CHAPTER 84

Abdominal Training

“By far the biggest misconception surrounding abdominal training is that exercising the abs will burn the fat that covers them. What you eat, when you eat and in what portions, the amount of cardio you do and when you do it – these things will determine how much body fat you carry and whether you can see your abs.”

– Ron Harris, regular MuscleMag International contributor, explaining the real secret to great-looking abs.

No one with a full deck wants a big waist. It’s safe to say that just about everyone who joins a gym has the shrinking of their waistline as one of their primary goals. That’s why the manufacturers of those abdominal contraptions you see advertised on TV make hundreds of millions of dollars.

For the average person, keeping the pants size stationary is probably adequate. But for competitive bodybuilders, a small waist is not good enough. It also must be rock hard, with all abdominal ridges clearly separated and visible. Anything less than a fat-free six-pack just won’t cut it.

Besides impressing the judges, a small, tight waist will go a long way in improving your success with the ladies. Interviews with women show that next to a small, tight butt, a slim waist is considered very sexy by women. So guys, the beer-belly look is definitely out.

Hopefully by now most readers are aware of the keys to developing a small midsection. The average Joe or Jill off the street still thinks that performing endless sets and reps of crunches and leg raises will somehow magically shrink their waists. Abdominal exercises only target the muscle, not the overlying fat. Fat is stored energy and must be burnt off with cardio and by boosting the body’s metabolism with an overall weight-training program. While abdominal exercises do burn calories, cardio exercises such as cycling, swimming and running burn far more calories per unit of time. An extra five minutes on the treadmill or cycle will do more for your abs than 15 or 20 minutes of crunches or leg raises. Also, keep in mind that you can’t spot reduce. The advertisers of those top-selling gizmos make it seem that if you perform crunches for the waist you’ll somehow be telling the body where to take the fat from. Unfortunately it doesn’t work that way. The body will take stored fat from all over, and as the waist is usually the first place fat is stored, it’s usually the last place that fat will remain.

Super abdominals are built with exercise and honed with diet. In other words, you use various abdominal exercises to strengthen and tone the muscles, and then keep your fat levels low with diet. It’s a two-front war, and performing thousands of crunches is not the answer.

A final point to be made concerns stomach distension. Think of your stomach as a series of springs. If you repeatedly stretch a spring it eventually won’t go all the way back to its original length. The smooth muscle lining your stomach walls is similar. If you keep overstretching it by stuffing your stomach with huge volumes of food and drink, you’ll end up with that paunch, or beer-belly look. This is another reason you should eat four to six small meals per day rather than two or three large ones. It’s also a great reason why you should limit your alcohol intake (not to mention the calories you’ll save by not overindulging on a regular basis).

ANATOMY

When we think of abs, we normally picture the rectus abdominis. This muscle starts at the ribcage and attaches to the pelvic region. A properly developed and fat-free midsection is arranged in four to eight “blocks” (normally six) and resembles an old-time washboard (hence the terms “six-pack” and “washboard abs”). There is considerable variation among individuals with regards to abdominal development. Some bodybuilders show eight distinct blocks of abdominal muscles (four complete rows) while others are lucky to get four blocks to peak out (two rows). This may be in spite of the fact that these bodybuilders may have similar bodyfat percentages. If you don’t have a full six- or eight-pack, don’t worry. As long as your midsection is fat free you’ll be just as competitive as someone with four distinct rows.

The primary function of the abdominals is to contract and shorten the distance between the upper and lower body. If you’re lying on your back, a full ab contraction will move your shoulders only about eight to ten inches off the floor. Those old sit-ups you may have done in gym class (where you go all the way up to your knees) are rarely done anymore, as most of the movement is being carried out by your hip flexors.

Other muscles that make up the abdominal region are the obliques, serratus and intercostals. They all contribute to core stability and movement by helping to twist and stabilize the torso. They also play a role in helping you breathe.

