what do you do for abs?

[JDid23]

hey everyone.. just looking for some new ideas on what to do for abs.

I normally do declines supersetted with elbow supported leg raises. However, the leg raise thing is all f'd up. I am probably going to try hanging knee raises next time i do abs. Also tried some dumbass ab circuit my friend does and hated it.


What do you guys do for abs? I've tried planks, weighted declines, russian twists, leg raises, some other shit and am looking for something new to make me enjoy doing abs more than i do. Having them at the end of a workout when i am exhausted usually makes me not want to push the last few reps like i want to in all my other lifts.

 

[Andalite]

I am obsessed with core strengthening exercises.

Here are my picks (most of them I have videos for so if y'all want to see a demonstration just ask me):

Inverted Dragon Flags or as I like to call it Teh Weird Ab Exercise

Dragonfly Leg Raises

Cable Wood Chops

Bar Rollouts

Overhead Plate Sidebends

Front Planks (and variations)

Side Planks (and variations)

Elastic Band Punches

Decline Dumbbell Punches

Torso Rotations

Pallof Press

Dumbbell Windmills

Straight Arm Pulldowns

Kettlebell / Dumbbell Walks <—- although I never do these

Jackknife Pikes on a Swiss Ball

Suitcase Deadlifts

Hanging Air Kicks

Renegade Rows

Side Plank Rows

 

[Big A]

Everyonce in a while i throw in a few core excercises at the end of a workout, mainly built my abs from other compound lifts, deadlift and squat, my abs are pretty big and thick from that alone. I dont do a lot of specific work on them becasue by the time im done my workouts im so gassed and tired i just want to get the fuck out of there and they get enough work from all the other lifts i do. I did work on them a lot when i was younger but i dont think they saw as much growth then than they do now from all the big lifts.

 

[JDid23]

wow andalite!! i'll check some of those out thanks

 

[NJL52]

Deadlifts, cleans, squats.

 

[future]

Weighted crunches
Hanging Leg Raises
Standing Cable Crunches
Foam Roller Work
Spread Eagle Situps

 

[joe d]

direct ab work for me at least is pointless. i get plenty enough from my other lifts. my abs are in perportion to the rest of my body. same goes for biceps for the most part.

 

[JDid23]

how do squats, deadlifts, and some of the compound lifts hit abs?

i know that for OHP you use your abs to help stabilize.. is it the same for squats/deads?

 

[gstacker]

how do squats, deadlifts, and some of the compound lifts hit abs?

i know that for OHP you use your abs to help stabilize.. is it the same for squats/deads?

Yes and I even use abbs for my bench press... I just started hittin abbs 4-5 times a week
hanging leg rises, crunches and leg rises on a excersises ball... I'm going to try out some of these other excersises mentioned.

 

[NJL52]

how do squats, deadlifts, and some of the compound lifts hit abs?

i know that for OHP you use your abs to help stabilize.. is it the same for squats/deads?

Squats; the force you generate comes from the hamstrings, glutes, quads. The force moves up your core, through your torso, through your arms to the bar.

Force doesn't move through a loose material well. It dissipates. Force moves through a rigid trunk (relatively) easily.

In order to move the force from your trunk to the bar, you have to stabilize and manipulate the entirety of the force with your core.

The result? The greatest ab workout known to man. My abs are massive and I don't do ab isolation of any variety.

Apply this theory to deads and cleans as well.

 

[brandonp005]

Diet, cardio, heavy cable crunches, leg raises and barbell trunk twists, that about sums it up for me. When I was cutting I would hit them around 2-3 times per week.

 

[Andalite]

Compound movements aren't alone going to help your core strength. Infact, I think both go hand in hand. Deadlifts, Overhead Squats, Back Squats, etc depend on you having a strong core. If you train your core to be strong, you'll have a bigger total. There's a reason why coaches like Mike Robertson, Eric Cressey, the Diesel Crew, Louie Simmons, etc focus so much on core training.

It's like that myth that strength trainees don't need to train their arms at all. Well...thats not true. While I do not directly hit arms day in and day out, I think building strong triceps are good. Same goes with biceps. Everything should be trained. And Core strength is probably one of the most important aspects of strength training. You're only as strong as your core at the end of the day.