My routine is pretty much what Gravityhomer suggested in the sticky...
Day 1 Chest/Shoulders/Triceps
Day 2 Cardio
Day 3 Back/Biceps
Day 4 Cardio
Day 5 Legs/Abs
Day 6 or 7 Cardio

My question is can I work my abs more often? I am frustrated with my strength gains here and wondered what harm would come from a few more crunches and situps?

i.e. I don't know the first thing about "overtraining"

The abdominal muscles can be trained very frequently because they recover fast. However, why would you want to? Most people train their abs in hoping to see a six pack. Unfortunately, training the abs does nothing to show your abs. Low body fat does and that means good nutrition and smart training, not excessive ab work.

The abdominal muscles can be trained very frequently because they recover fast. However, why would you want to? Most people train their abs in hoping to see a six pack. Unfortunately, training the abs does nothing to show your abs. Low body fat does and that means good nutrition and smart training, not excessive ab work.

why not work them out? once one cuts enough fat off to see them it's better to have bigger more shapely abs.

i train them everyother day. just do 3x15 really slow decline sit-ups.

My question is can I work my abs more often? I am frustrated with my strength gains here and wondered what harm would come from a few more crunches and situps?

Pick the right excercises and you are working them more or less every time you go into the gym, even if they are not called abs excercises. I have a feeling that heavy deadlifting, rowing, squatting etc. hits the core muscles harder than adding 100 crunches or whatever it would be each and every day. Perhaps I'm wrong..

why not work them out? once one cuts enough fat off to see them it's better to have bigger more shapely abs.

i train them everyother day. just do 3x15 really slow decline sit-ups.

Some people want smaller, slim abs (waist). I'm not saying don't work them. I think it's just stupid to work them so frequently.

Here's a quick way to get some ab results, done twice a week.

Alternate:-

Weighted kneeups (15 reps done medium speed) with Pulldown Weighted Crunches ( Sit at lat pulldown machine with elbows bent, grasping bar just above your head. Now, using ab strength alone, crunch forward and over and down.) Use weight you can get 15 reps.

Do 3 sets on the knee-up rig and 3 sets on the pulldown rig.

Grasp a ball and hold it sitting on top or just behind your head with your elbows up ( start with 5 lb. ball and work your way up in weight over time). Do "sidebobs", bobbing from side to side (not too fast!), for 25 reps per side. Do 3 sets.

Don't go over 10lbs on the ball. You don't want your obliques getting too big.

However if you want your six pack to get bigger you've got to use resistance.

After you're finished , do an elbow plank on floor (hold for as long as you can....at least 45 seconds)

Then do floor sidebridges....hold Land R for as long as you can....work up to 45 seconds minimum. And you should be able to speak freely while doing plank and sidebridge.

The method I described, when using weights progressively increased over time, builds muscle faster than cranking out dozens and dozens of bodyweight crunches etc.

But the trick is to keep the weighted rep range at 15. And don't do them too fast. If you can do over 15 with no effect, either you're doing them too fast or your weight is too low.

If you want to put a little icing on the cake at the end of the ab workout, try doing vertical hip thrusts (non-weighted). Do them slowly.

Have a fire extinguisher handy for the burn you'll get off these!:lol:

I find training abs heavy 3x/wk to be the best for me. I typically only perform:

Standing cable crunch
Hanging pikes
Weighted decline sit up
Swiss ball cable crunch

I'll choose one or two each time, with varying rep/set schemes (10x5, 4x20, 3x12), and I've found my abs can take significant intensity and volume while making great strength gains. I'd like to know what they look like. Someday.

I don't find high rep bodyweight ab exercises to help with abdominal strength, size, or aiding with any other lifts.

EDIT: If someone can suggest a good advanced twisting motion to my routine, I would appreciate it. Cable woodchops, maybe?

Tennis ball...

Russian twists on a Swiss ball......Lie on a swiss ball like your going to do crunches. Grab a weighted ball with both hands. Hold above your chest. Now, with arms straight, pass ball first to far left then over to far right and back, allowing your torso to bend in each direction with the ball but keeping your lower abs in intitial postion.

Standing baseball swing........grab a weighted ball or dumbell. Hold with both hands. Stand erect with feet just wider than shoulders. Lower ball to outside of right hip. With arms slightly bent, come up across body in eliptical swing until your arms are at a 45 degree angle pointing slightly upwards on the left side of your body. Power this movement with the le right hip that you are starting out from. Your torso should twist through the movement. Doesn't need to be done fast. Then repeat movement from left side.

Lie on floor on mat with both legs together pointing straight up. Arms out and away from sides. Now lower legs to one side down to floor,but, keep upper body flat on mat. Come back up and go to the other side. These can be done weighted once you get up to par.

Lie on floor on mat. Legs out straight on floor. Arms behind your head straight but angled out to sides a bit. Have dumbell in one hand.
bend left leg and raise it a little while at same time bring opposite arm with dumbell up and over across chest on 45 degree angle, twisting torso at same time so dumbell comes just past vertical. Then lower and do again. Alternate from side to side.

If you have access to a Total Gym or clone, try "golf twists".
These work. Sit on side of sliding board and with handle in two hands,"twist" the torso and waist to get the weight up.

Dabagboy....apologies...didn't mean to "hijack".

I work my abs 5 days a week. Been doing that for 15 years with no probs.

Like stated above to get or see a six pack is through cutting and to shape or make them strong is by working them.