The Abdominal Training FAQ

The Abdominal Training Frequently Asked Questions list (FAQ) is intended as an introduction to the basic principles of training the abdominal area, sometimes known as the belly or the abs. The creation of this FAQ was motivated by frequent questions on the topic in the newsgroup misc.fitness.

This is version 0.13b, Last modified Wed 10 Jan 1996

Table Of Contents

• I. INTRODUCTION AND CAVEATS
• II. QUESTIONS
  • Q1: How do I get abs like giant ravioli?
  • Q2: Should I do lots of situps to reduce fat around my middle?
  • Q3: How do I reduce the fat covering my middle?
  • Q4: How do I exercise the abs?
  • Q5: What's wrong with situps?
  • Q6: What are good ab exercises?
  • Q7: Is there a specific order I should do exercises in?
  • Q8: How do I structure an ab routine?
  • Q9: How often should I train abs?
  • Q10: Should I do side bends to reduce my love handles?
  • Q11: Gee, but shouldn't I balance my abs with my spinal erectors?
  • Q12: Are there any special abdominal exercises during pregnancy?
  • Q13: Does the XXX ab machine/gadget work?
• III. REFERENCES
• IV. CONTRIBUTIONS OR COMMENTS
• V. CONTRIBUTORS