Should I really be training my abs everyday?

[Draft]

I was just wondering because for every other muscle I work out I try to give it a days rest/healing time or more depending on the damage. My abs are the only muscle group that I work out every day 2x a day. My abs never hurt from exercise but I assume over time it would catch up to me in some form.

Should I be giving them breaks and work on them every other day or is what I'm already doing fine?

 

[WaR6986]

certain muscle groups are able to recover from exercise much faster than others. the abs are one of these groups. assuming you arent using heavy weights for your ab exercises, rest shouldnt be a problem

 

[superc0ntra]

Abs recover quickly but I seriously doubt that working them twice a day helps more than every 2 days.

 

[LPF4]

Check out Urban's website in the S&P stickies. This is discussed in one of his write ups.

 

[Uberkraut]

Well I can give you some personal experience and let you decide on your own. When I first started doing situps, I was "doing" 60.... or so I thought. Honestly what happend was I was doing about 30-35 and then cheating/fighting/resting from 35-60. I would only do 2 sets of these a day, and that was my abs workout. 120, with prob half in correct.

So I dropped down to reps of 30, and do them correctly without cheating. I also do A LOT more sets, but spread out... by the end of the day I do 300 situps, so 10 sets of 30. This is arms behind head to, if you have your arms on your chest, or sides or whatever they are A LOT easier. If you have your arms behind your head you use your ab muscules more, and thats the whole point.

Anyway, back when I was doing the 60x2 a day, I could barely do 25 seconds of flutter kicks, and dead cockroaches was pure hell and couldn't last long at all.

With my new method, which I do 4-5 times a week, I am flutter kicking like a champ, dead cockroaches are easy, and even frog kicks aren't much of a problem any more (if you don't know what any of these exercises are just ask).

My opinion is 6 or 7 days a week is too much, but 4-5 (which is still a lot, can you imagine doing something like... squats 4-5 times a week? no way, lol) and come out ok! At least I am

 

[Ahaz]

(if you don't know what any of these exercises are just ask).

I'd like some more info. You can never have too much variety in your routines imo.

 

[Uberkraut]

Alright flutter kicks is when you lay on your back and put your hands underneath your ass. You raise your legs off the ground about 6 inches, too high and it becomes easier so keep that in mind and try to keeo your feet at the ideal level of 6 inches. Point your toes outward, and also keep your head off the ground, you should be able to look forward at the sergeant yelling at you. Basically at this point you just do little kicks and count, 1-2-3-1, and its a great lower ab workout.

Dead cockroaches is when you lay on your back, and point your hands to the sky, and also your legs straight up. Depending on your flexibility, but try to straight your knees out if possible and basically arms and legs straight up in the air. Again keep your head off the ground. To add a little more challenge sometimes they make us spread our legs out into a V shape with keeping them up in the air, and then back to together. Great ab workout.

Frog kicks, you sit on your ass with your hands on the ground and you kick your legs out infront you, again idealing 6 inches off the ground. If it's too hard, you can lean back a little bit so you can fully extend your legs. The More you lean back the easier it gets though so keep that in mind. Again great ab workout.

 

[KentPeters]

Do lower abs and obliques Day 1, lower back Day 2, and upper abs Day 3 .... you need to work your lower back in their with your abs to keep your core stable, cycle that with your regular weight schedual

 

[Mark Limbaga]

Treat abs the way you'd treat any muscle

 

[anvar]

(light work) recovery/rehab work your abs daily even multi times a day

(medium work) 3-4 times a week

(heavy work) 2-3 times a week



there is no right answer, but this is a great guideline i learned.

 

[bacon]

If you train your abs everyday...how often do you train your lower back?

 

[anvar]

If you train your abs everyday...how often do you train your lower back?

Sometimes physical therpist will have their clients do abs daily becuase with low intensity and volume. Weak abs can cause lower back and hip pain...

 

[james_m_white]

A recent M&F article said you need to give them time to repair themselves just like any other muscle. How's about every other day?

 

[benfromyspace]

How important is it to be consistently working your abs?

 

[Mark Limbaga]

IF you do heavy compound exercises your abs will be working a lot as they are stabilizers in those movements

 

[ghost_monk]

IF you do heavy compound exercises your abs will be working a lot as they are stabilizers in those movements

hmmm that make sense i guess that why ive always had lower back pain when i run. that helped me

 

[Marauder23B]

no more than every other day but twice a week should be sufficient unless you're not working them properly

 

[Mark Limbaga]

hmmm that make sense i guess that why ive always had lower back pain when i run. that helped me

Do you do any lower back work?