Is it necessary to train Abs?

[Shia]

Is it necessary to isolate abs and train them directly? I found my abs were always worked during hollowbody pull ups but I'm thinking about isolating them maybe once a week

[Bill Köhntopp]

  On 10/4/2013 at 11:18 AM, Shia said:

Is it necessary to isolate abs and train them directly? I found my abs were always worked during hollowbody pull ups but I'm thinking about isolating them maybe once a week

If you do pull ups and dips with good body line, your abs will improve also, just work progressive over time

But if you like working your abs, do it

[Leandro Santos]

To provide a ideal answer i would need more information about your personal level in gymnastic training. Your question gives the idea that you are starting gymnastic, by this perspective, core work will be usefull because it will give you more strenght which will help you with basic core strenght positions like l-sit (which needs compression and depression strenght too ) and with more advanced moves that require a good amount of core strenght. 

 

Think of gymnastic training like and "intregated body training" . If u are working toward ring skills, u will need strenght in all muscles of your upper body, take a front lever per example ; the limiting factor that prevents u from doing a front lever could be a lack of abs, biceps, lats, triceps or shoulder strenght , even flexibility  etc. 

 

Strenghtening any upper body muscle will be helpfull in your advancement, as you do this in a safe and balanced manner, and not having strenght imbalances between muscles which could lead to injury . And keep in mind that you need to work your flexibility and mobility too.

 

If u are going to do extra core work, i recommend you doing more "gymnastic oriented core work" , like per examper: hanging leg lifts, double leg lifts on the floor, l-sit progessions. I advise this because these moves will work more than simple core strenght , they will your your flexibility, muscle coordination,compression, depression, etc, so they will be more usefull to gymnastic training than simple isolation exercises but if u simple want abs strenght, go with weighted sit-ups etc. 

 

More strenght in a balanced perspective like i said, will always help.

[Connor Davies]

I wouldn't recommend isolating ab, but rather working the entire core as a unit.  If you want to achieve a front lever, you're going to need a lot of core strength.

 

I'd recommend doing some compression training, working on being able to draw your legs up as high as possible, like hanging leg lifts touching your feet to the bar.  L sit variations are good too.

[Jake Lawrance]

Deadlifts and squats will do the trick 

[Joshua Slocum]

Dedicated core-work is a must in any complete strength training program.

[Coach Sommer]

  On 10/4/2013 at 3:34 PM, Jake Lawrance said:

Deadlifts and squats will do the trick 

 

Not even remotely close to being adequate for GST.  Just try to the F1 program to see how inaccurate that statement is.  

 

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

[Rikke Olsen]

... as Coach says: Not if you're doing F1. I know MY core doesn't feel neglected

[Daniel Burnham]

When I was into weight lifting is often heard that I should stop doing core specific work and that overhead work and squats were good enough and worked even better. These do build good trunk stability but are not enough for GST where you often have to hold the rest of your body up at a disadvantaged position.

I also have found that adding this type of GST core work (not endless crunches and sit-ups) seems to be better at balancing and preventing injury as well.

If you do gymnastics you pretty much realize everything hits the core pretty hard. You cannot succeed in gym without making sure your are rock solid in that area. Both figuratively and literally.

[Jon Douglas]

Add compression work (lsits, HLL, manna etc) to straight body elements and feel the love.

[Jono]

Core strength is highly specific. No doubt your core will get strong from heavy squats/deadlifts, but it'll be different. You could have the core strength not to collapse on a 500 lb squat, but that doesn't mean your core strength will be good in a hollow body hold, front lever or even a handstand etc. (and obviously vice versa).

[Jake Lawrance]

Sorry guys, I wasn't talking about developing 'core strength' in terms of gymnastics conditioning but just something that does. If he said for gymnastics conditioning reasons I would have said compression work, but what do I know? 

[DEEP]

i feel that doing abs exercises will give strength to do planch and levers.

[Jan Reipert]

  On 10/4/2013 at 3:34 PM, Jake Lawrance said:

Deadlifts and squats will do the trick 

 

i was guilty of thinking like this for a long time. i used to powerlift and used pretty decent for deadlifts or front-squats. but since i started training my upperbody like a gymnast and starting to work my core DIRECT in different ways (but mainly HLLs) i got a LOT stronger in my front-squats without even really working them.

 

just today i hit a beltless PR of 120kg. thats a weight i would have never touched before without a belt. 

[Quick Start Test Smith]

I suck at strength and am only in Foundation 1, but I have a 6 pack depending on where I am in my sleep just from low level prep. elements. Looking forward to reaching my ultimate goal of one armed HLL and rope climbs in L-sit though, that stuff will give you abs of steel. 

 

OP: As a side note, if you are considering additional ab work because you want to have better defined abs, the first thing you should do is make sure you're sleeping well and enough. In my experience, and from what I've seen the experience of most of my friends, amount of stomach fat is usually has a direct correlation to quality and quantity of sleep. Maybe it's broscience, but it's definitely true for me. If I'm eating ok but sleeping badly and not enough, I'll get a bit fatter around my waist. If I start sleeping better and getting my 8 hours, I can see a pretty huge change just over a week. /SideNote

[Philip Chubb]

  On 10/12/2013 at 3:44 PM, Patrick Smith said:

I suck at strength and am only in Foundation 1, but I have a 6 pack depending on where I am in my sleep just from low level prep. elements. Looking forward to reaching my ultimate goal of one armed HLL and rope climbs in L-sit though, that stuff will give you abs of steel. 

 

OP: As a side note, if you are considering additional ab work because you want to have better defined abs, the first thing you should do is make sure you're sleeping well and enough. In my experience, and from what I've seen the experience of most of my friends, amount of stomach fat is usually has a direct correlation to quality and quantity of sleep. Maybe it's broscience, but it's definitely true for me. If I'm eating ok but sleeping badly and not enough, I'll get a bit fatter around my waist. If I start sleeping better and getting my 8 hours, I can see a pretty huge change just over a week. /SideNote

Not bro science at all. In Biosignature, we're shown how cortisol is correlated with increase in fat around the umbilical. Sleeping the proper amount would reduce this and lean out this area.