What are the BEST AB Exercises? (Science Explained)
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- Опубликовано: 20 сен 2024
- In this video Dr. Milo Wolf breaks down the BEST exercises for building muscle in the abs, (AKA the six pack) according to the latest scientific research (and his own experience both as a lifter and a coach). The abdominal musculature includes more than just the six pack though, so which of these muscles even matter for aesthetics, and how do you train them? He covers this and more, from a scientific perspective.
References:
1. journal.iusca....
2. pubmed.ncbi.nl...
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"What are the BEST AB Exercises? (Science Explained)"
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so much better than the ab training plans youd find online. russian twists, isometric holds/planks, bicycle knee to elbow, flutter kicks, 10 minute circuits repeated 3 or more times.
It's the first thing you get into fitness-wise, and it's also the worst content out there
but I don't want bulky bodybuilder abs, I want to be a toned cougar! *does 15 miuntes of birddogs with terrible form*
There’s nothing wrong with GPP
@@sensid-iwnl-5201no one said there was. The issue is the expectation of new gym goers that if they lift too heavy, try too hard per set or pick the wrong movements they will accidentally become too jacked. They tend to get bored and stop working out when they don't get results. The ignorance is the issue, and I suppose all the fitness grifters have been successful at perpetuating nonsense in order to make people feel they need that trainer to sort through the bs
@@Sawstinker"I don't want to get too big" - me when I first started lifting. Oh buddy, don't worry, that won't be an issue.
I really liked the specialization video you release a little while back. A series idea I’d love to see is some specific body specialization programs, recommendations, and so on. It would be great to also have your expert take on how low in volume you can take certain body parts while maintaining their size and so on!
Best abs video I've seen so far bro, really appreciate your efforts dr.wolf
Can't wait to see your next vid🙏🏼🔥
I like doing dragon flags / leg raises on a bench. I hold onto either the top or sides of the bench which let's me extend my legs below parallel for a nice stretch. Bonus is that it works out my hip flexors a little bit, too.
If you let your butt hang loose, beyond the edge of the bench, you can get more range of motion and an insane stretch in the lengthened position.
I did the barbell rollout maneuver today. I only managed 2 sets and will advise (tomorrow) as to any stomach pain. thanx for the tips.
My fave ab workout at home has been a stiff-legged deadlift. Dr.Mike has some good videos on it.
I'd recommend side bends on the 45 degree hyperextensions for obliques. Gives more of a stretch than the standing side bends, and therefore also helps work side bending mobility which most don't really get much. Not that you'd need to do it often.
Also targets the Quadratus Lumborum, which is an ubderrated muscle for performance and back health
I added these to my rotation recently and they absolutely torch my obliques and quadratus lumborum. Crazy good stretch.
Captain’s chair leg raised. Solves the forearms and lats issue.
I alternate between that and the cable crunch in 4 workouts a week and that got me abs
Finally series is finished....awesome.
IT'S OVER. IT'S FINALLY OVER.
Finished? Where's the neck video?
I want a neck video, a beard video and how to avoid a neckbeard video
@@WolfCoaching We still need the best exercises for training the neck!
There's not gonna be one on penile hypertrophy?
Eugene teo showcased a really cool use for a GHD to get some really great ab stretch for crunching
I have programed those GHD side bends ever since watching Eugene's video, very microloadable by arm position. A few sets of 3-6 reps and my sides are cooked for days.
Jup would recommend that video to everyone. Transformed my ab workout completely
@@neco5740which video?
I like the dumbbell loaded side plank with hip dip for oblique work.
Good advice Milo. My current ab workout doesn't hit all of the bullet points in the checklist but they do allow some extension & difficulty can be increased by extending arms &/or using a small plate or using leg weights. Me and ab machines don't get along. I try to do abs/core 3 times per week but also try to vary the workout each time.
General Core: The McGill Big Three.
Rectus Abdominis (upper focussed): Swiss Ball Crunches (keep hips up and fixed while slowly crunching hard)
Rectus Abdominis (lower): Reverse Crunch (butt & legs off the end of a bench, knees bent at 90 degrees, roll hips up don't throw legs up, lower back leaves bench to crunch abs).
Obliques: 45 degree side bends (sideways on a 45 degree hyperextension bench).
great video, I really appreciate the hinge flexion vs spine flexion/extension tip
What other series do you want to see now that this one is over?!
