Hey -Personal Trainers? Or Weight Lifty-Kinda People? Quick Question About Abs...

[sartre 0]

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You can do your abs every day, but if your gonna go to the point of failure, you might want to take a day off.
If your gonna do 6 days a week, you need to stagger heavy and low days. You'll figure something out or your body will let you know.
Maybe go medium, heavy, light, heavy, medium, light for your routine.

Just a suggestion. I generally just do abs everyday and usually don't really push it, maybe just increase reps.

No need to read any further. That's your answer.

[sartre 0]

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All those fancy tools are not going to be any help. It's useless to work out the abs to make them look better.

So very wrong.

[sartre 0]

Your core muscles can be worked out every day. If you are not trying to make a muscle grow larger, you work it out in a different way. They are endurance muscles, so you don't need to break them down and give them recovery time. It doens't need the 24 hours rest in order to recover and rebuild.


Nutrition is a HUGE part of how your body looks...I'd say more than 60%, more like 75%. Hoever, providing you eat properly, weigh what you should, you will improve the looks of your abs (and any muscle) by increasing definition, i.e., working them out.

And, for what it's worth, my ex is one of those "weight lifty" people, and it used to drive me crazy watching him work out, as his form sucked. He never did his abs (and his belly was a turnoff), and he used momentum so much he was truly cheating himself of a decent workout. What's more, he couldn't even name the muscles he was working out, yet he thought he could tell me how to work out.

I see a lot of people who hit the gym regularly who are "doing it wrong". Just cause you work out often doesn't mean you necessarily know what you're talking about. It also doesn't mean you're full of crap.


That's me being PC.

[Hausse 0]

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All those fancy tools are not going to be any help. It's useless to work out the abs to make them look better.

So very wrong.

So you are telling me that you are working out a fairly small muscle group to make it look better instead of working on one that would actually burn a lot of calories like the quadriceps?

[sartre 0]

Where did I say you shouldn't work out all of your muscle groups?

You are wrong about working out the abs not improving their appearance.

[sartre 0]

Oh, and by the way, a muscle group doesn't burn calories.


Also, I'd be more than happy to post pics of my belly now (I'm at the right weight, but haven't worked out in ages) and then 3 weeks from now, incorporating abdominal workouts into my routine. The pictures won't lie.

[Hausse 0]

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Where did I say you shouldn't work out all of your muscle groups?

You are wrong about working out the abs not improving their appearance.

I said it's a waste of time working out the abs 6 times a week. I'm really looking forward to those pictures...

So what are muscles burning if not calories in what ever form?

[sartre 0]

That's not what you said. I quoted what you said.


You really believe that your quadriceps are burning more calories than your gluts? Or your sternocleidomastoid? (I just had to throw that in cause it's my fav).

Your metabolism burns calories. The amount of overall muscle mass helps determine your metabolic rate. And yes, quads are a bigger muscle than abs, relatively, but they do not technically burn calories.

Now I need to go pee. Stop arguing with me.

[Hausse 0]

Sorry that I assumed you read the whole thread...

Now you at least agree with me about the calories:

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You really believe that your quadriceps are burning more calories than your gluts?

It just seemed to be useless to write down all the different sources of energy a muscles uses so I suppose I just thought writing calories would be good enough and obviously you agree with me as you are doing the same.

All I said and I am still saying is that it's a waste of time to work out your abs six times a week when you are trying to get definition. Work the big muscle groups by doing the big three three times a week and eat right and you are going to be better off. Sure doing situps will help somewhat, but not nearly as much as what I proposed.

[sartre 0]

I did read the thread all the way through, but I was replying to one specific comment you made.

Spot reduction (as I believe you're referring to) is not at all what I was proposing.

You of course need to work out your whole body. But woman to woman, I'm telling the OP that it's ok to work those abs every day.

Now, I believe I told you to stop arguing with me, so shush!!

[Hausse 0]

Yeah it is okey but wouldn't it be better to tell her the best way to go instead of one that just works?

Funny thing just happened to me. I had to go to the restroom too and I'm just playing a poker tourney so I decided to take my laptop with me and on the way to the restroom I doubled up

[sartre 0]

yeah, I doubled up too in the bathroom, but it was from a kidney stone





I'm off to drink with friends. My body being the temple it is and all.

