How Often To Train Abs: Best Ab Training Frequency?

► THE BODY TRANSFORMATION BLUEPRINT
Science-based muscle building and fat loss system:
www.BodyTransformationTruth.com
► REALSCIENCE ATHLETICS
No B.S, premium quality supplements you can trust:
www.RealScienceAthletics.com
CONNECT WITH ME
Blog: www.SeanNal.com
Instagram: / sean_nalewanyj
Facebook: / seannalewanyjofficial
GET YOUR FREE CUSTOM MEAL PLAN
www.SeanNal.com/free-meal-plan...
TAKE MY ONLINE FITNESS QUIZ
www.SeanNal.com/quiz-questions...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Video Summary:
How Often To Train Abs: Best Ab Training Frequency?
www.SeanNal.com/articles/train...
How many ab workouts should you perform per week for the best results?
First off, if you really want to maximize the visible definition of your abs, then yes, direct ab training will be necessary.
Big compound lifts like squats and deadlifts will not be enough to develop the rectus abdominus (the "six pack muscles") to their full potential as some people claim, and isolated exercises like weighted crunches, leg raises and planking variations will be necessary for that purpose.
So how often should you train abs?
The simple answer is to train them at the same frequency as all of your other muscle groups.
The abs are a muscle just like any other and they respond to training in the same basic way. For that reason, there's no need to train abs every day or 5 days a week like so many people do.
For a typical natural trainee, this will generally mean an ab training frequency of 1-3 times per week, with twice per week being the general sweet spot I recommend to most people.
The only situation where a higher ab training frequency would be necessary is if your abs are a specific weak point that you need to bring up.
In that case, your ab workout frequency could be raised to 3, 4 or even more times per week to see if they respond better that way.
However I'd only recommend this if you're well past the novice stage of lifting, you know your body well, and you know that your abs are legitimately a lagging muscle group. (And the only way for you to know that is if you've dropped your body fat percentage low enough for you to visibly see that your abs need more work)
In all other cases, the question of how often to train abs is very simple, as there's no need to train them any differently than your other muscle groups.

[@Sean_Nalewanyj]

💪 Important Reminders: 1) Sign up for your FREE custom fitness plan: www.SeanNal.com/custom 2) Get my science-based supplements: www.RealScienceAthletics.com (Save 15% on first order with code KZbin15) 3) Follow on IG for more daily tips: instagram.com/sean_nalewanyj

[@sushrutdeshmukh7564]

I came here after athlean x's 7 days abs video. I'm relieved!

[@romnicklazatin3679]

lol

[@DidYouRunAway]

Same

[@marshmallowfluffmonster4266]

Don't listen to athlean x. For the most part his advice is BS. Noone is perfect but a lot of his videos are made for channel growth and not actual training advice. Also dont buy any of his products.

[@U2FanSanFran]

Me too! I literally just posted on his video asking how many times a week should we do DIRECT isolated abs workout 🤣😂

[@erikkassner9324]

Your gains are killing your gains.

[@juice525]

Thanks for answering my question, Sean! Exactly the answer I was looking for! I'm always recommending my friends to your channel, site, etc..

[@Sean_Nalewanyj]

Appreciate it man, thanks a lot.

[@AAA51458]

I'm hope your not suggesting to avoid doing abs just bc you can't "see them". Keep training them so they're developed and crispy when you're cut not just baby lumps at 10% bf.

[@atp919]

Thanks Sean, your videos are always on point and I appreciate sharing your knowledge with us!

[@Sean_Nalewanyj]

Thanks Alex!

[@nolanpaul1371]

I've actually been wondering this question for a while...thanks Sean, I find your information most useful

[@Sean_Nalewanyj]

Thanks man, glad to hear.

[@rafaelgomez1989]

GREAT CONTENT AS ALWAYS ....THANK YOU SEAN !!!!

[@rickyseddon4786]

This helped a lot thanks man

[@krazykushT49]

Great video Sean, thanks again !