TRAINING

Abdominal training generally falls into two categories: upper and lower. In a way this is misleading. From an anatomical point of view there are no upper and lower abs. This misconception arises because the abdominal ridges (those blocks I talked about earlier) are arranged left to right, not up and down. But the abdominal fibers run from ribcage to pelvis. Still, from an exercise point of view it is possible to target the upper and lower regions with different exercises.

Generally speaking, to hit the upper abdominals you perform movements where the legs are stationary and your sternum moves toward the legs (e.g. crunches). Conversely, to bring in more of the lower abdominals you keep the upper body stationary and move the legs toward the sternum (e.g. reverse crunches, leg raises).

One of the big changes in abdominal-training strategy in recent years concerns the number of sets and reps performed. Back in the ’60s and ’70s bodybuilders routinely banged out sets of 50 to 100 reps or more for their abs. They also trained their abs four to six times per week. But it eventually became apparent that those bodybuilders who treated their abs like any other muscle had abs as good as the 100-reppers. Most pros now pick two or three exercises and perform three or four sets of 20 to 25 reps for their abs and that’s it. Occasionally they may use a 10-pound plate or dumbell to add a little bit of extra resistance to the exercise, but for the most part the exercises are done with just bodyweight.

As a final comment I should address the issue of overtraining the abdominals. Unlike most muscles, where training every day or even three or four days per week would quickly lead to burnout and overtraining, the abs seem to recover much more quickly. Theoretically you could train the abs every day and not have to worry about overtraining. The question is why would you want to? The goal, remember, is to strengthen and tone the muscles. This can easily be accomplished by training them a couple of times per week. The real key to great-looking abdominals is a low body fat percentage, and all the crunches and leg raises in the world won’t make a difference. Only by following a clean diet and burning excess calories with cardio will you develop eye-catching, contest-winning abdominals.

THE BEST ABDOMINAL EXERCISES

• Crunches
• Reverse crunches
• Swiss-ball crunches
• Leg raises
• Hanging leg raises
• Roman-chair sit-ups
• Rope crunches
• Medicine-ball twists
• Ball passes

Photo of Frank Zane by George Greenwood

Photo of Thierry Pastel

A majority of today’s pro bodybuilders pick two or three ab exercises and do them with just bodyweight.
Photo of Ahmad Haidar by Robert Reiff

Photo of Quincy Taylor by Jason Mathas

THE CHAMPS’ ROUTINES

Quincy Taylor

“The abs are critical, especially if you’re a big guy. So many of the other monsters in the sport don’t have great abs that mine really give me an advantage when I battle them come showtime.”

– Quincy Taylor, top pro, commenting on the importance of great abdominals to his success.

Quincy Taylor has established himself as one of the true mass monsters in the sport. But unlike many of the other 280- to 300-pounders, Quincy sports a set of abdominals that rival the best lightweights.

Quincy prefers to train abdominals at the beginning of his workout – not at the end. He finds that training the abs first not only warms up the entire body, it also gives him time to concentrate and plan out what he’ll be doing for the rest of his workout. He also differs from most other bodybuilders in that he does only crunches – no leg raises or direct serratus work. The way he looks at it: “I’ve been training abs that way for years and I see no reason to change what’s working.”

Quincy’s first exercise is usually lying crunches. He lies on his back and, with his hands crossed across his chest, he raises his shoulder girdle about 8 to 10 inches off the floor. Once at the top he holds the contracted position for about two seconds and then slowly lowers back down to the starting position. He usually does 4 sets of 20 reps.

For his second and last (yes, last!) exercise, Quincy does 4 sets of 20 reps on the machine crunch. He uses the version that you sit in and grab the handles by the sides of the head. He performs machine crunches in the same manner as floor crunches. At one time he did this exercise using extra weight, but once his abs developed the thickness he desired, he dropped the weight and now just uses his bodyweight.

