Lou this was taken from Dats board....
Here are my 3 favorite ab size builders, try alternating the first three and always do #4. You can do 3 of the 4 after any or all workouts, but 2x/week should be great.
Hanging leg raises - this is the king of ab exercises. Concentric: semi-explosive, legs bent, pause BRIEFLY at top, straighten legs, slow negative (1.5-2 seconds at first, work up to 4-5). If you are doing fewer than 6-7 reps, do 2 sets with plenty of rest between. Maintain tension at the bottom by not relaxing the abs and DO NOT touch the feet to the ground.
Standing cable crunch to ground - Stand with a cable in the top position and use the rope attachment to do a long-ROM crunch. Do not extend to top (where the hips are fully extended), but focus on the bottom 2/3 or so ROM. You touch the rope to the ground at the bottom. Funky but effective, and no need for really heavy weight.
HEAVY decline sit-up - this is what it sounds like, but the trick is to maintain tension; don't relax at the bottom and don't go totally vertical at the top. And the real key to this or any ab exercise is a good slow negative. Try it with a 50lb DB. If you go heavier watch for ab fatigue, you could tear other things if the abs are too fatigued.
High-rep reverse crunches - focus on the middle ROM and push the hips up to the ceiling. These are best done upside down (head higher than hips in relaxed position) on a decline situp bench, with the arms locked where the legs normally go. Go for 30-40 after doing 1-2 of the above.
I recommend starting with 2 of the above 1x/week, go to 2 of the above 2x/week, then do 2 one day and 3 one day, then 3 2x/week. Ab development ought to come fast.
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Ab Vacuums
Ab vacuums should be a cornerstone of any ab training setup, if not
the only ab exercise utilized. They are more of an activation
exercise than a hypertrophy exercise, and they activate the
transversus abdominis, a muscle that is thin and flat and holds the
rectus abdominis in. Many people who are posturally aware neglect
this muscle and as a result, even without lordotic posture, their
"gut" sticks out - even when they are lean.
Even without such an obvious problem, TA activation work has benefits.
The muscle needs to stay partially activated (like our calves,
hamstrings, and quadriceps work together to hold us up as we
stand...our neck holds our head up...etc) for proper posture.
Activating it with the vacuum ensures proper function and for many
people makes a lean stomach flat.
Here is how I recommend the vacuum be executed:
While seated, hunch forward (back flexed) and tuck the chin into the
chest. The hands go onto the knees with the elbows flared and weight
supported on the glutes but with the feet/legs driving firmly into the
ground.
You take 5-10 deep inhalations and exhalations into and from the
belly, similar to "yogic breathing": smooth, steady inhalations
filling the lungs with air until the stomach bulges, pause briefly,
and exhale.
On the final breath, forcefully exhale and continue to exhale more
than normal (here you may be tempted to cough or sputter or feel
lightheaded - if so, stop and don't rush it). Exhale until NO air is
left in the lungs and then continue to allow the stomach to flatten,
then - last of all - pull it inward (sucking your gut in). Hold that
position as long as possible (a 5 or 10 count is probably all to start
with - it's tough not to feel oxygen starved).
IMPORTANT: come out of the vacuum S-L-O-W-L-Y and resist the urge to
gasp for air.
One may, as a progression, lift the chin off the chest, or eventually
work up to lying or standing vacuums, both of which are more difficult
than the seated variation.
2-4 sets after every workout will make a huge difference. For a good
idea of how small you can make your waist during the exercise - if you
do it right - google "Vacuum pose."
The plank, performed for sets of 30 seconds, activates the TA in a
different way and pays great injury prevention benefits. The key is
to make sure the ears, neck, spine, hips, and knees are all in a line
or an extremely gentle arc (no sharp bends). Again, the plank is not
much of a "growth" exercise but more works for injury prevention. It
works well super-setted with the ab vacs.
Other Stuff
The benefits of growing the rectus abdominis or obliques are usually
overstated. A set of broad shoulders does much more for your waist
than a slightly more visible six-pack. Some people can add inches to
their waist by overworking the abs.
Also important to keep in mind is that spinal flexion - especially
repeated a la crunches, or loaded a la heavy sit-ups, is probably a
no-no for anyone with back pain, and that it's still working to make
the spine flex (a no-no for everyone) during other loaded
exercises...couple that with the fact that everyone sits a LOT and
you have a recipe for bad backs.
My absolute favorite whole-abdomen exercise is leg raises with a slow negative:
With a slight degree of bend in the elbows, pick the legs with knees
bent as much as needed or as little as possible up toward the
bar...then allow yourself to lean back slightly, and touch them to the
bar, then level the hips (torso goes back to fully verticle) slowly
and lower the legs, knees straightened, as slowly as possible.
Stop when fatigue sets in strong, as it will for most people around
3-4 reps of this exercise performed properly.
Don't use momentum. Don't drop from the top or swing from the bottom,
and if possible maintain tension. You can eventually work up to a
solid set with legs straight the entire time. I would probably
rest/pause these or just do several sets (2-3) once a week.
I favor leg raise type exercises because they safely train the
obliques (I feel rotation is unsafe) and the entire rectus abdominis.
However, if you must do a crunch variation, I like to load VERY heavy
decline sit-ups with a slow negative, again the key being not to use
the hip flexors, momentum, or drop into the rep from the top. You
just keep a painfully slow negative and a smooth concentric. Sets of
5-15 work great on that. Watch out if you have blood pressure
concerns already!
As a finisher, reverse crunches with a partial (top-half) range of
motion, pushing the feet up toward the ceiling and really feeling the
top of the rep, work well done with 30-40 reps. Do them on a slant
board with the head above the hips, perhaps with a partner holding
your hands above your head so you don't slide.
All of this means maybe, MAYBE 15 minutes per week on abs. Vacs and
planks can be done after every workout, but don't do the heavy stuff
more than once a week.
