Posted Thursday, January 03, 2008
Filed under Abdominals, Training
I am getting my abdominals into rock-hard, punchproof shape by following what is called the Hollywood Abs Training System.
I'm doing exercises like the butterfly crunch, reverse butterfly crunch, vertical ergonomic crunches and a variation with a twisting crunch added. It's like doing one big triset with each movement taken to absolute failure.
The only trouble is that I am feeling the butterfly and reverse crunches in my hips more than my abs. Other than that I think the program is great for reducing the fatty overhang.
What's the skinny on the crunches anyway?
When performing any of the trunk and hip-rolling motions that you describe (crunches etc.), the most important factor involved is to keep the small of the back in constant contact with the bench or floor you are lying on. As soon as you arch your back, you will notice that the stress on the rectus is relieved, and the work load is shifted to the psoas muscles.
These psoas muscles, by the way, attach to the upper thigh bones and both sides of the spine. Their function is to pull the upper body to a sitting position. In the leg raises or vertical ergonomic crunches as you call them they pull the legs up. Also the psoas muscles help to stabilize the hips and trunk when a weight is held overhead or upon the shoulders.
The rectus abdominus has a very simple function. This muscle attaches to the pelvic basin and the sternum and shortens the distance between these two points.
Abdominal work, contrary to popular opinion, does not produce localized or spot reducing. Only nutrition produces fat loss. So do not labor under the delusion that abdominal work will cause a subcutaneous fat loss. However, minimum rest between sets is a must because rapid heart and lung action is very important to emulsify fat.
My observation in the gym is that very few bodybuilders ever break a sweat. They sometimes rest as long as five minutes between sets. This type of workout tempo is too slow to produce definition.
Its a good thing you are not doing full situps because this seemingly deceptive abdominal exercise is not a rectus abdominal exercise at all. Its function is to help stabilize the trunk by static contraction. The psoas major, minor, and quadratus lumborum perform the work by pulling the body up.
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Posted Thursday, June 14, 2007
Filed under Abdominals, Optimal Eating
I was wondering if you could give me some extra help with a problem I am having.
I have been training for 8 months, and can’t seem to lose around my waist.
I do situps, leg raises, frog sit ups, and side bends. I don’t seem to be losing any inches around the middle.
I eat 800 calories a day, but this doesn’t help. Any help would be appreciated.
The first step I take when preparing for a photo session or contest is to get rid of any soft tissue on my body. How do I do it? I go on a meat and eggs diet. Then I begin my training!
In your letter, you list three worthless abdominal exercises, the only good one being the frog ½ sit up.
As a matter of fact, the side bend has not been performed in professional Gyms for the last ten years.
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Posted Monday, March 26, 2007
Filed under Abdominals, Training
It’s always been my understanding that most bodybuilders want to have little if any obliques. But some lay claim to some exercises that promote their growth.
Where do you stand on this? Thank you.
Continue reading Obliques
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Posted Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Filed under Abdominals, Training
I recently bought an old collection of bodybuilding magazines from a used book store in our town (I must confess I’m a bodybuilding magazine nut, even on my honeymoon I took my wife around all the newsstand stores in Detroit looking for MuscleMags...I just can’t get enough).
Appears to me looking through these old mags, that you were the first trainer to recommend crunches for abs instead of situps. Now that’s what I call being ahead of your time.
There are also many other things that you recommended years ago that are now widely accepted, yet in those days your ideas seemed to be treated in the mags as radical.
I would like to know if you have found any other abdominal exercises to beat crunches?
Continue reading Ab Work
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Posted Monday, January 22, 2007
Filed under Abdominals, Balanced Legs, Training
I have been bodybuilding about 10 months and I have a couple of problems that I hope you can help me with.
First, I can’t reduce the size of my hips. I have tried lots of different exercises but so far, nothing has worked.
My training partner tells me that part of the problem is that I do heavy squats but I love to squat; it’s one of my favourite exercises.
What do you suggest?
Continue reading Reduce Hip Size
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Posted Thursday, December 14, 2006
Filed under Abdominals, Training
I have tried just about every abdominal exercise there is but I still cannot get abs.
I know diet has a lot to do with it but I just cannot seem to get my abs up whatever I do.
What is the best waist exercise please Vince?
