Strengthening abs without injuring back - women 40+

[Anonymous]

dead bugs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ever since my 40s, every time I try to strengthen my abs, I end up with back pain in the days that follow (not immediately during the workout) that is so severe that I have to stop exercising for weeks. I've moved away from sit-ups and now do light crunches, dead bugs, bird-dogs and other stuff that the PT taught me. But these exercises are not enough to really make a dent. Or maybe I'm not doing them frequently enough? My main complaint is I never come away from abs workouts with any feeling of having exercised, I don't get that post-workout fatigue or muscle soreness. My PTs just keep giving me old-lady ab exercises that seem to be useless. Anyone have advice on this?

Crunches, dead bugs, and bird dogs are perfectly adequate for having a strong core. Core work is part of a workout, not the only workout. You shouldn't be getting fatigue from basic core work. Lift weights and do real cardio if you want fatigue. If you're looking for visible ab muscles, this occurs in the kitchen, not the gym.

[Anonymous]

If the OP would like soreness, hang from a pullup bar. Lift both legs to horizontal. Don’t do more than 10 the first few times. Believe me, your abs will be sore for 1-2 days after

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ever since my 40s, every time I try to strengthen my abs, I end up with back pain in the days that follow (not immediately during the workout) that is so severe that I have to stop exercising for weeks. I've moved away from sit-ups and now do light crunches, dead bugs, bird-dogs and other stuff that the PT taught me. But these exercises are not enough to really make a dent. Or maybe I'm not doing them frequently enough? My main complaint is I never come away from abs workouts with any feeling of having exercised, I don't get that post-workout fatigue or muscle soreness. My PTs just keep giving me old-lady ab exercises that seem to be useless. Anyone have advice on this?

Crunches, dead bugs, and bird dogs are perfectly adequate for having a strong core. Core work is part of a workout, not the only workout. You shouldn't be getting fatigue from basic core work. Lift weights and do real cardio if you want fatigue. If you're looking for visible ab muscles, this occurs in the kitchen, not the gym.

+1. When done correctly, crunches, dead bugs and bird dogs can be a solid amount of work. It has stopped surprising me how fit looking individuals can have very little core control and strength. Your PT may be keeping you there until they see you have that down before progressing you, in order to keep you away from injury.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ever since my 40s, every time I try to strengthen my abs, I end up with back pain in the days that follow (not immediately during the workout) that is so severe that I have to stop exercising for weeks. I've moved away from sit-ups and now do light crunches, dead bugs, bird-dogs and other stuff that the PT taught me. But these exercises are not enough to really make a dent. Or maybe I'm not doing them frequently enough? My main complaint is I never come away from abs workouts with any feeling of having exercised, I don't get that post-workout fatigue or muscle soreness. My PTs just keep giving me old-lady ab exercises that seem to be useless. Anyone have advice on this?

Crunches, dead bugs, and bird dogs are perfectly adequate for having a strong core. Core work is part of a workout, not the only workout. You shouldn't be getting fatigue from basic core work. Lift weights and do real cardio if you want fatigue. If you're looking for visible ab muscles, this occurs in the kitchen, not the gym.

It occurs in both, the kitchen and the gym. You need to build/tone muscle to have it and lose weight to see it.

[Anonymous]

You say you don’t like barre- have you tried barre3? It’s more cardio based that other barre classes and the entire thing is a core workout. They do zero crunches and you have a neutral spine the entire time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You say you don’t like barre- have you tried barre3? It’s more cardio based that other barre classes and the entire thing is a core workout. They do zero crunches and you have a neutral spine the entire time.

NP. I love barre3, but only the "signature" classes. The newer classes do not seem as effective. I miss the old B3., but it is decent enough that I keep doing it online.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the OP would like soreness, hang from a pullup bar. Lift both legs to horizontal. Don’t do more than 10 the first few times. Believe me, your abs will be sore for 1-2 days after

Sure but if the OP tends to hurt her back this is prob not the best thing to dive into.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You say you don’t like barre- have you tried barre3? It’s more cardio based that other barre classes and the entire thing is a core workout. They do zero crunches and you have a neutral spine the entire time.

NP. I love barre3, but only the "signature" classes. The newer classes do not seem as effective. I miss the old B3., but it is decent enough that I keep doing it online.

No I haven’t. Thanks for the tip!!