Ares need help with core

[wazzacky]

Man i got some questions about core work. Do the obliques beside the abs get worked during crunches/reverse crunches/ plank and such?
My abs are really hard, and have begun to show (I still need to get rid of some fat,, i do low intensity running for that) but my obs are much smaller and aren't visible standing up. Will they catch up or anything? Or are they naturally smaller. The only excercise i've been doing for them is side plank.

[Rampage]

i would try gettin some good weighted dumbels and do some trunk rotation while contracting your core at the same, muchh easier than a old fashion crunch. in football they also do planks, those are good. try getting some fast paced music, lay on the ground put your legs in the air so you look like this on the ground ---> |_ and touch your toes with out bending your knees to the beat of this...fast paced music. good luck sir, and i also would try lifting the top leg during the side planks. Best of luck.

P.S.
oh, by the way, the obliques dont get worked so much on regular crunches. so you would have to do some elbow to opposite knee knida thing, and you might try some bicycle crunches. and do crunches to a whole song and on time to the beat. it teaches muscle control, if it starts to burn keeeeeep goingggggg thats goood! ignore all bad thoughts and feelings...trust me...i play football.

lol ( you could also cheat and get a "Contour" belt and do abs at the same time :o)

[Ares]

If you want to lose the fat the running that you do now helps, and just stick to low low low weight workouts for the abs. Remember go beyond the "burning" feeling, thats when you actually start burning the fat so tough it out. Once you are satisfied with the fat youve lost start building up some muscle.

It also just may be some skin, not fat so look into that.

[wazzacky]

it probably is. I just measured my body fat % on this machine (its probably innacurate) and it said mine was 7% which is well within the fitness range. Im begginning to see definiion in my shoulders, chest and lats. My stomach is just creeping along but since i got this job (ben there for about 3 weeks) my workouts have been less and less and so i usually combine many upper body routines togethor to keep things balanced. My core gets the worst of it. Right now my core routine is 2x30 crunches (i've upped it to 40) 2x30 reverse crunches 2x 1 minute side plank 2x30 slow bicycle 2x30 lower leg lifs and 2x 1.5 minute plank.

Hey is protein supplement a good idea? Does it improve results or anything?

[Ares]

If you eat 3 balanced meals a day it will beat any protein supplement out there.

You cant put more protein in your body then it needs, otherwise you piss yellow(protein coming out of your system)

[Rampage]

If you eat 3 balanced meals a day it will beat any protein supplement out there.

personaly i like to eat 5 times a day. but its not how you think im saying it

#1. eat breakfast an hour with in waking up, but be advised dont stuff your self, just to not feel hungry. drink a 8oz glass of water before eating (7 or 8 am)

#2 eat a light snack 2 to 3 hours with in breakfast just so you dont feel hungry anymore [ again another 8oz glass of water] ( 10 or 11 am)

#3 lunch around (1 or 2 pm) eat enough to make your self not hungry (again another 8oz glass of water)

#4 eat a light snack 2 to 3 hours with in lunch just so you dont feel hungry anymore [ again another 8oz glass of water] ( 4 or 5 pm)

#5 eat dinner but remember dont make your self stuffffed...just enough so your not hungry. (7 or 8 pm)

Remember though, dont eat 3 hours within sleeping. what all this does is boost your metabolic rate and force you body into fat burining mode so that when you sleep your burning fat (and what better time to burn fat while sleeping..right?)

and the key is to eat 2 or 3 hours inbetween each time you eat. know what i mean?

I failed to mention this before but i do the P90X work out so after i workout i do drink a protine suppliment.

but yeah on top of that 5 8oz glass of water deal, if you feel hingry before sleeping, just down another glass of water.

also this is just my time frame, you can do this from any time. just when you eat wait 2 maybe 3 hours inbetween each snack/ meal

hope what ive said helps you out sir

[Ares]

You just spread all your food intake out throughout the day lol. No major difference.

[wazzacky]

my food intake is closer to rampage, But i've never put alot of thought into what i eat. I always eat a big bowl of vector with sliced bananas in the morning. Snacks usually are either a whole fruit or some bread or a pbnj sandwhich. Oh hey is weighted crunches a good idea? I tried the ab machines they feel unnatural but i've been able to 1 rep max 200lbs.

[Ares]

Thats stupid, if you cant rep something 5 times your wasting your time.

[wazzacky]

no i was just testing, i did well over 10 at 160lbs. The point is should i do weighted crunches?

[Ares]

not too much weight, if you want a toner "Six Pack" look do like 60 or so pounds over many reps

[Rampage]

low weight high reps dude

if you do the ab machine figure out what wight you can do at30 reps and barely do it,

thats the key maybe even 25 rep max know what i mean?

[wazzacky]

yea i think im just gona stay with non weighted. Like i said those ab machines are awkward to use

[andy]

just rep

[Ares]

Actually, let me rephrase something ive said, if you want a 6 pac you need to cut down your calorie intake and put in more protein intake.
and do little reps more weight to build the muscle

[wazzacky]

my six pack is getting mroe defined. my family has this genetic thing (i think) about lower ab fat. its very hard to get rid of. I have noticed its slimmed off but not nearly as much as the top four abs which have become very visible. What i usually do is about 60 crunches with 2 sets and like 60 ob crunches at 2 sets, hip flexor excercise but engaging abs and obs instead of the flexor, weigted crunches, lower leg lifts and or bicycle, side plank and plank. thats my workout routine. I would like to change it up so i don't plateu. my triceps have plateud. I pushed my tricep extensions by 30lbs since i started and that doesn't get me sore but doing 3 sets of dips at 15 reps does.