TAYLOR’S AB WORKOUT
EXERCISE	SETS	REPS
Lying Floor Crunches	4	20
Machine Crunches	4	20

THE CHAMPS’ ROUTINES

Jeramy Freeman

“Unlike many bodybuilders terrified that weights will thicken the abs and waistline, Jeramy trains abs heavy, just as he would any other muscle group.”

– Jon Simmons, MuscleMag International contributor, commenting on the ab-training approach of 270-pound 2001 North American super heavyweight champion Jeramy Freeman.

When he won the 2001 North American Championships at 270 pounds, super heavyweight Jeramy Freeman displayed a set of abdominals and intercostals that were the envy of most lightweights and middleweights.

A typical day will see Jeramy start with hanging leg raises from a chin-up bar. Instead of doing high reps he’ll hold a dumbell between his feet and do three sets of 15 reps. Jeramy says the key to this exercise is to rock the pelvis forward and upward as you do the movement. Failure to add this little movement in will result in the hip flexors doing most of the exercise.

For his second exercise Jeramy will bang out 3 sets of reverse crunches lying on a flat bench. As with hanging leg raises, he prefers to hold a dumbell between his feet and do lower reps.

For his third and final exercise, Jeramy does 3 sets of 15 reps of decline sit-ups. As he crunches forward he blows all the air from his lungs so he can get the maximum ab contraction. He also forgoes going all the way up or down on the movement, to minimize the stress on his lower back or bring his hip flexors into play.

FREEMAN’S AB WORKOUT
EXERCISE	SETS	REPS
Hanging Leg Raises	3	15
Reverse Crunches on Flat Bench	3	15
Incline Sit-Ups	3	15

Photo of Jeramy Freeman by Alex Ardenti

Ahmad’s abs are so great that he’s been nicknamed “Abzilla” in their honor.
Photos of Ahmad Haidar by Robert Reiff

THE CHAMPS’ ROUTINES

Ahmad Haidar

“Many bodybuilders don’t work their abs in the off-season. They train them for only a few months before the show. That’s why they don’t have really good abs.”

– Ahmad Haidar, IFBB pro, commenting on the mistake many bodybuilders make in their abdominal training.

You know you have a great bodypart when people start nicknaming you in honor of it. Take Lebanon-born Ahmad Haidar. Despite weighing 230 pounds at a height of 5'7", Ahmad sports a set of abdominals that rival the lightweights at a national championship. So good were his abs that it wasn’t long before people were calling him “Abzilla” (in the same manner that the late Paul DeMayo was nicknamed “Quadzilla” because of his huge quads).

When it comes to developing his washboard abs, Ahmad is a firm believer in both high reps and frequency. He typically does sets of 50 to 150 reps on every workout day.

Typically he’ll start with 4 sets of crunches, doing an astounding 150 reps per set. Like most bodybuilders Ahmad finds that crunches are probably the best exercise for bringing out the upper abs.

Next up it’s 4 sets of leg raises, averaging 40 to 50 reps per set. Whereas the crunches are the best upper ab exercise, Ahmad finds that leg raises really rip up his lower abs.

To balance out his abs, Ahmad finishes off with 4 sets of side crunches. He does 100 reps per set on each side to develop his obliques and intercostals.

HAIDAR’S AB WORKOUT
EXERCISE	SETS	REPS
Crunches	4	150
Leg Raises	4	40-50
Side Crunches	4*	100
* Number of sets per side.

Photo of Troy Alves by Robert Reiff

THE CHAMPS’ ROUTINES

Troy Alves

“When they relax, their guts often stick out farther than their chests. I don’t think that’s how a bodybuilder should look.”

– Troy Alves, commenting on some of the bigger bodybuilders on the pro circuit.

While Troy Alves is not the biggest man on the pro circuit, he doesn’t need to be. Some guys keep trying to pack more mass on their frames, but Troy has kept his competitive weight in the 215-to-220 range at 5'8" and symbolizes what the Greeks had in mind when they began to sculpt statues out of marble. Like Lee Labrada, Frank Zane and Shawn Ray before him, Troy prefers to focus on symmetry, size and proportion.

