Should I Workout My Abs Every Day?

Getting those six-pack abs is an obsession that continues to permeate modern-day society, and as part of that craze, people are always seeking advice on how best to carve out their abdominals. One of the great debates over getting those hard abs is whether you can (or should) workout your stomach muscles every day. There is sound reasoning both for and against this idea, so the answer is not as clear-cut as one would expect. Read on to learn the arguments on both sides and a solution that seeks to apply the principles of both.

The traditional argument: rest a day in between ab workouts

For those who advocate waiting at least a day in-between abdominal workouts, their reasoning is steeped in sound, traditional advice: your muscles need at least a day of rest in between workouts in order to recover and strengthen properly. The principle behind strength training is to bend/lift/contract your muscles enough to actually tear them down so that your body rebuilds them back stronger than before. If you work out those same muscles on consecutive days, your body does not have enough time to complete the rebuilding process. Thus, it’s actually less efficient to workout a muscle group every day than waiting a day in between.

People apply this argument to abs as well, saying that your abdominal muscles need that day of rest, just like your other muscle groups. But there are some holes in that line of thought when it comes to your abs specifically…

And in this corner: the “you can work your abs every day” crowd

Your abs are somewhat unique when compared to your other muscle groups in that they are constantly being engaged to support your everyday activities. Sitting, standing, walking, almost any position other than lying down requires support from your core. As such, your body has conditioned itself to build back and recover your abs more quickly than the muscles in your extremities.

Given this unique situation, many fitness gurus argue that you can actually workout your abs every day because your body is prepared to recover from a good ab blasting the very next day. These advocates say working out your abs on a daily basis will provide better results.

I used to just work my abs every other day, with good results in having a flat stomach and decent definition. However, I did feel like I had long since hit a plateau that I couldn’t break with respect to really carving out my stomach muscles. So I decided to try working out my abs every day to see if I could tell the difference. At first, I tried lots of weighted ab moves and machines on a daily basis. While I did notice an improvement in ab definition from working out my abs this way, my abs were constantly sore, which seemed to be an indicator that there is merit to the traditional, “wait a day in between” argument.

So I adjusted my workout schedule to alternate days of low-rep, heavy-weight ab moves (weighted crunches, hanging leg lifts, etc.) with days of high-rep, low or no-weight ab exercises (mostly crunch and plank moves on the floor). This is where I found the balance between working out my abs every day and allowing them enough time to recover, like my other muscle groups. And I did notice a marked improvement in muscle tone and definition around my midsection.

For those of you seeking a way to improve the look and strength of your abs via a better workout, I encourage you to give daily ab workouts a try. Just make sure you vary those daily routines so that you alternate heavy and low-weight abdominal exercises to navigate to that “sweet spot” of recovery and muscle buildup.