Post: #1

I have been doing alot of ab workouts as of late.

Just wondering what some of you guys do for abs, lower abs in particular.

Post: #2

L sits for lower abs. Hanging leg raises.
For the upper part, cable crunches seem to work really well.

Post: #3

Ab wheel
hanging leg raises making sure to keep your torso as still as possible.

For both squeez the transversus abdominis muscles while doing the exercise

Post: #4

Hanging leg raises feet to bar.
Ab roller. Hold for 5 seconds at the bottom of each rep.
Weighted sit ups.
Planks.
V sit-ups

I usually do them all in a superset to really feel the burn in my abs.

Post: #5

I have been doing alot of ab workout on the ball.

Did some scissor movements and the lower abs were screaming.

Post: #6

Hang from a pull up bar and do variations of pedaling a bicycle with your legs, vertical and horizontal scissor movements, windshield wipers, knee raises, lift your legs up making a vertical line and descend very slowly. Hang from the bar and spell out your name or whatever in letters with your legs and then do the reverse.

Push ups off of a yoga ball directly in to knee to chest tuck while maintaining the ball under your toes.

Upward dog stretch with turning your body each way to stretch obliques.

Post: #7

3 sets of heavy renegade rows, 3 sets of 2 minute planks, and 3 sets of cable crunches gets the abs popping for me. Pretty much all diet for ab definition though..

Post: #8

Just planks. Lots of planks throughout the day. Sometimes while wearing an 80 lb weight vest, sometimes with nothing.

Post: #9

L-sit is all I do now for 3 - 5 sets of static holds, straight times across each set, every other day. Find your max hold, and then cut it in half for sets across is a good place to start. I like the hanging leg raise with shins to bar under full control a lot too, but I get shoulder pain from them so can no longer do them. I also like really high rep classic sit ups. Occasionally I'll do them weighted, just with a 5kg plate behind my head (never on chest, it's too easy).

Post: #10

Honestly, as you probably know, diet is what you do for 'summer ready abs'. All the above suggestions are excellent for strong abs (and I'd recommend back bridging to try to balance out the muscles worked), but if you want to see them you need to strip back to a low bodyfat, either by limiting your calories in the kitchen, or by doing so many high rep crunches you put yourself in a caloric deficit.

Post: #11

I've gotten my body fat way down through intermittent fasting and ketogenic diet. Dropped from 26% to 13% in about six months and at 47 years old have a six pack for the first time in my life.

I do renegade rows, L-sits, planks, and vacuums as the core of my core work.

My problem is that I have some pretty ugly lose skin on my lower abdomen. I assume over time it will tighten up but does anyone know of a method to speed that up?

Post: #12

(04-12-2016 10:10 AM)40plus Wrote:  I've gotten my body fat way down through intermittent fasting and ketogenic diet. Dropped from 26% to 13% in about six months and at 47 years old have a six pack for the first time in my life.

I do renegade rows, L-sits, planks, and vacuums as the core of my core work.

My problem is that I have some pretty ugly lose skin on my lower abdomen. I assume over time it will tighten up but does anyone know of a method to speed that up?

26% isn't a terribly high body fat, almost certainly not enough for your skin to be permanently stretched. 13% is a great achievement in itself, though the actual weightloss is relatively modest (in the sense that you haven't gone from huge fatty to ultra lean). Consequently I'd expect your skin to be lagging a couple of weeks behind your actual fat loss. For me, when I cut more than a few % bf, it generally takes 10 days-2 weeks for my skin to really tighten up and give me a good idea where I'm at. Given you're a bit older (I'm 26), I'd expect it to be a little longer perhaps, maybe a month or so from the point you switch to maintenance.

Post: #13

ABS ARE MADE IN THE KITCHEN!!!

Not the gym!

If you want to have visible abs, you must adjust your diet!

Ab exercises are not enough!

You must remove the fat that covers the abs.

Trust me, I am 40 years old, I have been working on my abs since I was 15.

