The “Wicked Wiper” is supposedly the ab move to end all ab moves. According to Women’s Health magazine, they couldn’t find a single fitness model who could do it (for the photoshoot they had a guy hold up the model’s butt and then they photoshopped him out!). It has since become my personal quest to find a person who could demonstrate Wsquared under their own power. Just as I was beginning to think only Sasquatch, the Loch Ness monster and the second gunman were honing their abs with this doozy, it happened. I saw someone do it at my gym. And he made it look easy. I jumped up off my weight bench and screamed and clapped, pointing until all the Gym Buddies joined me in rapt wonder. “Is that the…?” “It IS!” “And there’s nobody holding up his butt!” (Of course it was a “he”). The poor man almost had a heart attack and quickly left the area. I have that effect on people sometimes.
We debated chasing him down and apologizing but decided that might make things worse. Instead we left a trail of protein bar chunks and returned quietly to our weight lifting (and by “quietly” I mean grunting and laughing and making our favorite Zuzana noises) waiting for him to come back. Eventually he did and we mobbed him again begging him to show us how to do it. We all tried it. We all failed. But! The moral of the story: it is possible! I haven’t given up on the Wicked Wiper yet. I don’t think it’s a matter of strength – I recently held a plank for 10:30 minutes (you like how I throw that in there? totally bragging!) – but rather I lack the coordination.
I share this with you not to give your abs an inferiority complex but rather to point out how complex our abs – and our relationship with our abs – are. Many of the most frequent questions I get asked have to do with the stomach region. So, because I am not an expert of anything (except the art of public humiliation) I am going to answer all your ab questions… by giving you links to people smarter than myself. You’re welcome.
Q: How many times per week should I work my abs – every day or every other day?
A: The answers are mixed. Conventional wisdom for a long time said to work your abs a little every day. Most experts now say to work them every other day to give them time to recover and repair. But a growing faction advocate avoiding ab work – especially conventional ab exercises – all together, seeing it as pointless. For myself, I usually do them 2-3 times a week unless the Experiment I’m doing calls for something different.
Q: What about sit-ups/crunches? Good or bad?
A: These gym-class staples have fallen sharply out of favor over the past decade or so. Not only do experts say that conventional sit-ups/crunches set you up for serious injuries but if you do them to exclusion of other movements, you can actually make your stomach look less flat by building up just the rectus abdomoni making your stomach get the dreaded “pooch.” According to this Newsweek article (that’s where I go for all my cutting-edge fitness research, don’t you?) “Doing a sit-up doesn’t train your ab muscles to do the job for which they were designed – keeping your spine straight and secure and providing power for your movements.” Michael Boyle of Strengthcoach.com adds, “In fact, when scientists want to damage the spine of a cadaver for research purposes they put it in a device that’s virtually identical to the crunch machine. Everyone has a finite capacity to perform any given movement. Want to use yours up doing crunches? Wouldn’t be my choice.”
Q: Should I train my obliques (the muscles down your sides)?
A: Jillian Michaels doesn’t – isn’t that enough for you people?? JMich (wow, that is not catchy at all!) and many others point out that building up your obliques can make your waist wider. Saith she in her book Making The Cut, “the trick [to a v-taper shape] is to build the muscles in your upper back and shoulders and shrink your internal and external obliques (the ab muscles on the sides of your upper and lower waist).” However, having an unbalanced core doesn’t sound like a great plan either. Your obliques are responsible for supporting your core when you twist and bend and they help keep everything else in line. Even Jillian has oblique exercises in her Shred DVDs. So I suppose the answer to this question depends on whether you are looking for form or function.
Q: How do I get really defined/flat abs?
A: A combination of great genes and good eating. It is an oft-repeated axiom in the workout world that “abs are made in the kitchen” meaning that you can have the strongest abs in the world but you’ll never see them unless you lose the fat covering them up. For myself, I’ve found that my abs don’t show pretty much ever. Those of you that have read my book got to see pics but even at my lowest (and unhealthiest) body fat percentage, I still didn’t have visible abs. Other women have a six pack without even trying. Ah genetics, you strike again! The upshot is that how good your abs look pretty much has nothing to do with how you work them.
Q: What kind of ab work should I do?
