Fine-Tuning your Ab Routine

In a previous article, I noted how the range of motion of crunches is not conducive to building a strong core. Crunches will only effectively engage the rectus abdominal muscles, while some of the surrounding important core musculature is not addressed. Ultimately, it is a basic exercises that serves little purpose for individuals with more than a few of strength training experiences.

The biggest problem in many "ab" routines that I see people do is that there's no progressive overload. People will do the same handful of exercises for the same number of sets and repetitions every session, week after week. Now, imagine you did that with a back squat, or with any other movement: what if you just squatted 135 pounds for 5 sets of 5 repetitions on every leg day? You might make a little bit of progress for a week or two, but eventually you're not going to continue to make gains. Your legs won't get any bigger or stronger. The same is true for the abdominal muscles. If you're just doing 3 sets of 15 crunches, 3 sets of 20 Russian twists, etc., then guess what? Your core isn't going to get any stronger either. I watch many people do the same core exercises day in and day out, and they aren't continuing to adapt.

There are four ways to create progressive overload for strength training:

1. Increase the number of repetitions. If you've been sticking with 3x10 leg lifts, for example, try to do 3x15 next week. This is one way to add volume.
2. Increase the number of sets. Additionally, you can add in more sets to increase total training volume.
3. Increase the amount of time. This is specific to isometric movements like the plank, hollow hold, side plank, etc. Try to increase the length of the hold by 10-15 seconds per week.
4. Add load. I like to add weighted ab exercises into my programs, once the client has demonstrated competency in the non-weighted variation. Examples of exercises include weighted hanging knee raises, weighted planks, weighted sit-ups, cable chops, and weighted leg lifts.
5. Change the exercises. Get creative. There are so many exercises out there that allow you to continue to progress. Constantly challenge yourself. I constantly post new exercise ideas on my Instagram page, such as those in the above links, so always be on the lookout for new ideas. Just when you think you have abs of steel, you find a new exercise variation to humble yourself once again.

If  you're going through the same routine multiple times per week, you may still "feel a burn," but you're not necessarily going to achieve the desired result of a rock solid core. Instead, here are my suggestions for improving your core training. Core training has to be progressed in the same way that you would continue to periodize the big strength movements. Think outside of the box and don't get complacent with your ab routine!

Why I Only Train My Core Isometrically, and Why You Should Too

My friend Michael was nice enough to write a guest post for me this week! Michael is a competitive weightlifter who has been performing the olympic lifts for a little over 2.5 years. He recently obtained his Honors Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology and plans to go on to complete a degree in Physiotherapy. He has gathered a lot of hands on experience working in a physiotherapy clinic for the last five years and is passionate about human strength and performance. In his spare time, he enjoys long walks on the beach and romantic comedies.

Why Crunches are a Waste of Time

We've all been guilty of it at one point or another: pounding away hundreds of crunches in hopes of getting a "six pack." The fact of the matter is that many people care about "getting abs" for their aesthetic value rather than focusing on training them for developing stability and core strength. It is called your "core" because that is where every movement initiates. Whether you're squatting, deadlifting or doing an overhead press, it all starts with a tight, strong core. The core muscles allow you to stabilize your hips and shoulders: that is their primary function. Treat these muscles as the gateway to total body strength. You want to see real "core strength?" Look at a gymnast or a pole dancer--they have complete and total control over their centers of gravity. Essentially, developing a strong core means manipulating your center of gravity efficiently and effectively.

Russian Olympic gymnast Alexei Nemov

So why are crunches a waste of time? There are many reasons, but the main reason being that crunches are only really engaging the rectus abdominis muscles (the superficial muscles that can make up a "six pack"). This means that your intrinsic core muscles (like the transverse abdominis), your obliques, and your hip flexors are all left unactivated. To be more efficient and really develop core strength, you must utilize all of the rectus abdominis and activate the hip flexors. The hip flexors will help stabilize your pevis in exercises like the squat or the deadlift. As I mentioned earlier, the CrossFit methodology notes that "[they] train [their] athletes to think of every exercise as an ab exercise." While doing designated core exercises can be beneficial, you must remember to engage your abs in every exercise that you do.

If you're looking for specific "core" excercises, here are a few: v-ups, ab roll-outs, hollow holds, bird dogs, deadbugs, GHD sit-ups, toes-to-bar (or knees-to-elbows), and L-sits on rings or parallettes. For demonstrations of these exercises, refer to YouTube: there are a lot of great demos of each movement on there.

The most important thing to note, however, is that if you really want "6 pack abs," you must, and I repeat, must make sure you follow a healthy diet. Body fat percentage is what really accounts for visibility of muscles. You can't expect to counteract eating a whole pizza by doing 100 v-ups and running a mile; our bodies simply do not work that way.