...number of crunches one is supposed to do each day/week, etc. in order to make maximum improvement in the abs region????? Is there even a recommended number????
I just started working out and am wayyyyyyyyy out of shape, and realize that at 34 years old, 6'1", 279 lbs with a bad lower back, that I'll never achieve washboard levels, but would at least like to get a little bit of tone there and lose this tire I'm wearing around my waist.
Is there a good place to go for a decent ab workout that one can do in my own house without spending a lot of money on equipment????
Thank you all very much for any input. I like this board.
There's no set number and you don't need any equipment at all. Doing leg lifts, crunches, twists, bicycles etc. all work your abs just fine. Do as many as you can, basically. Keep reps slow and controlled and you'll get the most out of them. Since your body uses the core muscles all the time, you can pretty much beat the snot out of them, but working abs once or twice a week is plenty sufficient for basic muscle tone and strength.
__________________
Keep your body lean, your blood clean and your mind sharp. -Rollins
can you "overwork" them??? What I mean is, I've heard people say its bad to work the abs every day.
Now, down to the question I'm pretty sure I know the answer to already, but I'll ask anyway, what the heck. Now I know I'm a heckuva long ways off, but is it possible at 34, when I've never had the "six-pack" thing going, to get to that point, or is that simply being unrealistic. If it is possible, would it be possible to start seeing something along the lines of muscle tone in the stomach within a year or so, or is that just waaayyyyyy too soon. Thank you.
Thanks for all your advice, Naxis, you've been a ton of help already.
Well, they are a muscle like all other muscles, so they do need a certain amount of rest to recouperate. But working them more than necessary doesnt do any good anyway. You don't really see overtraining of the abs (at least I dont) but they are very tenacious muscles that can take a real beating if need be. But in general, it's bad to do any kind of resistance exercise to the same muscle every day.
Seeing a six pack is almost strictly diet. You can work the abs all day long and not see the tone until the flab is gone and particularly for men, the midsection is the last place that it comes off. That said, it's not exactly totally unrealistic, it's just going to take some time and dilligence. You'll definitely lean out all over and the gut will show that as well, and tone will come through even if a ripped washboard doesn't. When your body really astarts to get fit overall, you'll see it everywhere. You're well on your way.
__________________
Keep your body lean, your blood clean and your mind sharp. -Rollins
I worked my way up to about 160-170 crunches twice a week. It takes me about 15 minutes each session to accomplish that amount. I have nice ab-muscle definition. I have lost 25 lbs. over the past 3 years and am keeping off about 20, fluctuating up and down 5 lbs. When my BMI was higher, I could not see my muscles, but since I lost the weight, I can see my toned muscles.
I don't ever feel like I've overworked my abs, as I've been doing this routine for a couple of years now. They're rarely sore for very long after my workout. I have had lots of compliments on my abs by other patrons at the gym where I workout.
I learned my current ab workout from a video tape that came with the Ab Roller. I have the routine memorized and have adapted it to my liking. I do 4 different exercises with the ab rollers at the gym that work the top, middle and lower abs.
You can rent or buy a video with different ab routines and adapt them for your own routine. Good luck. Please let us know if you begin seeing a significant difference or improvement.
It sounds like you're needing to lose weight, yep diet, crunches are great, but you will also need to get some movement going, as this burns fat. You can either go for walks outside, ride a stationary bike at home, go to the gym and use their cardio equipment, but you'll need to get some kind of exercise. Getting in some workouts will speed up the process big time, and you'll lose inches all over your body, spot reducing dosen't work, as we have discovered, darn it! Hope this helps too.
Thanks, mefit. I started walking 3.5 miles in the morning (about an hour), and have walked each of the last two nights in the evening, probably between 2-4 miles each time. Plan on walking again tonight. In another week and a half, I hope to start jogging portions of that in the morning. In another month, after I've stuck with it for 4 weeks, I'm going to join a rec center with weight room, bikes and an indoor suspended track, since fall in Iowa brings cruddy weather, and before long, icy roads/sidewalks. They also have racquetball courts, but I want to make sure I've walked/jogged for a while to build up the muscles in my back and legs a little first. I'm sure the stopping and starting of racquetball would wreak havoc with my body if I tried to start that now.
