Exercise Tips for Abs

The abdominal muscle group is probably the most worked and least understood of any muscles on the body. From television commercials to fitness professionals, there is a lot of misinformation. While the sports science of core exercise has advanced, old, traditional beliefs still prevail.

Keep Your Rep Range Low

If you want a cardio workout, hop on a piece of cardio equipment or go jogging. Don't do 500 crunches a day. It's going to hurt your back, it won't build your abs and it's an inefficient method of getting cardiovascular exercise. You wouldn't try to do 500 curls, because you know it wouldn't build muscle. Your abs are made of muscle, just like your biceps. If you perform hundreds of reps of an abdominal exercise, you're not going to stimulate your abdominals to get stronger, but to process lactic acid better. Now, for a big, compound exercise where you keep your spine in a stable position like bench press, squat or deadlift, low rep means three to five reps. For abdominal exercises, where your spine will be moving, low rep means from 10 to 20 reps. It might sound scary, but you'll find that the lower rep level will relieve the repetitive strain put on your spine.

Perform Movements that Matter

To keep rep ranges low, you need to perform movements that matter. In his classic "New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding," Arnold Schwarzenegger describes how you can crunch your rib cage towards your pelvis for your upper abs, crunch your pelvis towards your rib cage for your lower abs, and crunch each to the side for your oblique abs. But unless you're a professional bodybuilder with a fantastic set of abs that needs targeted workouts for weak spots, try hitting as much abdominal muscle as you can with every movement. The American Council on Exercise commissioned a study to find the abdominal exercises that activated the most muscle, and published the results in their May/June 2001 issue of "ACE Fitness Matters." Bicycle crunches and captain's chair crunches were far-and-away the winners, with each activating more than twice as much abdominal muscle as traditional crunches. By doing the most efficient exercises, and by adding weight resistance as you get stronger, you'll keep your rep range low, and your abdominals will progress. If you can do 200 crunches, try crunches on a decline bench while holding a barbell, and increase the weight of the barbell every few weeks.

Exercise with Intensity

Too many people fly through crunches, barely feeling them in their abs. Make every rep count, or don't do ab exercises. This relates directly to keeping your rep ranges low on exercises that really matter. If you keep your mind in your abdominals, crunching as hard as you can, and perform the exercise at the proper, slow speed, you can turn almost any abdominal exercise into an effective, muscle-building exercise. You wouldn't rush 300 lb. squats--so don't rush your abs.

Work Your Core Every Day

Work your abs every day, but only do ab-specific workouts once or twice a week. That might seem contradictory, but it's not. You don't need to work your outer-abdominals every day any more than you need to do bench presses every day. But you can build solid core strength every day, in every workout. A strong core will tighten the girdle of muscle around your guts. It will protect your spine and make you look slimmer. According to a study published in the December 2009 issue of "Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism," running activates the core enough to be considered a core exercise. Running is one of the best ways to strengthen your lower abdominals. A study published in the January 2008 issue of the "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research" found that squats and deadlifts activate more core muscles than stability ball abdominal exercises. So, you can build strength in your core more efficiently through big, heavy, compound lifts than by focusing on each muscle group individually.