A: The big hoopla these days is around doing “functional moves” – exercises that recreate movements you use in daily life – to work the whole core as a unit. People also like to talk about your transverse abdominals – the ones targeted when your Pilates teacher tells you to “pull your bellybutton into your spine” every five seconds – as they are supposed to be the muscles that holds everything in. The top 5 best core exercises according to Andrew Heffernen in Experience Life magazine are the Birdog, the log roll plank, anti-rotation arc, stability ball roll-out and the farmer’s walk. (Click through to see pictures and instructions.) Other current favorites include push-ups and planks. I also know a lot of women that swear by Pilates to get that flat lean look.
Q: Can I just slice off the extra skin off my abs with a pizza cutter?
A: Um, ew! Did you really just ask me that?!
Q: Will I ever get my pre-pregnancy stomach back?
A: Nothing is ever the same after having kids – not your wallet, not your house and especially not your stomach. That said, some women snap back like a rubber band and have nary a stretch mark for a souvenir. I feel bad for them, my stomach is like the best-stamped passport in baby land. Seriously though, you can get your stomach in good shape after having kids – the Tupler Technique is a great tool for healing any diastisis (the separation between your ab muscles during pregnancy) you may still have. And as for the little things like lose skin or stretch marks or that weird hood over your bellybutton that you can’t get rid of? Wear them with pride. You grew an entire human being – fingernails and everything! – and your body is amazing.
Q: Why should I bother with doing abs when I never see a difference?
A: I feel your pain, sister as I really don’t see changes in my abs either regardless of what I do. But our abs are about so much more than just looking good in a swimsuit. First, a strong core can help prevent back injuries and help heal existing back pain. Second, your core supports you in all of your other fitness endeavors – everything from running to weight lifting benefits from having a tight core.
Q: (From a man): I think chicks with six-packs look like dudes and most guys I know agree – why do girls want this look if it isn’t sexy?
A: Whether or not really cut abs are hot on a woman is a very personal question and I imagine we’ll find some very vehement men (and women) on both sides of the issue. But to answer your question, girls do a lot of things that guys don’t think are sexy because it’s not always about “looking sexy”. There’s something very powerful about feeling and looking really strong. The second factor is that a flat non-muscular stomach is only achieved by starving (or the aforementioned awesome genes) but a flat muscular stomach is something you can get and still eat – when they both look the same under clothes wouldn’t you take the one that lets you eat? I’ll admit that when I first started working out, I aspired to the flat-yet-undefined stomach look that pre-pubescents pull off so well but as I’ve gotten older and more into fitness my perception of what is beautiful has changed quite a bit. These days I’d be thrilled if my stomach had some definition to it.
Your turn! What is your favorite ab move? How do you feel about cut abs on a woman – hot or scary? How often do you do abs?
I love working my abs, and I would do it every day if I thought about it. I usually forget though until the end of my weight lifting days, and then I do about 5 minutes of random ab moves. I don’t know if it actually does anything, but for 5 minutes, I’ll take my chances. My favorite moves are the stability ball roll out, the pike on the ball thing, and anything on the TRX.
Thanks for writing about diastasis recti. I think most post-partum women have no idea they might have it, seeing as nobody teaches them about it. I had an amazing midwife who did though 🙂 I still have a two-fingers width of diastasis plus an umbilical hernia (great, huh ?) 2 years after kid no.2. I´ve ordered the Tupler Technique book, and I can´t wait. Do you think I´ll manage to close the hernia ?
Another thing — I noticed my tum looks big due to bloating. Sometimes when I wake up and my stomach & everything is completely empty, my tum looks ok. But then I eat something and bam, I look pregnant. I still haven´t figured out what are the culprit foods. But anyway I realised that I need to be paying more attention to the kitchen than to the gym.
Somedays I wish your pictures came with a NSFYS (not safe for your sanity) warning. Really, I knew Carrot Top got buff (good for him!), but I could have died happily not knowing how far below his navel he’s willing to drop his pants. …And now I have Carrot Top and dropped pants in the same sentence. GAH!