Continue reading Abdominals
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Posted Thursday, November 09, 2006
Filed under Abdominals, Training
You have said it was bad to work your stomach muscles every day. Yet, many of the muscle books say you should. I have read many of your articles which have made good sense to me and gives me the idea you know what you’re talking about, that is why I’m sending for your courses.
I would like to know if it is alright to work your stomach muscles every day? I will wait for your answer and hope it will be soon.
Work abdominals every day and you will lose them. They will smooth out, become bloated looking.
If you work any muscle every day you lose muscle tone, and about 40% of your male hormone, producing a feminine smooth look.
Overwork does not produce muscle tissue, but destroys it. Work your abdominals the same number of sets and reps you would any other muscle. And please, no High Reps.
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Posted Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Filed under Abdominals, Training
I find your “Ask Vince” very helpful. It is most informative and interesting.
I have been lifting weights for one year. My age is 35.
The problem I am having trouble with is my abdominals, especially the lower section. To some I may sound silly, but this is the area I want to specialize in, so to speak.
I am 6’ tall and weigh 170 lbs. and would like to gain to 180 without putting inches on my waist.
Most weight lifters seem to neglect the abdominals. I want and admire what I call “washboard” abs if possible.
If you can furnish me with a routine along with a good diet to help me accomplish my goal, it would be greatly appreciated. I don’t mind working real hard. All I need is your professional advice and a workable routine.
I would advise you to try the concentric double-up.
This is performed by placing the hands behind the head and pulling the knees back towards the elbows. Knees and elbows and forehead should touch in the contracted position. As the knees and elbows part, remember to allow only 10” of movement between extension and contraction.
I would also practice bending over and placing my hands on my knees and drawing the lower abs in and holding the contracted position for a count of 2.
As for the ten pounds you want to gain, cut out more carbohydrates in your diet and eat smaller meals 4 to 6 times a day.
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Posted Monday, August 28, 2006
Filed under Abdominals, Training
I know that diet has a lot to do with the condition of the waist but I really need something different.
I do crunches, situps, leg raises, twists. Vince, I want you to give me something new for my intercostals and midsection.
Please suggest a good new ab exercise. I am really looking forward to reading your new book. When will it be published?
The book "Unleashing the Wild Physique" will be out in about six weeks. It will be available at all better book stores.
Try the following exercise for your abs. Lie on the floor on your back. Raise the right knee to the left elbow, then immediately raise the left knee to the right elbow. Endeavour to touch elbows and knees together each repetition, but do not jerk the legs upward. The movement must be slow and deliberate.
Lay the head back flat on the floor between each leg lift.
You say that you know that diet has a lot to do with waistline impressiveness. “Knowing” is not enough. You have to put what you know into practise. Eat less as of now!
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Posted Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Filed under Abdominals, Training
I need to lose my gut. How many situps and leg raises should I do to develop my abs?
None! Situps are not a good waist movement.
I was the first trainer to promote crunches. They are far better than situps or leg raises.
Perform 3 or 4 sets of 10-15 reps.
To lose weight you must eat less of all foods. Now!
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Posted Saturday, July 22, 2006
Filed under Abdominals, Training
Until I saw a recent photo of yourself, I did not believe that any man of your age could posses such a magnificent physique. I was especially impressed by your extremely flat and well-developed abdominals.
I have a problem which I hope you will be able to solve for me. I have what you might call prolapsis of the lower abdomen. In that I mean that my abdomen is relatively flat down to my navel, but then there is quite a lot of protruding fat below my navel. Can this condition be corrected? If so, what exercises do you advice?
To perhaps assist you in prescribing a solution to my problem, in the past several years I have pared my weight from 175 to 135 pounds at a height of 5’4”.
I do not exercise with weights, but I jog three times a week.
The best exercise for your condition is: bend over and place your hands on your knees and draw the lower abdominal up as hard as you can and hold for a count of 2 seconds.
Repeat this for 50 reps every day.
Also, remember to hold this section in tight whenever you think of it. Walking, sitting, riding in a car, any time, any place. After a time, this will become a reflex action, and you not have to even think about it. It will become a normal subconscious thing with you.
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Posted Monday, July 17, 2006
Filed under Abdominals, Training
Vince, how can I work my obliques without adding size to them, especially at the sides? Should I do the side bend? I thought I read somewhere that you were against the performance of side bends.
No, never do side bends which will thicken your waist.
I recommend you do front bends. Hold a dumbell in your right hand, holding it behind your right leg. Now bend forward to the left, working the front of the left oblique.
Switch hands to work the right oblique.
Do 5 sets of 12-15 reps.
Follow this advice and you will work your obliques without adding unwanted waist width.
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Posted Thursday, July 13, 2006
Filed under Abdominals, Training
I am looking for a more efficient way to train my abs.
Is there an exercise that works both the upper and lower abs at the same time?
Yes, the incline leg raise.
Lie on a 30 degree angle, incline board, your head at the high end.
As the feet come up, lift your upper body off the board and crunch your abs together. This works both the upper and lower very hard. Try 5 sets of 12-15 reps.
Get a contraction on each rep.
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Posted Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Filed under Abdominals, Training
As a healthy individual I am displeased; no angry, at my no-results-training.
I am overweight, especially around my midsection, even though every night I faithfully perform 50 full situps and 50 leg raises.
But my abdominal muscles just refuse to show. Help me please.
I look forward to reading your new book when it is published, but for now please answer this letter through your regular column in MuscleMag International. I never miss an issue.
First, it should be understood that full situps and leg raises are not abdominal exercises. These movements work the Psoas Major and Psoas Minor group.
The Quadratus Lumborum are also utilized. The Psoas muscles connect the upper femur bones of the leg to the lower lumbar region of the spine. This large muscle pulls the upper body to a sitting position, or pulls the legs up, as in the leg raise.
You are also employing the Sartorius in the leg raise. The stomach muscles of Rectus Abdominus attach to the sternum and the pelvic basin and the junction of these two points.
To illustrate, lie flat on your back, roll your shoulders and head forward. At the same time raise your pelvis upward and back towards your chest. This movement is basically the only function of the abdominals.
To isolate the Psoas muscles so that you don’t inadvertently pull with them, spread your knees and pull your heels up towards your buttocks. Now, in this frog position place your hands behind your neck and perform ¼ sit ups. Cramp the Rectus at the top of the movement by performing one burn.
Treat your abdominals like any other muscle. Do no more sets and reps than you would on biceps, or triceps, etc. Add weight by holding a plate behind your head.
Let’s take first things first: get rid of all the fat you can before you start your abdominal program. Otherwise, you will be disappointed because abdominal exercise does not reduce fat. Only fast training where heart and lungs are involved will have any effect on your metabolic rate. And you must eat less at each meal.
Another aspect of which no one is aware, is that abdominal work should never be done by a beginner in weight training. Any abdominal exercises involve the Solar Plexus.
This is the area sometimes known as the “second brain” and direct abdominal exercises can stunt muscle growth in other areas, especially where the starting bodybuilder is concerned.
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Posted Thursday, July 06, 2006
Filed under Abdominals, Training
Vince, how can I work my obliques without adding size to them, especially at the sides?
Should I do the side bend? I thought I read somewhere that you were against the performance of side bends.
No, never do side bends which will thicken your waist.
I recommend you do front bends. Hold a dumbell in your right hand, holding it behind your right leg.
Now bend forward to the left, working the front of the left oblique. Switch hands to work the right oblique. Do 5 sets of 12-15 reps.
Follow this advice and you will work your obliques without adding unwanted waist width.
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Posted Sunday, May 14, 2006
Filed under Abdominals
The best abdominals I ever saw belonged to French – Canadian gym owner Leo Robert.
Not only did Leo have chunky abdominal muscles from the bottom of his rib cage to well below the navel, but they were also perfectly aligned in three straight rows. He was the envy of every bodybuilder in his day.
If your abdominals are not completely straight, don’t worry. Only a handful of physique men have straight abs, and you will not be penalized in competition if you don’t have them.
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Posted Friday, December 09, 2005
Filed under Abdominals
Excerpt from West Coast Bodybuilding Scene
by Dick Tyler
I was using my old typewriter (it’s even older than my car) the other evening, when the phone rang. It was a young bodybuilding newcomer who many think has great promise. I had just done a story on him, and he was curious about how the exercise photos had come out.
During the course of our conversation we got on the science of bodybuilding. Bet you didn’t expect that! Anyway, it got involved, so I suggested he check with Vince Gironda, who owns the gym where he trained.
Continue reading Gironda -- The Cloak and Dagger Abdominal Exercise
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Posted Friday, December 02, 2005
Filed under Abdominals, Training
I compare metabolism to a lamp wick. If your metabolic rate is low, it is like a lamp wick that's turned down. It gives off a feeble flickering flame and it smokes because it is not burning properly (lack of oxygen). So it is with your metablic rate. If it is too low, you do not burn food properly, so you store it as fat. If your metabolic rate is high, the food you eat is burned as energy instead of being stored as fat!
The body builder with his limited references would attempt to solve this problem by including hundred of sit-ups and leg raises to his program. Also he would employ high reps on every body part, with little or no thought of diet and supplements. I have discovered that high reps and daily working the abdominals produce a smooth bloated look - due to excessive hormone loss.
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Posted Friday, November 04, 2005
Filed under Abdominals
I am 5 feet 10 inches tall and weigh 140 pounds and, obviously, very thin. I also have small bones. My problem is that the only fat on my body is concentrated on my obliques area and I cannot get rid of it which takes away considerably from any V shape look I may attain. Any weight I gain goes right to the waistline, but if any is lost it comes from the rest of my body. I have read contradicting stories as to the benefits of side bends and related movements. Some state they will thicken the obliques too much in cases like mine where they are already heavy while others think the stretching of side bends will trim the waist. Would you care to give me some advice or program on how to alleviate this unsightly sag?
Continue reading Waistline Sag
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Posted Friday, November 04, 2005
Filed under Abdominals
I know that diet has a lot to do with the condition of the waist but I really need something different. I do crunches, situps, leg raises, twists. Vince, I want you to give me something new for my intercostals and midsection. Please suggest a good new ab exercise. I am really looking forward to reading your new book. When will it be published?
Continue reading Waistline
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Posted Friday, November 04, 2005
Filed under Abdominals
I am a bodybuilder who sometimes powerlifts in the off-season because I really enjoy lifting heavy weights and testing my strength. Is there any special ab exercises I can do that lets me handle heavy weights and will really build and thicken my abs?
Continue reading Strong ab exercise
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Posted Friday, November 04, 2005
Filed under Abdominals
(IronMan Magazine Nov 1973 Vol. 33 No. 1 and Musclemag Vol 2 issue 1)
This exercise is best done with the back flat on a table plus the head and shoulders rolled forward and the hands flat on the table besides the hips.
Next step, cross your legs, as in the frog sit-up, and roll the hips and crossed legs back towards the chest. This flexibility of the hips and lower back takes practice. This movement also requires that you suck in your abdomen as you perform it.
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Posted Friday, November 04, 2005
Filed under Abdominals
(IronMan Magazine Nov 1973 Vol. 33 No. 1)
Aside from causing lordosis, research has proven that leg raises and sit-ups are not effective as abdominal trimmers or developers.
I have always maintained that arching the back causes the work to be done by the back muscles (Psoas Major) rather than the abdominal muscles (Rectus Abdominus). Because an exercise is traditional does not mean that it is good. Many exercises were developed as far back as the 18th century. With no scientific knowledge behind them! They just seemed good for the particular muscle.
Toe raises, for instance, performed where you raise out on the toes instead of up on the big toe and ball of the foot with the heels coming together produce not only a bow-legged look, but stretches the structures of the feet and weakens the arches.
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Posted Friday, November 04, 2005
Filed under Abdominals
Vince, I do not have access to a gym as I live in the country and have no car. I do have a barbell and dumbbell set. I was wondering if you could give me exercises for my abs I can do at home. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Continue reading Home ab exercises
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Posted Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Filed under Abdominals
Contrary to popular opinion, you cannot produce localized spot reduction by performing a few sets of sit-ups every day. Only nutritional dieting and high activity training with minimum rest periods will cause weight loss. Heart and lung function are very important to emulsify fat.
Because they obtain the best blood supply in the body, the abdominals do not have to be worked with dozens of sets of high reps every day. Simply work the abs using 8-12 reps with 4-5 sets per exercise.
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