Prioritize By Sequence
If your abs are your worse body part, then why do you keep training them last, at
the end of your workout? Which muscles group will receive the highest priority when
you train? The ones done at the start of your workout or the ones done at the end
of the workout? Of course, the exercises done at the start of the workout while
you have the most energy and focus. If abdominals are the muscle group you wish
to prioritize, then don't be afraid to disagree with the 'experts' who say "Never
train your abdominals first because you'll weaken your core muscles for the rest
of your workout...". I completely disagree with this and often reply, "Show
me the evidence." The typical response is "Nobody does abdominals first...".
That is pure BS. This just supports the notion that many people who work out don't
ever question what they hear or do. They want to be spoon-fed answers and follow
the trends of others without thinking for themselves. I ALWAYS train abdominals
first in a workout if they need the highest attention.
Prioritize By Frequency
What's going to receive better results? A muscle group that is trained one time
a week or two times a week (assuming you recovered prior to the second workout commencing)?
Of course, the muscle that is trained 2x a week. The more stimulus on a muscle,
the more growth. That is why professional athletes are professional athletes. They
have conditioned their bodies to such a high amount of stress that they are able
to train more frequently.
How often you train your abdominals is based on the inverse relationship of intensity
and volume. The harder you train your abs, the more rest they need. The less intense
you train your abs, the more frequently you can train them! If your goal is rehab
or injury prevention, then you will be able to train them often with more frequent
and lower loads. If your goal is to make your abs more muscular and dense, then
a higher load and less frequency would be ideal. If your goal is maintenance, then
a medium load and frequency would be ideal. Refer to this table:
Purpose
|
Frequency
|
Intensity
|
Volume
|
Reps
|
Endurance/Conditioning
|
5-7x a week
|
Moderate
|
1-4 sets
|
50-100
|
Hypertrophy
|
4x a week
|
High
|
6-12 sets
|
8-12
|
|
|
|
|
|
If building a sexy six-pack is on your 'to do' list for 2008, then start training
abdominals 2-4x a week. I will teach you in a moment how to split your abdominals
up into two different days based on movement.