I need serious ab help

[swole]

I was at Macy's in the changing room today, flexing in the huge 3-angle mirror. Everything is getting there, but the size of my abs made me sick. They are too small for my chest. I need them to be bigger and stretched out a bit down the front of my torso.

I'm willing to do whatever it takes. What are your routines? I already do core movements such as deads and squats. I have to do a better job of targeting them to even them out (I realize some is genetic, but god help me I'm going to make them grow).

weighted leg lifts? decline sit-ups?

 

[layinback]

light- heavy- light- heavy

incline crunches no weight to failure

machine weighted crunch

incline crunches no weight to failure

machine weighted crunch to failure
45 - 60 seconds between sets

total of 4 sets!!! trust me, it works.

do this routine every 4 or 5 days for 6 weeks
then maintain once a week.

btw throw in a set or two of reverse or hanging leg raises
for lower abs every other session.

 

[PoweredUp]

I was at Macy's in the changing room today, flexing in the huge 3-angle mirror. Everything is getting there, but the size of my abs made me sick. They are too small for my chest. I need them to be bigger and stretched out a bit down the front of my torso.

I'm willing to do whatever it takes. What are your routines? I already do core movements such as deads and squats. I have to do a better job of targeting them to even them out (I realize some is genetic, but god help me I'm going to make them grow).

weighted leg lifts? decline sit-ups?

The abs are like any other muscle - they need continually increased resistance to grow. Weighted crunches are the only exercise that needs to be done for isolated ab training. Lie flat on your back, place either a dumbbell or a plate on your chest (I prefer dumbbells), and crunch out 8-15 reps for 4 sets. You can do this 2 or 3 times per week, but don't ever do it in consecutive days. Make you sure the weight continues to increase each week.

If your gym has a physio ball, it might be worth lying on that instead of the floor. The physio ball forces you to balance yourself while you are crunching, and in the process it incorporates a lot of other stabilizing muscles.

DO NOT waste your time with un-weaighted ab exercises. You can do leg raises or sit-ups until you vomit, but if the ab muscles aren't being exposed to progressively increased resistance then they have zero reason to grow. High rep training for abs is nothing more than endurance training or a glorified calorie burning session. It will not increase the size of the ab muscles.

 

[herblcure]

The abs are like any other muscle - they need continually increased resistance to grow. Weighted crunches are the only exercise that needs to be done for isolated ab training. Lie flat on your back, place either a dumbbell or a plate on your chest (I prefer dumbbells), and crunch out 8-15 reps for 4 sets. You can do this 2 or 3 times per week, but don't ever do it in consecutive days. Make you sure the weight continues to increase each week.

If your gym has a physio ball, it might be worth lying on that instead of the floor. The physio ball forces you to balance yourself while you are crunching, and in the process it incorporates a lot of other stabilizing muscles.

DO NOT waste your time with un-weaighted ab exercises. You can do leg raises or sit-ups until you vomit, but if the ab muscles aren't being exposed to progressively increased resistance they they have zero reason to grow. High rep training for abs is nothing more than endurance training or a glorified calorie burning session. It will not increase the size of the ab muscles.

I have to agree. Unweighted abs workouts did nothing for growth for me either. I get on that damn machine (looks like a situp machine but you put your legs in one end..and your hands grab the handles on each side of your head) and I stack on 3 plates to start..and do heavy sets of 12..

MY abs grow..I mean..shit..they grow big..by the end of the routine I am at 4 plates doing 8. Hurts like hell

 

[AEKDB]

My favorites:
Ab wheel while wearing weight vest
Dragon flags
heavy (50lb) situps on incline

 

[GUARDIAN]

add weight.

 

[djeclipse]

I simply do decline weighted sit ups at the end of every workout. Use dumbels so you can add more weight. I work in sets of 4 sets of 16 as soon as I get all my sets/ reps I add 5lbs.