what are some good exercises that target the lower abs other than hanging pikes?
Squats.
Pull-ups.
Deadlifts.
Basically anything that requires stability.
Please tell me your concerned about more than just your abs?
[quote]eengrms76 wrote:
Squats.
Pull-ups.
Deadlifts.
Basically anything that requires stability.
Please tell me your concerned about more than just your abs?[/quote]
I am
If you feel you must get your ab work in:
Any exercise that is a hip-dominant trunk flexion movement will strengthen them. These exercises would include lying, supported, slanted, or hanging knee-ups, leg raises, or pikes as well as butt-ups, which basically remove the leg raise’s ROM, and static variations such as l-sits, l-hangs, and piked hangs. Reverse crunches on a swiss ball or reverse barbell roll-outs are also options.
If you want to see them better, you should be looking for advice on your diet, however.
Honestly, just squat and deadlift and snatch, press, and jerk heavy shit up over your head and you’ll have a great, strong set of abs. Isolation is only a part of the whole picture.
Plate-loaded squats will absolutely destroy your abs. Front squats and zercher squats are good as well.
thry this tri-set (it wil lkill ur abs):
hangning leg raises x 15-20
cable crunch x 12
vertical crunch x 15-20
repeat 3 times w/ 30 sec rest.
[quote]eengrms76 wrote:
Squats.
Pull-ups.
Deadlifts.
Basically anything that requires stability.
Please tell me your concerned about more than just your abs?[/quote]
BAD ADVICE. this guy is looking for advice on how to give serious emphasis to his abdominals, and you’re suggesting squats and deadlifts? are you kidding me?
nobody will debate that the abdominals play a role in stabilizing the body in MANY compound movements, but not enough to make serious progress over time .
get real. give some good advice. it seems like you’re trying to turn this thread into the same bullshit we all see in here all the time… compound vs isolation. full body vs body part splits, etc, etc… it’s also arrogant of you to assume that the OP needs you to tell him how to train.
i understand the compulsion, as it may seem frustrating when many people who post have their own ideas in their heads about how to train, but it’s also important to stick to the topic of the thread and address the OP’s question rather than trying to determine whether or not he/she follows your principles of training.
it seems like literally every thread in here gets turned into a ‘train like this, not like that’ rgearding broad subjects of training philosophy, rather than the specifics of questions asked by forum participants.
[quote]wfifer wrote:
Plate-loaded squats will absolutely destroy your abs. Front squats and zercher squats are good as well. [/quote]
if those destroy your abs, then your abs are poorly conditioned.
I competed in powerlifting (USAPL collegiates) and found out the hard way that you must do some DIRECT ab work.
One thing I see on this forum that I strongly disagree with is the advice to do heavy compound movements and they’ll take care of your abs. I found out the hard way that you need to do direct work not only for cosmesis, but for ultimate trunk stability. Once I figured this out, I finally broke the 600lb deadlift barrier (at 198lbs).
Now, purely for ‘looks’, just diet and your abs will show. Good example is Brad Pitt. Nice abs but that douchebag couldn’t overhead squat a freakin’ broomstick!
[quote]Radjxf wrote:
I competed in powerlifting (USAPL collegiates) and found out the hard way that you must do some DIRECT ab work.
One thing I see on this forum that I strongly disagree with is the advice to do heavy compound movements and they’ll take care of your abs. I found out the hard way that you need to do direct work not only for cosmesis, but for ultimate trunk stability. Once I figured this out, I finally broke the 600lb deadlift barrier (at 198lbs).
Now, purely for ‘looks’, just diet and your abs will show. Good example is Brad Pitt. Nice abs but that douchebag couldn’t overhead squat a freakin’ broomstick![/quote]
we need more people in here echoing this opinion. the predominant ideology here is that compound movements will take care of EVERYTHING. although there is some truth to this, they don’t lead to greatness as far as aesthetics go for all muscles.
abdominals can easily be <and SHOULD be, IMO> conditioned beyond simply tolerating squats. they can handle, and wil benefit from, smartly planned direct work.
The best way I have found to target my lower abs is to use a simple $10 ab wheel and do them from the toes instead of the knees. Once you get fully extended you will need some serious strength in your lower abs to return to the starting position without falling to your knees.
[quote]mikren wrote:
The best way I have found to target my lower abs is to use a simple $10 ab wheel and do them from the toes instead of the knees. Once you get fully extended you will need some serious strength in your lower abs to return to the starting position without falling to your knees. [/quote]
You don’t need a $10 ab wheel; just use an olympic bar loaded with a couple of 35’s. From a standing position, bend over grab the bar and roll out as far as you can, then roll back.
You’ll be doing the crab crawl to get out of bed the next morning.
[quote]jimmyjames66 wrote:
what are some good exercises that target the lower abs other than hanging pikes?[/quote]
In this month’s Muscle Fitness (I know, I know…) in Arnold’s column he gave his ab routine which was divided into two sections that emphasized the uppers and lowers respectively. I’ve started doing it this week, and the reverse crunches made me particularly sore. If you want the exact routine PM me and I’ll send it to ya!
[quote]hueyOT wrote:
BAD ADVICE. this guy is looking for advice on how to give serious emphasis to his abdominals, and you’re suggesting squats and deadlifts? are you kidding me?[/quote]
Bad advice? Seriously? You’re right that it isn’t the best advice for developing a solid 6-pack, but it isn’t bad advice. Have you ever actually trained before? Your response to my advice makes it seem as though you are new to all of this.
