26
Dec, 2009
Ab Routines – ABsolute Waste of Workout Time?
Are Ab Routines Necessary or a Total Waste of Workout Time?…by Brad Campbell
I debated whether or not to even include any direct ab routines in the Inner Circle. If you were following my TopFatLossTrainer blog before joining the Inner Circle, then you know my stance on direct ab routines – NOT necessary and pretty much a total waste of your precious workout time.
People want to believe that doing standard crunches and other crazy ab exercises will give them a 6-pack, but the bottom line is you can only get razor sharp 6-pack abs when you lose enough body fat to allow them to show through.
Nothing makes me more angry than seeing dozens of people in the gym who are 50 lbs overweight, laying on the floor doing crunches, twists, leg lifts and all sorts of other low intesity, useless ab routines. They should be using their time more effectively by doing a metabolism-boosting workout that’ll actually burn the body fat that’s covering up their already present, underlying 6-pack abs.
The total body weight training workouts, intense cardio sessions, plyometric exercises and other hybrid training I’ll have you doing will work your abs plenty. That’s why I say “direct” ab training routines (as in isolation ab exercises like crunches, sit-ups, etc) are worthless.
I’m not saying that the abs don’t need trained…in fact, it’s very important to have a strong core because this is the foundation of our entire body (just like in the construction world…without a strong foundation, the entire building could collapse at any time).
I’m just saying the ab muscles get worked plenty with our advanced workouts, plus you’ll be burning fat and building defined muscles at the same time. This way of training (compound exercises, total body sessions, working through multiple planes of movement, etc) is also much more functional to everyday activities.
For these reasons, it’s much more time effective and practical to train the abs indirectly within the workouts that are designed for fat loss and/or muscle building. And let’s not forget that doing ab crunches does almost nothing to make your stomach tighter or your 6-pack more visible.
You have to burn calories…LOTS of calories…to remove excess fat stores from your stomach. The only way to get a sexy waistline is to work hard, burn a boatload of calories during the workouts and effectively boost metabolism to burn even more calories after the workouts are over.
It’s important that you understand everything I just said. I don’t want you wasting time with direct ab routines unless you absolutely need it.
Having said that, there are a FEW people who may need a very moderate amount of direct ab work and that’s why I decided to include some ab routines here in the Inner Circle. So how do you know if you’d benefit from including an ab routine in your weekly workout schedule? There are 3 cases where you may need to include one of my ab workouts:
1) You currently have weak abdominal muscles. Do you notice your abs ‘giving out’ on any exercises or limiting your capacity? Do you suffer from lower back pain? Are you unable to perform sit-ups with your heels planted firmly on the floor and without using momentum? Are you unable to hold a basic plank position (weight on forearms and toes, back kept perfectly straight) for at least 40 seconds? Is it hard for you to balance on one foot for at least 30 seconds? If you answered YES to one or more of these questions, this is a good sign your abs would benefit from a direct ab routine.
2) You’re already VERY lean and aren’t happy with how your abs look. This one’s tough because most people overestimate how lean they are or how much body fat they’ve lost or have yet to lose. For guys, getting into the single digits for body fat percentage is very challenging and for girls, anything under 18% is pretty tough. Only after you meet these leanness guidelines can you assess whether or not your abs could benefit from a direct ab training routine.
3) You would benefit mentally from direct ab training. If you’re a person who is willing to put in extra time above and beyond the fat loss cardio workouts and body sculpting weight training sessions we’ll be doing…and you understand that losing body fat is the only thing you should be worried about when it comes to having visible 6-pack abs (or a tight stomach for women)…AND if you simply like the motivational boost you get from feeling that post-ab workout tightness (slight soreness)…then sure, go ahead and do one of my ab routines to gain this psychological benefit.
If you fall into one or more of these three categories, then I’m giving you an ‘ab routine pass’ to allow you to bring those ab muscles up to speed. If you don’t fall into any one of the above categories, then rest assured that your abs are already receiving plenty of training from our other workouts and they’ll look great when you get lean enough.
For my TopFatLossTrainer Inner Circle members (who qualify for direct ab routines), here’s a beginner, intermediate and advanced ab routine that you can follow along and do 1-2 times per week, after (or spaced apart from) a cardio or strength training workout session. Enjoy the videos.
Beginner Ab Routine:
[Content protected for Inner Circle members only]
So there were a LOT of different ab exercises I showed you in these various ab routines. Because there will be a wide range of ability for my Inner Circle members, here are some general guidelines for reps/times:
—-> For the timed ab exercises, try to shoot for a minimum of 30 seconds at first, and then progress as the weeks go on until you’re capable of holding the ab movement for at least 2 minutes with strict form. When you can do this, your abs are plenty strong.
—-> For the ab exercises I showed in the videos that are done for repetitions, shoot for at least 10 reps starting out and progress each week until you can do at least 25 reps with strict form. At this point, your abs are plenty strong.
*The main thing is that you use proper form, feel the burn and improve each week.
Your Coach,
Brad Campbell
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