View Full Version : Hard chiseled abs
Im wanting to hit my abs hard and really get some serious definition on the whole spectrum from upper to lower and around to the obliques. I have a captains chair, flat/ incline bench and a separate decline bench. I have been doing leg raises in the captain's chair, sit ups in the decline position, twist in the decline, flutter kicks and leg raises off of the bench and crossover sit ups on the decline. When I hit my abs I usually hit about 4 of these with 4 sets to failure. Am I on the right track or is there something I could be doing to be getting better results. I try hit them hard once a week and sometimes twice a week if they feel recovered.
ztrogers52
08-10-12, 3:39 pm
try some of these exercises weighted, hold a medicine ball on your decline crunches....
try some of these exercises weighted, hold a medicine ball on your decline crunches....
Failed to mention that. I have been doing the twists and decline crunches with about 10 lbs but plan on upping the weight to target the area more.
i like medicine ball toe touches, hits everything and im always sore afterwards for a couple days. i use a 20 lb med ball for 100 reps total in as many sets as needed
PORTERHOUSE
08-10-12, 4:25 pm
Train abs definitely, but you gotta drop bf% if you're really looking to get some serious definition. Where you sitting now bf% wise?
zubda345
08-10-12, 5:26 pm
Train abs definitely, but you gotta drop bf% if you're really looking to get some serious definition. Where you sitting now bf% wise?
THIS
if BF% is not down to like 10% there is a less chance... the minimum I have gone to is 13% and my abs were still not visible...
Porterhouse and Zubda are bang on about the bodyfat percentage. Mine showed through at around 14%, but not hard and chiseled. They still looked/ look pretty good now, but not at CK pants model levels! After busting my shoulder I decided to cut for my Wedding, (get the whole V cut shit and all that), and got down to somewhere between 8-10%. Then we hit NYC for our Honeymoon and it all went tits up from there.
I do abs between arm day sets on Mondays, obliques between leg sets on Tuesday and abs again between chest sets on Thursdays. I never had any fancy equipment, but made do with what I had at my old gym. Monday I do chins with my legs held outstretched, (I got some great looks when doing them), and crunches hanging off the back of the lat pulldown machine, (got some odd looks from that one). Oblique day is side twists with some crappy spinlock bar behind my neck and side crunches with a 15KG dumbbell. Thursday's ab day are rope crunches and either bringing my knees to my chest with a 15KG weight on the dip machine or holding myself in the top part of the chins bar and doing the same motion. Reps were always high. Between 15-50 reps over 5 sets, depending on what exercise I'm doing.
I tired to split my abs over a 'higher' and 'lower' concentrating exercise, but don't think you can target a specific set from my experience.
Thanks guys, I have no idea what my bodyfat % is. I have never had it tested and to be honest don't even know where top go to get it tested. I imagine some of the gyms in the area have the equipment to test it I guess I could start there. So I will continue to eat clean to try to drop BF% and begin hitting the abs harder than I have. I have come along way since I started I can see them showing through, just not yet where I want to be. I have been a little impatient.
C.Coronato
08-13-12, 10:58 am
Diet is number one, as stated above. When i am in contest prep, i actually do not train my abs, but with the diet and cardio, they come in just fine. That being said, I will be hitting them more in the next up coming months to really bring them in next show.
blueIMlifter
08-13-12, 3:55 pm
Everybody hit the nail on the head here....the best exercise you can do to bring out your abs is cardio. Diet hard enough for long enough and your abs will come out.
zubda345
08-13-12, 7:52 pm
Thanks guys, I have no idea what my bodyfat % is. I have never had it tested and to be honest don't even know where top go to get it tested. I imagine some of the gyms in the area have the equipment to test it I guess I could start there. So I will continue to eat clean to try to drop BF% and begin hitting the abs harder than I have. I have come along way since I started I can see them showing through, just not yet where I want to be. I have been a little impatient.
there is noting u can use to measure the exact bodyfat %. there are calipers and internet Bf calculators. I have never even seen a caliper I just use the regular internet calculators, they are not accurat thou but still give u an idea..
these are two of the best BF calculators I think on the internet:
http://www.linear-software.com/online.html
http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/diet.html
they can be helpful to measure your position and performance but mirror is also the best...
zubda345
08-13-12, 7:54 pm
Diet is number one, as stated above. When i am in contest prep, i actually do not train my abs, but with the diet and cardio, they come in just fine. That being said, I will be hitting them more in the next up coming months to really bring them in next show.
Everybody hit the nail on the head here....the best exercise you can do to bring out your abs is cardio. Diet hard enough for long enough and your abs will come out.
Right on! Cardio and dieting is the best way to BRING OUT your abs but they are also a muscle so if u want em to grow from lean and skinny type to big and blocky type, uve also gotta work em off!
Much appreciated thanks for the help guys.
there is noting u can use to measure the exact bodyfat %. there are calipers and internet Bf calculators. I have never even seen a caliper I just use the regular internet calculators, they are not accurat thou but still give u an idea..
these are two of the best BF calculators I think on the internet:
http://www.linear-software.com/online.html
http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/diet.html
they can be helpful to measure your position and performance but mirror is also the best...
lol WUT? dude go to a gym and get a water displacement or bod pod or if you dont wanna spend that kinda money get calipers done by someone at your gym it will be more accurate than if you do it yourself.
blueIMlifter
08-17-12, 9:27 am
Right on! Cardio and dieting is the best way to BRING OUT your abs but they are also a muscle so if u want em to grow from lean and skinny type to big and blocky type, uve also gotta work em off!
So you want a big and blocky waist/abs? Interesting I guess....but hey to each their own. I want to be a bodybuilder, hence I don't train my abs to keep the smallest possible waist imaginable.
PORTERHOUSE
08-17-12, 11:53 am
So you want a big and blocky waist/abs? Interesting I guess....but hey to each their own. I want to be a bodybuilder, hence I don't train my abs to keep the smallest possible waist imaginable.
Have you ever dieted down? A lot of guys who diet down for the first time that think they don't need to train abs are disappointed to find their abs are small and unimpressive. It takes years to develop a huge blocky waist from training abs, and if your natural, it will probably never happen.
There are genetic factors at play here, some guys just naturally have impressive abs, just make sure you're one of those guys.
I have never seen my abs :(