Ab exercise selection
- Thread starter ratty
- Start date
I don't really do ab work right now because I'm too fat to see my abs but I used to do cable ball crunches. Those ball crunches were the only ab exercise that caused me to feel any tension in my abs.
Whilst I think it's probably a good idea to do some assistance work for abs – like weighted sit-ups, hanging leg raises and heavy side-bends – I really don't think you need to worry about them too much if you are training with heavy loads for your main compound lifts. Abs play an important role as support muscles for your torso and get worked hard isometrically during deads and squats. If you can squat and deadlift 2 x bw or over you will have some pretty strong abs.
If you want to see your abs then you are going to have to diet away any fat that's concealing them.
If you want to see your abs then you are going to have to diet away any fat that's concealing them.
My gym does not currently have the right setup for this but nothing, and mean NOTHING has ever hit my abs as hard as incline weighted crunches. The incline means you're under load 100% of the time and with a 25lb plate behind your head you will feel these for days. Right now I'm doing leg raises with incremental rep increases every other day. I'm up to 3 sets of 20 right now and they work well. I'm just coming off a bulk phase so I'm carrying around a little more fat than usual, maybe 18%? and I can see my abs better than when I was at lower BF. I think a combo of the 2 would be best. One movement where you're bringing your legs up (leg raises) and one movement where you're bringing your torso up (incline crunches)
I do weighted sit-ups on the ground with no foot support as I found this is harder then having my feet under something. I've found that this has made my abs stronger than any other exercise.
The only problem I've found is that my abs seem to actually be getting bigger and coming out more which sucks because since I'm at about 15% - 18% bodyfat, it just makes my stomach stick out more. Anyone else have this problem when working out abs with HST?
I'm thinking of switching to these, http://exrx.net/WeightExercises/RectusAbdominis/CBKneelingCrunch.html since the dumbbells I use to do sit-ups with are starting to hurt my shoulders because they are getting big. Very uncomfortable.
The only problem I've found is that my abs seem to actually be getting bigger and coming out more which sucks because since I'm at about 15% - 18% bodyfat, it just makes my stomach stick out more. Anyone else have this problem when working out abs with HST?
I'm thinking of switching to these, http://exrx.net/WeightExercises/RectusAbdominis/CBKneelingCrunch.html since the dumbbells I use to do sit-ups with are starting to hurt my shoulders because they are getting big. Very uncomfortable.
QuantumPositron
New Member
Pavel Tastouille (SP?) published an ab exercise I like very much. You need a partner or a special apparatus to do it. It was developed by someone with a doctorate and lots of credentials out of Europe. The technique is to get into a crunch position and have someone or something hold on to your calves. Now clench your glutes and press your legs into your partner's hands while executing a crunch. What's happening is this: When you push your legs down you activate your hamstrings and glutes. These are the antagonist muscles to the deep hip flexors that you activate during a situp. Because the activation of an antagonist disables the agonist, the deep hip flexors relax when you push your legs down. This leaves the rectus abdominis to do the work, and boy does it work. This version of a crunch/situp is truly the isolation exercise for the abs. I've done cable crunches, incline situps, weighted situps, etc. This is the king. It has a specific name that I cannot recall. Google "Pavel" and "situp" or "crunch" and you'll likely find it.