Good luck with your gambling.

[Hausse 0]

Hehe that's the way to go. Have fun Boozing.

[ACMESkydiver 0]

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Hey that sounds pretty good. I just seem to encounter lots of people who think that working out the abs actually helps the looks.

What most people don't know about BB is that about 60% of the success is coming from the right nutrition. Eating wrong will screw up even the best workout so make sure you're good there.

Now before I give any more advice: What's your goal? Gaining muscle mass, loosing fat or just feeling fit?

How many days a week do you do that routine?

Where is 'all of the above'?
Seriously...here's the lowdown; I kind of started the fitness threads because I am very overweight. Ok I'll admit it that I am catagorically 'obese'. That's about the most depressing thing I've ever admitted on these forums...

I don't want to be a stick; I want what I am supposed to look like. I am supposed to be 5' 3 1/2" and about 135 and fairly muscular. That's just my build. I look anorexic if I get under 127.

I want to be able to run a 5k with my husband and daughter. I want to be able to hike for miles with my husband. I want to be able to get through some intense martial arts training and keep good form throughout the whole thing, and get back into lifting like I did when I was 20.



...and I want to look fucking HOT in my lingerie.

I already have the eating down. I'm doing what works for me, and right now I have a religious commitment that forces me to stay with healthier foods, so that's working for me.

This will take a lot of work, time, and realistically some help from Dr 90210 (I had twins and was out of shape...nothing will bring this skin back to wear it should be).

So more than anyone ever needed to know about me.

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

[Hausse 0]

Hey in that case I definitely wouldn't work out the abs. It's pretty much pointless until you can actually see them.

As I said: Benchpress, Squats and Dead lifts are going to be your friend, a lot of cardio and a calorie restricted Anabolic or atkins diet.

[ACMESkydiver 0]

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Hey in that case I definitely wouldn't work out the abs. It's pretty much pointless until you can actually see them.

As I said: Benchpress, Squats and Dead lifts are going to be your friend, a lot of cardio and a calorie restricted Anabolic or atkins diet.

Thanks for the info. I'll be heading to the gym for the elliptical in about 20 minutes...

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

[Hausse 0]

Have fun and let a trainer help you to make a plan. Plans are really important for motivation and progress.

[Squeak 17]

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Hey in that case I definitely wouldn't work out the abs. It's pretty much pointless until you can actually see them.

As I said: Benchpress, Squats and Dead lifts are going to be your friend, a lot of cardio and a calorie restricted Anabolic or atkins diet.

it's apparent that what you think you now about core stability is wrong.
working the abs is VITAL when reducing weight, particularly large amounts.
Very overweight people typically have very weak stomach muscles. the abs are what support the back, strengthening the abs aids in posture and in helping maintain the body stability, making it easier to do the other long muscle exercises

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[Hausse 0]

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Hey in that case I definitely wouldn't work out the abs. It's pretty much pointless until you can actually see them.

As I said: Benchpress, Squats and Dead lifts are going to be your friend, a lot of cardio and a calorie restricted Anabolic or atkins diet.

it's apparent that what you think you now about core stability is wrong.
working the abs is VITAL when reducing weight, particularly large amounts.
Very overweight people typically have very weak stomach muscles. the abs are what support the back, strengthening the abs aids in posture and in helping maintain the body stability, making it easier to do the other long muscle exercises

Yeah but if you do for example Squat's you will recognize very fast if your abs are too weak and they will get trained doing them. Nothing against working the abs out once a week but 6 times seems rediculus.

[Squeak 17]

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Yeah but if you do for example Squat's you will recognize very fast if your abs are too weak and they will get trained doing them. Nothing against working the abs out once a week but 6 times seems rediculus.

the potential for injuiry whilst doing squats is greatly increased if you have poor core stability.
Abs are not like long muscles, the do not have an origin and insert like normal skeletal muscles. they require a lot more work to train and strengthen. Working them daily is not biggy. Just mix it up and dont train to failure evveryday. working them once a week keeps them weak

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

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