Exercise tier-lists for each of these muscle groups
Also more technique videos. Curious to hear your take on cues like “spread the floor”, “bend the bar”, etc.
Strength workouts at home/with no dedicated equipment. There's a ton of stuff on how to grow muscle at home/with no equipment, but (understandably) nothing about strength. I wonder if there's a way to combine water jugs in a backpack and manipulating levers to make decent strength gains at home. Stuff like one armed push ups while using the fingers of the second hand to keep you stable, so it's less of a party trick and more of a legit strength movement.
@@SaintBernard-n8r yes this. A Tier list for everything
Serratus anterior 🤤 Man wants some GILLS
Ah yes of course, ive been training abs wrong my entire life. Expected nothing less
Lolol same
What about GHD sit-ups? Massive stretch; tension max at full length; just jump on machine; scalable by upping reps or adding weight; fun/don’t suck.
Dropping another comment instead of just editing my last one (for the algorithm!) but I’d love for you to cover the Repeated Bout Effect (RBE) and its effects on growth and so on.
I got to the point where I could do 3x5 in a dragon flag controlling concentric and eccentric, so I decided to start putting a small Bosu ball under my low back to arc my spine more so I could get a deeper stretch in the bottom position. I’m currently performing more of a modified dragon flag now but it’s a much harder movement so I’m going to try to work up to that 3x5 controlled concentric and eccentric.
Those ab rollouts demonstrated are insane! Anyone who's done them knows how much the difficulty spikes for every inch at the end there
Declice crunch can be "micro loaded" by extending your arms backward/forward depending on how hard you want it to be. To make it consistent you can decide fixed positions for the hands. For example, the lightest position would be hands-on-scrotum, then hands on chest, hands on ears, etc. And you can adjust the bench, in many cases.
Or just hold a dumbbell on your chest. 5 lb jumps aren't "microloading" IMO but it's better than nothing.
Or just put on a backpack with weight or weighted vest
@@mrAngusGus yeah i do exactly this
@@mrAngusGuswhat mcdwub is saying (I think) is if you are able to decline crunch with arms extended overhead, you can definitely hold 5lbs db. If you work on slowly moving the db overhead then it's microloading. Which is exactly what I do.
Thank you for the amazing content as usual. Would there be a separate list of ab exercises that would transfer better to different sports contexts?
I've seen squat university recommend seated around the worlds for examples
Try using a preacher curl station as back support, using cables for resistance. When it's setup correctly it's a very stretch focused ab exercise.
That's literally too much to ask when you can just do some decline crunches
What about the GHD sit-up with dumbbells?? Helluva stretch.
Isolating a muscle is inarguably a great way to develop a muscle, but I wouldn't necessarily write off compound work as a means to target a muscle because of that. Sit-ups for example also recruit the hip flexors, but that doesn't necessarily mean less stimulus for the abs - I'd actually argue that it can allow for more stimulus. Take the decline crunches you've showcased here and compare those to decline sit-ups, the hip flexion component definitely allows the abs to be in a position where they are experiencing more stress than they would from the crunch's range of motion alone.
Terms and conditions apply of course, individual responses will vary and a great exercise for one person might be a poor exercise for another. That said, my experience (perhaps yours is different) is that most people aren't struggling with overdeveloped hip flexors. So the extra stimulus that a compound exercise targeting both the abs and hip flexors provides only serves as a net bonus for both muscle groups. Technique matters too, you can take the same exercise and shift the technique in a direction that begins to favor one thing over another. My point is simply that ab exercises that target more than just the abs can still be great ab exercises. I feel like you'd probably agree there, the video just felt as though it was overemphasizing isolation as the prime variable.
The problem with that is that in a compound you're not taking your abs anywhere close to failure. Not to mention it's a massive amount of pointless fatigue. It's not in any way a remotely a good way to train your abs.
The only way to actually take your abs to failure is with isolation.
Thanks for a great write up so I didn't have to say it, I would also like to add that training spinal flexion without hip flexion could end up being a lot like trying to train lateral delts without hitting the upper traps just like scapulohumeral rhythm exists, so does lumbopelvic.
Mentioning that a bilateral contraction of the obliques does perform spinal flexion is very good as well as does recommending side bends and the rotary machine.
