How important are abs?

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nol3afclover

New member
I am currently trying to lose fat and keep my current muscle mass. I weigh in @ 205 lbs from a previous 250, im a 5'9 mesomorph with a large frame.

Most of my fat is in form of belly fat and lovehandles...

I work out 6 days per week, I focus on 1 area every day such as:

Monday>: chest
Tues: Back
Wed: legs
Thurs: triceps
Friday: biceps

that sorta thing..However, I dont really do much cardio, as I really dont like it, and I hardly EVER work on abs...So my question is, how important are abdominal excercises? I know working out abs doesnt give you abs, it just makes them stronger, how important is it in terms of losing fat ?

Thanks
 
In terms of losing fat, not important at all, really.

In terms of overall health and function, they're everything. The core is the most important part of the kinetic chain.

Also, you're workout split....well, sucks.

No offense intended.
 
Steve said:
In terms of losing fat, not important at all, really.

In terms of overall health and function, they're everything. The core is the most important part of the kinetic chain.

Also, you're workout split....well, sucks.

No offense intended.
Click to expand...

I thought it kinda did suck, so whats your suggestion?


Remember, I only have freeweights, and a bench where I can do benchpress and it has a leg attachment....
 
I think what he's going to tell you is that you shouldn't take as long breaks between each type of work out.

For Example:

Day1: chest, back, abs
Day2: Bieceps, Triceps, legs

And cycle between the two with a rest day.

But I'm sure I'm either wrong, or Steve has a better suggestion, lol.
 
snowJT said:
I think what he's going to tell you is that you shouldn't take as long breaks between each type of work out.

For Example:

Day1: chest, back, abs
Day2: Bieceps, Triceps, legs

And cycle between the two with a rest day.

But I'm sure I'm either wrong, or Steve has a better suggestion, lol.
Click to expand...

My problem is that I am sore for 2 days after each workout, so if I do it like this, I'm sure not to be sore when I perform the same workout again....Unless theres a solution for that?>?> Steve...This is where you come into play lol
 
Came across this workout program...juat wanted an opinion on it since mine SUCKS (lol).

Chest (Day 1)

Bench Press or Dumbell Press
Incline Press or Dumbell Press
Dumbell Flyes
Dips


Triceps (Day 1)

Lying Triceps Extensions
Overhead Triceps Extensions
Triceps kickbacks


Back (Day 2)

Chin Ups (Cant do this one, nothing to hang off of)
Barbell Row
Pullovers
One Arm Dumbell Row on Bench


Biceps (Day 2)

Preacher Curl Barbell or Dumbell
Alternate Dumbell Curls


Shoulders (Day 3)

Seated Shoulder Press
Standing Side Laterals
Seated Bent Lateral Raises
Medium Width Upright Row
Shrugs


Calves (Day 3)

Seated Calf Raise
Standing Calf Raise


Legs (Day 4)

Squats
Leg Press
Stiff Leg Dead Press
Leg Curls
Leg Extensions


Abdominals (Day 1 & 3)

Abdominal Crunches
Side Twist abdominal Crunch
 
nol3afclover said:
My problem is that I am sore for 2 days after each workout, so if I do it like this, I'm sure not to be sore when I perform the same workout again....Unless theres a solution for that?>?> Steve...This is where you come into play lol
Click to expand...

Snow is right, breaking up your workouts by body part isn't optimal.

That said, why are you so sore? How heavy are you lifting? And what all are you doing?

And as a note, it's ok to lift when you're sore. For some (most actually) it helps.

How long have you been lifting?
 
What you should be focusing on is something like a full body routine 3 times per week. Stop thinking in terms of body parts.

A:

Squats
Stiff Leg Deadlifs
Bench
Row

B:

Bulgarian split squats
SHELCs
Pushups
Rows

You can throw accessory work for your core, calves, and arms as you see fit at the end.

Workout A is a heavy day and workout B is a lighter day.

This is DEFINITELY not written in stone.... it's just to get you thinking on the right track.
 
Steve said:
Snow is right, breaking up your workouts by body part isn't optimal.

