how often should you be working out your abs; and other core ponderings

Ah yes, the dreaded ab-day. We all love to hate working our abs, but still want that six-pack! But the question remains: how much ab-work do we really have to do?

How often should I work my abs?

Most strength training days should include your abs!

We love to sneak core-strengthening exercises into all of our workouts! Be sure to propery engage your core during all movements – especially those involving heavy weights – to protect your spine.

You can use core work as a quick warm-up before beginning your workout, such as starting with a bird-dog or dynamic pike to plank series.

By bracing your core when performing any workout, you activate and engage the muscles of the entire core to strengthen them.

Now, if you are looking to really shred your six-pack, you will need to turn up the notch on your ab workouts and focus on core-specific exercises and moves.

For this type of ab work, we recommend a frequency of roughly 3-4 times a week; depending on your goals and the level of intensity of your workout sessions.

how many crunches do i really have to do?

None, if you don’t want to!

The best way to strengthen – and define – your abs is with a variety of different exercises moves to isolate and engage your core.

Your core includes your abdomen, the oblique abdomen (the “side,” or waistline), your upper and lower abdomen, your lower back, and even your hip flexors! Being intentional in working out your entire core in varying ways is the best path to rock-hard abs.

There are SO many ways to work your abs & core outside of traditional crunches. In addition to the many, many variations on the traditional crunch, there are countless other ways to engage and isolate your most important core muscles:

and so many more not listed here! If you are looking for more ways to work your abs, reach out to us or join our next group class to get sweatin’!

is it safe to work out my abs everday?

Yes and no.

Your ab muscles – like all other muscles in your body – do need time to recover between sessions to actually see growth or an increase in strength. Allow roughly 24 hours between intense ab blasts and take 1-2 days a week off from abs!

lastly – abs are cut from the kitchen!

With any weight loss goals, we expect our dietary habits to need a refresh at the very least. But with goals specific to shredding your abs, the important of nutrition cannot be overstated!

Pair your tfc core-strengthening workouts with eating lean, clean, and green protein and carbs to reveal the awesome ab display you have chiseled out for yourself!

Did you know – we also offer Nutrition Services! Check out our services – including meal prep and planning, grocery store tours, cooking demonstrations, and nutrition label counseling – to help take your abs to the next level!