I do take issue with saying that the obliques are small and unimportant like the wrist extensors considering that they just might not be as developed on people because of a selection bias to train spinal flexion exercises rather than lateral flexion and rotation on a population level. I believe these I believe these I believe training these muscles might lead to better health outcomes than just ignoring them due to their size. Getting them strong could potentially be important for decreasing the rate of injuries and/or getting a little bit more performance out of lifts they contribute to.
I find it's strange that after criticizing the hanging leg raise for stability issues (which is a problem it does have and more) and then recommending the dragon flag and ab wheel roll out. Even if you don't think that the decline sit up is a better exercise people should definitely find something where their back is supported with a curved pad to facilitate hyperextension with the force vector biased towards that lengthened position. I don't even think that the dragon flags are too much hip flexors, I just don't think they are dynamic enough AND if too much hip flexors is a problem for most people, as well as lats during the leg raise then it sure is hell should be a problem for dragon flags (a ton of hip flexors) and ab wheel rollouts (a ton of lats/triceps). This doesn't even take into account that hyperextension is generally not performed in either one of these exercises.
@@Ryan30z Are you by chance confusing compound exercises in general with the big three compounds specifically? A compound exercise is any that targets multiple muscle groups, such as in the case of the sit-up which I mentioned as my example. There's no way that you honestly believe that a compound exercise like the sit-up can't take the abs anywhere close to failure and that it's not a remotely good way to train abs. Right?
P.s your ab wheel rollout looked to be lacking - you were using your knees to bring your torso back as if you were kneeling down. Would it not be more beneficial to instead pull your arms slightly under you while maintaining a sort of 'plank on your knees' technique, and then slightly flex the spine to bring the wheel toward the waist?
edit: no hate intended, just purely commenting based on how I perform them and how you remove part of the RoM with kneeling backwards to end the movement!
Think he's doing that for more resistance through instability.
Could we get a better shot/tutorial for the cable crunch please Dr. wolf?
Rather new to this channel and enjoying your content!! Can you plz give a rundown on "abs/muscles & swimming". Seen some pretty decent results (though mostly on my swimming buddies to be fair). Generally, I miss content on swimming on all the "work out channels". (Yes, there are loads of swimming channels, that are pretty good. But imo they only focus on their sport and rarely discuss it from a general perspective ...)
Great video! But aren't side bends dangerous for your spine?
Anything is dangerous if you do it wrong enough. Start light in a higher rep range fairly far from failure, and build up like you would any other exercise. The spine is meant to be moved in all directions by all core muscles, within reason. No different than a crunch or a Jefferson curl. Good luck on your journey bro
Should you train obliques purely for aesthetics purposes? Or will it make your waist 'wider'?
If you want that V shape, training obliques will not help because as they grow, your waist becomes wider. That's why most people don't train them at all.
Swiss ball crunch, great stretch and intense contraction, high reps of twenty - bring on the pain..
Here’s my ab rotation: Decline crunch (easily loadable by holding a dumbbell), ab wheel (#1 ab exercise by far due to the stretch), cable crunch, machine crunch, leg raises on the captains chair (takes forearms and lats out and if you’re getting proper spinal flexion not many people can do hanging leg raises anyway)
I think this info package could've addressed the isometrics more on the theory standpoint as a category. Like the first point on the list was the function of the muscle and both the ab wheel rollout and dragon flag are isometrics instead. And coincidentally absolutely the most effect I've had in training besides the cable stack crunch which was the first time I liked an ab exercise. The rest have just been exhausting, uncomfortable or painful in wrong tissues. But the nice thing about ab wheel rollout and dragon flag is how difficult they are. That you can actually adjust the challenge with your range of motion as you get better. And you can start with just the eccentric and even do a static hold at the end of your current range. Like I started the dragon flag by just kicking the legs to the roof and then slowly letting the shoulders tilt the body and try to hold it where I barely didn't lose control yet, enjoying the eccentric and static hold. Naturally the lower you tilt, the more moment arm you develop and thus more stress from the load and you stay in the lengthened position all the way as long as you're able to control your hip from tilting to anterior tilt and making your back hurt.
And now that I think about it, I haven't been disappointed in Squat University's weird kettlebell core exercises either, all those upside down kettlebell in hand while squatting and whatnot. Also isometrics but in lateral direction. It might be a sensation bias though, just because I get tension and soreness and am new enough to core training that I get easy gains (from everything except your traditional ab circuit exercises).
