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Post by Maximum6 on Oct 13, 2007 0:47:07 GMT -5
I have adapted the idea of not doing any ab work in the off season or bulking stage.
I notice my ab grows thick with the amount of food I eat and the heavy compoud stuff I do. I'm sure there are some bodybuilders out there that are the same then there are those that has to directly work the abs to grow them.
Now my question is , why is it a bodybuilder start to do ab exercises when they are preparing for a contest? I'm sure they aren't trying to make it grow, and definition comes from being dry and low bodyfat. For the bodybuilders that never have to do any ab work for the abs to grow why start doing them when they are preparing for a contest?
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Post by EBA84 on Oct 24, 2007 14:11:26 GMT -5
In my opinion, abs should be done year around just like any other bodypart. If you want them thicker, do heavier weight. If you want them streamlined do high reps. Unless you stay very lean all the time, you won't see the fruits of your labor but that doesn't mean they still shouldn't be trained.
A lot of back problems can be attributed to weak abdominal muscles. If they are weak, they cannot support the upper body efficiently and this puts more strain on the back.
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Post by mrbeefy on Oct 24, 2007 17:51:55 GMT -5
I agree with Eric here.
In all your major lifts, you must engage your core. If your core is weak, your lifts will not be as strong and you risk injury.
It's called bodybuilding...not train only some parts building!
Just kidding !
Body fat will decrease by diet and cardio.
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Post by EBA84 on Oct 24, 2007 18:21:14 GMT -5
I agree with Eric here. It's called bodybuilding...not train only some parts building! I totally agree with this. Ever see the guys on the beach that don't train legs? Looks like they are going to stick in the sand.
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Post by youngblood on Oct 24, 2007 18:58:57 GMT -5
I notice my ab grows thick with the amount of food I eat and the heavy compoud stuff I do. It's not your abs growing thick....
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Post by mrbeefy on Oct 25, 2007 5:58:03 GMT -5
I normally can't see the other guys on the beach......when they turn side ways, they either disappear or look like an Alfred Hitchco*k silhouette! ;D
I always think it's funny to watch "normal" people around a swimming pool when they're on vacation.
They will cover up with towels, wear big baggy shirts, and suck in their guts until they turn blue.
The fun part of this, is to notice them staring at YOU! (Especially their wives or girl friends!
The past few years, I have not been on a vacation where at least one couple doesn't stop me and say, "So, it looks like you work out". I just smile and tell them, "Yea, a little bit!" ;D
xoxox
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Post by masterschamp on Oct 25, 2007 8:09:26 GMT -5
Abs all year round. Light weight,( if any), high reps. As you get bigger and gain weight you are asking for lower back trouble if you don't train your abs year round.
Keith
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Post by QuietBob on Oct 25, 2007 10:04:23 GMT -5
I notice my ab grows thick with the amount of food I eat and the heavy compoud stuff I do. It's not your abs growing thick.... Yep. Let me ask you a question: have you ever seen a bodybuilder whose abs were too big (and I'm not talking the abdomen/gut; I mean the muscles alone), heard the comment "his abdominal muscles overpower the rest of his physique?" Very, very rare. I think it's next to impossible to overdevelop the abs and agree with the year round and training comments above completely. Bob
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Post by Tim Wescott on Oct 25, 2007 14:15:49 GMT -5
Any muscle that you do not train,makes the opposing muscle group more prone to injuries.
Like Eric said,weak abs = potential back problems,and to develop the abs,just like any other muscle,they have to be trained.
Of course low bodyfat makes them more visible,but you still need to develop the muscles just like you have to develop any other bodypart.
My suggsstion...............2-6 exercises in a row,non-stop.....Super-Sets,Tri-Sets,or Giant-SEts with little to no resistance other than your own bodyweight.......................non-stop training creates intensity, therefore no resistance is needed.
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Post by EBA84 on Oct 25, 2007 14:29:23 GMT -5
I notice my ab grows thick with the amount of food I eat I reread this. Are you sure it isn't growing thick because of too many calories and you are putting on excess fat?
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Post by oldnavy on Oct 25, 2007 15:21:31 GMT -5
Abs all year round. Light weight,( if any), high reps. As you get bigger and gain weight you are asking for lower back trouble if you don't train your abs year round. Keith Absolutely. Exactly my philosophy, Keith.
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Post by beckie on Oct 31, 2007 20:11:32 GMT -5
I don't do abs as such-I do core specific work which hits the entire depth of the abdominal wall from back to front,side to side.
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Post by EBA84 on Nov 1, 2007 9:01:03 GMT -5
I don't do abs as such-I do core specific work which hits the entire depth of the abdominal wall from back to front,side to side. What types of exercises are core specific but are not considered abdominal exercises?
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Post by Tim Wescott on Nov 1, 2007 12:55:27 GMT -5
Did she say core? LOL Just kidding Beckster!
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Post by beckie on Nov 2, 2007 8:45:50 GMT -5
Exercises on the ball-weights workouts on the ball ie chest/presses,squats/lunges with DB's on Dura Discs.My trainer had a whole lot of exercises he would make me do on the ball,kneeling,standing etc as well as traditional ab work like oblique crunches with a reduced ROM. And thats why I've got such a little waist!
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Post by Maximum6 on Nov 7, 2007 18:11:29 GMT -5
I notice my ab grows thick with the amount of food I eat I reread this. Are you sure it isn't growing thick because of too many calories and you are putting on excess fat? Yes, I would know if it was fat or not. When I was at my heaviest I already noticed that i wasn't "fat" in the stomach area at all, even though there was a good layer a fat over my stomach. It was hard to the touch even at my highest bodyfat level and it wasn't always this way. Then when I cut down a bit and be able to see my abs, I noticed that my stomach was still "thick" as I thought when I was off season...so I knew that "hard to the touch" during off season was my abs. I haven't done ab work at all ... and still don't.
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Post by gti steve on Nov 8, 2007 16:15:25 GMT -5
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Post by Roger on Nov 9, 2007 6:21:53 GMT -5
Steve that is some serious ab work. I have not thrown my 2 cents in on working abs. It does not take a rocket scientist to know you have to work abs just like any other body part.
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Post by gti steve on Nov 9, 2007 8:41:57 GMT -5
i have been doing them all week and i love them. i am noticing day by day i am gettin stronger and able to do them slower then i did when i first started which means im building strength
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Post by masterschamp on Nov 9, 2007 9:41:46 GMT -5
I reread this. Are you sure it isn't growing thick because of too many calories and you are putting on excess fat? Yes, I would know if it was fat or not. When I was at my heaviest I already noticed that i wasn't "fat" in the stomach area at all, even though there was a good layer a fat over my stomach. It was hard to the touch even at my highest bodyfat level and it wasn't always this way. Then when I cut down a bit and be able to see my abs, I noticed that my stomach was still "thick" as I thought when I was off season...so I knew that "hard to the touch" during off season was my abs. I haven't done ab work at all ... and still don't. Max....NOTHING grows thick from food....heavy weights causes the muscles to "thicken" (density) up. Truth is, you will never know what your abs truly look like till you diet down pre-contest style. Keith
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