As for my fav ab move: I HATE that I got this off of Access Hollywood, but there’s this move where you lean straight back and try to touch your calves, then use your abs to pull yourself straight up. I REALLY feel those. I also find myself doing bicycle crunches or planks because ACE research indicated it’s one of the better moves to really work the front and obliques. That and some bird-dogs or supermans, and that’s all the targeted (non-pilates) training I do. I do full body weight training every other day (3x a week), so that’s when I incorporate them into my routine. I figure that since I do full-body moves, that my abs have been hit, so I try not to overdo them (ditto with the delts, overkill when doing push-ups and assisted – I sooo want to do them unassisted – pullups.) The most FUN ab moves for me are the Russian Twists and stability ball pike. Most guilt-inducing ab move: stability ball roll outs, because at that point I may as well get a cloth and bucket and mop the floor.
I have the same idea of cut abs on a man as I do with a woman: definition is good, but at a certain point, it’s just too much.
Definitely hot!
I hate doing abs and avoid traditional ab work like the plague. I do them maybe once or twice a week alone and not for very long. Maybe that’s why they suck.
AHH the much maligned Carrot Top.
I find him so freakin fascinating as does the body building community/
ok, not the point I realize 🙂
I dont do abs enough although Ive lately started planking like a mo’fo’ and all for my back.
mine.are.weal.
I think that there’s more to life than abs. And ppl write to me all the time w/ ab questions and really…it shouldnt matter if we have a 6 pack or not! Women really arent made to have visible ab definition I dont think except for the genetic select few. After that, it comes down to low BF %, uber clean diet, exercise, and working the abs. And unless one is making their living with their body, I dont see the point in obsessing too terribly much over it. I could go on and on 🙂
My moves are on the stability ball, and yoga, and just eating clean and lifting and doing cardio. Basically doing a bit of everything and as a result, the abs happen for me.
First let me say I love Averie!!!!!
OK, now I just want to ab -er – add that I LOVE Pilates (obviously!), but not because it gives me a six-pack. Um, because it doesn’t. I love it because it has made me stronger than I have ever been. And like yoga, it helps create space between the vertebrae of the spine, space that may have been diminished due to the way we live these days (stress, hunched shoulders, sitting at computers/steering wheels for hours at a time). This creates spinal flexibility, which can cut down on back pain and injuries. A lot of people start doing Pilates in order to get a flat stomach, and stick with it for all the health benefits.
I’ve also recently started doing Rev Abs, the program by Brett Hoebel (one of the new trainers on “The Biggest Loser AND a Capoeira guy!). There are some traditional ab exercises, but there’s also a lot of cardio and strength training, and it’s fun.
Finally, to all the dudes (dudes are a different breed than men, don’t you think? Dudes are “Jersey Shore” and Jeff Spicolli, while men are, well, adults, IMHO): Chill, man! You don’t have to lust after EVERY chick you see! It’s all good, bro! And maybe that girl with the six-pack can spot you next time at the gym.
My favorite ab move is the GHD sit-up…see demo here: http://youtu.be/Ufaa41nkIP8
I also like the Turkish Get-up, but my least favorite, because I suck at it, is the roll-out with a wheel or small dolly…some day I’ll be able to roll all the way out.
Now for me…cut abs are hot, but I agree that it’s comes with a combination of genetic luck, proper exercise and a clean diet.
Aside from doing some ab work in every warm-up 5 days a week, I probably only do ab specific exercises 1-2 times out of the five and most typically they would be GHD sit-ups, planks (front, side, and threading the needle), Knee-to-elbows, or Toes-to-bars. So much of what I do works the core that any more than that would be to much.
I can do 4 reps of the wicked wipers, but I actually feel it more in my lower back (in a bad way) than in my abs, so screw ’em. I’m like you; I can out-perform the other women in just about any ab exercise you can name, but I still have the belly-button hood and loose-skin of childbirth. Oh, well.
Great info! I’m prone to having a little belly as well, no matter my weight. I do find that if I work my abs a few times a week-doing traditional crunches, leg lifts, reverse crunches, etc.-that my stomach appears flatter. Planks tend to hurt my arms, especially side planks. Maybe I’m doing them wrong? Also, I love that you mentioned the Zuzana noises…I thought I was the only one who noticed that!