That said, why are you so sore? How heavy are you lifting? And what all are you doing?

And as a note, it's ok to lift when you're sore. For some (most actually) it helps.

How long have you been lifting?
Click to expand...



"That said, why are you so sore?" >> I guess because I haven't been working out for a while

"How heavy are you lifting?" >> I lift just heavy enough to where I can barely do 10 reps

"What are you doing?" >>

For chest I do Flat/incline Dumbbell Presses, Flat chest flies, Incline chest flies....Normally I do about 2 sets of each, about 10 reps...sometimes 3 sets depending on how I feel.

For my back I do Dead lifts, Single arm row (love that one) -- For my Trapezius I do shrugs and upright rows (3x 15 reps)

For my legs I use the leg attachment for my hammies and quads, and I use dumbbell calf raises.

For triceps I do Overhead Triceps Extensions, Triceps Kickbacks and Standing Single Arm Dumbbell Extensions.

For biceps I do hammer curls, preacher curls and standing concentration curls.

For shoulders I do seated shoulder press, lateral raises and front raises..

Thats pretty much it...I try to do 3 sets @ 8-10 reps each...sometimes I only do 2 sets..depending on how I feel....I use as much weight as I can to barely being able to do 10 reps...

When I was 18 I lifted weights for 6 months....then I stopped for like 5 years...Then I started back up this summer and lost 50 lbs, but then I plateaued, and I've been at a halt for 3-4 months now, and Steve, I gotta tell ya, I'm about to blow a casket if I dont start losing again....I want and NEED to be lean....Theres no other alternative, and this just sucks!

My diet is good, and it sucks to be dedicated to your diet and still see nothing....I eat about 1800-2000 cals per day now, about 200g protein, bout 150-180g carbs, bout 30g fat and I drink alot of water...I try to walk 2 miles per day as well....*I just started the 2 mile walk about a week ago :D*

Tell me what to do here bro
 
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Steve said:
In terms of losing fat, not important at all, really.

In terms of overall health and function, they're everything. The core is the most important part of the kinetic chain.
Click to expand...

Steve hit the nail on the head. If there is nothing in particular you want to do with your newfound strength and endurance (from all of your working out), then abs/core doesn't need to be as important to you. However, if you plan on doing anything athletic (sports and whatnot), you better make sure to get a good core workout in, and not just situps. It won't matter if you can bench 800 pounds and squat half a ton, if you can't combine the two.

That is not saying that they're not worth doing if you have no plans for activity outside of the gym. As they are the stabilizing muscles of your upper body, they are well worth keeping up. I'm just saying that there is no reason to go balls out on them as you see 90% of the people at the gyms doing today.
 
Right, and to add....

I can't remember if it's number 1, but it's definitely up there in terms of medical complaints.... but lower back pain is huge. And it's directly correlated to weak or dysfunctional cores.

The importance of a healthy strong core exists with all populations.... from the athlete to the desk worker.
 
As usual, I tinted my response to include people interested in sports, and Steve called me on it. I was just trying to point out that most people that I know that started to work out harder to improve whatever sports-related physical aspect of themselves they deemed necessary never thought to train their core any harder than they were before, and that is just plain wrong.

The gist of my post was that in terms of importance, those seeking to improve their game in any sport need to start dedicating more time to their core-work, and not just upping their dedication to benching.

desk worker
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Touching on this, it is more important now than in the past for the majority of the people to at least make a decent attempt at core work, with such a large % of jobs being "sit in the chair 10 hours a day", and then you go home and sit on the couch for a couple hours before going to bed. While you don't get *regular* use of your core muscles while sitting in your chair all that time, you better believe that every time you get up / move around / pick something up / do anything that you're using those muscles that the way your job and life is structured generally leaves weak.

Even if you hate situps and crunches, doing something as simple as working your bridges (front, back, and sides) every so often can improve your quality of life.

A man that hates doing ab work more than anyone,
--James
 
Steve, is it true that cardio exercises workout your abs, or is that merely a myth? This question may sound stupid, but...if anyone can tell me the truth, it's you.
 
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