AB strengthening.

johnfaul

Hi guys,
I'm looking to primarily strengthen my abs to help in squatting and other lifts.
What is the best way to go about this?
I have been thinking about getting an ab roller.
What's the consensus about weighted sit-ups
Any input appreciated thanks!

Inspector Coptoor

Weighted sit ups aren't bad but they can be done very badly.

There's not much point in having a plate on your chest/abs, you could hold a small plate behind your head or hold two dumb bells straight out in front of you while doing sit ups.

I wouldn't focus on abs only, you need to work on your core/trunk so you'd need a variety of exercises
Sit ups
Planks
Leg raises
Russian twists
Side planks
Back extensions
etc

RidleyRider

And when you get really strong, try front and back levers :pac:

amazingemmet

The thing I found that helped myself and clients more then anything else for squatting was ultra heavy 1/4 squats, 1/4 squats from pins and just walking a heavy weight out of the rack.


The above assumes you know how to brace properly.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

By doing more squats and other lifts your abs will strengthen themselves (assuming your bracing your core when doing them), more time efficient to practice the lifts and let the abs look after themselves than to isolate your abs. (assuming that your goals are the lifts and not the abs here).

EmptyTree

Something that I have been wondering lately, is it better to do all your ab exercises together, one after the other, or should they be spread throughout your workout to give your abs a chance to recover between exercises?

nice_guy80

swiss ball knee tucks
swiss ball skiers

johnfaul

I think I might not be bracing my core properly on squats on every rep which might be causing me to lean forward on some reps will pay extra attention to this when I'm squatting next

Da Za

1/4 Squats.......Really??

BrianD3

I haven't done a crunch or situp in years. My "ab" exercises at the moment are ab wheel rollouts and one handed suitcase deadlifts. Have also done a lot of shovel deadlifts previously but got out of them in recent months due to sore hands/calluses.

Have also occasionally done heavy 1/4 squats as mentioned above. I've done them using a box for "braking" and to gauge depth and with the safety bars in my cage set high. I think this makes things safer for the knees and overall?

In terms of strength I think my midsection is pretty strong and doesn't hold me back on squats or deadlifts. Also I've recently done a front lever out of the blue without training specifically for it

amazingemmet

Da Za wrote: »

1/4 Squats.......Really??

Yes, Really. Your not performing them to strengthen legs though you might get a bit out of them. You're doing them for a couple of reasons one just to get used to supporting more weight. To strengthen the trunk in similar manner to the way its going to be worked.

Here's how I get people to perform them.

Use anywhere between 115%-140% of your max back squat.

Get tight as possible.

The reps are literally just the initial bend in the knees stop at the point where you begin to push the hips backs and return to the start. Use sets lasting between 5-15secs.

johnfaul

BrianD3 wrote: »

I haven't done a crunch or situp in years. My "ab" exercises at the moment are ab wheel rollouts and one handed suitcase deadlifts. Have also done a lot of shovel deadlifts previously but got out of them in recent months due to sore hands/calluses.

Have also occasionally done heavy 1/4 squats as mentioned above. I've done them using a box for "braking" and to gauge depth and with the safety bars in my cage set high. I think this makes things safer for the knees and overall?

In terms of strength I think my midsection is pretty strong and doesn't hold me back on squats or deadlifts. Also I've recently done a front lever out of the blue without training specifically for it

Thanks any recommendation for an ab roller?
Also shovel deadlifts never heard of them