Top 5 most effective ab exercises?

[Drift]

Hey guys im about to start my cycle finally ( at end of this week ) got my nutriotion and everything set, now juts need to set up a routine and exercises. Here is my question.

What are the best ab exercises? By that I mean best result giving!

I did some research and, well these are my top 5 ( well 3, theres where i need your help ) I have determined, now I just need your opinions and tips

1. Bicycle Exercise
2. Captain's Chair
3. Exercise Ball Crunch
4. ?
5. ?

Also how often can I train abs? and how many different execrises can I do?

 

[BadDog]

Bro...on the exercise ball...sit on it and make sure it is up against a rail or something you can hold on to, maybe a bench. Now roll on it as if you are going to do a crunch. Hold on to the bench or rail and you are going to do leg raises. It is a bitch to keep your balance at the begining but you are using all your stabilizer muscles here. Bring your legs up and lower in about 3 seconds. When your legs are straight (slightly bent of course) and parallel to the floor hold for 3 seconds and come right up. Try doing 15 reps like that...If you can...Ten will be good too...

Ask anyone who thinks they have strong abs to do that exercise....ha ha...They will nto be able to...But once you start doing it, you can get strong and able to control yourself on the ball very quickly. I like doing lower abs first, then crunches, then obliques!!!! Enjoy...

Leg raises on the floor or off of a bench is nothing like doing them on the ball...Have fun

 

[hayabusa]

id say no more than twice a week, they are like any other muscle group except they recover fairly quickly, they are predominantly slow twitch in most people, obliques fast twitch.....3sets of 3 exercises in the 8-20 rep range......

i personally only train abs once a week, remember alot of the big compound exercises force you to contract your abs hard....i also have no routine for abs, its quite instinctive for about 30mins....i dont have chizeled abs but can see them, i worry about them more every summer....

 

[zonbra]

Heavy Abdominal training: (Make sure your routine includes these)
1 - Heavy deadlifts
2 - Heavy squats
4 - Olympic lift variation
3 - Gorrilla chins or hanging leg raises

Daily stuff: (Do these with every workout)
1 - Vacuum excercise (do this anywhere you are, even when walking)
2 - Leg raises (old school, try 3 sets of 100 burn baby burn
3 - Dead Bug
4 - Bridge
5 - Cable pull-downs

Nothing will pack mass on your abs like squats and deadlifts and olympic lifts. The daily stuff isolate the abs.
Vacuums should be your staple.

 

[Drift]

thanx everyone, i think i will be working them out 2 times a week, tuesday light and friday heavy along with my leg work outs!

 

[Muscles88]

if you want real go reasaultstry going 4 days a week

 

[Matrix]

i circut train my abs twice a week

hanging leg lifts
max out crunches
decline twisted situps
legs lifts

then the other four days of the week
training ball sit ups full inhale and exhale

 

[Eric22]

you can build your abs like crazy and make them solid, but you cant make them stand out beautifully without a good diet

 

[iron4you]

X2 on that and add cardio to the mix and "yous gottsa WINNNA!"

 

[hayabusa]

Sample Workout #1

2 warm-up sets of 12 reps of Ab Crunch Machine

2 failure sets of 8-12 reps of Ab Crunch Machine

1 warm-up set of 12 reps of Cable Crunches

2 failure sets of 8-12 reps of Cable Crunches

1 failure set of Side Crunches 12-20 reps (to both sides)

2 sets of 30+ reps on Trunk Twists


Sample Workout #2

2 warm-up sets of 12 Ab Crunch Machine

2 failure sets of 8-12 reps Ab Crunch Machine

1 warm-up set of 12 reps of Crunches

2 failure sets of 8-12 reps of Crunches (do on decline bench or with weight on chest is extra resistance is needed)

1 failure set of Side Crunches 12-20 reps (to both sides)

2 sets of 30+ reps of Trunk Twists

 

[Drift]

deff will add this to my cycle! thanx bro!

 

[chevy781]

This..well said...