[@Sean_Nalewanyj]

Thanks for the support

[@bigflat1238]

Good advice straight to point ,not talking about your jumper ,going to Walmart for shopping,how you are a vegan ,how you are not a vegan ,why you never go to Walmart etc

[@snky_dre]

Sean Nalewanyj recommends training your abs directly around 1 to 3 times per week, with twice per week being a good starting point. He emphasizes that abs should be treated like any other muscle group in terms of training frequency, intensity, and progressive overload. His approach includes: Baseline Training Frequency: Start with twice per week for direct ab training. Adjustment for Weak Points: If you find that your abs are a weak point after reducing your body fat to visible levels, you can increase the frequency up to 3 or 4 times per week, or possibly more, depending on your experience level. Intensity: Aim for sets of 8 to 12 reps with sufficient resistance and focus on progressive overload by gradually increasing the weight over time. He stresses that training abs every day or excessively focusing on them isn't necessary unless you have determined that they need additional work specifically. Instead, the focus should be on building a strong foundation through compound movements and treating abs similarly to other muscle groups.

[@joezarela6609]

Ty

[@soubanhsoukhome7039]

Sound advice! Keep up the good work!

[@Sean_Nalewanyj]

Appreciate it man, thanks.

[@jjac72]

always informative and on poiint.

[@beansdeans4942]

thank you brother

[@ntlatlamdhluli1607]

Thank you .

[@adonis22_75]

Great great great

[@brbosi]

Sean, could you make a video on when it is interesting to achieve the 3 failures? Most people agree to look for the concentric failure at every exercise, but how about eccentric and isometric failures? Should they be included in your program? How often?

[@Sean_Nalewanyj]

I don't recommend training past concentric failure.

[@efaschowdhury]

Hey Sean, I'm skinny fat, and I have lost fat and gained muscle. I swim 5 days, and I train my abs 3 days a week, and body weight excureses. What else i do to increase my abs and lose the love handles.

[@VENOM-_-15]

great video

[@Sean_Nalewanyj]

Thanks!

[@anthonyd70]

I've been waiting soooo long for you to make this video, btw you are the absolute best for making a summary in the info. Thank you SO much it makes everything much more understanding. I appreciate it a lot

[@Sean_Nalewanyj]

Thanks a lot Anthony, glad you like the vids!

[@budknowitall7140]

hmm this is interesting i was always under the impression you could do direct ab work every day, because like calves you use those muscles indirectly everyday

[@camq-py7bs]

Why would anyone train calves everyday? Don’t make it complicated, just train it twice a week like every other muscle.

[@II-iv3et]

i love to watch her video ,all of them is very helpful

[@zaynbrk8456]

How many exercises should I do per session? And how long to rest between sets?

[@alirehman4829]

Is it okay to do front belly exercise one day and belly side exercise the next day, each day?

[@abulhasnath502]

Great video dude! Can you make a video on cortisol and how it supposedly is released after working out for 45 mins to an hour. I'm still a bit unclear on this. Keep up the good work.

[@Sean_Nalewanyj]

+Abul Hasnath That's an outdated idea - don't worry about cortisol in terms of workout duration.

[@bjornfsteen]

Luckily I don't need ab work. Diet and compound moves are getting it done for me.

[@gvon1989]

I know you mentioned Leg Raises, Weighted Crunches, and Planks, but what other ab exercises would you throw into an ab routine?

[@phljawn]

Ab roller/ roll out, rowers, flutter kicks, cable crunches, paloff presses etc. I would check out athlean x for some various ab routines.

[@Sean_Nalewanyj]

There are a million and one ways to hit the abs and I don't recommend anything fancy. Kneeling rope crunches, planks, Swiss ball stir the pot, Pallof press... Those are some of my go to movements.

[@riowang8794]

how many exercise do you recommend? 3-4 probably?

[@lokeelife518]

How much time cardio or how much calories can i burn per day

[@chuckwilliams7950]

Any thoughts on Layne Norton's PH3 program? He doesn't include direct ab work but I think there is so much squatting and deadlifting it might would even be too much. General thoughts on the program would be appreciated too. Sorry if you've already covered this.

[@Sean_Nalewanyj]

I haven't actually looked over that program yet so can't say right now.

