Toning my abs

[boostinkyboo]

I already have a bit of a 6 pack, like when I'm just standing around without a shirt on you can see the outline, but how can I tone this so that it's actually more visible and whatnot? Would just doing your typical situps (which is what I do now) do the trick or are there specific exercises for this type of goal?

[EllisD]

whats your build
height and weight to give a better image.
I would suggest adding more resistance to your ab workouts.
if you have some fat around your abs though you need to get your body fat percentage down, doing cardio would be good for that.

[unstableasatable]

mayabe hold weights when you do sit ups, try other abdominal exocises and jst keep going till they burn

[slicknickns]

cut down your bodyfat a bit, this will help a lot. Move more. My favorite way is some good, long runs; but that may not be your cup of tea. Anything to make you really sweat.

Crunches are the bulk of my stomach routine, leg lifts, leg extensions, jack knife crunches are a favorite, jack knife crunches with a dumbbell in hand are killer --- and that's pretty much it. Volume and intensity are big to me.

[SilkySmooth]

If your body fat is already low, and you already do situps, then I'd definitely recommend working on your transverse abdominals. They are a band of muscles that lie below the rectus abdominis (i.e. the 'six pack') and run horizontally round the waist like a natural girdle. Well toned transverse abs can give great definition as they pull the six pack in tight. They also help you do better at other ab exercises.

Try doing a set of planks. You hold your body straight on your elbows like below. Try 3 sets of one minute (with 30s rest in between) to start off with and see how you get on with that.

http://www.abs-exercise-advice.com/images/elbow-plank-exercise.gif

Remember to work out your lower back if you're working your abs. Hyperextensions are good for that. :cool:

[ysr2096]

Lose bodyfat. Add mass to your abs.

[Thought Riot]

Lose bodyfat. Add mass to your abs.

This. Keep the excercises weighted. Hold the weights behind your head when doing situps or cunches. Way harder.

[parkus]

Try doing a set of planks. You hold your body straight on your elbows like below. Try 3 sets of one minute (with 30s rest in between) to start off with and see how you get on with that.

http://www.abs-exercise-advice.com/images/elbow-plank-exercise.gif

Just done this, works canny well I reckon.

[HLC]

If your body fat is already low, and you already do situps, then I'd definitely recommend working on your transverse abdominals. They are a band of muscles that lie below the rectus abdominis (i.e. the 'six pack') and run horizontally round the waist like a natural girdle. Well toned transverse abs can give great definition as they pull the six pack in tight. They also help you do better at other ab exercises.

Try doing a set of planks. You hold your body straight on your elbows like below. Try 3 sets of one minute (with 30s rest in between) to start off with and see how you get on with that.

http://www.abs-exercise-advice.com/images/elbow-plank-exercise.gif

Remember to work out your lower back if you're working your abs. Hyperextensions are good for that. :cool:

Even though sites like this:
http://exercise.about.com/od/abs/tp/abexercises.htm
list the plank as "the best" exercise for the transverse abdominals (TA),
I think the vacuum exercise is considered better.
Here's the wiki on the vacuum exercise:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuum_exercise

Basically, you just pull your navel in toward your spine as hard as you can and hold it in for awhile. The maximal voluntary isometric contraction at the movements end may be the most important part.
Here's a video of a guy doing it.
He does it after 17 seconds , so you have to watch for awhile.
He doesn't really hold it in long enough to work it toward fatigue, though, which isn't optimal, IMO.
But as I mention later in this post, may be moot anyway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoPThdb_X98&NR=1

The Plank will work the TA isometrically, which is ok, too. But, just supporting your bodyweight probably won't stress the TA all that much. If you pile weight on your back, you're gonna have to tense harder to support it , which I'm guessing, may improve the effect.

++++++++++++++++++

There's controversy brewing in the medical world about the ability, value and best way to strengthen the core muscles, especially the transversus abdominis.

Here's an excerpt from a paper titled: the myth of core stability.

"Doubts have been also raised concerning the effectiveness of many of Core Stability (CS) exercise in helping to increase the strength of core muscles. It has been shown that during CS exercise, the maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) of the “core muscles” is well below the level required for muscle hypertrophy and is therefore unlikely to provide strength gains [54-56]. Furthermore, in a study of fatigue in chronic lower back pain, four weeks of stabilisation exercise failed to show any significant improvement in muscle endurance [57]. A recent study has demonstrated that as much as 70% MVC is needed to promote strength gains in abdominal muscle [58]. It is unlikely that during CS exercise abdominal muscle would reach this force level [59]".


from :
http://www.ppaonline.co.uk/download/myth_of_core_stability.doc

Which seems to imply you really can't affect the TA by doing the vacuum exercise I mentioned above.
But I'm not sure what exercises where done in the studies the author cites.
I only found that paper today, and I haven't yet explored the references.

+++++++++++

Finally, check out this pretty amazing video.
my final conclusion though, is this guy still doesn't have a typically visible six pack!
Which is all about skin thickness via reducing subcutaneous fat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyljiZ6rcl8&feature=related

[SilkySmooth]

Even though sites like this:
http://exercise.about.com/od/abs/tp/abexercises.htm
list the plank as "the best" exercise for the transverse abdominals (TA),
I think the vacuum exercise is considered better.

Yeah, that's a really good one too.

[boostinkyboo]

Thanks guys

[Anima Mundi]

A tip for when doing crunches, hold your hands with your knuckles parallel with your face, and your elbows outwards, so that if you are on your back, your elbows are on the ground. When you lift up, keep them perfectly straight. It's hard, because you try to use momentum to lift yourself. It makes them harder, doing them with weights is a killer.