Abs/Core workouts

C

colby2152

New Member
Next cycle, I plan on training my core using non-HST principals. I want to train my obliques, abs, hip flexors, and lower back in a short pre-lifting workout. I once tried the Australian method to a washboard tummy, and well that was too complicated.

It is either this:
Lever Crunches
Hyperextensions
Obliques (on machine)
Broomstick Twists OR DB Side Bends
Incline Crunches

OR Something you guys suggest..
 
from my experience.

i do not like to do ab/core work before my w/o. fatigued abs and low back effect my lifts too much, especially the big compounds when going heavy, which is the main reason im in the gym.
after my w/o is usually do-able but energy and motivation are usually at their lowest so that can be a problem as well.

this is my approach, take it for what its worth.
i do about 3-5 weeks of "hard core" ab training with 1-2 exer each for trunk stability, strength and endurance at the end of my w/o. i find this type of training effective yet it "gets old" very quick especially after a w/o. this is why i go only 3-5 weeks. after this i just do 1-2 of the exer (diff each w/o) at the end of each w/o (3x a week) for the remainder or the cycle and many times thru the next cycle. i begin the process over again with the 3rd cycle. ive found the carry over ab strength pretty good considering im not doing 15-20 minutes worth of ab work each w/o.

down side is its easy to "coast" on the easy ab sched. for too long since it gets you out of the gym quicker and you do have to re-motivate yourself to hit it hard again. ive found that when work like this (abs, calves, forearms etc) gets too involved for too long the main body of work starts to suffer sooner that it normally would.

btw, its easier to get motivated for ab work when cutting since your flexing, measuring, obsessing over your mid section the whole time. ab work is just as effective when bulking but since your not planning on seeing the fruits of your labor its easier to pass on the work.

im not familiar with the australian method.

hopefully others have some ideas as well
good luck
 
Bluejacket, you had some good tips. I don't think I will be too fatigued to go onto my big lifts, plus the core workout is a good warmup for when I don't do cardio (which I barely ever do). I don't think I will get bored with the routine. I am cutting for a while too, which gives me that extra motivation. A way to counter the possible boring core workout is to alternate it. Here's a possible split routine:

A:
Incline Crunches
Obliques (machine)
Back Extension (machine)

B:
Hyperextensions
DB Side Bends
Pulley Crunches
 
My advice is train the abs like any other muscle:

Ie. Progressive Load

I know people who do 200+ crunches a day, that's the same as doing 200 bicep curls or 200 bodyweight squats. Sure it'll burn, but will it make the muscle grow?

A well defined "toned" is the result of 2 things, large muscle size, and low subcutaneous body fat.

I do weighted ab crunches, reverse crunchs and oblique curls for my ab routine, progressively using heavier plates. I have increased my abdominal strength heaps, and it has improved my posture and made my stomach "tighter". I do about 10 reps for each, so much for 200+ crunches a day or 50 million ab exercises.

My cutting is another story, haven't got my diet dialed in properly, but when I get my BF% down to a low enough level (8-10%), I'll have big, strong abs to show through.

Repeat: the abs are a muscle like any other muscle, train them the same.
 
I do not want to train it like HST, but I will use a slower progressive load starting from high weight like strength training and HIT. I also want to do sets of different reps like HIT. I don't want it to get too complicated and get in the way of my HST workout. As I said, it's something different than doing pulley crunches HST style for the past year and a half.
 
Don't neglect the ol' vacuum and throw in a stretch for the psoas/piriformis/multifidis: balance is the key to a good looking, functional six-pack. An overly tight set of abs is setting you up for back pain and posture problems (tilted pelvis)
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advice taken from a qualified physio was do some core work first before lifting,it gets the stabaliser muscles warmed up a ready for the heavy lifts,planks,crunches,hypers,and reverse hypers.
 
