The Answers to Your 5 Main Ab Questions
By Kelli Calabrese MS, CSCS, ACE
How often do I need to change my ab routine?
Even if you're working out hard, you can reach a plateau in your training if you don’t make changes. Abdominal exercises and techniques may work for you for awhile, but rotating in new exercises and training variations is going to keep the muscle group challenged and improving.
Incorporate new exercises into your routine at least every four weeks. You can make abdominal exercises different by changing your arm or leg position, changing the angle, performing the exercise on the fit ball, adding resistance, slowing down the speed or changing the range of motion. To make your ab exercises more challenging, move your hands from on your head to arms extended straight out over your head. Bringing your feet off the floor to a 90-degree angle at the knee and hips, or to a fully-extended leg position is another way to progress your abdominal exercise. Don't be afraid to try a yoga or pilates class for a change of pace and abdominal stimulation. Never sacrifice your form for more reps.
How many reps, sets and abdominal exercises should I do?
Perform abdominal exercises to failure - or at least very close to the point where you feel your muscles could no longer perform the exercise. That should happen in about 90 seconds. For example, if you took two seconds to lift and four seconds to lower in a basic crunch, that would take 90 seconds to complete 15 reps. If you went slower, you would fatigue with less than 15 reps. The number of reps is not as important as working to momentary muscular failure in about a minute and a half. If you are not fatigued around the 90-second mark, the exercise is too easy for you, and you need to find a way to make it more challenging. You wouldn’t do bicep curls with 20 pounds if you could lift 50, so you shouldn’t engage in abdominal exercises that are not facilitating muscular growth. Body weight exercises like a basic crunch are a good place for beginners to start. As you progress, make the exercises more challenging.
You can see benefits with one set, especially if you are a beginner and use strict form. You can do up to three sets of the same exercise to see additional improvements. Or you can perform variations of the same exercise for additional sets. Overall, your abdominal training should take 10 minutes, 2–3 times weekly on alternating days. Your routine should include exercises for the entire abdominal region including the obliques.
How much cardio do I need to do to get a six pack?
Cardiovascular conditioning can help burn additional fat. Although we can not control where the fat cells swell and shrink, ultimately the fat cells in the abdominal region will begin to decrease in size when a caloric deficit is created through a combination of eating a little less and burning additional calories with cardio. If you can keep your intensity high (75–85 percent of your maximal heart rate) via a combination of continuous and interval training, you can burn a significant amount of calories in 20–30 minutes.
Interval training -- rotating a period of high and moderate intensity exercise -- is recommended to facilitate fat burning and fuel your metabolism. If you can't work at higher intensities, work at lower intensities for 30–60 minutes, 3–5 times weekly with several bursts throughout the routine to increase your heart rate. In time intervals will help to boost your intensity and you will not need to exercise as long. With a combination of cardio, eating wholesome foods in the proper caloric amounts and focused abdominal training, you can expect to lose an inch a month off your waist. Remember that you should vary your cardio workouts, just like your ab exercises.
How low do I need to get my body fat in order to see my abs?
Male athletes range from 6–13 percent for body fat and females in the 14–20 percent range. Depending on where your fat is distributed, you may be able to see a six pack at the top of those ranges. Women tend to store less fat on their abs, so they can begin to see their abs with a higher percentage of body fat. Men store more of their fat in their abs, so realistically they may have to get between 6–10 percent before seeing their abs.
As you get towards the lower percentages, the musculature should show through even more. Male body builders compete with 2–4 percent body fat -- which is not realistic for the average guy who wants to look good on the beach.
How do I stay motivated to do my Ab routine?
Abdominals are performed last in your strength routine, because they are stabilizing muscles, and you would not want to pre-fatigue them. To make sure you have enough energy for the end of your workout, time your meals so that you have enough fuel to last for an hour of intense strength training. Allow yourself enough time so that you are not rushing your ab routine. For inspiration, perform your ab exercises with a video (click here.), ab class or partner. Gadgets are not necessary, but sometimes having a prop will remind you to do your ab work -- and they can make basic exercises a little more interesting or stimulating.
Continually rotate new ab exercises into your routine to keep your interest. Choose an abdominal exercise that you have not yet perfected, for example hanging knee raises, and set goals to reach a certain number of reps by a certain date. Having a mini contest with yourself may be enough to keep your interest up and help the six pack to shine through. Each workout should be a mini victory, moving you closer to your goal for a lean mid section. Keeping a journal will also let you track your improvements and can help to boost your commitment.