I love planks and the bird dog. I’m currently trying out Beachbody Insanity (from the P90X series), and it involves ridiculous amounts of pushups, which is REALLY working my core while it tones my shoulders. Hooray for compound moves!
I just pulled up a video of a guy doing that Windshield Wiper exercise.
Ho. Ly. God.
That hurts my shoulder just looking at it. Not to mention watching him do it made me want to puke. Lovely, I know.
First off, that Carrot Top pic is seriously creepster. Second, I think strong is ALWAYS sexy. My hubs loves me regardless of how I look, but I feel a million times better about myself now that I’m creating muscles instead of being that waif girl I once was. I may have a pooch, but I still look freaking amazing in my bikini!
I like this – the use of the word strong. I think strong can be with or without muscles on display…
Carrot Top – how fitting to have his picture on your blog so close to Easter (carrot, Easter, get it? haha) 🙂
I personally do planks, burpees, mountain climbers, etc for my ab work. And I still do some crunches with weights too. I do my little circuit maybe 3x per week? I may not have abs of steel but I can tell they are strong and that helps me when I run.
Honestly, I think a little ab definition looks good on anyone, but too much ab definition is too much for me. But I agree with you that it is all about personal preference!
You held a plank for 10 minutes? Holy wow!!!
I am not a carrot top fan, whether it’s his stand-up or him in general haha. I didn’t even know he was all jacked now.
I can’t believe you held a plank for 10 minutes!! I need to up my game. 😉
I don’t find 6 packs on women sexy…but I’m not really a huge muscle person anyway. Whether that’s on males or females. I like definition but am not into the huge muscles. To each their own! 🙂
You know, so much of my exercise program is directed toward functional fitness. The best ab exercise I do (other than eat less) is probably kicking a large bag with front, side and roundhouse kicks from low to head high. When I’ve watched women in classes do ab work I have always felt that they did too many reps I’d rather do less more difficult moves. For example using an severe incline for sit ups or crunches.
I think some women with 6 packs are sexy – hello Zuzana! But others, not so much…I recently went to see Peepshow in Las Vegas and many of the professional dancers in that show were so lean and so cut that they weren’t sexy (at least not to me). Which is funny considering the show is a burlesque show. My boyfriend saw the show with me and he really was turned off by the super cut ladies. But I love the look of some core definition and I’m trying to get myself there!
Ab work was always my favorite until my hernia. Thankfully there are many other ways to work that don’t include lying down, and GASP! I’m even tempted to try Shaun T’s Hip Hop Abs! (OH how my darling and I have made fun of that thing over the years…) I think very muscular women are totally, TOTALLY HAWT! Sadly, I’m not doing anything often enough to look like one…
wow that is some plank! I totally saw a guy at my gym doing that move once. He seriously was doing it forever too. I had no idea what it was but I pretty much just stood there and stared for the full time he was up there and let me tell you it was awhile. I’m also pretty sure he was in pull up position and not just hanging, I assume that would make it harder? Either way I was amazed.
Actually, it’s easier (on the abs) to do in the pull-up position because it’s shortens the whole line that you need to stabilize. (It’s harder on the arms, however.)
My favorite ab exercises aren’t really ab exercises: running sprints, squats and kettlebell swings. and my personal favorite while the toddler is watching yet another cartoon: weighted hula hooping. I just put on my headphones and rock it to music behind the couch. bonus- its fun too!
My take on abs….if you do all your normal workouts with proper form, you abs will get a great workout too! In powerlifting, I don’t do any specific abs workouts but I have a fairly well defined core.
“rectus abdominus”… it really is one muscle that forms the 6pack. If you don’t develop it large enough for it to bulge out through the ligaments holding it in place, no 6 pack will come your way. The way to do that (if you choose) is by lifting stuff and stuff….
Also, the length of a basic plank is cool for bragging rights and all, but after you can hold it for 45 seconds, it’s time to progress to harder moves:
plank with one leg extended
plank with a free leg knee touch
plank on a swiss ball
plank on a swiss ball with a tuck and push up
single leg plank on a swiss ball
sinle leg plank on a swiss ball with a push up…
I don’t have “ab days”. Almost all of my training engages my core to some extent. Kettlebells, due to the offset weight, are great for core strength. I also love suspension training.