Ok there's one more exercise that was really effective. In judo warmups we do a shuffle from one end of the mat to the other where you lie on your back legs in 90-90 and arms off the mat as well, shuffling your butt and shoulders in turns slightly up from the mat and moving them to the side. I don't know how to explain it better but basically you lie on your back and shuffle sideways.
Using your logic, wouldn't the swiss ball crunch be a good exercise? I personally do add rotational core exercises in addition to spinal flexion ones in my workouts.
Use a bench for leg raises-more eccentric stretch. I hold a dumbbell between my feet for added resistance.
Guys, if you're doing the cable abs, don't use the cord, use a TRX and strap ir around your shoulders with some sort of protection so the strap won't dig into your skin. The cord makes you distribute tension on your shoulders, elbows, and cervical (if you put your hand on the forehead) making theses parts the week link in the chain and is not going to let you enjoy the full potential of such a stong muscle group as the abs.
Use cables on the decline crunch!And crunch right up with an inward spine curvature!
I expected the best exercise to show him repeatedly putting down the fork
Do those fixed barbells have rotating sleeves? That's cool. I always find the handles on ab rollout wheels to be too close together.
You should only do assisted planks, because they're far safer for you.
I do (weighted) leg lifts with my legs hanging off of the end of a bench and my hands in a diamond pattern under my tailbone. Never seen anyone else do these, but they’re A)spammable without pain and B) extremely challenging if you want them to be.
dude siting the your own research to make a point is the biggest flex i've seen
You didn't showed much of your cable crunch variation as i do the traditional cable crunch.
I’m surprised this wasn’t mentioned. Advanced trainee here, but my abs are not . I’ve never really trained them. They are essentially de-trained.
Recommendations for training abs, while not getting severe abdominal cramps and/or pressure, even when trained far away from failure.
Keep training abs, you'll get used to it. Just like with any other muscle
I like to use the bench leg raise as opposed to a hanging leg raise or the seatless chair leg raise because the lower back and the grip are no longer a limiting factor or a distraction. And as i get stronger i basically cheat less and less on the concentric and eventually i won't have to cheat at all.
Milo. During decline sit-ups simply hold a 5kg plate. Do 2x 25 for 50 and you’ll feel it. Use the stomach muscles like any other aim for progressing.
Sweet tips on how to get ripped in 5 minutes over 3 weeks. And all I had to do was buy a subscription to your channel to get the secrets!
Does not relate to this video but those long-lenght partials are a game-changer! For me the power of the lacking movements have increased by doing long lenght partials. Thx!
Yeah for pull ups they’ve been quite beneficial for me
Nah, the obliges are among the most important for upper body esthetics. Along with well developed seratus anterior. Just having popping abs looks weird as fuck
great vid thank you
Tried wheel roll outs for a year and have not seen much improvement. 25 reps takes too long and I could do more since they seem too easy. Old Swiss bar crunches are far more challenging . Hanging ankles to bar are challenging but probably more like a whole body exercise.
i do lying hollow body crunches with my legs off the edge of my bed for an even deeper stretch. sometimes holding a weight between my legs or in my outstretched hands if i want to load it
Might as well train my obliques; even having barely trained I have a pretty small waist compared to upper body so there's no harm in the small amount of growth I'd likely get, and it could be helpful with climbing and other sports
just started doing dragon flags, still working on its progressions. Hope to see some amazing abs once the BF% drops low enough. May be I should start doing ab wheel rollouts as well
I am suprised you did not mention GHD sit ups. It has great spinal flexion and streches the abs crazy at the bottom.
When doing a dragon flag you can maintain your ribs at say 20-30 deg from horizontal and then continue to lower the hips and the stretch and load is literally unparralleled. Obviously thats very hard to do so the step prior is to lay your upper back on something ie a bench then do the same crunching and extention motion with a shorter lever.
v-ups/jackknife sit-ups for me are so effective but it males sense since it has both flexion and extension 💪
what do you think about Copenhagen planks for obliques?
So in summary Cable crunches and the rolling exo and the dragon 🐉 exo for abs
and lateral shoulder dips for obliques
All muscle groups have been covered but we have yet to see everything Mr Wolf has to offer our gains 💪🏼
We didn't get neck and traps
Could you make a video on best tips to strenghten soleus?
