ABS2

Training for experts

Alongside Weider 6, ABS2 is one of the better-known abdominal training sets. It is a demanding programme for experienced exercisers. Some movements require good endurance, and the hanging exercises need a stable training bar.

But if you've finished W6 and want to advance in your physical growth, ABS2 is for you.

An often-repeated story attributes the programme to Stanford University scientists, but we have not found reliable evidence for that origin or the claimed six-year study. Treat ABS2 as a training routine, not a scientifically proven “best” solution.

Whatever its origin, ABS2 is a demanding set of exercises for different areas of the abdominal muscles. It is not automatically safe for every spine: use controlled form, stop if you feel sharp pain and seek professional advice when needed.

The main advantage of ABS2 is that it uses movements for the rectus abdominis as well as other abdominal muscle groups, rather than relying on one exercise pattern.

ABS2 – how to train

Below you will find the description of all the exercises from ABS2. Read about them and learn how to do them and after that move to the schedule. The schedule describes which exercises you do on given advancement level and in what sequence. Remember that ABS2 training is much more complicated than W6.

Exercise 1 – Leg thrust

Lay flat on your back. Hand along your body. You can also slide your hands under your back to have them on both sides of your tailbone (if you rise your hips a little, your back will comfortably lie on the floor).

Now rise your head and shoulders a little (if you are not able to rise your shoulders you can just rise your head at the beginning). The position that you're in at the moment is your starting position. Just remember to check if your back is touching the floor.

Now start doing the exercise. It is explained below – even though it is in two phases, you should do them as one.

1. Rise your legs to the horizontal position – it's best if your legs are bent only a little, but if you cannot hold them almost straight then bend them more.
2. When your legs are in the horizontal position start rising your hips. The end of the motion is when:
   - Your legs are in the vertical position.
   - Your hips are as high as possible.
3. Now go back to the starting position – lower your hips and when your hips lie on the ground, lower your legs.

Exercise 2 – rising shoulders with legs up and bent

Starting position – you lie on the floor with your hands behind your head and your legs up and bent in knees in right angle.

Start moving your arms and shoulders up & down gain and again (remember that you back has to lie on the floor all the time).

It's important not to move ine the direction of your knees but rise your shoulders as high as possible. If this exercise gives you trouble you can try holding your hands straight up instead of holding them behind you head.

Exercise 3 – rising shoulders

You starting position is lying on your back with bent legs and your hands behind you head.

Rise your neck and shoulders above the ground, wait a second and then lower them back.

You shouldn't rise them to high – your back has to touch the floor all the time. But remember that while rising your neck and shoulders they should stretch your abdominal muscles. Usually a good height for an average person is rising shoulders 4-8 inches above the ground.

Rise the neck and shoulders using only your abdominal muscles. Don't help yourself by pulling your head with your hands. If you catch yourself doing that, try to touch your temple with fingers instead of putting your hands behind youe head.

Exercise 4 – rising legs while hanging

You need a bar to perform this exercise. It should be high enough so could able to hang freely without touching the ground with your feet. Most of us doesn't have that so we must practice on normal horizontal bars mounted in the frame of the door so we start the exercise with our legs bent. It doesn't affect the quality of the exercise but it makes it more difficult.

We use grip to hang. Hands on the bar should be in a comfortable distance – on the width of shoulders or even a little wider.

We start the rising of legs with a little bend of our back. We don't rise legs with our backs completely straight! Legs aren't completely straight – you have to bend them a little as well.

You have to rise and lower your legs slowly. This way you won't induce the swinging of the body. While rising our legs we do it with our abdominal muscles – don't swing your body to help yourself. It's not about number of series but about the development of your muscles. Every time you cheat you work against yourself.

Don't pull yourself up while doing this exercise – keep your arms straight and use them only to maintain a secure hang.
When your knees reach chest level, hold the position for about one second.
If your grip cannot support a controlled hang, stop the set. Build grip strength separately or use suitable equipment under qualified guidance; never tie your hands to the bar or improvise supports around your body.

Exercise 5 – rising bent knees while hanging

This exercise is almost identical as last one. The only difference is that you have your knees bent in this one. Try to pull your knees as close to your chest as possible.

When you bend your knees you move the stress from lower abdominal muscles to upper abdominal muscles so it's actually a different exercise than exercise 4.

Exercise 6 – rising bent legs

Start with lying flat on the floor with your legs bent. Put you hands along your body.

Now rise your knees and hips and try to touch your chest. Then lower your legs back to the starting but don't touch the ground with you feet.

Repeat this exercise again and again and remember not to touch the ground with your feet. You should do one rise very second.

Exercise 7 – trunk twists

Trunks twists focus on developing oblique muscles.

You begin trunk twists with the same starting position as in exercise 3.

• Rise both shoulders.
• Twist your torso right, rising left hip simultaneously. Point your right elbow to your left knee. You should do it deeply and feel the stretch in your left side.
• You hold for about one second and get back to the starting position.
• Do the same exercise with your other side.

Now that you know the exercises, review the ABS2 training schedule before you start.

Good luck!