Here is a picture I took on my 40th birthday.

[attachment=31058]

I eat alot during the day so that I don't have to eat a lot at night. Lots of lean protein like fish, chicken, eggs, beans, nuts + lots of vegetables.

I don't do any ab exercises. I don't need to.. My abs get enough work with all the other weight work I do.

Abs are about diet

Post: #14

Gio, looking good, bro.

Rude, I seen your frame, looks really good, u just got to continue with your maintenance exercises, in my opinion.

Post: #15

Like stated above, its all diet.
Although I very much enjoy holding planks to failure on a daily basis (I am a gritty son of a bitch that loves punishment).

1) Eat maximum 100 grams per day carbohydrates
2) Eat all your food in an 8 hour window (12 to 8 works for me)
3) Exercise on an empty stomach first thing in the morning
4) Cold Showers every morning + drink lots of ice water

and for fucks sake don't give up after only a week or two, it takes your body time to adapt to the brutality of it all.

After 16 months of doing the above routine, this shit feels like a walk in the park for me now.

Post: #16

I will say Intermittent fasting has made a difference in my abs, I usually laugh at those fads.

Gio - do you have a cheat day? Don't you crave carbs like crusty bread once in awhile.

Moma - thanks bro, it has become my new obsession.

Post: #17

Leg raises (both hanging and lying) and kettlebell swings.

Next step is to adjust my diet... Need more protein.

Post: #18

I mainly do hanging leg raises and standing ab wheel roll outs, the day after I almost always get DOMS on my abs.

This article shows most effective ab exercises measured by electromyography.

Post: #19

Since everyone already talked about dieting, I'll just give the exercises I use.

1) Weighted Crunch Hold—Hold a dumb bell behind your head and go on a declined sit-up bench, and hold your upper body out straight for about 30 seconds to a minute (makes your abs "pop" by building thicker muscle, but is hard on the low back).

2) Dragon Flags

3) Crunches to Pulsators

4) Spread Leg Raises on a Dip Bar

5) Punching a Heavy Bag

Post: #20

Abs exercises and diet already covered so assuming you're already squatting and deadlifting which will work your core more than you may realise, time your workouts ensuring that you don't rest for longer than 90 seconds in between compound lifts and 60 seconds between isolation lifts, sure your poundages will drop but you'll kick your body into fat burning mode. Also incorporate super sets and even tri-sets into your workouts. If you're not already doing so you can add short cardio workouts to your routine - either 20-30 minutes HIIT a few times a week whenever you can manage or added to the end of your workouts. Just make sure you don't go all out for too long and overtrain.

Post: #21

(04-12-2016 02:29 PM)rudebwoy Wrote:  Gio - do you have a cheat day?

Yes, of course.

On Saturdays and Sundays, I eat whatever I want.

But, Monday thru Friday, I try to be very strict about what I eat.

I believe in eating good 6 out of 7 days, out even 5 out of 7 days.

I do cheat every few days.

90% of the time, I eat good.

10% of the time, I eat whatever I want.

(04-12-2016 02:29 PM)rudebwoy Wrote:  Don't you crave carbs like crusty bread once in awhile?

Yes, I love pizza, indian style bread, toast, muffins, cookies, cakes, etc.

But, I only eat them once or twice a week.

Moderation is key.

--

Sometimes, if I'm not fucking anyone or its the cold of winter, I will take an entire cheat month!

I will eat whatever I want and I will get fat. But, once the nice weather returns and I get horny for a fresh, young girl, I get my discipline back and get back into shape!

I'm not always in great shape. But, when I want to get into shape, I know how to eat properly in order to shed fat quickly.

It's basically just avoiding processed foods, sugar, needless carbs and the like..

Post: #22

Gio said it best. Ab workouts don't do shit to make your abs prominent. If you are doing the right compound exercises your core will develop by proxy, though ab work outs are good for growing mass.

If you want abs then lower your body fat %. Easy as that really.