I superset abs with other exercises all throughout my workouts.
DancingMonkey
Also keep in mind that your abs are working hard during a lot of other exercises you may be doing. Squats, lat pulldowns, lying french presses, even riding a stationary bike.
As far as planks go, i'm sure they are a great builder of strength up to a certain point but I don't know how they would translate much into improving how your abs look. I mean firstly, there's only gravity resistance, and secondly there is no contracting or expanding of the muscles going on.
...however, I don't think planks are useless and as the guy said in the plank vid, i'd probably use them as a secondary or assistance exercise at the end of ab day(s) to give them a good burn out.
Silky Johnson
As someone already said before, it depends what you're going for. Planks are great for strength/endurance, and will give the stomach a flatter, less "golf ball" look. Not only that, but planks engage more of the core muscles than just regular crunches. There's more than one way to do a plank, too. ;)
I personally prefer the look of my stomach having incorporated planks into my ab exercises - and I have certainly noticed a huge improvement in my ability to do other, more difficult ab exercises - like the jack knife sit up, reverse crunch, push/kick aways/bicycle move, or pike on the stability ball.
Imo the most "effective" ab workouts are the ones that engage the core in a variety of ways, and engage more muscles in the process.
DancingMonkey
I think the general consensus is that planks = ok, dynamic ab work = ok, both = excellent.
Fledz
I don't think it is. More and more people are realising that you get a far better core workout from resistance training than with active training.
Silky Johnson
I went to my friend's Tae Kwon Do class today and it was awesome! I'm going to join when I'm finished school/have more time for sure. I rocked the out some of the advanced kicks, and made it through an entire pattern. Woo!
ziptnf
I've always had trouble with my weight. As a competitive swimmer in High School, I was always the guy that wasn't quite as "cut" as everyone else. My metabolism wasn't all that high and I didn't have the body that all the other swimmers had. Basically, I was the fat guy.
(that's me in the middle there)
After I finished my swimming career, I didn't see physical shape as an issue anymore since I didn't really have to compare myself to anyone except the friends of mine in the computer engineering department (let's just say that they aren't exactly in the best shape). I drank too much, I ate whatever the hell I wanted, and honestly didn't give a crap about what I looked like. In other words, I got lazy. At my fattest, I weighed over 195 pounds. Here's what I looked like in June last year.
After that point, I went vegan with my now ex-girlfriend and ran and did situps and pushups every day. I lost 25 pounds in 6 weeks. But that wasn't enough. This December, I decided to undergo P90X. I had heard how tough it was, and felt I was the perfect candidate to try it out and see how I did. I surprised myself. It was a very difficult program, and I can see why most people quit. My drive, focus, and desire to finish it got me in the best shape of my life. My strength, coordination, flexibility, and overall fitness has improved drastically. I plan on continuing the program with P90X+, another 90 day challenge with new videos and new challenges. I say BRING IT! Here's my results:
To gauge my progress, I swam one of my favorite events, the 100 yard Individual Medley, which is a 25 of each stroke (butterfly, backstroke, breastroke, freestyle). I swam quite well. Last year, my fat ass could drag through the water in 1:15 seconds. This year... well, just check out the video!
SYSTEM-J
Good results. How much weight did you lose in the 90 days?
Nrg2Nfinit
showoff :p
anyways great progress man :)
ziptnf
Thanks guys! Jack, I lost nearly 15 pounds doing P90X. Went from 170 to around my high school weight, currently 157. I hope to look even better after the next 90 days. It may not be the best results ever, but I certainly feel a lot better.
Silky Johnson
Oh boy! We got a dip attachment for our pull up bar. Yay! Now I can do leg raises and .
gmilf
quote:
Originally posted by ziptnf
Thanks guys! Jack, I lost nearly 15 pounds doing P90X. Went from 170 to around my high school weight, currently 157. I hope to look even better after the next 90 days. It may not be the best results ever, but I certainly feel a lot better.
I just got a hold of these videos. I have been debating whether or not to try it, if I just want to add a couple pounds of muscle and improve overall strength/flexibility will they work?
