is it true that you are meant to give your ab muscles a rest?

Question

i heard that you should do sit-ups every second day instead of every day because the abs need a rest. is this true?

Answer 1

The abdominal muscles are a little different than other muscles in your body, all of your muscles, chest, back, legs etc. are all "striated muscles" the muscles of your abdominals are actually "smooth muscle tissue".
The abdominals are very enduring muscles, and they repair themselfs very quickly, you can work abs every day, but do them hard one day and easy the next, and allow 1-2 days of rest on the weekends.

Answer 2

Your abs are still muscles like every other muscle in your body. They definitely need some rest. It is good to give a 48 hour rest to the muscle group you work out. Muscles, in fact, grow at rest and NOT during work out. The muscle tissues break down at a faster rate when you work out and they rebuild stronger during rest. Working the same muscle group everyday not only you don't let your muscles grow but also you increase the possibility of an injury.

Answer 3

Yes and no. You do need to give them time to rest because they are muscles whether you do them every other day or do them two days in a row and then take a day off. Sometimes it is actually good to do them two days in a row before taking a break. When you exercise, your create tiny tears in your muscle (hence the pain) your body then repairs itself stronger than before. You do need to give your muscles time to relax and heal!

Answer 4

It is absolutely true that your abdominal muscles need a rest just like any other muscle group. It is also true that there are no benefits working them harder then other muscle groups. If you do, it could lead to overtraining.

Answer 5

You can usually work abs everyday, but I don't know how stenuous or what your doing for a workout so really can't come to a conclusion!

Answer 6

yes it is true unfortunately@!