ALL HAIL Needsize Crunches!!!

[Guinness5.0]

PS I just dont understand how the static hold is "great for deads and squats" Good yes, but better than a full rep? I dont know

Static holds hit muscles that don't get hit with typical up/down ab work. The rectus abdominus is getting the lion's share of the work that wya, whereas much of the underlying musculature of the nmidsection gets hit harder when you hold a postion under tension.

And eat big - front squats are another awesome way to hit the core w/out direct ab work. I'm on the portly side (mid/upper teens BF) and have seen visible changes in my midsection (obliques particularly) since doing heavy front squats.

 

[kethnaab]

i can't front squat at all

i just can't get comfortable on themotion. can't get comfortable holding the bar, feels like it's cutting off mythroat, feels like I'm going to fall over...gah.

 

[Beachbum1546]

I have to tell you guys. I haven't trained abs in about two years and today I tried NS sit-ups. Holy dear jesus bible book names that shit killed me! I didn't use any weight at all and I couldn't even finish all five sets. By the third set I would try to hold for the five second static but my abs would fail and I would plop down onto the bench. I would end up just doing crappy looking sit-ups with a slow negative.

I able to complete four sets which wiped me out for the rest of the workout. It was hard but I know if I keep doing them they'll get better and I hope my ab muscles get a little bigger and "pop" more.

 

[fortunatesun]

i can't front squat at all

i just can't get comfortable on themotion. can't get comfortable holding the bar, feels like it's cutting off mythroat, feels like I'm going to fall over...gah.

I found them difficult at first also- just as you described. What I ended up doing was to hold the bar in my hands like the beginning of a military press instead of resting it on my collarbone. It worked to keep my sense of balance and made squatting with the weight in front more 'natural'. After doing them this way for several weeks, I realized one day I was actually taking the bar to the correct position.
Looking back, I'd say if you can Hindu squat, you can front squat. Just find a way thats comfortable to manage an amount of weight, and keep working it into the right form.

 

[Anthrax Invasion]

Oly shoes are godly when it comes to front squats. Love 'em.

Any weighted ab work done dynamically will make your abs "pop" more. The problem is, most people don't do the exercises properly, or they do the wrong ones.

 

[blut wump]

I have to tell you guys. I haven't trained abs in about two years and today I tried NS sit-ups. Holy dear jesus bible book names that shit killed me! I didn't use any weight at all and I couldn't even finish all five sets. By the third set I would try to hold for the five second static but my abs would fail and I would plop down onto the bench. I would end up just doing crappy looking sit-ups with a slow negative.

I able to complete four sets which wiped me out for the rest of the workout. It was hard but I know if I keep doing them they'll get better and I hope my ab muscles get a little bigger and "pop" more.

Do them last

 

[mad_monkey59]

they have NO decline benches...?

even for presses...?

thinking about it no they don't even have that, they have benches that you can make go into a decline (by putting plates under one end) but there is nothing to hook your feet under.

It gets worse, we aren't even allowed to bring a 15kg dumbell into the abs area because of health and safety (incase i drop the weight on someone) when I asked a member of staff where I was supposed to do my weighted situps he said the free weights room... so im not allowed to use one dumbell incase I drop it on someone, but I can in go into the free weights room which is full of people throwing weights around because it safer?.. and weighted dips are completely out of the question, lol... God my gym sucks.

 

[silver_shadow]

thinking about it no they don't even have that, they have benches that you can make go into a decline (by putting plates under one end) but there is nothing to hook your feet under.

It gets worse, we aren't even allowed to bring a 15kg dumbell into the abs area because of health and safety (incase i drop the weight on someone) when I asked a member of staff where I was supposed to do my weighted situps he said the free weights room... so im not allowed to use one dumbell incase I drop it on someone, but I can in go into the free weights room which is full of people throwing weights around because it safer?.. and weighted dips are completely out of the question, lol... God my gym sucks.

you could also trip and land knee first on someone in the abs area

 

[djeclipse]

I tried these yesterday at the end of my 5x5 workout. I did them for 5 sets fo five. I started with a 5lb plate.

I want to get these straight, You decend until your body is parallel with the floor, hold for 5 seconds, then perform a sit up?

My question is about breathing, I found that trying to hold my body there for 5 seconds the hardest part was my breathing. I tried to hold my breath for the 5 seconds but on rep 4 and 5 I couldn't. When I went to take a breath it was really hard to breathe and stay there.

What do you guys do?

 

[Synpax]

I try to hold my breath for the five. If I need to take the breath in the midst of the 5 secs, I just take it. But try to hold it and maybe take a little more than a quick rest between each rep to take a few good deep breaths.

Part of the reason you don't want to breath is that the air in your lungs helps you maintain the structure needed to support the weight.