It's Weird, But Destroyed Every Ab Exercise I Tested
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Date: 2026-10-28
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Comments and reviews: 20
d_no_allyn_86
I think was great and all but I think sometimes this stuff just gets too sciencey. I mean yeah if the things they're using to measure what is providing the most stimulus to the muscle is showing that the thing with the most stretch and the most Force applied to the muscle in the stretch is the best well then it may be the best. But my thing is, if you go a few inches past where you went to on the standing AB wheel, you are getting that stretch and putting your muscles under extreme load. Because once your hands go far past your head your abs are having to support your whole body weight and smaller muscles like your intercostals and your obliques are working and kicking in now and you are also bracing and supporting your body with the lower abs because at that fully extended range, now it's turning on your muscles as if you are in a dragon flag but you're actually holding up your body weight with your abs you are in like a active plank. I find I will to be the only thing challenging I can do Dragon Flags without much of a challenge but doing I will from standing is very hard. I just think it puts the most stretch and most strain on your abs than any other exercise. This could also be confirmation bias and once I build up the strength to do past 90 or 95% ROM on standing Bob wheel and then I tried the stretched facing away from the pull-down machine with weights, maybe I will realize how wrong I was but the way my abs feel and hurt after I will. The way my core feels so solid and I have developed a fairly thick wall of abs I don't see ever needing anything else. And you also get a lot of core engagement/activation from squats and deadlifts so you're hitting the Deep core in a couple of different ways. After that I don't really think you need much more. There really is a such thing as doing too much and over training. We really should be resting more than a couple days. That is if you're going to absolute failure like I do.
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I think was great and all but I think sometimes this stuff just gets too sciencey. I mean yeah if the things they're using to measure what is providing the most stimulus to the muscle is showing that the thing with the most stretch and the most Force applied to the muscle in the stretch is the best well then it may be the best. But my thing is, if you go a few inches past where you went to on the standing AB wheel, you are getting that stretch and putting your muscles under extreme load. Because once your hands go far past your head your abs are having to support your whole body weight and smaller muscles like your intercostals and your obliques are working and kicking in now and you are also bracing and supporting your body with the lower abs because at that fully extended range, now it's turning on your muscles as if you are in a dragon flag but you're actually holding up your body weight with your abs you are in like a active plank. I find I will to be the only thing challenging I can do Dragon Flags without much of a challenge but doing I will from standing is very hard. I just think it puts the most stretch and most strain on your abs than any other exercise. This could also be confirmation bias and once I build up the strength to do past 90 or 95% ROM on standing Bob wheel and then I tried the stretched facing away from the pull-down machine with weights, maybe I will realize how wrong I was but the way my abs feel and hurt after I will. The way my core feels so solid and I have developed a fairly thick wall of abs I don't see ever needing anything else. And you also get a lot of core engagement/activation from squats and deadlifts so you're hitting the Deep core in a couple of different ways. After that I don't really think you need much more. There really is a such thing as doing too much and over training. We really should be resting more than a couple days. That is if you're going to absolute failure like I do.
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nickwright3871
I tried the Garhammer raises and the lat pulldown machine crunches recently based on this video. I'm already not a fan of the lat pulldown crunches: I find the pull upwards means I have insufficient stability to pull downwards from a 90 degrees sitting position. While the back support works in theory there really isn't a great stretch at the top (it's not behind you but upwards, so the back support doesn't really come into effect) and you have to work hard with your biceps/lats to hold the weight in place above your head, so you're not pulling it with your arms/back instead of abs. I also personally find it awkward to crunch down hard with knees at 90 degrees to my body as opposed to a greater angle. Personally I definitely prefer ordinary cable crunches with a straight or v-bar held behind neck, where weight isn't pulled back vertically upwards but at more of an angle from the pulley and I can adjust my crouch position to crunch better. Even machine crunches feel more challenging, stable and loadable in comparison tbh.