And your input on this thread has been so valuable. How is it arrogant of me? The guy is the one asking the questions. It’s not like I randomly picked his phone number out of the phone book then called him up to tell him to squat.
The last thing I need is for you to tell me how to post. If we ever want a hall monitor on the board we’ll give you a call.
For good reason.
[quote]eengrms76 wrote:
Squats.
Pull-ups.
Deadlifts.
Basically anything that requires stability.
Please tell me your concerned about more than just your abs?[/quote]
In my experience these exercises will make your abs very solid from your belly button upwards but leave you a bit soft below…
if you are “soft below” it sounds more like something that diet and cardio could fix, or perhaps some viagra, since im not sure how far below you’re talkin.
[quote]eengrms76 wrote:
Squats.
Pull-ups.
Deadlifts.
Basically anything that requires stability.
Please tell me your concerned about more than just your abs?[/quote]
And so what if he is concerned about just his abs? Is it your business? No one made you respond to his question. This is primarily a BODYBUILDING website. His question was regarding the lower abdominals and nothing more.
Maybe he is deadlifting, and squatting but he feels that his abdominals are lacking a bit in comparison to the rest of his body. Maybe they require some special attention and you feed him deadlifts and squats? While I will agree the abdominals play an important role in both exercises they are not being directly worked. And in BODYBUILDING, isolation exercises may be required to facilitate the desired outcome.
So in short, I agree with Huey. Don’t make your goals, his goals. There is plenty of information on here if he wants to educate himself. If he wants have nothing more than abs, then so be it. You don’t have to see him. And I get frustrated as well with the idiots that are all around. But he didn’t post any bad pictures of himself, or do anything to instigate any kind of questioning into his goals.
And to answer the original poster’s question: I like the ab wheel, and v-ups.
[quote]Dragonvash wrote:
This is primarily a BODYBUILDING website.[/quote]
EXACTLY MY POINT. This is a bodybuilding website. What part of “how do I make my abs stick out?” relates at all to BODYBUILDING?
Did he say any of that? No he just wanted to know how to isolate his lower abs. Usually that means all he wants is to finish out his six pack.
How exactly did I do that? He asked what would be good ways to work on his abs. Are you telling me the exercises I listed will not do anything for him in this regard?
And don’t lecture me on bodybuilding. You haven’t been here long enough to demonstrate any sort of knowledge on the subject. If I wanted your opinion on my posting methodology I would have specifically asked you.
This is the exact damn reason why this forum is turning into bodybuilding.com. Idiots like you and huey trying to make everything PC and cater to frat boys and their abs. Count me out for the big group hug.
eengrms76 wrote:
Bad advice? Seriously? You’re right that it isn’t the best advice for developing a solid 6-pack, but it isn’t bad advice. Have you ever actually trained before? Your response to my advice makes it seem as though you are new to all of this.
it’s bad advice considering the question he asked. if someone asks how to get great calves do you answer, ‘squat, deadlift, and bench’? come on. stop assuming everyone needs to be told to focus on the compounds. how do you know he’s not already doing those exercises?
and to suggest that i’ve never trained before… i mean, i don’t even know what to reply to that.
it’s getting really tiresome how every thread is turned into somebody’s soapbox to talk about compound movements.
look, 99% of my routine is compound. i do a lot of PLing training. but i’m not dumb enough to NOT realize that isolation exercises are needed to really take certain bodyparts to the next level for those interested in aesthetics over performance. so if someone comes in here asking about bicep development, i’m not gonna go on a rant about chins and rows. i might mention them, but then i’ll start taking about direct bicep work and how it fits in with the context of the given trainees routine.
your advice sucks considering the question that was asked. not to mention some people might be injured in one way or another preventing them from performing particular movements that you recommend. i can go on and on, but hopefully you get the point and won’t continue arguing simply for the sake of internet pride.
And your input on this thread has been so valuable. How is it arrogant of me? The guy is the one asking the questions. It’s not like I randomly picked his phone number out of the phone book then called him up to tell him to squat.
you didn’t answer his question. and if you actually thought that training squats, bench, and deadlifts will build thick and impressive abs, you’ve got a lot of learning to do.
[quote]eengrms76 wrote:
EXACTLY MY POINT. This is a bodybuilding website. What part of “how do I make my abs stick out?” relates at all to BODYBUILDING?
did you really just ask that question?
Did he say any of that? No he just wanted to know how to isolate his lower abs. Usually that means all he wants is to finish out his six pack.
although you may be right about him being that cheesy type of casual gym trainee who only does arm curls and sit-ups, it’s arrogant of you to assume that without verifying it. and even if he is only concerned about abdominal training, that is his prerogative, and telling him to squat and bench and deadlift isn’t going to be enjoyable for him and isn’t the most effective method for him to achieve HIS goals. maybe he doesn’t cre about putting on 15 pounds of muscle or benching double body-weight. not everyone in the gym has the same goals.
[b]
How exactly did I do that? He asked what would be good ways to work on his abs. Are you telling me the exercises I listed will not do anything for him in this regard? [/b]
although compound lifts do activate the abs, nobody will disagree with that, they are not going to develop thick and cosmetically impressive abs alone. if someone really wants a great stomach they better go spend some time with direct abdominal work. abs quickly adapt to movements like squats, and at that point squats do little to hypertrophy the abs.
This is the exact damn reason why this forum is turning into bodybuilding.com. Idiots like you and huey trying to make everything PC and cater to frat boys and their abs. Count me out for the big group hug.[/quote]
you’re clearly the more intelligent poster in this thread, parroting the same one-dimensional outlook on training that is far from uncommon around these parts.
very original.
