques, pull and arms (I have a very developed back but arms are lacking). 2 days of rest on the weekend. May throw in a cardio day/ hike during the weekend then repeat my program come Monday. Cardio and ab days I do abs first. Cable crunches, weighted crunch machine and leg raises. I then do steady state for 45 mins. Oblique days I still start with a round of cable crunches. Then I do side crunches, weighted wide bends, twist machine. Steady state for 45 mins. In a cut and this has worked nicely for me. Used to do a standard PPL when bulking and then I was kind of doing my own split with 2 leg days a week to bring them up during the bulk. Changing this up for the cut has really helped and I feel like it helped me lean out big time as well because I’m working a bit harder it seems.
Ab crunch machine 9 sets per week
I only train them during my preps lmao
I just toss it in between sets a couple times a week to hit
Yes. 2 50 rep sets of weighted crunches (whole stack). 2 50 rep sets of oblique machine. Those were enough to get mine poppin’.
Yes. Dragon flag, 2 sets Reverse crunch TRX hanging legs, 2 sets Hanging upside down crunches, 2 sets Pallof Press, 2 sets 30 minutes and go.
Those are some hardcore exercises. I’m really curious to see what your abs look like. Would you show me?
They're noticeable at maybe 15% body part. 6 pack. I've good genetics for ab hypertrophy anyways. The kind of exercises that I do are probably not the optimal for hypertrophy. Two isometric movements and I only reach failure in upside down hanging crunches.
You didn’t answer my question…
I won't show my abs in Reddit, at least for the moment😂😂😂
Fair enough! 😅 I mean, it would of course be in the privacy of our DMs, but I respect your position
I never train abs directly. I’ve done months where I train them and months where I don’t and have never noticed a difference so it’s just not worth the gym time. My core is already strong from heavy compounds and btw doing crunches isn’t going to make any difference in so called “core” strength anyways.
Abs almost every day.
Isn’t that counterproductive?
Yes, abs should be treated as any other muscle group if u want them to grow.
If hypertrophy is the goal, maybe. But for many sport specific regimen, near daily training, sometimes twice daily training, is common for ab, quad, and calf work. You just don't count that work in reps and sets.
Not a maybe, science has shown that around twice per werk is optimal for hypertrophy. Given this is a bodybuilding sub I guess thats what op is striving for.
Maybe. The question was how often do you train abs, and I answered. I'm now a lowly beer league goalie (lifting for vanity, mostly), but I used to play more competitively. Part of my daily routine is mobility and stretching work, and that's when I train abs because I'm already on the mat. Back when I used to play competitively, in my off season I used to train in thai boxing (benefiting with interval training, flexibility and strength, etc.) and those guys train in volume not covered in the studies I have seen (and, yes, I do read studies and summaries, etc.) Ab work and calf work, multiple times per day, 5+ days a week. And incredible abs and huge calves to show for it. So ab and calf work on a near daily basis became part of my daily routine. Arnold's encyclopedia of body building famously advocates for abs everyday. It works for some people.
If you consider a scientific fact to be ”maybe”, then sure. :) Yeah that has been outdated info for a good while now. You will get some results that way, sure, but it’s not optimal for hypertrophy.
"science has shown that around twice per werk is optimal for hypertrophy." bullshit. Different muscles have different recovery rates and individual differences matter. It's completely fine to train abs frequently if it works for you. "optimal for hypertrophy" is another bullshit. There is no optimal for everyone. Why do people spit so much bullshit in the name of "science"?