Abs Debate

sillyme · 18-Jun-05, 11:29 PM

I think that I brought this topic up before, but here it is again.

There seems to be two or three camps.

Camp 1: work your abs daily with no weights
Camp 2. your abs are just like any other muscle - work them with weights and only two or three times per week.
Camp 3: work them a few days per week with weights, and the other days without weights

As a woman I want my abs flat and slightly defined, but I don't want a ripped stomache and I don't want to thicken my waist with too much muscle. So, what is your two cents on the good 'ol ab debate as it relates to women looking for trim, not ripped?

**threenorns** · 18-Jun-05, 11:34 PM

ripping is done via diet only.

i'm of the "any other muscle" group and i prefer using weights for no more than 15 reps. i HATE doing a gazillion bodyweight crunches and then feeling like i've been kicked in the gut.

doing twisted crunches will tighten your waist, not thicken it, and avoid the weighted side-bends - those *will* wider your waistline.

sillyme · 19-Jun-05, 01:39 AM

what about those weight twisty things on the nautilus machine?

**threenorns** · 19-Jun-05, 04:36 AM

no idea what you mean, lol.

as long as your torso isn't flailing back and forth like the mast of a clipper in a high gale (abs have a very small range of motion), go for it.

**cursor** · 20-Jun-05, 09:15 AM

Having a strong midsection is important, but abdominal exercises are very frequently over rated (and over-exercised). If you're not seeing your abs (and you want to), then FIRST look at your (lack of) nutrition plan. Personally, I like a combination of weighted and body-weight exercises (not necessarily done in the same session).

Merrida · 20-Jun-05, 01:45 PM

Cursor, your post gave me a visual of the (many) women I see in the club doing every ab-exercise known to mankind.....(while carrying around an additional 40lbs of BF on their person)....

......3 months later, and the improvement I notice is,....they can raise their eyebrows higher now when they're confused as to why "working out doesn't work!"

As for the Nautilus "twisty thingie" or whatever,...I assume you're refering to the Nautilus Rotary Torso machine?

sillyme · 20-Jun-05, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Merrida

As for the Nautilus "twisty thingie" or whatever,...I assume you're refering to the Nautilus Rotary Torso machine?

Yes.

I'm not complaining about lack of results, because I haven't been back on track long enough to expect my belly to be flat yet. i just want to make sure that I follow a good program.

Here is what I'm doing now:
MTF - Crunches 3 sets of 10 with 25 pounds, Crunches on PowerAb 3 sets of 10 with 25 pounds, rotary torso machine 3 sets of 10 with 50 pounds

Then on W and R roman chair 3 sets of 10

Eating healthy, but not the type to starve myself. Losing about .5 pound per week.

ajarvis · 21-Jun-05, 10:04 AM

I think I'm a mixture of camp 1, and camp 2. I want to get to the point where I do situps, and pushups, everday along with the walking I do everyday. On the otherhand I wouldn't consider that a "workout' and if I wanted to work out the abs I would work them just like any other muscle.

**.V.** · 27-Jun-05, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sillyme

what about those weight twisty things on the nautilus machine?

I love that machine. I don't know if it is worth a darn for abs or not, but whenever my SI joint is acting up, I go where one of those is and straighten that sucker right out. A couple of good twists, a loud pop, all better now.