Best exercises for definition? Abs?

[Corporal Hicks]

Hi, I'm currently not using gym equipment and simply using bodyweight!
Is there a certain number of reps that you need to do or types of exercises that you can do to increase definition of muscles?
Particually the abs? or is that simply the diet that you choose to eat?
Does the type of ab exercise determine how much you will recieve back? i.e. are flutter kicks more effective than V-ups?

Regards

 

[Tgace]

Nope...the 6 pack is made in the kitchen, not the the gym. There is no such thing as spot reduction.

 

[Jaymeister]

Exercising your abs is important too, and it's also a good idea to have strong abs in MA (just remember to train your back as well).

Here's a link to some pictures from an article I found. You should be able to do most of the exercises, even though this article assumes that you train in a gym. Also, it could be a good idea to buy/make a training bench.

But diet is definitely the most important part, so start cutting if you want that six-pack.

 

[Bammx2]

Exercising your abs is important too, and it's also a good idea to have strong abs in MA (just remember to train your back as well).

Here's a link to some pictures from an article I found. You should be able to do most of the exercises, even though this article assumes that you train in a gym. Also, it could be a good idea to buy/make a training bench.

But diet is definitely the most important part, so start cutting if you want that six-pack.

good exercises!
But that one hanging upside down is for the birds!
(or bats

)

But yea....
all the crunches in the world isn't going to give you a 6 pack.
Aerobics+diet+ab work= 6 pak!

I cheated....I traded my 6 pack for a beer-ball

 

[punisher73]

The abs are just like other muscles in that 1) they can be overtrained and 2) they will get bigger and stronger with progressive overload.

If all you do for abs is high reps with bodyweight they will get a little bigger, but you will mainly be training them for endurance. Also, as has been pointed out you can have the strongest abs in the world but if they are under a layer of fat no one is going to see them.

Spot reduction is a myth that has some basis in truth. The body stores fat in different places depending on male and female and will store it in those areas more quickly than other areas. so when you start to lose fat it will lose from certain storage areas before others. But, it is mainly fat loss over the whole body. You can't have fat arms/legs etc. and have a nice 6 pack because you did your sit ups.

If you can even get access to a cinder block or something with weight I would suggest adding weighted crunches into your routine at some point to make the muscle a little bigger as well as stronger to show more when the bodyfat gets lower.

 

[ginshun]

I definately think that it has more to do with body fat that with ab strength. I have seen some pretty skinny guys, with pretty weak muscles who have a six pack, and some big guys with incredibly strong abs that you can't even see there ab muscles.

 

[searcher]

Nope...the 6 pack is made in the kitchen, not the the gym. There is no such thing as spot reduction.

You are right on the money. Most people overlook the ALL IMPORTANT dietary.

As for the best exercise to help get the abs to reduce in fat. You will have to reduce your total body fat %. The exercises that will help you most are squats. Why, you ask? because the legs are the most used body part and if you put muscle on there you will burn more calories and more fat.

 

[Brother John]

Nope...the 6 pack is made in the kitchen, not the the gym. There is no such thing as spot reduction.

THAT is EXACTLY the case. There are NO exercises, for any muscle group, that enhance muscular definition/delineation and seperation. That is achieved through weight training (to cause the muscles to become a bit more rounded and thus seperating somewhat)...and then losing the fat and the body-water.

Those bodybuilders that you see who can show striations in their muscles?? They are extremely dehydrated and HUNGRY while like that. They have to time their exercise/rest and diet like Friggin Rocket Science to achieve that. If they stay like that for more than 2-3 days....they WILL end up in the hospital!

Your Brother
John

 

[punisher73]

Those bodybuilders that you see who can show striations in their muscles?? They are extremely dehydrated and HUNGRY while like that. They have to time their exercise/rest and diet like Friggin Rocket Science to achieve that. If they stay like that for more than 2-3 days....they WILL end up in the hospital

Exactly right on. They time their intake of food down to minutes to make sure they have just enough to pump up the muscles and not "smooth" them out for a contest. Also, if you ever follow the bodybuilding world about once a year or so one of them goes to the hospital or dies at the contest because of the diuretics (sp?) that they use to get rid of all water.

Also, the body must have around 3% ESSENTIAL bodyfat to run and be healthy. These guys are dipping below that when they are doing a contest.

 

[LT2002]

I worked with a former body builder and he would talk about how he'd fast before competitions with only limited sips of water.

Those muscles are trained for show not for work

 

[searcher]

I worked with a former body builder and he would talk about how he'd fast before competitions with only limited sips of water.

Those muscles are trained for show not for work

Just as an addition to your post. I have worked with a large number of bodybuilders that use water pills to get every drop out that they can. Very dangerous and very stupid.

 

[MingTheMerciless]

If you have a lot of fats in other part of your body ( Arms , Legs , upper Torso and Back ) , forget it ...... You gotta lose them first before the fats burning can totally target the mid section and fats goes off together as a whole body not in the concentrated area . combining Lifting weight and cardio can help to burn fats as a whole body .

You don't eat fat or non muscular skinny people having abs . You often see Atheletes having abs .

Abs are made in the kitchen not in the Gym room . But so do your other muscle part .

Try not to eat too much carbs at night , protein should be taken in more often , not fats and carbs ( unless you are a long distance cyclist or runner or swimmer )

Training the legs , back and upper torso also indirectly strengthened your abs . so just doing 1000 reps of abs isolating exercise are fruitless ( unless you are training for endrance , for striking martial art or training for dead lifts and squats , those can place really enormous stress on the back when exercise are not done right .... )