Abs!!!

I despise ab workouts LOL! I think the following seem like good exercises, though. I've probably done more decline situps than anything. I like those because I can add weight to show I'm making some progress.

Decline situps, hanging leg raises, planks, L-sits, wheel rollouts.

 

Leg lifts on the steepest decline you can do. Once you burn out on those do negatives (lower slow as possible). You will for sure feel it the next day.

 

I'm guessing the women love abs, so if ya got nothing else going for ya, well....

I'm kind-of half joking there I've actually and recently looked into that abs development thing. Seems that it is commonly referred to as 'core strength'. I'm tall and thin, but certainly no push-over, however my core strength is mostly related to the mind & soul, aside from that I can't help but to think 'abs are good'.

 

Get one of those hip hop dancing vids, you'll have JACKED abs!!

 

50 reps of any exercise gives you plenty of endurance but little increase in strength. It also increases muscle size.

Maybe combine that with some low rep ab work. Or, better still, heavy squats.

 

Now I know why I have a large belly.

Agree on the squats. Excellent "core" exercise.

 

Squats. Heavy ass squats

Sometimes hanging leg raises, that evil wheel thing, russian twists, planks.

I don't think of any of it as "ab" exercises, just core stuff I guess. Core stabilization is my goal, to help my ability to turn my midsection into a dense, unwavering mass of awesome on command.

 

P90x ab ripper

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Burpee's
Swiss ball jackknifes
Scorpion planks
Ab Wheel

 

Regarding squats....my abs are 3x as hard now than when I was in my 20s doing tons of situps in the Army.

The isometric tightening of the core during heavy squats is real effective.

 

I am thinking that all the fancy moves, and cool sounding names for good, basic concepts won't replace hard work. I am also thinking that is one of the problems: a lot of folks want to "get fit" but are not so keen on hard work.

 

Try 250 crunches per day and 180 oblique crunches per day.

 

Same here. If I get bored on a rest day and want to work my core, I just perform variants of a plank (normal face down plank on elbows, side planks, rolling plank from side to side, ...).

 

Ab wheel. I start with my feet on the floor, ab wheel in hands out in front, hips up high with the body forming a pyramid. Roll out to parallel with the floor, roll back up to a pyramid. When you can't do any more, just do rollouts with the knees on the floor.

The best I have gotten is six reps from the pyramid. Sore as hell two days later.

 

Ab wheel
Planks with chains on back
Suitcase deadlifts

These make you brace with your abs/core, which is what your abs are supposed to do. Keep yourself from folding up.

I also do:

V ups
Hanging leg raise to pike (aka knees to elbows)

These are more of a flexing/contract type, and they bother my lower back. But they are fun. Not sure if they really do anything.

Years ago I used to bear hug a 80lb sand bag and walk for distance. This would rip up my abs since my body was trying to fold over at the midsection.

Also used to carry a large truck tire overhead (like the lockout of an overhead press) and walk to distance. This made my abs fire like crazy.

 

Wow when I first looked at the title I theought you were going to say something about adult book stores.

 

On a more serious note

I've started working on my abs, nothing to carried away yet, but I have noticed I can't eat as much before feeling 'full'.

That can't be a bad thing, but then I've never had a weight problem.

Is that normal as muscle mass increases?

 

In my opinion the best way to get good corestrenght is properly done squats and deadlifts. The best way to look good, is to train hard and eat right. Ive never done abs since i was like 18 and had to do it when it was a part of the martial arts training. Doing abs is unnessesary and doing a lot of exercise for the abs is a common mistake beginners in the gym do. Or veterans that to stupid to go to the library and read some books about training, nutrition and related things.

Hate it when people come and tell me that they are going to get fit untill next summer, they are going to do a loooooot of situps. Gah. It seems like lazynes is very comon when it comes to people talking a lot about training and wanting to get fit a lot. Lazy in that way that they can spend so much energy on what proteindrink or aminoacids or other supplements they should eat, and extensive talking about their training, and in some cases even a lot of work in the gym. But still, to lazy to go read a book about basics in nutrition and training. And the results, well look around. How does people look and how does people want to look?

Listen to people that know what they are talking about, if you listen to top bodybuilders there is a risk thou that you are talking to someone with genetics that 99% of us do not have and therefore they are not the best to get advices from if you are not like them. But good old facts, in books, in the library.

Also i fun book to read is the 4 hour body