When doing dragon flys I have started elevating my shoulders/upper back on a bench or block. This means that you can get a much deeper stretch. Is there any reason why this isn't being suggested as I haven't seen it on any videos. It is tough but you can bring your knees in on the concentric for instance to mitigate.
What about lower abs focused work?
This video came out while watching a different Dr. Milo Wolf video. Instant watch.
Question though on lengthened partials: is this only related to hypertrophy or does it also count for strength and/or work capacity?
Mainly hypertrophy! You'll still gain strength, but for performance, be specific.
@@WolfCoaching thank you for taking the time to reply!
I was wondering what your take on hollow body holds and weighted hollow body holds is. I implemented them in my routine and so far i have only heard and read great things about it.
Also what would you recommend for getting stronger at rotation if one doesnt have those oblique machines OR landmine attachments?
What is your opinion on abmats? I use one a lot (plus weights held on the chest or behind the head) and it puts the abs in a really stretched position...
Training your obliques is IMO worth it just to develop a torso dominant spider powerlifter/weightlifter refrigerator physique that sickens the noble natty bodybuilding people on RUclips who presume to dictate what you should do with your body and all the #aesthetics fuaark bros. Do what you want with your body and either train them because you want to or don't but don't let some leg day-skipping meal-skipping twerp influence your decision
Mood
Yes, this video was posted 9min ago and I watched it already. First real comment #bestviewer🔥
Thank you king!
I like weighted sit ups on the glute ham raise
thanks
I am curious about your take on neck training.
Would you say bigger obliques destroy your physique?
I know the probable answer but just wanna get your take: TVA strength or jackedness doesn't really influence how much your gut protrudes by default right? It's more of a habit of keeping it more turned on like with other postural muscles?
Thanks alot.
The best oblique exercise is side bend . don’t have other options ? just curious thanks
Thank you
Hey,
For cable crunches, do you think it’s better to do them facing forwards or backwards to the cable or it doesn’t matter?
I did (10) Reps of the Body Weight only exercises, and went from a Beer Gut, to a Six Pack in (2) Hours ... 🙂
Great job bro.. perseverance always takes the cake! Now go and eat that cake.
But what about russian twists Palloffs?
*and paloffs
if get this right when using the ab wheel u want to go into extention as most recommand the opposite ? As the ab wheel is anti exetension which train your abs to stabilise them.
Great video Milo. I liked all of the demonstrations. Dragon Flag is my go to ab exercise.
Great
Please react to 'House of hypertrophy'. I feel it is an excellent resource for evidence based hypertrophy advice.
I do decline weighted sit ups with a foam roller under my lower back. I just grab dumbbells.
7:31
In crunches should I just extend or hiperextend my back?
If youre going to phsically turn up at my house and cry, could you atleast bring along one of those white knitted sweaters in a large with a Wolf Coaching logo on it?
Just curious, would an ab mat on a flat bench with the ab mat ending at the end of the bench, so you can stretch farther, a good idea? You could load with db or plates and increase the stretch
Train abs statically, dynamically and for stability
In terms of rep range its the same as other muscle groups ? The 5-30 rep range for hypertrophy ?
Let’s go team wolf
Best rep ranges for each exercise?
I did 2 sets of ab wheels to failure and had doms for 10 days
Yesssss
In terms of muscle groups, only the neck remains?
A quick effective w/0
-Dragonfly
-Cable crunch
-side plank
IMO
good obliques development with
Punching (especially hooks & slips)
Yu also learn useful skill 🤜
If abs are mainly responsibe for spinal flexion, then what myscle group is mainly responsible for spinal extension? I mean upper spine, not hips. And should we be training that as well in some type of reverse crunch movement?
It's a group of long muscles that run up the back.
A loaded reverse style crunch movement is a recipe for most people to fuck their back up.
I imagine it would put shearing forces on the spine.
Check out your spinal erectors
@Ryan30z I see. But wouldn't Regular crunches also put shearing forces on the spine then?
@@Nick-kf3io it depends how you do them, and generally the load is substantially lower for an ab movement vs a back movement.
You forgot cable woodchoppers
1:40 lateral rotation? Do you mean transverse rotation?
I thought abs functioned for attracting girls 😢
8:10