waist too thick....too much ab work?

[Candi Barr]

My waist has definitely gotten thicker with lifting weights. Maybe I’ve overbuilt my abs. I usually do abs twice a week, 6 to 9 sets. Should I back off and hope they atrophy? I want a strong core for squats & deads and everything but I really am getting a bit thick. Abdominal skinfold measurement is about 6 mm. I put a pic in my gallery for illustration, if anyone’s interested. My ab routines are along these lines:

First ab workout
Two or three circuits of
Hanging leg raises – 10
Floor crunches – 20
Weighted cable crunches – 10

Second ab workout
Three circuits of
Swiss ball rolls (shins on ball, hands on a bench)
Crunches on the ball
Twists with a 10 lb plate

 

[hardbdygrl]

try not to do any weighted ab work.

Also make sure when u lift and train abs, that u are breathing out and not holding ur breath

 

[ann]

I would stop the twisting movement......stick to crunches and hanging leg raises.

 

[BatZgirl]

I would suggest doing ab exercises without weights - all you need to do to intensify your workout is change the incline levels. Avoid the twists and stay far far away from Side bends, they build bigtime

 

[bignate73]

work your abs for strength endurance, leave the weight alone and stick to bodyweight exercises. bicycle kicks,stick twists or some hanging torso twists at best for oblique work.

keeping the waist small seems to be tough for those that overwork their abs. the mindset of working them more, to get off that bodyfat is always prevalent.

if memory serves me correct...(and its not too sharp theses days) i did ab work 3x in my 12 weeks of preparation for my last show. came in with just under a 28 in. waist. check nonerz gallery for details.

"abs are made in the kitchen"

think conditioning not hypertrophy.

 

[vinylgroover]

Squats and deads will thicken your midsection more than direct ab work will IMO.......but do you drop them altogether too? Of course not.

The way i see it, if one bodypart gets out of proportion, i work harder on other bodyparts to get back into proportion, ie in this case your lats and shoulders. Focus on making them wider to enhance your v-taper.

I agree with the other posts here on dropping side bends and twists.

 

[SuperWoman]

If you want abs like a bodybuilder's, the one's that are like little bricks that stick out you need to use weights to grow the rectus abdominus to achieve that look. If you want a thin, flat sheet of abs that don't protrude then just use body weight.

Your mistake is using weight to do the twisting motion. Your working the obliques (your sides) and they are naturally going to thicken. Never use weights on obliques unless you want to loose all your V taper (symmetry) and have a thick waist. What you need to do is to not work obliques for a month or so and they will atrophy. When they get to a size your happy with you can then start doing obliques without any weights.

 

[Candi Barr]

Thanks everyone. I think I'll cut the ab work to 3 sets a week, no twists. I'm confused about one thing though - I had gathered that low rep high weight work was in general best for adding strength without bulk. Wouldn't that apply to abs also? Which would mean either heavy weighted crunches or high-intensity bodyweight exercises like full-range hanging leg raises?

VG, I would LOVE to add a few more lbs to my shoulders and back, but I don't gain easy and it's a slow, long-term process.

 

[Fyre]

I would suggest doing ab exercises without weights - all you need to do to intensify your workout is change the incline levels. Avoid the twists and stay far far away from Side bends, they build bigtime

Agreed!

 

[oicu812 - chargeback]

My b/f started doing heavy deadlifts for about two months and his midsection got really thick. At first, I thought he might be bloated from various things, but I then realized what it was from.. Are you doing deadlifts?

 

[spatts]

I'm with VG...I added a couple inches to my waist (mostly erectors and fat), but I added a couple inches to my shoulders to make up for it.

 

[TEXgrl]

I'm with VG...I added a couple inches to my waist (mostly erectors and fat), but I added a couple inches to my shoulders to make up for it.

whatchu talking bout willis i see no fat anywhere on your body

 

[Gladiola]

I never heard before that weighted oblique work would thicken obliques.

I thought the same rules applied to abs as every other muscle - HIT IT HARD & then let it rest. Don't screw around with little pink plastic dumbells.

Now you all are saying the crap we do in the aerobics studio & the "Toning" myth is TRUE for abs? (i.e. light weight for tone/definition, heavy weights for bulk).

Now I really feel lost.

Anyways, I would think genetics will play a part too. ATF Squats plus weighted GM's & RDL's build up my booty big time & added "Bulk" to my erectors (yes, hard MUSCLE), but my abs didn't get thicker or 'protrude' any more. They just got harder. & I did them with as much intensity (not quite as much frequency). So I guess my experience is as VG put it.

 

[Candi Barr]

I think it's more likely the squats, deads, & GMs than the occasional set of Russian twists, or even woodchoppers. I probably wouldn't even care except I had to put a favorite pair of pants in the Goodwill pile. I'll start prioritizing upper back/shoulders for awhile. I'd been focusing on hamstrings and lower back to try to improve my squat. Maybe I can put on a little width.