Last Update On November 23, 2011
Should You Really Work Your Abs Daily and With High Reps?
by Vladi
Many of the old time bodybuilders used to train their midsection daily. Of course this is not needed for good results. Not to mention that most people still try to reduce the belly fat by targeting the abs directly. It's not going to work. In order to get rid of the belly fat you should just lower your bodyfat percentage instead of trying to damage your spine with endless crunches. If what it takes to reduce the belly fat were specific waist exercises than why your biceps is still more of a fatceps despite the 5 exercises you are doing for it? Get it? The body is smart and puts the stored fat at the waist because that's where it causes less trouble to your joint movements.
"Ok...bro. But what about getting your abdominals big and strong? Not everybody is fat. U MAD ?
First of all doing 100 crunches everyday will not get your abs big and strong. Every muscle group has special training requirements and points to be aware of. The abs are still a "regular" muscle and even for them over 20 reps is more of an endurance workout than a hypertrophy or a strength routine. Just train your abs one to three times a week and do exercises that allow you to fail between 8 and 12 reps. You abs may be able to handle daily damage but there are a lot of joints involved in "core training" and you may end up hurting your lower back for example while failing to making your mid-section stronger. Also don't expect your abs to grow that much.
"What? Abs don't grow. Are you crazy? Many bodybuilders work abs with thousands of reps in order to avoid mid-section hypertrophy and spoil their physiques? Fuck off. Mental case."
I don't know how to bring it to you but "big and strong" abs will never "spoil your physique". It's like sayin I don't want big shoulders because they make my biceps look smaller. The abs are the last muscle in the human body to grow because our body is smart and programed to survive. If your abs are able to reach the hypertrophy level of your glutes or quads for example you won't be able to move properly. Don't expect your abs to grow that much. They are not supposed to. The gymnasts have some of the strongest upper bodies and abs in the world and while their back, arms and chest might be huge their abs are yet to "spoil their physique". It's a complete myth. The truth is that many of today's bodybuilders have guts caused by growth hormone, insulin and overall drug abuse rather than abs hypertrophy.
Gymnast Yuri van Gelder trains his abs with unsane volume due to the specific gymnastic skills he does. Yet his mid-section does not "spoil his physique."
This is the so-called HGH Gut and is not caused by having "too big abs". It's caused by yo-yo high calorie diets and drug abuse.
Conclusion: Training your abs daily will not make your abs stronger or help you lose belly fat. Train your abs up to three times a week because they need time to recover and get stronger just like any other muscle group. Also your abs are the last muscle to grow.
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