r/absworkouts

Hey everyone,

I’ve noticed the areas circled in this photo stick out more than the rest of my midsection. I’m not sure if it’s body fat, my obliques, genetics, or something else.

For context, I lift regularly and play rugby stay pretty lean, but those spots seem more prominent than the rest of my abs. They kinda bother me, I’m just curious what I’m looking at anatomically and whether it’s something that would go away with lower body fat or if it’s just how I’m built.

To add, I do this workout every session, I’m flat on my back legs 90 degrees on wall and I touch the sides of the wall. (I put a picture kinda showing the workout couldn’t find the exact)

Any thoughts?

I have been trying to work on my abs/core for a while now. Usually to end each workout I’ll do a little core workout. I’ll do planks, dip knee position raise, straight leg raise, and suitcase crunches. I also try to engage my core while weightlifting. Am I on the right track? Advice is much appreciated!

Looking for honest feedback and advice from more experienced lifters. I haven't been weightlifting very long, and I'm still learning when it comes to training, nutrition, and body composition. I've made progress, but I don't have enough experience to know whether I'm heading in the right direction or what my next step should be.

Any feedback on body fat estimate, strengths, weaknesses, or overall direction would be appreciated.

[effacé]

Gotta reduce that belly and love handles

After 2-3 years of working hard on my body I have finally noticed improvements my main goal since I started working out was to get abs. But now that I have abs I want to start working on building more muscle.

Most people train abs to look good. Boxers train abs to generate power, absorb punishment, and maintain tension for 12 rounds. The result of the fighter approach is a core that looks incredible and performs under real conditions.

Here is exactly how they do it.

AESTHETIC ABS VS FIGHTING ABS

Aesthetic training: flexion focused, high reps, chase the burn, rest between sets

Fighter training: tension focused, bracing, rotation, anti-rotation, breath control under load

The difference is not which muscles you train. It is how you train them.

THE CORE IS THE ENGINE

A punch does not start in the arm. It starts in the ground, travels through the legs, rotates through the core, and exits through the arm. The core is the transfer point for all power.

Hip rotation initiates the power transfer from lower to upper body. Oblique contraction accelerates the rotation and multiplies force. Core bracing prevents energy leakage so maximum power reaches the target.

Every boxer with a powerful punch has a strong rotational core. No exceptions.

TENSION TRAINING

Boxers do not just crunch their abs. They train them to hold maximum tension under sustained load. This is called irradiation -- full body tension that radiates from the core outward. It makes the core harder, more impact resistant, and more powerful simultaneously.

How to train it: squeeze every muscle in your body simultaneously for 10 seconds. Abs, glutes, lats, fists -- everything. Release and repeat. This is how fighters harden their core without hundreds of sit-ups.

Full body tension: 3 x 10 second maximal contractions, rest 30 sec

RKC Plank: 3 x 20 seconds, drag elbows toward toes maximally

Hollow Body Hold: 3 x 30 seconds, brace like you are about to be punched

A boxer's abs are hard because they train hardness specifically. Not just size.

ROTATIONAL POWER

The hook is the most powerful punch in boxing because it uses maximum rotational core force. Obliques generate the rotation. The stronger the obliques the harder the hook.

Rotational exercises boxers use:

Woodchop: 3 x 12 reps each side, rotate from the core not the arms

Russian Twist feet elevated: 3 x 15 reps each side, full rotation each rep

Shadow boxing with rotation: 3 x 2 minute rounds, exaggerate the hip turn on every punch

Train rotation and your punches get harder. Train crunches and only your mirror improves.

ANTI-ROTATION STABILITY

A boxer must generate rotation AND resist unwanted rotation simultaneously. When absorbing a punch the core must resist the rotational force to prevent knockdown.

RKC Plank: 3 x 20 seconds, drag elbows toward toes without moving

Plank with Reach: 3 x 8 reps each arm, hips stay perfectly level

Dead Bug: 3 x 10 reps each side, lower back glued to floor throughout

The ability to resist rotation is what keeps a fighter upright when the punches land.

BREATHING AND BRACING

Every boxer exhales sharply on impact. A sharp exhale creates intra-abdominal pressure that hardens the core instantly. This is the same mechanism that allows fighters to absorb body shots that would floor untrained people.

Exhale on exertion -- every punch, every crunch, every plank brace

Sharp not slow -- a fast exhale creates more pressure than a slow one

Train it deliberately -- it takes 4 to 6 weeks to make it automatic under pressure

The exhale is the hidden technique behind every boxer's hard abs.

THE BOXER CORE ROUTINE

3x per week. Exhale sharply on every rep. Rest 45 seconds between sets.

Tension: Full body maximal contraction -- 3 x 10 sec holds

Anti-Rotation: RKC Plank -- 3 x 20 seconds

Rotation: Woodchop -- 3 x 12 reps each side

Deep Core: Hollow Body Hold -- 3 x 30 seconds

Stability: Dead Bug -- 3 x 10 reps each side

Finish every session with 3 x 2 minute shadow boxing rounds focusing on exhaling sharply on every punch.

Train like a fighter. Build abs that look good and perform under pressure.

Hi, I'm trying to get abs, but I'm not sure wha BF% I may be and how long it can realistically take. I posted two photos of me for reference. The lighting is not best, but It;s because I wanna lose enough fat to look good even in a bad lighting.

I'm 175cm tall anf around 83kg, I have muscles since I train at the gym for years (BP 1250KG DL 200KG) but never could I shred that layer of fat. I actually managed to lose 20kg in a year (weighed 103kg), but for the past 6 months Im stuck at the same weight and can't seem to budge it.

I workout 4-5 times a week, heavy workouts a lot of sweat and big weights, added some walking lately, I have stable diet around 1800kcal a day. But I'm still not progressing with my weightloss.

And to be honest, I have a problem with cheatweekends. I can eat 1800kcal 5 days a week, but on the last two days I eat what I want and usually it's a lot. I know it sets me back, that's why I want to ask you, how much do you think it would take me to see some abs on my belly, if I managed to stick to my diet and workout routine AND cut out all cheatweekends?

And how do you estimate my BF%?

https://imgur.com/a/tKcFJOJ link to my photos