Ab work

I try to do some sort of ab/core work most days that I exercise and I shoot to exercise 6 days per week.

I'll do crunches, plank moves, chops, twists/rotations. I do it all! :D

I used to be a crunch girl most of the time but these days it's what I do the least. I much prefer a variety of plank exercises and chops with some twist/rotation movements to crunches! Though I still throw them into the mix...just not as often as I used to.

HTH! :)
 
I work my abs/core every day. If you want to try a killer ab workout, Susan Chung's Rapid Fire Kickbox & Core Burn has a great ab/core workout---standing work and down on the floor, all with a 4-8lb core/medicine ball. Actually, the entire workout is great---one of the very few non-Cathe DVDs that I regularly pull out.
 
I do traditional ab and core exercises about 3x/week. But--and this has been key for me--I try to engage my core in all areas of training, whether it be weight training or cardio like step and kickboxing. This helps me to not get sloppy with my form. Also when I am mindful of my core, I do notice an additional burn that I hadn't felt before. Sometimes I will even add stability moves to weight training (like only standing on one leg during bicep curls or standing on a Bosu) just to get the core muscles firing.
 
I echo what Lisa said. Additionally, I work abs 1-2x week, with one of those days being weighted. When I do what I call my "ab trifecta" I get killer ab DOMS that, without fail, last at least 4 days. It's brutal but SO fun. HA.
 
With the Body Beast rotation, I'm doing some sort of core work 5-6X/week...which is a big jump from the ZERO amount of core work I used to do LOL :eek::p. Some of these moves include all different plank variations, weighted crunches, twists. I do notice my core is getting much stronger and I can see more definition too :).
 
I tend to do dedicated ab work at least 2-3 a week (2x with HoCo and sometimes 1x with Cathe's core work). Whenever I do kettlebell workouts my core gets worked with swings since you have to brace your core strongly (especially one handed swings!). Also, just like Lisa, I focus on bracing my core with most every workout. Since I've worked up my core strength I can really consciously engage my core, which incidentally makes many moves easier and spares my low back and joints pain by doing so. :)
 
Here is a pic of me using the approach I said above. I wanted to try for as much ab definition as I could, because I'm NOT genetically blessed in that dept. Overall, I was pleased with what I learned about abs training. I'm circled. Sorry for the closed eyes. HA!

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L Sass said:
Here is a pic of me using the approach I said above. I wanted to try for as much ab definition as I could, because I'm NOT genetically blessed in that dept. Overall, I was pleased with what I learned about abs training. I'm circled. Sorry for the closed eyes. HA!

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Well, I'd say genetics zero--you ONE! Awesome pic!

Michele
 
L Sass said:
I echo what Lisa said. Additionally, I work abs 1-2x week, with one of those days being weighted. When I do what I call my "ab trifecta" I get killer ab DOMS that, without fail, last at least 4 days. It's brutal but SO fun. HA.
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Lori, amazing ab pics! So how long are your ab workouts since you are doing them 1-2x/week? If you say 5 mins I'll hate you (lol); if you say 45 mins I'll cry (again, lol)! BTW: do you get to eat buckeyes before your workout:)
 
Mare145 said:
Lori, amazing ab pics! So how long are your ab workouts since you are doing them 1-2x/week? If you say 5 mins I'll hate you (lol); if you say 45 mins I'll cry (again, lol)! BTW: do you get to eat buckeyes before your workout:)
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HeeHee! No, no buckeyes before abs. That would just hurt.

Ya, my *best* core workout, which is the one that gives me those 4-day DOMS takes about 40 minues. ;) I warm up with Cathe's weights and plates segment from the STS ab circuits.

Right after that I pump out 4 rounds of this circuit:

1. these guys: but MUCH slower and more controlled than boyfriend does here:
Movement Demo - GHD Sit Ups - YouTube
I do these holding a dumbell (anywhere from 5#-20#) BEHIND my neck. 6-15 reps depending on the weight.

2. Hanging leg raises:
Hanging Leg Raise 8-12 reps.

3. Long lever raises on the stability ball. This is hard - I sit on my ball, roll forward slightly, then reach behind and hold onto handles from my glute/ham machine behind me. Though a table would likely work fine too. I lie face up, keep my feet about 12-15" apart, and S-L-O-W-L-Y do the raises, only bringing my feet up to about even with my slightly elevated shoulders. So you'd look kind of like an elongated "V" at the top of this move. The biggest thing on these is to fully touch the heels to the floor, stopping the movement between reps so you take all momentum out of the movement and don't get a "bounce" off the ball.

You do this off the ball so that when you lower your feet to the floor, your abs stretch out a lot. You know how Cathe says that when you stretch out the muscle, blood rushes in and feeds the fibers (I'm thinking of a GS back segment maybe???) well that's what this does. I do 12 reps slow and controlled.

Like I said - 4 rounds of this. One of the biggest things my trainer has taught me is to do 4 rounds of everything. Always. We are so engrained to hammer out three sets, but often best results come from adding in one last set. HTH
 
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