Hey I need some suggestions for variation in my ab work.
I only really know 2 good exercises:
Standing ab with cable, like this:
http://asp.elitefts.com/qa/default.asp?qid=63076&tid=109
And abs on a ball with feet locked in the db rack with added weight from a db(not really standing, but one of the top writers, cant remember which one said it was good somewhere).
But I need some more good ab work.
Im a powerlifter, if it makes a difference.
For obliques - This are great
DB suitcase holds - I go up in weight when I can hold the db for 60 seconds
Blast strap ab fallouts - These are painful and you need to use correct form to really get your abs.
I’ve been doing standing ab pulldowns 2x a week and I’m really noticing my core strength take off.
When I can’t make progress with them I’m switching to weighted decline sit ups 2x a week.
Rollouts are another great one.
(I know I didnt really mention any standing ones, but the above are about the best, imo)
I think it Louie S that says it very important to to ab work standing for powerlifters
[quote]cookie_sq wrote:
I think it Louie S that says it very important to to ab work standing for powerlifters[/quote]
It’s probably preferalbe, BUT you can’t do the same exercise year 'round and make progress. My theory is that once I stall out on the pulldown abs I’ll hammer them a different way (a heavy day, and light day) and that should hopefully put me in a good place to get my standing ab pulldowns moving again.
Russian twists are good
You can do standing crunches away or towards the machine. They both give a little different feel.
decline sit-ups are even better if you do them with straight legs. Just hook your feet under the pad that you would normaly put you knees over.
leg raises are good as well.
For obliques try saxons. Hold two (light) dbs over your head like a locked out military press. bend as far as you can to one side and then the other.
Standing crunch. Use heavy bands around a power rack or GHR. I like them a lot, I use the GHR variation mostly. I found it hard to get enough weight and decent position using a weight stack.
try pallof holds/presses
Try overhead squatting, overhead isometric holds, walking with an unevenly shaped object above you.
Anything overhead does mad stuff to your core.
Besides that, I think Ross Training.com did recommend loads of interesting techniques.
[quote]cookie_sq wrote:
Hey I need some suggestions for variation in my ab work.
I only really know 2 good exercises:
Standing ab with cable, like this:
http://asp.elitefts.com/qa/default.asp?qid=63076&tid=109
And abs on a ball with feet locked in the db rack with added weight from a db(not really standing, but one of the top writers, cant remember which one said it was good somewhere).
But I need some more good ab work.
Im a powerlifter, if it makes a difference.
[/quote]
if you have a concrete wall, take Dynamax ball and do both rotational and overhead throws at the wall as hard as you can. If no wall, simply take a regular medicine ball, lift with straight arms in the air, and slam it.
Russian twists are ok, but I recommend standing, so get a cable at stomach height and do weighted rotations…that way your hips get turned on in the transverse plane.
[quote]cookie_sq wrote:
But I need some more good ab work.
Im a powerlifter, if it makes a difference.
[/quote]
Um, ok. I got a ton of them and have the abs to prove it. First off, abs resist hoop stress (so your guts don’t get extruded through your ribs at the bottom of a squat). Isometric exercises are what you need for lifting. Abs can move you, but you aren’t going to get as strong as with iso work.
Think about it this way, during deads and squats, your abs are locked down and moving your back is a great way to get hurt.
Favorites are
This is the proper way to use situps in a workout – as a starter, not a goal. If you do more than this you are just working on endurance (which is not a bad thing, as long as you realize it.)
Ab roller from a stand. Don’t go out too far or you’ll hurt your back
Lifts (also called dragon flies) This has it as the last exercise, but he doesn’t quite do it right: Six Pack Abs Exercises - How to Get Six Pack Abs - YouTube Keep your body straight (he gets a kink in the middle) and lead with your center of gravity.
Note: Start at the highest position and lower yourself. When you start this, depending on your strength, there is a real chance of ripping an ab. If you experience pain or whatever, don’t fight it out, just relax and plop down on the bench.
FWIW one trainer saw me doing these at a gym and tried some (didn’t ask me to spot him) and he did indeed rip out an ab for 6 weeks. These totally rock, but treat them with respect.
L-hangs: Do a pull-up and curl your abs to lift your legs up to parallel with the ground. Note: Make sure your back stays curved and your abs stay very tight. Work up to 30 seconds.
Table tops: Get on a bench, turn 90 degrees to how you bench and scoot off so just your shoulders are on the bench. Do a tiny crunch, hold it and try to push your hips to the ceiling. This gets the glutes/hams that oppose the abs and will keep everything balanced.
This is also a great way to increase your squat if you have someone hand put some plates on your hips. Hold for up to 30 seconds. If that’s to easy, lift a foot.
