Muscular-Fitness

One of the most common questions among bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts is how often should you train abdominals? The answer depends on what type of abdominal development you wish to attain. In this article we will look at how often you should train the abdominals if you want well developed and chiseled abdominals like a competitive bodybuilder and also look at how often you should train your abs if you simply want a defined six pack like a fitness athlete.

Less is more when it comes to building big and deeply chiseled bodybuilder style abdominal development. When considering how often should you train abdominals for maximum growth and size it is important to train the abs just like you would any other muscle group. I recommend training each muscle group hard and to complete failure once per week although since the abdominals get so much work holding the body upright all day long, they do need quite a bit if stimulation to grow. For this reason I recommend training the abdominals twice per week.

In the first abdominal training session for bodybuilder abdominal development concentrate on 3 sets of 2 different exercises for the upper abdominals and use high reps around 20-30 reps per set. In the second ab training session of the week do another 3 sets of 2 different exercises, that’s 6 sets on each training day, but this time target the lower abdominals. 2 abdominal training sessions is enough each week to stimulate immense growth in the abs but also allows for enough recovery time each week as well since the abdominals need to recover like any other body part. As your abs get stronger, to continue to build thickness in the abs you need to use extra weight like holding a barbell plate when performing the exercise. Like any other body part, as the muscle gets bigger and stronger, you will need to increase the resistance by progressively going heavier.

The answer to how often should you train abdominals if you want a lean six pack without the bulk of a bodybuilder’s abs is just 3 sets of 25 reps at the end of each of your workouts. Although do not train the abs any more than 4 times per week. For a six pack without bulk you need to hit them frequently but without the use of extra weight, your own bodyweight is enough when performing any of the basic movements like crunches, leg raises and so on.

This is what I have found works for me when I want to get my abs big and thick or when I simply want to maintain a six pack without the necessary bulk. Although, how often should you train your abdominals will come down to experience and the longer you stay dedicated to your training the faster you will be able to tailor you own ideal abdominal training routine.