[@samk5520]

Hey Sean do you have any advice or videos on how much protein is necessary to build muscle? Great work on all your videos btw. Thanks

[@taulantm7910]

+sam keating Recommendations based on scientific journals (from actual research) protein intake is recommend between 0.8 - 1g per lbs of bodyweight. NO NEED to go any higher than that. Example (180lbs male) 0.8*180lbs = 144-150g/day (when bulking/calorie surplus) 1.0*180lbs = 180-185g/day (when cutting/calorie deficit) However, beware that protein companies will have you believe that you need more than that because they wanna sell you their products. Don't fall for it. If you wanna get a protein powder just for convenience sake then go ahead, but you don't need it as the above recommended intakes are easily met through food. It's important to NOT neglect carbs, which provide the fuel for you workouts, and fats for satiation and good hormonal health.

[@Sean_Nalewanyj]

Landi's answer is on point. 0.8-1g per pound of body weight daily is a safe guideline.

[@sorrisocdo2759]

Hi Sean! I have a question. I've traind abs twice per week (beside deadlift and squats) and I found that my abs pop up even at a higher bodyfat percentage (just as I hoped for), however, my obleques started to develop as well, even though I didnt do any asymmetric core excercise. The problem is, that genetically I "like" storing fat on my waist (surprise, surprise), so I dont want my oblique muscle to grow, for it would appear I have a bigger waist. Do you have any advice on this matter above?

[@FMMFilms]

Maybe you do an exersize where the obliques are also getting involved a bit?

[@WomanRespecter6969]

Pretty sure the obliques get a decent amount of stimulation by default with any ab workout

[@xJonasVB]

Hi Sean, I got a question that I'd like you to answer. How important is stretching and when should we actually stretch?

[@Sean_Nalewanyj]

+Slavstar Unless you're doing it for a very specific reason (I.E. treating an injured area) I wouldn't even bother with it.

[@xJonasVB]

Sean Nalewanyj Oh, great, cause I've been hearing some advice that you need to stretch after every workout for some reason, but that was back in my broscience days. Thank you for all the knowledge you pass to us!

[@Debilm4nzs-zu9bc]

How does he look younger now than he did 7 years ago

[@deepakpathania4206]

If doing abs 2 days per week. Definitely ab work needs to be combined with other muscle days. Any suggestions

[@bhp8538]

Sean. I have make a log and have questions based on my progress. Saturday (4 days ago) I cable row'd 110 pounds for 3 sets and 10 reps per set. Today, I cable row'd for 3 sets as well, except now instead of going 10, 10 ,10....I went 12, 9, 7. I see this trend often. How should I go about progressing in your opinion?

[@Sean_Nalewanyj]

+Mike hunt Once you can hit the upper end of your rep range on the first of a given lift you can increase the following week. If you need to adjust the weight from set to set that's fine too. I.E. If you then did 120 but only got 8 on the first set, you could drop to 110 on the following sets.

[@omicronceti6063]

Hey Sean! Before my question just to say I love your videos, much better to watch than some steroid freaks.. Anyway, I'd like your thought how I do my abs. Day 1, upper abs with chest/tris. Day 2, lower abs with back/bis. Day 3, obliques with shoulders/traps. Day 4, just legs. Day 5, repeat from day 1 or off, sometimes yoga or stretching. When I do abs I go high reps 20-25 with 4 sets.

[@Sean_Nalewanyj]

+Aleksandar Rikic That sounds fine to me though I would mix in some heavier lower rep sets too (8-12).

[@omicronceti6063]

+Sean Nalewanyj I was actually just planning to start on that next week. Thanks for all you do!

[@DifferentYetNormal]

Hello Sean, not sure if you reply to comments made on vids posted a few months go; but what's your opinion on crunches? I've heard from some sources they're not good because they are hip flexor exercises? I've been using Planks/Russian twists as a result of my apprehension. Thanks

[@Sean_Nalewanyj]

+Different YetNormal Situps would hit the hip flexors moreso but if you're doing a more strict crunch it will isolate the abs pretty nicely.

[@DifferentYetNormal]

Thanks Sean!

[@NickNeumann]

How many sets?

