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Kettlebell Kettlebell swings and isolation ab exercises

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vlam

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Hi friends, can kettlebell swings replace isolation ab exercises? I've also read some fitness articles that swings can help with toning abs to make them more visible, but I would like to hear some of your personal views and experiences if this is true. Thank you!
 
You'll find a considerable amount of activation when performing heavy swings (Turkish get-ups probably more so, however). When it comes to having 'visibly defined' abs, a low bodyfat percentage is the key factor. KB swings can be a useful calorie-burning exercise but a calorie-restricted diet will make more difference overall.

I found that almost daily swings with a 32kg/40kg kettlebell had a crazy effect on my metabolism and I burned a lot of calories. Never got the visible six-pack though (I like cake) but I was close.

Strict pull-ups helped a lot as well.
 
@vlam this simple answer is yes. A regular dose of swings or snatches will do amazing things for your abs, add TGU’s and your bases are all pretty well covered. I have not done traditional ab work in years and if my body fat percentage was lower I would look great. But, as @Chrisdavisjr said, visible abs are a matter of diet and body fat percentage.
 
You'll find a considerable amount of activation when performing heavy swings (Turkish get-ups probably more so, however). When it comes to having 'visibly defined' abs, a low bodyfat percentage is the key factor. KB swings can be a useful calorie-burning exercise but a calorie-restricted diet will make more difference overall.

I found that almost daily swings with a 32kg/40kg kettlebell had a crazy effect on my metabolism and I burned a lot of calories. Never got the visible six-pack though (I like cake) but I was close.

Strict pull-ups helped a lot as well.

Thank you very much Chrisdavisjr. How many reps/sets of daily swings do you do and would a 24kg give similar results, or must it be much heavier within the 32kg/48kg range?
 
What I have learned from using and not using ab exercises at the end of various sessions is that you will get pretty good ab, oblique, and serratus activation from swings and more so TGU. You can feel the difference in how much Oompf is left with or without.

But if really making them pop is part of your goal, or if you have back problems that benefit from seriously strong abs (I'm in both categories), a relatively small volume of direct ab work is pretty important, and will do wonders.
 
Thank you very much Chrisdavisjr. How many reps/sets of daily swings do you do and would a 24kg give similar results, or must it be much heavier within the 32kg/48kg range?

I was following Simple & Sinister, pretty much to the letter. I had reached the Simple standard (I was able to do 10 sets of 10 one-handed swings in 5 minutes and 10 get-ups in 10 minutes with a 32kg kettlebell) and was working up towards the same with a 40kg kettlebell. I think I was able to do 10 sets of 10 one handed swings at 40kg in 1o minutes and get-ups on the minute at that weight before I got my barbell and shifted my focus to building max strength.

If you're strong enough to perform 10×10 rep sets of swings at 24kg without really 'feeling it', then go heavier but don't chase heavier weights for the sake of it. Focus your efforts on bracing your abs as hard as you can and synchronising your breathing with your swings and you can get a lot of stimulus from training even with a lighter kettlebell.
 
Hi friends, can kettlebell swings replace isolation ab exercises? I've also read some fitness articles that swings can help with toning abs to make them more visible, but I would like to hear some of your personal views and experiences if this is true. Thank you!
Visible abs are mostly made in the kitchen, not the gym, IMHO.

-S-
 
You'll find a considerable amount of activation when performing heavy swings (Turkish get-ups probably more so, however). When it comes to having 'visibly defined' abs, a low bodyfat percentage is the key factor. KB swings can be a useful calorie-burning exercise but a calorie-restricted diet will make more difference overall.

I found that almost daily swings with a 32kg/40kg kettlebell had a crazy effect on my metabolism and I burned a lot of calories. Never got the visible six-pack though (I like cake) but I was close.

Strict pull-ups helped a lot as well.

What calorie-restricted diet would you recommend to having 'visibly defined' abs? Like what foods would be restricted, and what foods would you eat?
 
I’m not a fan of isolation ab exercises and have never focused on ab visibility. But when I do lots of heavy swings - with one two kettlebells - I feel a noticeable increase in ab strength. And it’s a great feeling!
 
Both powerful swing, heavy deadlift/ squat, planche training work the abs very hard, but i don't think it will bring you the 6- pack look like a superhero
 
What calorie-restricted diet would you recommend to having 'visibly defined' abs? Like what foods would be restricted, and what foods would you eat?
Hand grenade question of this century. If you look at all the many and varied suggestions out there, the common link is "eat real food" i.e. minimize: junk, highly processed/manufactured fake food, and empty calories i.e sodas, beer, etc. Beyond that there's a pretty wide and conflicting range. Of course I have my own rigid opinions....
 
What calorie-restricted diet would you recommend to having 'visibly defined' abs? Like what foods would be restricted, and what foods would you eat?

Yeah, massive question there. I could tell you what I ate but there's no guarantee it would work for you and, to be honest, good lighting makes 90% of the difference when it comes to having 'visibly defined' abs.
 
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... good lighting makes 90% of the difference when it comes to having 'visibly defined' abs.

Good lighting is a huge help!

In my case, eating low fat/relatively high protein, but any diet on the edge of caloric balance will do.

And again, in my case a relatively small amount of extra ab work on top a good mix of core training brings it home. With any program that involves a lot of core work, any additional ab specific training is going to make them pop as long as BF% is in a good range, but if you throw in a few sets every day you'll see the difference pretty rapidly.

Crunches, leg raises, side to side work. Keeping them under tension through a longer ROM seems to work well - eg when doing crunches at the top of the ROM I move side to side a few times before coming back down.
 
Visibility aside, does the kettlebell weight matter for hypertrophy of the abs? If you have a low body fat percentage but your abs looks meager, what weight would be best to make them get bigger?
 
Visibility aside, does the kettlebell weight matter for hypertrophy of the abs? If you have a low body fat percentage but your abs looks meager, what weight would be best to make them get bigger?
Hey @phroot: Hard to say because you would not chose a given bell for it's effect on your abs. The key is starting where you are, focussing on power, strength and tension, and working with progressively heavier weights. It is mostly about quality reps and progression over time.

That being said you could probably start with, say, hanging leg raises or knee raises to target your midsection directly. Or with the hardstyle plank (also known as RKC plank) 3 sets of 10s, 3x per week. Really efficient and effective!

There is a section on this in the Tim Ferriss podcast episode with Pavel Tastsouline.
 
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