Garhammer raises, even with knees at almost full stretch I found remarkably easy and could do around 30 first time. This is moving from lower back supported v-shape hanging leg raises which are way more challenging and give a great stretch. Garhammer stretch isn't bad but after you've done the hard bit at the bottom the rest of the range of motion offers too little resistance making it pointless, whereas lifting your legs so your toes almost touch hands is challenging at every part of the range of motion, I find.
I'll be going back to my usual ab exercises but it was interesting to try something a bit different even if it didn't ultimately work for me.
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I tried the Garhammer raises and the lat pulldown machine crunches recently based on this video. I'm already not a fan of the lat pulldown crunches: I find the pull upwards means I have insufficient stability to pull downwards from a 90 degrees sitting position. While the back support works in theory there really isn't a great stretch at the top (it's not behind you but upwards, so the back support doesn't really come into effect) and you have to work hard with your biceps/lats to hold the weight in place above your head, so you're not pulling it with your arms/back instead of abs. I also personally find it awkward to crunch down hard with knees at 90 degrees to my body as opposed to a greater angle. Personally I definitely prefer ordinary cable crunches with a straight or v-bar held behind neck, where weight isn't pulled back vertically upwards but at more of an angle from the pulley and I can adjust my crouch position to crunch better. Even machine crunches feel more challenging, stable and loadable in comparison tbh.
Garhammer raises, even with knees at almost full stretch I found remarkably easy and could do around 30 first time. This is moving from lower back supported v-shape hanging leg raises which are way more challenging and give a great stretch. Garhammer stretch isn't bad but after you've done the hard bit at the bottom the rest of the range of motion offers too little resistance making it pointless, whereas lifting your legs so your toes almost touch hands is challenging at every part of the range of motion, I find.
I'll be going back to my usual ab exercises but it was interesting to try something a bit different even if it didn't ultimately work for me.
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theparkourlady894
Thanks. I have one question and one have u ever tested lol. Question: u do my unassisted lat pull down crunch by sitting with my butt just off a step up box then I lock my toes in under a weight rack. Would that change anything Maybe more quad activation I've actually kind of stopped doing them coz they stopped doing much. The other thing I've been doing is working on dragon flags and levers but with straddle. I have flared ribs and apt, and I find straddle switches off the hip flexors some and demands my core to flatten more so I don't arch into the core exercises. Have you ever noticed anything wrt that Ie use of hip flexors and lower back overload wrt straddle and straight leg position
I tend to do the bulk of my workout in the x fit section of the gym and then head over to the weights area, so now I'm contemplating making myselfna little board with a back piece to mimic the bench setup for the garhammer stuff. But also maybe I should just migrate to the other side of the gym and use the lat pull down too so I do core that side. Honestly I have been doing my dragon stuff by supporting my shoulders on an exercise ball, then putting a few weights on the sled and holding the handles to lever myself. The back and shoulder support is so comfy. It does give me a tiny bit too much mid back pressure, but still reasonably effective
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Thanks. I have one question and one have u ever tested lol. Question: u do my unassisted lat pull down crunch by sitting with my butt just off a step up box then I lock my toes in under a weight rack. Would that change anything Maybe more quad activation I've actually kind of stopped doing them coz they stopped doing much. The other thing I've been doing is working on dragon flags and levers but with straddle. I have flared ribs and apt, and I find straddle switches off the hip flexors some and demands my core to flatten more so I don't arch into the core exercises. Have you ever noticed anything wrt that Ie use of hip flexors and lower back overload wrt straddle and straight leg position
I tend to do the bulk of my workout in the x fit section of the gym and then head over to the weights area, so now I'm contemplating making myselfna little board with a back piece to mimic the bench setup for the garhammer stuff. But also maybe I should just migrate to the other side of the gym and use the lat pull down too so I do core that side. Honestly I have been doing my dragon stuff by supporting my shoulders on an exercise ball, then putting a few weights on the sled and holding the handles to lever myself. The back and shoulder support is so comfy. It does give me a tiny bit too much mid back pressure, but still reasonably effective
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thewoodmaniac
I did very heavy ab work for decades, and eventually tore my linea alba from the top down. I needed 4 rolls of suture, sewed up like a garter, to put them back together, but the sutures dissolve in a very short period of time. I have never seen one video from anyone discussing this. I still lift fairly heavy on a regular basis, but I have to watch out for exercises that cause my abs to look like they are separating: I never want to go through that again; it was BRUTAL. I also wear a belt around my abs to keep my guts on the inside (think original movie: Alien. I would love to see a real video addressing this, but as no one really seems to have real-world experience, I am limited to videos for women post child birthing. It's been 5 years and there are a lot of exercises I would advise against, and given my experience I can spot warnings that I would have ignored when I was younger, and ignorant of the potential downfalls, thinking myself excluded. Would LOVE to see someone take this on.
