What More Can I Do To Improve My Abs?

[ghoniba]

Hi Gang:

I'm 43 and I have been working out for a long time, the last few years. I do all the right things, proper diet, cardio, weights etc. and I have noticed a vast improvement and I am generally very happy with my results.

I do ab work 3 times a week, usually just before my weight workout. I typically do 3 sets, 12 reps of 3 to 5 different ab exercises and change them up all the time. I have a book I compiled with probably 100 different ab exercises I have collected from various publications and books so that I am always challenging my abs.

The thing is, I do have some shape and my abs are very hard when flexed, but I don't seem to be getting the big, ripped, bulging, defined abs one typically sees in the magazines. I seem to have little trouble performing the ab exercises regardless of the difficulty. I think my form is good, I pay very careful attention to that. I really don't feel any 'burn' any more like I remember I did when I first started ab work. I guess if I were to do hundreds of reps I'll start to feel it, but not sure if that is the best route to take.

Any thoughts or suggestions on what I am doing wrong or suggestions to get my abs in great shape would be greatly appreciated.

Not sure if another book on abs would help!

Thank you, Glenn

[Symzie]

Do you know what your bodyfat level is?

Usually somewhere between 10% and 8% depending on the person will be low enough for your abbs to shine.

All the abb exercises in the world won't give you a washboard unless you lower your BF levels enough.

[Lady C]

Originally Posted by Symzie

All the abb exercises in the world won't give you a washboard unless you lower your BF levels enough.

Correct!

[ghoniba]

Thanks guys, really appreciate the responses. I don't know what my BF is. I've always been curious to know. Funny enough, I just ordered some calipers today! So I'll know soon enough. Is it healthy for the average person to be walking around with 8-10 % body fat assuming all else is good? I just had a physical and fortunately for me I am totally healthy.

Is 8-10 % the 'magic' number(s)?

Does my ab routine sound sensible?

Thanks, Glenn

[.V.]

It's reccomended for men to be around 15%. Reccomended - not required. It is safe to even be in the single digits. Some people get as low as 3-6% for a short time without bad effects. Many people are able to stay in the 8-10% range once they get there without difficulty. It all just depends on your metabolism, fat storage, activity levels. But staying there is not harmful if you don't have to starve to do it.

Does your routine sound sensible? Sounds like overtraining to me. Train the abs just like any other body part. That business of purposely overtraining them so they will stay small and tight is just silly. You want to see them, let them recover just like the rest of your muscles. Then they will grow. After you get rid of the body fat that hides them, they'll look good. Try doing 3 sets of however many reps you like with 2 exercises once or twice a week.

[candyass]

Work your abbs like any other muscle group. That means heavy resistance.

[threenorns]

heavy weight, low reps, low sets, no more than twice a week minimum three days apart.

[Symzie]

Some people have great abbs who never train them directly. Chins, dips and squats make my abbs ache, what about you?

Gymnasts have great abbs, do they 'Work their abbs like any other muscle group' I don't think so. They train them for hours, many times a week while they're doing their practice.

Famous bodybuilders have great abbs and they do train them 'hard and heavy', and maybe 'once or twice a week like any other muscle'. They also take steroids to make their kind of training work.

[threenorns]

that's strange - my abs have never aches from squatting, deadlifting, or even benching.

a set of weighted cable crunches or situps (yes, for those who know my aversion to situps, i'm doing ordinary, regular situps - turns out my hip flexors need building up to overcome joint instability, how's that for irony? lol), however, will hit them every time.

[Symzie]

I have the same problem with hip instability. Have you tried Pilates? I found it helped a lot. So did the Alexander Technique (open mind essential)

Oh I could make my abbs scream for a couple of days if I wanted to by doing sit-ups that's for sure. I do them a couple of times a week along with leg raises, but just to stabilize my hips.

My point is there's different ways of achieving god abbs (how shallow are we all )

[Symzie]

God abbs?

[ghoniba]

Thanks gang, I appreciate the responses. I think I'll change up my ab routine a bit. Do exercises that allow me to add resistance to the movements with weights. I may be fighting genetics to some degree as well.

Thanks, Glenn

[.V.]

Originally Posted by ghoniba

I may be fighting genetics to some degree as well.

Ha, many of us are. Along with that extra slice of cheesecake 3 years ago, and the fudge the day before that.

It's a good fight worth fighting. Keep it up.