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2007/07/23, 06:00 AM
Hey, guys, this boards seems rather quiet compared to a few months back...anyhow just a question or two regarding lower/back abs:
1. Do I need to work my lower back (Hyperextensions) as often as I work my abs? I ask as I read somewhere that to "balance" the development hyperextensions should be included in ab routines. Is that necessary if I already do DL's or Good Mornings? I have back troubles as it is and would rather not cause an imbalance, hence my query.
2. After reading Arnold's Encyclodpedia whereby he stated that ab routines needn't incorporate weights and that the bodyweight is enough, it had me wondering. My chest is my lagging body part and as a result my upper abs are almost level with it, so I'm not looking to add size to them, but rather "define" what I have; so what I'm asking is whether bodyweight abs exercises would be fine?
Cheers.
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If in doubt K.I.S.S.
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2007/07/23, 06:13 AM
i have selected a workout. when it says to do sets # 1234, does that mean i set of 16 then 2 of 12, 3 of 10, 4 of 8 etc... ? or is it just the number u should do exercises???? please help..
Thanks heaps, Nick
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2007/07/23, 06:18 AM
It means 1st set: 16, 2nd: 12, 3rd: 10, 4th: 8.
Anyway, back to topic.
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If in doubt K.I.S.S.
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2007/07/23, 09:01 AM
Hey, Both good questions!
If you are doing good mornings, you are hitting your back, but since you say you have back issues...you should do these preventative/rehabilitative exercises every other day (I like to alternate with ab work) -
Cat/Cow - a stretch, but also helps keep the back mobile -
on hands and knees, you want to pull your belly button up and arch your back like a cat stretching, then relax it and let it sag but not overexaggerated (sp?) (cow).
Bird dogs - you can do these lying on your stomach if it is too difficult to balance on your hands and knees:
Lift opposite arm and leg up just a few inches off the ground if you are lying on your stomach, level with your back if you are on hands and knees, and think about extending them (lengthening the line of your body) towards the wall behind you and in front of you, hold for a few seconds and then switch to the other arm/leg (opposites).
Back extensions or Supermans:
Lie on your stomach, legs straight out behind you and arms folded underneath you, now lift your upper body up(your hands can assist a little - but you are working towards hands-free or arms extended) using your low back muscles, don't come up too high - you will get crampy and pinchy in your low back. Focus on keeping your hips pressed into the floor. When this excerise becomes too easy you can lift your legs at the same time, extend your arms in front of you or lie them alongside your body. Eventually you can switch to the hyperextension stand , if your gym has one).
I would avoid those ridiculous low back machines they have in most gyms - they can actually aggarvate back issues.
As far as abs - try alternating bodyweight work and weighted work, I don't think you will see huge growth in your abs...big abs are either genetic or 'enhanced'. also - focus on tucking your abs in when you work them, this may help build a leaner look, as opposed to abs that stick out, if that makes any sense.
Also - focus on recruiting your transverse abdominals when you are lifting - think of it as a girdle that keeps your midsection stable.
Gotta go! Hope this helps!
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Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak.
Thomas Carlyle
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2007/07/23, 11:54 AM
As always, sound advice asimmer. And very much appreciated.
The descriptions were spot on, I just tried them to see if I understood you correctly.
I'll incorporate the stretch/lower back exercises into my weekly regime. As you advised, I'll alternate with ab days (Did I interpret that correctly?) and see how it goes.
The insight onto the lower back machines in the gym is valuable as when I had used it in the past it caused some discomfort, but I put it to one side assuming it was just muscle fatigue. Better safe than sorry right?
And I now realise that when working my abs I was focusing on recruiting my upper abs to execute; when I focus on the transverse abdominals it feels completely different.
Also, one other query if I may; my BF% is at 11/12 and when I workout or tense my abs they are cleary visible (not "cut" but look "good"), yet when I relax my midsection they seem to sag downwards and slightly out in front of me. Does this mean that I am not working hard enough? Or is that i have fat beneath my abs forcing them out (which I read worse than fat covering the abs, as underneath the there can effect the liver etc). Sorry that isn't very coherent but I hope it makes sense.
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If in doubt K.I.S.S.
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2007/07/23, 12:05 PM
The sag is just because you are relaxed, I think. Probably whenever you see people with firm, flat tummies they are holding it in 9engaging the transverse abdominals). When you see bb's in contest shape, if they are felxing and posing, they are also flexing/tightening their abs - when they walk off stage, their bellies do stick out more.
If your bodyfat is 11/12 %, you probably don't have that much interabdominal fat. Also - if you have been working them without recruiting the tranverse, you may have been unknowingly buildign that pushed out look, but that is just a theory.
yes, alternate days - ab work one day, low back the next.
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Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak.
Thomas Carlyle
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