working upper abs?

[jeffsz28]

my lower abs stand out good,but my top abs under my pecs are hard to see. sometimes they look good others they don't.whats a good exercise for them?

[*Narkissos*]

Thread moved and bump...

All yours Flexor and S.P.G.

Chime in guys. I'm interested as to your responses

[Flexor]

my lower abs stand out good,but my top abs under my pecs are hard to see. sometimes they look good others they don't.whats a good exercise for them?

Its surprising your lower abs stand out considering most people fail to work them properly and you need a ridiculously low body fat % for them to be ripped. Lower abs are not involved in crunches as much as the upper abs, instead they are involved in flexing the pelvis towards the chest, not chest towards the pelvis. Lower abs also contract isometrically during leg raises and the upper abs during pullups.

The pair of half abs just below the rib cage are worked conventionally by crunches, not situps and the decline crunch would be best. Also you would need to mix up decline crunches with other ab exercises like stability ball crunches etc...

[Chemical King]

I'd tend to think it is a diet problem. Well not problem but you know wat i mean. Also wat Flexor said about lower abs

[jeffsz28]

okay thanks guys

[S.P.G]

First off, I think making the abs visible is the key, then train to sharpen and harden.

So obviously diet and cardio are a important factor.

It’s good to look at the abs as a hole, I would not recommend placing all the attention to your upper abs.

There are exercises which can concentrate the work load on just the upper abs, but all exercises that involve the lower abs will also involve the upper abs to a minor degree. Because of this it is important to always work the lower abs first so that the upper abs have not already been worked to exhaustion resulting in you being unable to work the lower abs to exhaustion.

do you no how to crunch Properly?

The grand-daddy of all abdominal exercises.

Basic technique: Lie on your back with your hands crossed on your chest. Bend your knees at a 90-degree angle with your feet flat on the floor.

Lift your shoulders and curl your body forward, as if you were trying to touch your ribs to your pelvis.

Pause for a second, then lower your shoulders -- but don't relax your abs. Do three sets of 15 to 20 repetitions.

Do keep your lower back on the floor.
Don't clasp your hands behind your head.
Don't move quickly. Slow and steady works your abs harder.
Don’t lift you hole body, I cant Believe the amount of people I see still doing this.

CAT BACK.
A traditional yoga move, this exercise works the strap of muscles that runs from the top of your hip-bones to the bottom of your sternum. Rest on your hands and knees on a padded surface, with your hands (fists down) directly beneath your shoulders and your knees beneath your hips. Slowly raise your head toward the ceiling, and arch your back by pressing your midsection toward the floor. Hold this starting position for a moment then drop your head between your arms and suck in your gut to round your back. Pause and return to the starting position. Do three sets of 20 repetitions

CABLE PULL-DOWN. (upper abs, internal/external obliques) Get on your knees in front of a high-cable pulley with a rope attachment and grab both ends. Draw your hands down by the sides of your ears (palms facing in) or just above your forehead. Keeping your hands locked in place, slowly curl yourself down and forward, first drawing your chin toward your chest, then letting your shoulders and back follow. Imagine you're trying to move yourself vertebra-by-vertebra "It's more effective to roll through the exercise, instead of thinking of it as simply bending forward. Curl yourself down as far as you comfortably can, then slowly reverse the motion back up.

Decline Curlup
This is tough, so start out using a decline bench (slant board) adjusted so it's almost flat. Lie on your back with your head near the top of the board, and grab the board above you. Bend your knees and lift your feet so they're close to your butt.

Stomach crunches {upper abs}
with the legs raised at 90 degrees to the body and spread apart in a "V". The knees should be just slightly bent to avoid lower back strain.

Knee-ups. {upper abs}
In a sit-up position, slowly curl the knees up to the face. Keep your head off the floor and your hands under your hips.

This may no of been what you were after but I gave it a shot....well that’s what I would recommend anyway

[GunTotingHipGangster]

i agree with flexor, it is strange that your lower abs stick out. i wish it was that way with me. Luckily for you it shouldn't take a real long time to get the upper ones poppin

[jeffsz28]

they show up but show up better if i lift my arm above my head. anyhow S.P.G thanks for all the info, i do all those exercises and then some.

[znak]

Hang upside down with gravity boots (or from your knees). Have your partner give you a plate. Without swinging, slowly curl up and slowly curl back down.

After twenty reps, you will see God and everyone else will see your abs.

Works the entire area like no exercise I know.

If you don't want to get exotic, do crunchs like SPG suggested. It will do the same, until you get to the point that you have to do a half hour of them to get any burn at all.

Then you will know it is time to pull out the boots!

[chest6]

I have the opposite problem. I can see my top 4 abs. I can see them very clearly in the morning and pretty well at night. I have a long, long way to go to have the bottom abs show. I have some fat covering them still, despite having low fat concentrations everywhere else except here and over my obliques. Interesting problem.

[Tren Bull]

doing decline bench crunches while concentrating on performing the movement such that the range of motion is targeted aroung your upper abs works pretty well. also, doing side crunches will help

[*Narkissos*]

bump!

[Doc.Sust]

I have the opposite problem. I can see my top 4 abs. I can see them very clearly in the morning and pretty well at night. I have a long, long way to go to have the bottom abs show. I have some fat covering them still, despite having low fat concentrations everywhere else except here and over my obliques. Interesting problem.

i think thats the more common problem with all of us! my recomendation weighte dcrunches with your legs on a proped up on a bench. simplistic and easy.