[@darianuk4292]

Hi Sean I go to gym 5 times a day I also have good body and good abs but I workout my abs everyday after my workout for 15 minutes but I'm not sure is it's too much or not any tip plz?

[@gregseliga604]

Sean Nalewanyj - Hi, I have simple question. What if your are skinny and your body fat is around 12%, and your abs are still barely visible and by that I mean i have not focused on them a lot and they are not much developed. In that case I should still exercise abs 3 times per week or I can exercise them 5 times per week to increase their visibility by strenghten them?

[@Sean_Nalewanyj]

+Greg Seliga Yes, you can increase the frequency in that case to specialize them a bit.

[@zackjames87]

would you recommend an work for still building core strength if your heavy? or something else?

[@Sean_Nalewanyj]

Yes, there's no reason why being heavy would mean you shouldn't perform core work.

[@MT-vp5xo]

How do you know when your abs need additional work" A-side from a 2 to 3 times a week training session? I eat at least 70% healthy I drink water 99% of the time and I still have a layer of fat on my stomach that is just stubborn as fuck, lol! how many reps should I do in a set, that will be most effective for my ab workouts?

[@Sean_Nalewanyj]

+Morris Terry As mentioned, if you have a layer of fat to get rid of then it's a matter of proper diet and lowering your overall body fat %. Direct ab work is not going to get rid of it.

[@keshavtennisplayer]

Hey I'm an amateur bodybuilder and would like to know what the best ab workouts are? Like could someone (@Sean Nalewanyj) tell me what their ab workouts are? Thanks so much for the informative and great video!

[@Sean_Nalewanyj]

+Keshav Goel Nothing fancy really. My favorite combo is kneeling rope crunches followed by weighted planks or swiss ball planks.

[@keshavtennisplayer]

Thanks! If I used an oblique twister machine and weighted crunch machine regularly on top of hanging leg raises, bicycles, and bodyweight crunches, will I get good results? I do those now 3x a week but cant see my abs even though I'm at around 12-13% fat. I lost a lot of fat quickly so is it possible my skin's just too loose?

[@manuyadav9968]

hi sean, cud u upload a video about training to failure and musclegrowth and for example if we are doing a tricep workout with 4 workouts and total 12 sets means 3 set in 1 workout. in which all set should we train to failure and how many times. and do training to failure means by lifting our own or with a spotter. and what is training to failure. thanks bro for ur earlier replies....

[@Sean_Nalewanyj]

I generally recommend training 1-2 reps short of failure on most sets but you can mix in some to-failure training as well, just not all the time.

[@manuyadav9968]

Ok..so can i go failure in last set of barbell curl and also in my end of hammer curl.. so total 2 sets going to failure , is that ok.. And another is that , if we dont go failure , will there any muscle growth.

[@manuyadav9968]

And 1-2 reps short of failure means, for eg if im achieving failure on 8 rep on barbell curl, i should stop in 6 right sean. Training to failure - cud u tell what exactly is... im in confusion

[@Sean_Nalewanyj]

+Manu Yadav That's correct.

[@MrFirstMiddleLast]

Learning how to vault on a pommel horse would be a good way to train your abdomen.

[@Sportokonsultantas]

whats the best excercises for sixpack abs?

[@Sean_Nalewanyj]

+Sioma Aesthetics Six pack abs are mostly just a product of having low body fat, but in terms of direct ab training this exercise is my favorite along with planking variations.

[@user-fk8rb8ue5h]

Your body will tell you.

[@sirichai2222]

Do abs circuit is better than normal abs routine? My abs circuit is kneeing Rope Crunch 10-12 Hanging Knee Raise 8-12 Russin Twist with 5lbs plate to failure and rest 2 minutes then do it again 3-4 sets. Thankyou sean.

[@Sean_Nalewanyj]

I don't see any reason to treat the abs any differently than other muscles, so I usually use typical rest periods between exercises.

[@lukasflo9704]

I usually train abs like once a month lol. I hit vacuums a few times every day to keep my waist as tight as possible. Diet usually does the trick for me to get great abs

[@homoerectus9130]

Abs once a month? Forget about your sixpack then I guess

[@ashensivnarain7221]

5 is ok depending on how you do them

[@BanzGz205]

how do you know if your body fat is to high

[@drewski939]

Should I train abs when bulking?

