Ab Rest???

[joyjoy]

First I want to say thanks to everyone who answers my many questions! I am learning so much from you guys!

How many of you work your abs on consecutive days? Do you give your abs a day of rest? Also, how long do you work them (10, 15, 20 min.)?

 

[LauraMax]

I only work abs twice a week. I do weighted ab work at the gym (4 sets 15 cable crunches, 4 sets 15 regular crunches w/a plate on my head), and what I call a "core day" in which I'll do pilates or Core Max or something like that--I guess those workouts are 30-60 minutes, but work a variety of muscles as opposed to the traditional exercises above.

Overtraining a muscle will shrink it, & if you want the proverbial "six pack" you have to build the muscle, therefore you should work your abs the way you work any other muscle.

 

[Aquajock]

I work abs / core 4 times a week, two sessions on land (using Cathe core / ab workout mish-moshes and sometimes my own ab / core cocktail) and two sessions in the water using hand buoys as floats for supine work. I try to get in a good blend of traditional supine crunch variations and plank work in my land sessions. My land ab / core sessions usually run about 15-18 minutes each, and my water ab workouts usually run about 10-15 minutes each. (Sometimes I do two separate mini-workouts for abs in the water on Saturdays.)

I do believe there's value in resting the core muscles, if nothing else but for the issue of diminishing returns. Like any muscle group, strengthening takes place in the "off-days" when the fibers are rebuilding, as well as in the exercise sessions themselves.

A-Jock

 

[Tallchick]

six days per week. Ten to twenty minutes per day. My stomach is toned and flat. No problems. I have been doing this for twenty years.

 

[Soosan]

I worked my abs 6 days a week for years and got okay results. I now work them 3-4 days, using resistance on some days and varying the duration from about 5 to 20 min depending on my schedule. My abs/core are stronger than ever. This is my trouble spot!