can't isolate my abdominal muscles!

CloudVII · 11-Dec-07, 02:26 PM

i've been working out seriously for about a year and a half now. i feel i have made a lot of gains in every part of my body except for my abs.

i am naturally skinny/ little body fat, so my abs do show easily, but i cannot get them to increase in size or become more defined like i have done with every other part of my body.

when doing crunches, sometimes my body trembles or shakes and i cannot perform the exercise properly. what is that about? it is really a problem for me. i can never get a normal crunch to really make my abs burn.

i have tried doing the captains chair leg raise and this only worked out my thighs even though i concentrated on flexing my hips and bringing them up toward my chest.

i've tried the hanging leg raise but only swung around like a monkey.

i've tried the weighted ab crunch machine where you grab the bars and do a regular crunch motion, but this causes my back and neck to hurt VERY badly the next day.

the only thing remotely successful for me was putting a dumbell between my feet and laying on a bench and doing a reverse crunch. but seeing as this wasnt doing much for the appearance of my abs after a few months even though i was progressively able to add more weight, i did some research, and found that this exercise was only working out the Iliopsoas, and so i wasnt doing much for my abs themselves.

sorry to type so much, but i feel this is the one last area i need help on in my workout routine. i hope someone can point me in the right direction on some ab exercises and/or correct form.

thanks!

Edward · 11-Dec-07, 03:36 PM

have you tried Cable Rope Crunches? A great ab exercise imo, it allows you to be in control through out the whole exercise.

Ed

CloudVII · 12-Dec-07, 12:56 AM

oh wow, yeah i've seen some people doing those in the gym but thought it was a back exercise. i guess that was a dumb assumption of me.

i'll try those next time i go to the gym!

thanks for the link, that's a good site with good explanations on how to perform the exercise.

Merrida · 12-Dec-07, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CloudVII

oh wow, yeah i've seen some people doing those in the gym but thought it was a back exercise. i guess that was a dumb assumption of me.

i'll try those next time i go to the gym!

thanks for the link, that's a good site with good explanations on how to perform the exercise.

Just make sure you execute them with absolutely perfect form. When you start recruiting your hip flexors you take the emphasis off the abdominal muscles. The movement is technically smaller than what you'll see most people doing when they try this. You want to maintain the tension on the abs. Hip flexor recruitment transfers the tension and can be misinterpreted as if you're still doing an ab workout. Watch your posture, develop a STRONG kinesthetic relationship regarding which muscles you ARE trying to work out her by flexing just your ab muscles and keep your hips OUT of the equation. Otherwise you're doing high volume, unnecessarily, and you will keep adding and removing tension from the abs. Not efficient.

That said, when done properly, these can be helpful isolation exercises.

.

CloudVII · 12-Dec-07, 11:59 AM

ok, thanks for the advice!

the link above says to pull down to a 90 degree angle from vertical. so that would mean my chest would be parallel to the floor... is that too far you think?

i go to the gym tomorrow, but i practiced the movement here at home. i see exactly what you mean about the hips. my hips naturally want to bend when i contract my stomach. guess i'll need to really concentrate!

**LiftGirl** · 12-Dec-07, 12:59 PM

Just remember that doing crunches will not add definition to your midsection. Definition is a function of body fat levels.

Merrida · 12-Dec-07, 08:20 PM

Another thing to remember is not to stop when you tremble and shake from doing ab work UNLESS you are experiencing pain. Most people stop because they're embarassed by the shaking and trembling, but that's your body trying to become conditioned and get stronger,...and it won't be able to if you're so self conscious of the trembling you either stop prematurely or compromise the integrity of your exercises because it looks or feels too weird with the shakes. It's your nervous system adapting to new stimulii,...give it a chance. Again the caveat,.....keep going BARRING pain and injury. There's a difference between feeling awkward because your belly is shaking, and something like neck and low back or hip pain which goes to tell you your form is unhealthy, incorrect and you could potentially be hurting yourself. Separate those 2 scenarios.

.

CloudVII · 13-Dec-07, 01:11 AM

i know about the body fat/ ab definition thing. luckily i naturally have VERY little body fat. my abs are defined on their own since they are not covered with much fat, but i am hoping to work them out like any other muscle, with resistance. i feel this can only help the muscles get stronger and hopefully a little bigger, giving me more of the 6-pack look. right now i just have a flat, lean stomach but the muscles arent too developed.

---
so the trembling thing is normal? i always stopped because i thought i was somehow doing something wrong and therefore hindering any good contractions of the stomach muscles. i thought maybe my lower back was weak or maybe i was using too much upper body instead of pulling up with my abdominals... maybe next time i'll keep it going.

thanks for all the advice guys!!!

bodyshop20 · 13-Dec-07, 08:28 AM

Im not disagreeing with lift girl, but ! i believe definition is achieved by adding size to a muscle and low body fat.
If you was at 10% body fat and 120lbs, surely you would look more defined if you was 150lbs, hope you see my point

gcs118 · 14-Dec-07, 03:46 PM

One thing you didn't list was free-weight weighted ab lifts. Along with getting hit by deadlifts and squats, you should do heavy weighted ab exercises too like everything else. Decline sit ups - hold heavy plates or DBs. Or do crunches with a plate behind your head. A good one is to do decline BB bench, hold the barbell at chest/nipple height the entire time and sit up. Or try laying in the squat rack, holding a heavy weighted BB overhead and doing flutter kicks (lower abs). There are lots of things to try, I'd recommend weighted work, not just bodyweight stuff. Also, fat levels make a huge diff. like they said.

westside24 · 07-Jan-08, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gcs118

One thing you didn't list was free-weight weighted ab lifts. Along with getting hit by deadlifts and squats, you should do heavy weighted ab exercises too like everything else. Decline sit ups - hold heavy plates or DBs. Or do crunches with a plate behind your head. A good one is to do decline BB bench, hold the barbell at chest/nipple height the entire time and sit up. Or try laying in the squat rack, holding a heavy weighted BB overhead and doing flutter kicks (lower abs). There are lots of things to try, I'd recommend weighted work, not just bodyweight stuff. Also, fat levels make a huge diff. like they said.

thank you, I was about to write this! This dude wants then big ass Leonidas of Sparta Abs! Squats, do some DB Unilateral Squats or do Peirinis Overhead Squats, Do those Decline Situps, (<---I allways do those) do some more hanging leg raise, or some ab planks for as long as you possibly can! do a plank for 30 seconds with your GF sitting on your back! as for crunches

, I think theyre booty. the upper abs are so easy to formate (I made that word up I think) utilizing situps, I just worry about full situps and stuff for your lower abs/hips. if you feel like your hips are getting all the work, then maybe you need to figure out how to isolate the movements to your abs.