You’ll get abdominal hypertrophy without adding the weight, especially if you can get the planks done without breaks. I would genuinely try to not modify the program so extensively on this first go around.
Instead of going for weight PRs, go for time PRs. I can get the 20 reps done, but typically, on the third set, I have to pause between reps after rep 8. I make it my goal to not have those pauses there.
This doesn’t make sense to me. Bodyweight situps are easy, how could they contribute to hypertrophy more effectively than doing weighted situps and progressing on those? Say theres a guy that only does bw situps vs a guy that bulds up to sets of 20 with 50kg, who has bigger stronger abs? I’ve always heard to hypertrophy the abs treat it like any other muscle group.
The only thing holding me back here is myself, like I get to 20 seconds left and i rest because it gets hard. Thats like being a weakling.
Yeah there’s a bit of resting going on in the 3rd set lol. Especially after those planks! On reverse hyper days it isnt as bad. I find if bracing correctly reverse hypers are an awesome ab movement as well.
If I understand the program correctly then you’re super setting planks with sit ups with no rest. If you smoke yourself with a long plank then your abs will be tired for the sit ups. Fatigue leads to hypertrophy.
Yes but you’re doing this every session. The body adapts/ it becomes to easy therefore not much hypertrophy will occur. load is needed to increase difficulty/enable hypertrophy correct? Progressive overload?
Because you’re doing them in a circuit WITH the planks, which you are failing to accomplish. You have to quit thinking of the circuit as two separate exercises and think of it as one circuit. Being able to do that third 1 minute plank after doing 40 sit ups prior is challenging, and doing that will make your abdominals grow.
You can progressively overload WITHOUT increasing load. If you reduce rest times, that’s progressive overload. Same with doing more reps. Same with doing more sets. Same with greater workout density. Same with greater movement speed. Same with maintaining performance under fatigue, etc.
It’s why I said to set time PRs instead of weight.
Yes but what I’m saying is you can’t do the same exercise set/rep scheme or circuit with the same weight forever and get results. Do you do 1kg curls for biceps everyday for a year or do you try to increase load over time?
Theres only so fast you can do situps. In order for me to get a proper contraction i do each rep slowly contracting the abs. You’re saying over time Focus on not resting at all and doing them continuously but then what? It says situps with 1 mimute plank. If the situps are easy then what are they going to do when they’ll just get easier and easier each week?
Not time PRs for reps; time PRs for the circuit. You’re again thinking in isolation. As you observed, you rest at the bottom of the sit-ups on the 3rd round. Work to eliminate that rest, and complete the circuit for a faster time. If you do that, you will have progressed.
Are you familiar with the term “we’ll cross that bridge when we get there?”
Right now, you aren’t able to complete the planks alone. Get the planks complete FIRST. Once you can complete the planks for 1 round, work to get them complete for 2. Then get them done for all 3. Then work to get the sit-ups done without resting.
I will bet, once you get to that point, you will be done with the program.
Give me one week and I’ll have done all the planks without rest and situps.
Fantastic. Next focus on not having any breaks during the sit-ups while not relying on momentum to get you through the rep.
Hey young Duke
Do your situps super slow, stay at the contracted position for 3-5 seconds lower the body very slowly while still contracting the muscles. When you can do 20 reps that way, without resting and doing the 1 minute plank after, for all three rounds, then you’re allowed to add weight.
BTW you’re a strongman you don’t need big abs, you need a strong core.
Ideally both. Big abs are a big base, which helps on something like a yoke walk. Can also be helpful for creating a shelf on the continental. But for certain that, without strength, it’s not super great.
I wound up doing my sit ups on a decline by the end because I found myself being able to do the 3 sets with no rest. Just wanted to make it more difficult. Doing it with weight is pointless if you aren’t finishing the sets. Also, are you putting the weight behind your head to do them? If not, it’s basically pointless to do them weighted. The only exception imo to not having the weight behind your head is if you have just started doing them weighted and are trying to progress to weighted, but that is not the point of this program so I wouldn’t worry too much.
Wanted to ask too, are you contracting as hard as possible on the planks? If not, you can try and have your glutes squeezed, late tucked and abs in a vacuum position before you add weight or anything as well. Just think of every way possible to make things harder before adding weight. That way you have more ways to progress leading to longer gain.
I do the situps slowly.
Well i’ve had to take a couple of second breaks on the planks around the 40 second mark. I never said i wasn’t finishing the sets. The situps are easy.
Yeah i put the weight behind my head.
That’s smart.
I just do a normal plank
Planks for me are more mental than anything else. I agree that looking at a timer is hell and makes time go very very slow. I usually count forward and backwards in my head, so 1-20-1. I have in my head how many counts I want to do and just keep counting until the timer goes off.
Planks are evil
They are easy compared to having your mother in law stay for a month !! 
If i was you I’d be living in the gym for a month 
Recently tried that - can’t recommend it
Savage!