I hate to be the bad guy but when bloggers ask questions like whether or not people like a certain body type I get sad. I think they encourage judgment and a narrow view of beauty. I also don’t even see the point to the last question. It adds nothing of value to this post. Who cares that some dude and his dog brained friends (like attracts like) don’t like six-packs on women. On the other side of the coin who cares if they do? Everyone has a different ideal of beauty. Women are bombarded with enough pressure to fit all sorts of ideals why give those narrow minded automaNtons the time of day? We need to stick together and celebrate all types of beauty not pit one type against the other.
I’m absolutely with you, Jenn! I think that it’s up to an individual to do with their own body what is healthy for them and what makes them feel good. Plus, if we all had the same body type or liked the same body type, life would be boring!
I know I’ll probably never have ab definition, but I’m hoping someday to have a mostly flat stomach. I hate crunches and prefer to do functional moves. I love anything that involves a lot of kicking (kickboxing!) and planks. I can’t hold them 10 minute yet (Charlotte, you beast!), but I outlast the boyfriend on them. We actually have “plank-offs” in the living room!
Deb Roby: Thanks for the comment on needing to move to harder exercises after being able to hold the plan for 45 seconds! Looks like I need to do that.
One of my favorite ab workers is to do farmer’s walks with kettlebells, except hold the kettlebells in the rack position. Holy mama, that’ll let you know where your core is!
Ab wheel rollouts are great too. Or find a gym buddy and do fireman carries.
Honestly, why would they feature a move that’s so difficult, not even a FITNESS MODEL could do it? It’s totally unrealistic and would, I imagine, make women at home feel defeated when they try and inevitably fail….
I do ab exercises, I love the plank on the swiss ball, and my feet on a bench so you are level. I tried the wiper to some extent, but my bar is in a doorway with a wall on one side, can’t go too far that way. I have straps I can put my arms in, to take some of the weight off, and I do hanging leg raises. That hurts days later. I like wheels, but after a while they get too easy. You have my admiration at a 10 minute plank. The longest I ever went was three. I have some definition (a 4 pack), but I do have a pooch. I think once you have kids, you will be sucking your gut in the rest of your life. Wouldn’t trade trade good abs for kids though!
Ummm… I think those shorts are riding a little low. And by a little I mean he should probably be wearing some underwear.
My fav abs moves are planks. Whether it be on the ground or a stability ball I’m kind of addicted to them for some reason. I don’t know if it’s the elbow road rash or what, I just really like them. Gross I know.
There is a woman who can do these and she is a fitness model, so Women’s Health didn’t do their homework. She is Crystal West, and she has held several records in female pullups. See her windshield wipers here: http://www.youtube.com/user/cwestfitness#p/u/4/F2x5UxsC7ps
I don’t think they meant that no female can do that.. I think that they just couldn’t find one of their models that could… If you go to their site, they don’t really elaborate at all on the issue of not being able to find one.
Oh and it makes COMPLETE since to me that someone with background in the rings would be able to do it… I imagine males that do the pummel horse in gymnastics would have NO issue with this either.
the more i read you, the more i think we were meant to get along.
First of all, one of my fellow “teammates” on EliteFTS.com ALWAYS posts videos of Zuzana. it’s hilarious! I tease him about her all the time… she CRACKS. ME. UP.
love (and agree with) everything you touched on, so i won’t repeat my thoughts.
I’ve never had visible abs. I’ve had strong abs and probably thicker abs than what most, but as a competitive powerlifter, i sorta have to have. this is the first time in years that I feel i’m getting a little leaner in the ab area. my husband can see it. although it’s not my goal, it sure is nice. i never realized that men didn’t like that…. but what kind of men are you talking about?? my husband and most other strength athletes probably think it’s hot.
Loved this Charlotte! I think it depends on how much ab work you do each time that leads to how many days. If you are just doing a bit of this & that & not working them super hard, I see no reason ya can’t do them again the next day. If you are a hard core all out ab/core worker each time – skip a day or do the 2-3 times since we do work our core with lots of other exercises anyway.. tale push-ups in all forms – a plank! 🙂
Obliques – when I was bodybuilding I find out the hard way that training mine with weights led to a blocky look & yes, bigger waist. I still train my obliques in a variety of ways & I do a lot of different things but no weight. For me, I think training them with no weight vs. no training them has made a big difference.