[@Sean_Nalewanyj]

Yes, that's when it would be most important since you'd have the calorie surplus needed for optimum growth.

[@taylorridge3436]

Hey so do you have to be in a calorie deficit to lower your body fat? Or could you still lower body fat while not being in a deficit?

[@drugmiller5930]

Not unless you're a complete beginner or on drugs.

[@bobanppvc]

+Drug Miller how its posible for begginer to lower body fat while not in deficit

[@bobanppvc]

+Montenegro Montenegrin i remember when i was 18 i started in gym and i build lean muscles at the same time i lower body fat.Now im 23 and i gain easier fat?Can you tell me why?and how to build lean muscles again?

[@Sean_Nalewanyj]

It's theoretically "possible" but to lose an actual significant amount of fat you'll need to be in at least a slight deficit.

[@yesnoiknow]

thanks for the info's. my question is .. how to lower my body fat ? i have tried every trick in the book, those damn abs are hidden under the mountain of fat ! any special trick or supplements ? cheers

[@josephsaeteurn9158]

+yesnoiknow Consume less calories than you burn per day or eat lean and work out hard. either way it translate to calories deficits. it's hard if you have bad diet or love to eat.

[@Sean_Nalewanyj]

Simple matter of maintaining a calorie deficit by tracking your intake and losing 1-2 pounds a week. There are no tricks or supplements needed.

[@TheMolina297]

My weak spot are abs but they are there just need to train them a little more and drop body fat 4 times a week seems good? (Training Abs)

[@Sean_Nalewanyj]

+Cristian Molina Yep that would be fine.

[@TheMolina297]

+Sean Nalewanyj Thanks Man 🏆💪😏

[@thewayiam1081]

any forearm training you recommend? for arm wrestling cheers

[@Sean_Nalewanyj]

+TheWay IAM - kzbin.info/www/bejne/qnzQhqJ6pbeFadE

[@Sean_Nalewanyj]

+TheWay IAM - kzbin.info/www/bejne/mH6Yo2xvfNp1e9U

[@keniangervo8417]

Hey Sean, what's the best way to get a 6 pack for a very overweight person?

[@Sean_Nalewanyj]

+Keni Angervo Lose body fat. That's all it comes down to.

[@MarkMark-xz4ff]

Why does Arnold S. recommend 200 crunches everyday??

[@karate-kampela2950]

Back then people didnt knew what we know today.

[@casdomdomcas5214]

Arnold is not natural. He had supplements to get shredded.

[@abdulbade]

thank god im 20% bf.

[@limwaisam]

20% man thats fat

[@slim2935]

@Nick Gurrs 👁️💧👄💧👁️

[@chuksobi-obasi3369]

Hugo strange💀

[@Andy61695]

You need to work on your transverse abdominals first, cause if you lower stomach is already sticking you should stop. Cause you'll just make it worse. Work on your transverse abdominals and internal obliques first, the deep core muscles.

[@keenparatham6580]

Andiee Martinez What are good exercises for that?

[@halden3014]

how would you do that

[@Brothabrooks27]

Well stomach fat sorry

[@mjabdus86]

Beware of Boeing planes

[@prayShinigami]

Do vaccums !

[@ggmu8549]

+Lex Gabriel lol #piano

[@prayShinigami]

WAT ?

[@ggmu8549]

+Lex Gabriel Rich Piana, i call him Piano

[@prayShinigami]

Ohhh :D !

[@alexbarcelona4372]

Ab training is a waste of time

[@Aquilox7]

Ok

[@VishalNehra]

Wrong. You train abs everyday (except sunday offcourse) !

[@Sean_Nalewanyj]

+Vishal Nehra Ok.

[@Oldmanwithguns]

Thanks sir that was so informative.

[@zackjames87]

would you recommend an work for still building core strength if your heavy? or something else?

[@imalpha4471]

you can build up the core while you are fat , but no six pack will be shown cause they can only be shown in low bf percentage