The muscles in your midsection are mainly comprised of the rectus abdominis, which is the long muscle that forms those six-pack abs, and your internal and external oblique muscles along your sides. Though your abdominal muscles may get ignored in your regular strength training, you can use your off-workout days as a chance to build up this muscle group when your upper and lower body are in recovery.
Quick Recovery
Your abdominal muscles differ from other muscle groups in your body because you are constantly using them for stability, power and posture throughout your daily life. University of New Mexico professor Len Kravitz states in his guide to abdominal training that your abs are extremely resilient due to their regular use and do not need much recovery time. You can train them every day if you like, which makes working your abs the perfect area to exercise when your other muscles are rebuilding after an intense workout.
Exercises to Avoid
Though it is safe to perform an abdominal workout on your off days, it may be necessary to avoid certain abdominal exercises if they strain your recovering muscles. For example, if your abdominal workout follows a day where you exhausted your quadriceps and hamstrings, it is not wise to use abdominal exercises that engage these same muscles, like the reverse crunch. This will slow your recovery time and may lead to overtraining injuries and malaise.
Weighted Resistance
It is possible to work your abdominals too much on your off day if you use weighted resistance. You need to give your abdominal muscles at least 24 hours of rest from resistance exercises with free weights or machines. If you continually train your abs on a daily basis with weights, you could injure yourself.
Importance of Form
Do not allow yourself to train with sloppy form on your off-workout days because your other muscles are tired. If you use bad form in your abdominal routine, you are more likely to make your rectus abdominis bulge out from your midsection through overtraining. Most people have a thin layer of fat over their abdominal muscles and this type of bulging will give you the appearance that you have a fat belly rather than rock-hard abs.
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