best ab workouts? upper lower obliques?

[rovr4on]

Hey guys,

Just wondering as to what you think is the best ab workouts for uppers, lowers and obliques? as I dont do enough and want to add to my regime!!

Chur

[PeterDolan]

You going for mass and thickness or depth and lines?

[nate225]

You going for mass and thickness or depth and lines?

Is there a difference when all you can do is make the muscles grow? And lose fat off course.

[PeterDolan]

You going for mass and thickness or depth and lines?

Is there a difference when all you can do is make the muscles grow? And lose fat off course.

Looking at they ways the pros train, yup

[Cameron_R]

You going for mass and thickness or depth and lines?

Is there a difference when all you can do is make the muscles grow? And lose fat off course.

Looking at they ways the pros train, yup

I'm interested in hearing about both pls ... which exercises for which option?

[rovr4on]

well im quite lean, so the small ones i do have already show, so ideally a bit of both, but i would like more definition. Would you maybe recommend doing mass for 2 months then move on the the more defining exercises?

[PeterDolan]

It's not so much exercise selection that'll give better mass or cuts, it's execution and resistance. Read through the countless other threads on this subject to find the answers you guys are after

Just go for mass, don't be all airy fairy trying to look more ripped. If you don't have the muscle mass in the first place, you can't have muscle seperation

[nate225]

Given an ab is like any other muscle (with variations of % fast/slow twitch) I'd assume mass is a function of hypertrophy & seperation is a result of decreased body fat?

Am I being too simplistic?

Nate

[rovr4on]

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=9615

[Android]

Sounds all too complicated to me, cuts, lines, separation, mass, thickness...any more?

Variety of exercises performed twice a week give them 30mins each time and you'll get good abs. Whether you see them or not depends on your body fat and water under the skin at the time.

Like any muscle group u want to improve, learn to love working it and you're more likely to make greater gains than someone who hates doing it

[HarryB]

Given an ab is like any other muscle (with variations of % fast/slow twitch) I'd assume mass is a function of hypertrophy & seperation is a result of decreased body fat?

Am I being too simplistic?

Nate

Nope this is right on the money.. actually Nate as you are getting leaner have you found your abs are thick anyway from all the work they while lifting heavy weights? I Hardly do any ab work at all just enough so that I don't get cramps when I have to pose them and yet they have always been as chunky as anything when I have dieted down. Presumably from them acting as stabilizers in my workouts.

[PeterDolan]

Sorry guys, sounded like I was implying certain things, wasn't the case, was trying to see what the OP was getting at although I still believe that you can get better separation and deeper abs but you do need the mass there first

[nate225]

Given an ab is like any other muscle (with variations of % fast/slow twitch) I'd assume mass is a function of hypertrophy & seperation is a result of decreased body fat?

Am I being too simplistic?

Nate

Nope this is right on the money.. actually Nate as you are getting leaner have you found your abs are thick anyway from all the work they while lifting heavy weights? I Hardly do any ab work at all just enough so that I don't get cramps when I have to pose them and yet they have always been as chunky as anything when I have dieted down. Presumably from them acting as stabilizers in my workouts.

Last time I competed my abs were flat as, veins across them but flat. At the time I was pretty strong 250sq/dl etc so I would've expected more. I think to a certain degree it's genetic, just like high calves/lats etc. If I ever competed again I might have to synthol them! LOL :pfft: :grin:

Will be interesting to see how another decade of heavy lifting & more focused core work has impacted on them?

[HarryB]

Well it might be largely genetic, certainly the shape of them is... thickness is something different again but everything is determined by genetics at the end of the day. I might do some crunches this arvo just to be safe!

[nate225]

Well it might be largely genetic, certainly the shape of them is... thickness is something different again but everything is determined by genetics at the end of the day. I might do some crunches this arvo just to be safe!

Crunches superset well with kickbacks.... :pfft: :grin:

[musclenz]

Weighted ab work is the key to thickness. There are some exceptions where body weight is used to the same effect - hanging leg & knee raises, oblique hyperextensions etc

[deepmen15]

HarryB wrote:

Well it might be largely genetic, certainly the shape of them is

Very true...@ 12%BF I find it hard to loose my love handles :pfft: ....

hanging leg & knee raises, oblique hyperextensions

:nod: + Cardio works well. But again nutrition is key is guess...I find it hard to manage BF loss without compromising muscle...Guess genetic+ nutrition holds the key

[ass2grass]

This article has a list of how well different exercises activate your core. Worth atleast a quick scan.

[Rupert10]

Hi guys,,,

I want to share with you people an ab exercise for the lower obliques.

First of all you need to Lie flat on the floor in such a way that your lower back pressed to the ground.Position up yourself in this way,"Put your hands beside your head. Bring knees up to about 45- degree angle and slowly go through a bicycle pedal motion".

[Android]

Weighted ab work is the key to thickness. There are some exceptions where body weight is used to the same effect - hanging leg & knee raises, oblique hyperextensions etc

Weighted and crunches are staple exercises.

I would say that these are my least preferred now but they do build a nice base.

Now it's more Swiss ball and other exercises that stretch the hell out of the abs and make the leverage to pull yourself up harder. This gave me better abs when I stood relaxed whereas years of crunches I still had to 'crunch' to show them off. got from Teneka who walked onto the INBA stage 3 yrs ago with amazing blocks of abs without even straining a pose.

[Optimass]

Given an ab is like any other muscle (with variations of % fast/slow twitch) I'd assume mass is a function of hypertrophy & seperation is a result of decreased body fat?

Am I being too simplistic?

Nate

Nope - abs are a pretty basic muscle group. Up until resent times I only trained abs 6-8 weeks out from a show. They grow the same as any other muscle - add load, with slow eccentric phases, the same way you do for any other group and your going to add thickness.

The best ab rountine I have ever donw however, is the "AB Ripper X" (que MikeK to take the piss :pfft: ) but its a challenge for even for advanced trainers.

Guaranteed to make you shit :grin:

[Riccardo]

has anyone else said squats/deadlifts? :pfft: