help with my abs!!!

[abgirl1]

OK, everybody tells me I have great abs, you can see my obliques, and my lower abs, but not my upper abs what kind of exercise can i do to specifically target my upper abs. Also I have a low body fat percentage (11%) but I still have about a one inch layer (when you pinch)of fat covering my upper abs but not my lower abs. How can I get rid of this? I already run 3-4 miles 6 days a week however my diet coulld improve some, but geez, I do 400 crunches about five times a week, someone please help, I want my abs to really show through this summer. Thanx!

[erik373]

I dont think you would have to do that many crunches that many times a week, seems like it might overtrain the abs. Cardio helps with reducing the body fat % helping the abs show, perhaps something like absolved would also help. Maybe weighted cruches too?

[TeacherCoach27]

I'm sure you've heard the quality over quaility line. In your guess I am guessing that maybe you need to slow down your repetitions a bit on your abs and maybe work on some more explosive training to really bring those abs out. Instead of just consistent running maybe change up your routine and do some sprint training or some interval cardio for dropping some body fat. (look at the abs of olympic sprinters). Second in training the abs, have you heard of vaccums. (SP). Also, there is slower repetition training like 6 second reps, etc? You might be doing this already, just a suggestion

[slayer of souls]

In order to gain fully developed abs muscles you need to target both fast and slow twitch muscles. Therefore alternating high rep low inten. with low rep high inten. is crutial.

IF you want to get rid of the layer of fat you need to do more cardio. Try HIiT (High intensity interval training.

[Hendrix#50]

i have upper abs but not lower and obliques.. any suggestions?

[Boxing Raven]

Originally Posted by abgirl1

OK, everybody tells me I have great abs, you can see my obliques, and my lower abs, but not my upper abs what kind of exercise can i do to specifically target my upper abs. Also I have a low body fat percentage (11%) but I still have about a one inch layer (when you pinch)of fat covering my upper abs but not my lower abs. How can I get rid of this? I already run 3-4 miles 6 days a week however my diet coulld improve some, but geez, I do 400 crunches about five times a week, someone please help, I want my abs to really show through this summer. Thanx!

I agree with what I've read in response here, quality over quantity and cardio. You run a lot, but maybe you should mix up your cardio a bit. I also find that supersets work for abs, what I do is lie on the ground and do the following without breaks in between exercises. Leg raises until failure (usually 50 or so), then I go straight in to bent knee leg raises (easier to do so you can continue raising) until failure (usually about 50) then I sit up on my rear end and I continue without stopping in to a sit up leaning towards my left knee, then I do one in the middle, then I do 2 to the right, then I do 2 in the middle, then 3 to the left, 3 in the middle, etc etc, always adding one when I get to the side and doing that same amount in the middle. I do this until failure, but usually by the time I get to 10 my stomache is crying out in pain. I do this circut about 3 times, usually 4 times on Sundays. It works really well for me.