Crunches & all that – I just like to mix it up with crunches & planks & stability ball work & just keep it changing. I do like the moves in that best 5 link – I have to try that anti rotation arc. I have seen it done but have not tried it yet.
BTW, I have seen a guy in my gym do that wicked wiper & a lot more amazing things!
As for carrot top, what was he thinking with that plastic surgery!
PS: Forgot to say – it still amazes me that people don’t understand that seeing the abs has to do with the food one does or does not put in the mouth! 🙂 I love to see a women with defined abs!
I agree with Jody. I love weightlifting, but quickly learned that doing any ab exercise with weights is a terrible mistake. It will make the waistline thicker.
I wonder if male gymnasts can do the windshield wiper?
Anyways focusing on abs:
When I was in the military a friend of mine used to have the worst trouble with maintaining her waist measurement – yes, they measure your waist (if they like you… in private. if they don’t… everyone knows what your waist size is). She would have to not eat the night before the PT test or the morning of in order to have her waist be small enough… which is not healthy
the reason she struggled was not because of excessive flab (or because they actually did NOT measure the natural waist, rather two fingers above the hipbone) – but because her waist was thick due to her muscles.
She didn’t have a six pack — you could actually see all EIGHT of those muscles. She ran marathons and half marathons to win or place in them (and did… winning the air force marathon and placing in several others) – so she trained incredibly hard with weights, tempo runs, you name it… anyways. I think abs are tricky, because they can thicken up your waist so much. In the military it presents a huge problem, but in real life with clothing it could too… I know I get shaken up when I start thickening out – even if it’s due to lots of muscle.
I don’t know. I like a flat toned looking stomach, but I’m not sold on a six pack
I’ve noticed this on myself–but I have a GIANT rib cage so “filling out” a little actually makes me look better and more proportional. I don’t have a 6 pack though!
This is the first time I have posted to your blog and I could not pass up the opportunity! I have been reading your blog for sometime though. I was turned onto it, that sounds great, by Mark from Marksdailyapple when he wrote about your blog. I was hooked from the first read and I tell all the women in life about your blog because I love it. Even my hubby will read some of the post when I tell him how funny they are. I think one of the his favs was the embarrassing exercise and what to call it, we had an awesome laugh together.
I also grew up as a competitive gymnast and we used to have to do these, we called them windshield wipers. We usually had to do five sets of 20. Oh the days… We did not hang out like that though, hang straight, pull your legs up and then sweep. I do not ever recall them being that hard. Who knows, I was young and crazy then. Well, I am still crazy, just not as young!
Oooh so glad that both you and your hubby like the GFE – that really means a lot to me! And yay for gymnasts!! 😉 I know – doesn’t it just amaze you looking back at all the stuff we did so easily? And now I can barely hold a handstand…
It is sooooo sad looking back. I used to coach rec gymnastics and sometimes the kids would ask me to do something or I would just decided to play in the gym. Ya, that was a quick reality check! Even some of the simple basic stuff was difficult. I know tell people I have gotten in the best shape of my adult life recently. I can not say my life, because that was when I was a competitive gymnast and trained 25-30 hours a week! Oh….
Another great post! First, bravo! (*clapping*) A plank for 10:30!? Damn… I have a new thing to strive for 🙂 I like how you answered the dude’s question: it’s not all about being skinny. A 6-pack means strength, skill, endurance, drive, motivation, determination, etc. Yeah, it may look a little scary to some dudes, but come on! Do you know how hard it is to get that thing?Ridiculous. It’s a point of pride. It’s a woman being able to show a man that yeah, I lift and do ab work, too. I’m no elliptical chick. I bust my butt and I’m okay w/ that.
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I work my abs, but it’s for core strength. I have to say tho, I am one of those lucky people where I don’t have to wrok too hard and you can see my abs…which I like. It’s never been an issue,. My problem area is my butt…we all have our own problem places I suppose…
My husband loves that he can see my abs…and the muscles I’ve gotten in my arms and back. Since he’s the one I”m out to impress, I’m happy 🙂
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