Corner rows: Get a bar, wedge one end in a corner. Pick up the other and with your arms straight, turn from side to side (so your hips move through 90 degrees). Great for obliques.
Windshield wipers: Do a pullup, then point your feet at the ceiling, back paralle to ground. Go side to side (start easily at first, since this can have a surprising amount of torque that will rip you right off the bar for a nasty fall). Do either these or corner rows.
Also, as has been mentioned, overhead work is great. If you want them to show though, you might need to lose some weight. Strength vs. cosmetic function are different, and a lot of people with “great abs” are weak as kittens but have a good distribution of fat around the midriff.
– jj
I just added renegade rows to my program. Holy ab pain. Not standing, but an incredible amount of iso-stabilization work if you are strict about them and keep in a good plank the entire time.
For obliques I love uneven bar side bends. Take and Olympic bar and only load one side with plates, it won’t take much. Get it in a squatting position on your back (doing this in a power rack is easiest) and raise and lower the weighted side keeping the bar flat across your shoulders. It takes a while to get used to because handling a non-symmetric weight is awkward.
Ever try a Standing Oblique hold on a cable cross? Put the cable at your waist line, grab with two hands, and hold out in front of you. Try adding weight and time to increase intensity. After you feel as though you have accomplished that, try moving to a split squat position.
Landmins and standing push-pull exercise on (high and low) pulley machine are great.
Ok, digged videos up for what I can find videos for, can people please look through them and say if it is the actual exercises.
Standing ab with cable, like this:
http://asp.elitefts.com/qa/default.asp?qid=63076&tid=109
weighted decline sit ups:
abs on a ball with feet locked in the db rack with added weight from a db:
Weighted Stability Ball Crunches - YouTube (but with feet locked)
DB suitcase holds:
Blast strap ab fallouts - These are painful and you need to use correct form to really get your abs.
http://asp.elitefts.com/qa/default.asp?qid=60698&tid=103
Rollouts:
Russian twists:
saxons:
Pallof Press Hold:
Russian twists are ok, but I recommend standing, so get a cable at stomach height and do weighted rotations…that way your hips get turned on in the transverse plane:
- YouTube (can someone evaluate on doing this with a cable?)
L-hangs: Do a pull-up and curl your abs to lift your legs up to parallel with the ground. Note: Make sure your back stays curved and your abs stay very tight. Work up to 30 seconds:
cant find video
Table tops: Get on a bench, turn 90 degrees to how you bench and scoot off so just your shoulders are on the bench. Do a tiny crunch, hold it and try to push your hips to the ceiling. This gets the glutes/hams that oppose the abs and will keep everything balanced:
cant find video
Corner rows: Get a bar, wedge one end in a corner. Pick up the other and with your arms straight, turn from side to side (so your hips move through 90 degrees). Great for obliques: (same as T-bar rows?)
Corner Rows - YouTube
Windshield wipers: Do a pullup, then point your feet at the ceiling, back paralle to ground. Go side to side (start easily at first, since this can have a surprising amount of torque that will rip you right off the bar for a nasty fall). Do either these or corner rows:
- YouTube
renegade rows:
For obliques I love uneven bar side bends. Take and Olympic bar and only load one side with plates, it won’t take much. Get it in a squatting position on your back (doing this in a power rack is easiest) and raise and lower the weighted side keeping the bar flat across your shoulders. It takes a while to get used to because handling a non-symmetric weight is awkward.
cant find video
Ever try a Standing Oblique hold on a cable cross? Put the cable at your waist line, grab with two hands, and hold out in front of you. Try adding weight and time to increase intensity. After you feel as though you have accomplished that, try moving to a split squat position.
cant find video
Landmines:
Less of a decline with the situps, needs to go lower down (ie touching off the bench on the way down) and use weight.
The roll outs really need to be done on your feet. They’re way too easy when done on the knees.
I do my cable abs similarly to this;
But I’ll either attach and put my elbows thru ab slings (like I’m doing a hanging leg raise) or do them with a tricep rope held at the side of my neck.
I like standing ab work but i also like ab rollouts either with a wheel or with a loaded oly bar.
What an impressive amount of work! This is an excellent resource. I do have a couple of comments
[quote]cookie_sq wrote:
[/quote]
Actually, this is not the video that goes with this. What I call corner rows you have called Landmines:
Just shove a bar in the corner of a room and have at it.
I prefer to hold myself parallel and go side to side. This guy does them on the floor (which is probably how you should start them).
He talks a lot and does them very slowly. Holding yourself up with your arms gives a really great shoulder workout too which is why I like these. However, if you are doing a lot of other Quadratus Lumborum work that day (say heavy side bends) you can really overdo it.
– jj