Unlike those “large gut” bodybuilders he was alluding to in the opening quote, Troy’s midsection is nothing but small, tight and rock hard. No 40-inch bellies for him – just 29 inches of chiseled granite.

Troy usually trains his abs twice per week using three exercises for 3 sets of 15 to 20 reps. His first exercise is often leg raises on a flat bench. With his legs straight and feet just inches from the floor, Troy lifts his legs until they are at about a 45-degree angle to the floor. To keep momentum out of the picture and really feel the burn, Troy takes about 4 to 6 seconds to perform each rep.

Next up are 3 sets of crunches. Troy frequently sees bodybuilders performing this exercise incorrectly and says the key to isolating the abs and reducing the stress on the lower back is to keep your lower to mid back on the floor at all times. As soon as your lower back leaves the floor your hip flexors start taking over.

To give his midsection that finished look, Troy switches from straight crunches to twisting crunches. Curling up to one side forces the obliques and intercostals to do much of the work.

ALVES’ AB WORKOUT
EXERCISE	SETS	REPS
Leg Raises	3	15-20
Crunches	3	15-20
Twisting Crunches	3	15-20

THE CHAMPS’ ROUTINES

Rodney Davis

“I must lose about eight inches when I get ready for a contest. In fact, during the first four weeks of my diet, the only thing that changes on my body is that my waist just keeps getting smaller and smaller.”

– Rodney Davis, 2006 NPC Masters super heavyweight champion, commenting on his midsection during the weeks leading up to a contest.

Rodney Davis is another bodybuilder who proves that just because you’re a super heavyweight doesn’t mean you can’t display a tight, trim midsection. In this age of 40-inch waists on 280-pound bodybuilders, Rodney sports a waist that is the envy of lighweights and super heavyweights alike.

Rodney has a “one from column A and one from column B” approach to ab training. He has two exercises for his upper abs and two for his lower abs. During a typical workout he’ll pick one from each column. Close to a contest he’ll add in an intercostal/serratus exercise. He also trains fast, resting only 45 seconds between sets, and usually completes his ab workout in 10 to 12 minutes.

Rodney’s two upper-ab exercises are lying crunches or incline board sit-ups. If doing the crunches he’ll squeeze out 30 to 35 reps for 4 sets. To reduce the stress on his lower back he keeps his thighs perpendicular to the floor. When he does incline sit-ups he’ll set the incline board at about 20 degrees and anchor his feet in under the roller pads. He does 4 sets of 20 to 25 reps, stopping each rep when he feels the tension coming off his abs.

For lower abs Rodney does either hanging leg raises or knee-ins at the end of a bench. At his gym the chinning bar has a set of straps that allow him to hang from the bar without having to grip with his forearms. This allows him to bring his lower abs to failure rather than having to stop because his forearms give out. To reduce the stress on his lower back, Rodney keeps his knees bent as he lifts his thighs up to his midsection. He does 4 sets of 15 to 20 reps.

For knee-ins on the end of a flat bench he leans back at about 45 degrees and grabs the bench behind his butt with his hands. From here he lifts his knees to his chest and then back down to the starting position. Again it’s 4 sets of 15 to 20 reps.

About 4 to 6 weeks out from a contest, Rodney adds in one-arm cable side crunches for his intercostals and serratus. He starts by standing with his side toward a high pulley and grabs the handle with one hand. From here he crunches his torso down toward his hip. He’ll typically do 2 sets per side.

DAVIS’ AB WORKOUT
EXERCISE	SETS	REPS
Lying Crunches or Incline Sit-Ups	4	20-35
Hanging Leg Raises or Knee-Ins	4	15-20
One-Arm Side Cable Crunches (pre-contest)	2	30-35

Photo of Rodney Davis by Jason Mathas