t’s not so much the training of abdominals, but the prioritization of nutrition that is the most significant factor in building amazing abs.”
Contrary to popular belief, abdominal muscles needn’t be trained more than one or two days per week. Overtraining abdominals is just as harmful and counterproductive as overtraining any muscle group. Overtraining abdominals can actually weaken your abdominal wall, possibly leading to an abdominal strain or tear. I personally suggest training abdominals no more than twice per week. I usually only perform isolated abdominal training one day per week, but certain exercises engage them as a secondary muscle, so they are receiving strength and conditioning while training other muscle groups.
Firstly, the truth is that the old adage that “Abs are made in the kitchen” is 100% true. Without a proper diet, you may strengthen your abs, but the chances of displaying a chiseled six-pack are slim to none, unless you’re blessed with ideal genetics. So, if your mission in life is having great abs, the kitchen is the place to start your application of eating clean for the results that are desired. If you begin to eat correctly and reduce body fat, you’ll be surprised to find the great abs that were already hidden beneath the body fat. People often ask me how they can get abs like mine. I always respond with, “It’s not so much the training of abdominals, but the prioritization of nutrition that is the most significant factor in building amazing abs.”
There are many different abdominal exercises that can benefit the strength of the abdominal wall, which consists of several layered muscles, such as the rectus abdominis, the transverse abdominis, the internal oblique and the external oblique. Different exercises condition and strengthen these both individually and as a functional group.
There are many challenging, complicated exercises that you’ll see people demonstrate, but the basic abdominal exercises such as crunches, knee raises, leg raises and cycling cross crunches (I adopted a variation of these that Cassius Clay performed early in his career that I named Cassius Clays) are all sufficient and effective to properly strengthen and condition the abdominal wall and obliques. I recommend sticking to the basics until you have proper form and have successfully strengthened and conditioned your abs to take on more challenging exercises.
Here are some of my personal abdominal workouts:
AB-BLASTER
Rest for 30 seconds in between each exercise.
1. Weighted Abdominal Machine (2 sets x 30 repetitions)
2. Standing Knee-ups (2 sets x 30 repetitions)
3. The Wheel (2 sets x 30 repetitions)
4. Straight-Leg Raise (slowly isometric – 2 sets x 15 repetitions)
5. Knee Raise (2 sets x 30 repetitions)
AB-BLASTER SERIES II
Rest for 30 seconds in between each exercise.
1. L-Crunch (1 set x 30 repetitions)
2. Matsuis (1 set x 30 repetitions – each time your shoulders touch the ground is considered 1 repetition)
3. Cassius Clays (1-2-3-4, crunch) (1 set x 30 repetitions – each crunch is considered 1 repetition)
4. Accordion (1 set x 30 repetitions)
5. Tens: 5-Movement Sequence (10 repetitions for each sequence)
(Accordions – Bicycles – Side-to-Side Scissors – Up and Down Scissors – Angled Hold)
AB-DOMINATION
Rest for 30 seconds in between each exercise.
1. Crunches (2 sets x 30 repetitions)
2. Slant Board Reverse Crunch (slowly isometric – 2 sets x 15 repetitions)
3. Slant Board Tens: 5-Movement Sequence (10 repetitions for each sequence)
(Accordions – Bicycles – Side-to-Side Scissors – Up and Down Scissors – Angled Hold)
4. The Arrow (hold for as long as you can)
AB-BASIC
Rest for 30 seconds in between each exercise.
1. L-Crunch (1 set x 30 repetitions)
2. Crunches (1 set x 30 repetitions)
3. Oblique Crunch on Exercise Ball (side-to-side – 2 sets x 30 repetitions)
4. Accordion (2 sets x 30 repetitions)
5. Knee Raise (2 sets x 30 repetitions)
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