Heya gang, this kinda’ a crosspost from the general Fitness thread regarding a good conversation on Twitter today. I’ve ported the post to this thread so I could build on it, but primarily to get rid of the gym jargon I used the first time around.
The discussion was around whether to do sit ups or crunches using weights, or just using your body weight (i.e. without weights)
General Comments
OK, before we get into some of the exercises, let’s make one thing clear: doing thousands of sit ups every day will not give you a well defined set of cover-model abdominal muscles. Period. End of discussion. That is all diet and really low body fat %. Guys tend to get well defined “six-pack” abs at around 7-8% body fat, and that is primarily the result of diet. There’s a saying: Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym.
How to approach training your Abs
Here’s some current research on the topic: http://www.flexonline.com/training/a...fast-rep-speed
That being said, a balanced approach to training your abs (and your core) is usually the best way to go. Why?
Different kinds of exercise uses different kinds of muscle fibres, as well as different muscles. An easy way to think about the types of muscle tissue (aka Muscle fibres) is broadly in terms of fast twitch or slow twitch. If you think about your legs, jumping vertically is an explosive ‘fast-twitch’ action that requires a quick, powerful contraction. Inversely, performing a leg-press requires strength without the explosiveness, which is more ‘slow twitch’. This is kind of an over simplification, but should illustrate the point.
Unless you’re training for a specific sport that really requires one kind over another (sprinting, power lifting) then you get a more effective workout from a fitness perspective if you can train both.
Another thing to keep in mind is training your ‘core’ versus just your abs. Core training pertains to training not only your abdominal muscles, but the supporting muscles around your mid-section, including your back. In the last 5 years, there has really been a move to core fitness, and pilates and yoga are great examples of this.
Yet another way to approach building core strength is by using large, multi-joint movements that require you to stabilize yourself. Great examples of this are built into the principals of CrossFit and especially in the so called “big-lifts” like the squat, and the clean-and-jerk.
Don’t get me wrong though, there is still plenty of room for the classics in any well rounded training plan, and most of them can be done at home as well!
My Approach to training Abs
I try to work in focused excercises that target my abs three days a week. Don’t feel that you have to start here, and don’t worry if your abdominal and core strength isn’t where you want it to be on day one. You’ll notice that your abs and core respond really well to training!
Super-setting
I tend to train more for general fitness than for body building. Shorter rest periods that keep my heart rate up rather than heavy weights with long rest periods in between that allow you to lift heavier. A common term for substituting another excercise in place of a rest is known as “super-setting”. i.e. lifting or curling a dumbbell to work your bicpets then doing pushups instead of resting would be super-setting arms with push-ups.
There are two basic ways to approach super-setting: the first is to alternate complementary muscle groups (i.e. super-set biceps with shoulder or triceps) - this allows your primary muscle group to recover somewhat during the second exercise. The second approach is to keep working the same muscle group, but in a different way. This keeps it under stress, but either use different muscle fibres (slow twitch vs. fast twitch) or a different part of the same muscle (a great example is the chest, or ‘pecs’ which you can focus on the inside, top, or bottom depending on what you do). I’m not lifting weights to add size, so I tend to use the second approach to keep the weights down, and heart-rate up.
Sets & Reps
This is basic gym terminology that a lot of people take for granted. If a person lifts the same weight ten times, they have done 10 repetitions or ‘reps’. If you repeat the series of 10 reps for times, you have done 4 sets.
Set #1 (Repeat 3-4 times)
- 10 hanging leg lifts: Start with knees bent as in the linked video, and as you develop strength, try straightening your legs. Remember, unless you lift your knees past 90-degrees (i.e. your thighs parallel to the ground), you’re mainly working your hips and not your abs. If hanging leg raises are too hard on your shoulders, there is this way of doing it as well, or this way.
- 20 weighted swiss-ball crunches: When I do swiss ball crunches I focus on going slow, and concentrating on my form and stability. To add weight, I grab a 45 lb weight (a ‘plate’ in gym lingo) and hold it close to my chest. You can also grab dumbbells, kettle-bells, sand bags or medicine balls. Doing your crunches on a ball requires you to stabilize yourself side-to-side so your don’t fall off, so it’s great for overall core strength. When you’re doing sit-ups on a ball, feel free to play with your foot positioning to balance off stability with safety. Falling off a swiss ball holding a 45 lb weight bruises more than your ego - trust me. Also, with a swiss ball it’s important not to bounce, and to get the most out of the range of motion - go slow all the way back and all the way up)
- 20 ‘alternating’ swiss ball crunches: Still a swiss ball crunch, but because you’re not using any weight, you can go faster and recruit different muscle fibres. Also, because you’re crossing over your body, you work a couple of different muscle groups: your serratus and obliques
- 30-45 second rest.
Set #2 (Repeat 4 times)
- Cable crunches: I usually do four sets, 12x, 12x, 8x, 8x. If you’re new to cable crunches, start with a lighter weight to get the range of motion correct, and use a rope instead of two handles. There are Lots of videos on line showing good form and bad form. My first two sets of 12 are done using a moderate weight, my last two are done with a heavier weight.
- 30 Mason twists I usually do these unweighted, but if I’m feeling strong, I’ll grab a 35lb plate, or a medicine ball if one is handy - listen to your body, and keep those legs up!
- 30-45 second rest
Miscellaneous
- If you find yourself on a weight bench working your chest or arms, why not work in a super-set of crunches on the bench. It’s a great way of maximizing your time at the gym!
- Swiss ball pikes (get in a push-up position with your legs on a ball and ‘pike’ your legs up. I dread these, but try to do them a couple times a week
In closing
There’s a ton of different approaches and exercises out there for your abs, and don’t even get me started on core training (Plank & side plank FTW! These days, its all about the core baby.). Find what works for you.
NOTE(S) OF CAUTION
There is a lot of ‘controversy’ regarding how hard you should train your obliques and transverse abdominals, if at all. This all depends on what your personal fitness goal is: not everyone is training for the same reasons. Obliques and transverse abdominals lie on the side of your abs, effectively under your ‘love handles’. For obvious reasons, if you train them, like any muscle, they will grow. Many body builders and fitness models avoid training obliques and transverse abs like the plague, to emphasize a V-shaped taper from their shoulders to the waist. MMA fighters and football & rugby players train their obliques and transverse abs really hard to increase lateral core strength. The same ‘controversy’ exists for really heavy weighted crunches and cable crunches, although to a lesser degree. I work my obliques and transverse abs really hard by adding in a couple other exercises with big weights as I’m more focused on functional strength, and less on pure aesthetics. Again, figure out what your goals are, read as much as you can, ask a ton of questions, consult a trainer if it’s in your price range, then get ready to sweat!
Wolverines!