<div>
(Peak_Power @ Mar. 07 2007,21:45)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">My advice is train the abs like any other muscle:

Ie. Progressive Load

I know people who do 200+ crunches a day, that's the same as doing 200 bicep curls or 200 bodyweight squats. Sure it'll burn, but will it make the muscle grow?

A well defined &quot;toned&quot; is the result of 2 things, large muscle size, and low subcutaneous body fat.

I do weighted ab crunches, reverse crunchs and oblique curls for my ab routine, progressively using heavier plates. I have increased my abdominal strength heaps, and it has improved my posture and made my stomach &quot;tighter&quot;. I do about 10 reps for each, so much for 200+ crunches a day or 50 million ab exercises.

My cutting is another story, haven't got my diet dialed in properly, but when I get my BF% down to a low enough level (8-10%), I'll have big, strong abs to show through.

Repeat: the abs are a muscle like any other muscle, train them the same.</div>
Peak was your total reps for abs if you are using progressive load and 10 reps?
 
I am with Carl on this. I have completely stopped doing any form of ab-specific work.

Is this a good thing or bad thing?
 
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(the_dark_master @ Mar. 08 2007,05:56)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">An overly tight set of abs is setting you up for back pain and posture problems (tilted pelvis)
smile.gif
</div>
Can you show me a reference for that? I just recenty discovered that my tilted pelvis was caused by NOT doing abwork or glutes, yet the back muscles were being used (strengthened) from work...pulling the rear of the pelvis us and weak abs allowing the front of it to drop...over time.
The cure for a tilted pelvis? Abwork and glutes. Check it out if you don't believe me.
 
Ergoscue/I.P. Rolf et al. - you don't need references though, as that quote was taken out of context: balance is the key to a good looking, functional six-pack.

Cure? Where's the f'kin reference for that?!
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<div>
(faz @ Mar. 08 2007,06:41)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">advice taken from a qualified physio was do some core work first before lifting,it gets the stabaliser muscles warmed up a ready for the heavy lifts,planks,crunches,hypers,and reverse hypers.</div>
This is why I want to do this core workout as a warmup before my exercises!
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<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">My Abdominal work....barbell squats, standing overhead presses, weighted chin-ups. </div>

I hear you Carl, Chins are the best non-abs targeting exercise for the muscle group.

<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">An overly tight set of abs is setting you up for back pain and posture problems (tilted pelvis)
smile.gif
</div>

I thought of it as more of the opposite, lack of strength in the abdominal region will put strain on your lower back and give you posture problems. I had this very problem after my appendectomy in the fall. Beyond my back, my groin felt extra tension too which wasn't the most comfortable thing.
 
&quot;Cure&quot; is, as you imply, a buzzword, I admit.
Re-plugging my search I got a whole lot of other sites this time, and it seems that, while most all agree about causation and effects of pelvic tilt, I find that:
Chiropractors have the &quot;only&quot; cure.
Orthopedic specialists, same method.
Protonics, whateverthehell that is, have the &quot;only&quot; cure.
Therapists want to talk you out of your emotions which lock up your muscles.
We, as BB'ers want to do exersizes to correct muscle imbalances that cause the tilts. (of which I just found out that Lordosis, or forward tilt is most common, but backward tilt also happens) I admit bias to this method.
http://www.exrx.net/ExInfo/Posture.html - and another good one:
http://www.bigbackpain.com/back_exercises.html

Standing with my feet 6&quot; from the wall and butt, shoulders and head touching, I had more than 2&quot; between my spine and the wall, indicating Lordosis. I couldn't find the better site I had before, but these two cover similar exersizes for it.
 
WTF? So the pelvis can only tilt forward? Next ya'll be telling me people don't have a laterally tilted pelvis - it's their legs which aren't of equal length...
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(scientific muscle @ Mar. 08 2007,08:01)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">My Abdominal work....barbell squats, standing overhead presses, weighted chin-ups.
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ditto plus deadlfts. All these exercises performed with a tightened/Flexed abdomen.
 
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