Coach’s answer: If you actually want to build your abs, train them directly about twice a week, and pick exercises you can add weight to over time.
Your core gets a lot of work from compound movements like squats and deadlifts, but for many people it won’t be enough to really optimize ab hypertrophy. Like any other muscle, your abs respond best to direct work.
Twice a week is a solid frequency goal for most muscle groups for most people, and abs are no exception. A 2016 meta-analysis found that hitting a muscle group at least twice per week is superior to just once a week for muscle growth.
Volume also comes into play here, since it wouldn’t make much sense just to do one set a day on those two days a week. Try aiming for a minimum of 10 sets spread across the days that you are doing direct ab work.
The more common mistake for abs is picking exercises that you can’t progress. Bodyweight crunches stop challenging your abs once you can pump out 50 of them per set. Same goes for stuff like the ab roller wheel, sit-ups, and planks you can hold for more than about a minute. Go with movements where you can add a little bit of load at a time.
- Kneeling cable crunch: easy to set up on a cable station (or maybe with some resistance bands) and you can bump up the weight in small increments over time.
- Crunch machine: if your gym has a crunch machine that doesn’t totally suck and feel uncomfortable or have a limited range of motion, this can also be a great option.
Steady progression is what builds muscle over the long term, so options where you can gradually increase the weight are crucial.
For obliques, anti-rotation work is my go-to. The Pallof press and cable wood chops train your core to resist twisting, and you can load both progressively. Dumbbell side bends aren’t anti-rotation, but they can also be used for the obliques if the wait for the cable machine is too long at your gym.
One big thing to keep in mind here is that while the direct ab work will build the muscle, it won’t burn off the fat sitting on top of your abs and hiding your six-pack (or eight-pack if you hit the genetic lottery). You can’t target fat reduction on your abs, so the way to visible abs is going to include managing your diet, potentially by tracking your calories. Training them directly helps ensure that they will be thicker and more developed once the body fat comes off.
Sources
- Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Effects of resistance training frequency on measures of muscle hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Med. 2016;46(11):1689-97. PMID: 27102172
- Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle mass: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sports Sci. 2017;35(11):1073-1082. PMID: 27433992
- Vispute SS, Smith JD, LeCheminant JD, Hurley KS. The effect of abdominal exercise on abdominal fat. J Strength Cond Res. 2011;25(9):2559-2564. PMID: 21804427
