Many people wonder if it's okay to "do abs every day." I'm a certified personal trainer, and here's my question to you: Why would you want to exercise your abs every day? Do you believe that exercising your abs every day (movements that specifically target the abdomen) will more quickly shrink your stomach and bring out a six-pack or definition than if you worked your abs only three times a week? Working the abs every day will waste your time and will be no more effective than bench pressing every day or doing leg extensions every day. Are there days you don't do abs (e.g., sit-ups, crunches, Roman chair, side bends, planks), but that you DO do exercises like deadlifts, pushups, pull-ups and squat jumps? Guess what: Your abs get worked when you do deadlifts, pushups, pull-ups, squat jumps and certain other compound movements. Doing ab-specific exercises every day will serve to merely make you better at doing ab-specific exercises. This is great if you're training for the ab-targeting-exercise Olympics. But if you're training for a svelte middle, and also definition or a six-pack, lay off the ab-targeting movements. Don't waste your time. Two days a week of four hard sprints at 12 mph on a treadmill (no holding on), with two minutes of walking in between, will do more to bring out your abs than an extra four days a week of 20 minutes' worth of crunches, sit-ups and leg lifts. If you're not deadlifting or doing chin-ups, then do these instead of one of your ab-specific routines. If you're wondering how the heck chin-ups or pull-ups work the abs, you'll find out when you learn how to do these with no assistance! In the meantime, ask someone who can do chin-ups or pull-ups unassisted for repetitions, if they can "feel" their abs smoking at any point during the movement. Listen carefully to their response. Ab-targeting exercises do not raise the body's resting metabolism. The fat-burn is minimal because abdominal muscles are naturally very weak and small. Do ab exercises 2-3 times a week only for five or so minutes, and make it INTENSE. This will strengthen your core somewhat. But for stripping off fat and strengthen your core significantly, include the following in your regimen and forget the daily ab bonanza: Pushup, Deadlift, Squat, Chin-up/Pull-up, and Bent-over Row. And Lord Almighty, if there were ever two compound exercises that really hit the abs friggin' hard, it's 1) Pushup dumbbell rows, and 2) Inverted rows with the body at decline in the start position -- when textbook form is used Source
