When it comes to your fitness routine, you should typically have a set regimen. Most folks plan things so that they avoid working out the same muscle groups multiple days in a row. That’s why there’s such thing as “leg day.”
However, we also tend to frequently focus on strengthening our cores – often doing ab workouts more regularly. The thought is that abdominal and core workouts typically don’t take a lot of extra time or equipment. We can just throw in some extra exercises with our regular daily routine. But should we?
Probably not.
It seems the practice of not working out the same muscle group two days in a row somehow just doesn’t apply to abs. Although, according to most trainers, it should.
More is not always better.
Just like any other muscles, your abs also need time to recover. As such, ab-focused workouts should really only be done two or three times a week.
It may not sound like a lot, especially when you’re working towards a six-pack. However, your abs are being used all the time in other workouts – including cardio and weightlifting. As long as you’re properly engaging your core, your abs are still getting plenty of attention.
It really isn’t about frequency so much as it is the types of exercises you do. Your moves should be diversified to challenge different core muscles on different days.
Since your abs are always being used, it helps to focus your routine on different core aspects each day.
The real key is that you don’t need to focus on just ab workouts with an intense frequency. Instead, you need to vary the ways in which your core muscles are used every day.
All this is not to say you shouldn’t still warm up your abdominal muscles prior to your workout, of course.
Considering their involvement in so many moves, you should ideally do some warmups that include your abs before working out. For example, you could work in some planks, bridges, or hollow holds to your warmup routine each day.
In other words: work your abs before you do the rest of your daily routine to activate your core. This helps get you ready for any type of workout and is far more important than having frequent ab-specific days. (And, as we’ve noted, you especially don’t need to do multiple ab-specific days in a row.) It also helps ensure you’re less likely to risk injuring yourself.