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I did very heavy ab work for decades, and eventually tore my linea alba from the top down. I needed 4 rolls of suture, sewed up like a garter, to put them back together, but the sutures dissolve in a very short period of time. I have never seen one video from anyone discussing this. I still lift fairly heavy on a regular basis, but I have to watch out for exercises that cause my abs to look like they are separating: I never want to go through that again; it was BRUTAL. I also wear a belt around my abs to keep my guts on the inside (think original movie: Alien. I would love to see a real video addressing this, but as no one really seems to have real-world experience, I am limited to videos for women post child birthing. It's been 5 years and there are a lot of exercises I would advise against, and given my experience I can spot warnings that I would have ignored when I was younger, and ignorant of the potential downfalls, thinking myself excluded. Would LOVE to see someone take this on.
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omidfazli3462
I have watched your videos for a long time and learn much from them. I have much respect for you and your work. You are the go to coach if I have doubts about correct forms and effectiveness of various exercises. On this video, I agree with your assertion that increased stretch creates much muscle activation. I am however, concerned about the increased stretch on the unsupported hip would cause injury to the lower back. Unfortunately the spine and its components do not regenerate easily or at all after injury. Add to that the natural spinal degeneration that occurs above age 20 ( conservative figure, you may find it prudent( after checking validity of my statements) to advise the audience of the risks and whether effectiveness of the exercise justifies the risks. I do understand that there are risks involved when going through any training activity. Thank you very much for all your efforts throughout the years. I only send this out of care.
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I have watched your videos for a long time and learn much from them. I have much respect for you and your work. You are the go to coach if I have doubts about correct forms and effectiveness of various exercises. On this video, I agree with your assertion that increased stretch creates much muscle activation. I am however, concerned about the increased stretch on the unsupported hip would cause injury to the lower back. Unfortunately the spine and its components do not regenerate easily or at all after injury. Add to that the natural spinal degeneration that occurs above age 20 ( conservative figure, you may find it prudent( after checking validity of my statements) to advise the audience of the risks and whether effectiveness of the exercise justifies the risks. I do understand that there are risks involved when going through any training activity. Thank you very much for all your efforts throughout the years. I only send this out of care.
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bzznz
For many decades I've done those reverse crunches with legs dropping almost to the floor but maintaining tension through the whole set, while doing pullovers with a barbell (or my sandbag with handles) reps as fast crunches with slow return. Do 3 sets to failure with 3-5 min apart and be astonished at how fast you adapt. Most efficient when you superset that with clean and jerk to failure, to get a full body crossfit workout in about 30 min without frying your CNS, as you can have 2-3 min between the set of reverse-crunch-pullovers and the set of clean-and-jerk. Or do them in sequence with 5 min between rounds to get more of a MIIT/HIIT while you're at it. It's more of also a functional and anaerobic (tempo) workout than just hypertrophy. Just make sure you get about 3 hours since previous meal and be well hydrated with electrolytes.
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For many decades I've done those reverse crunches with legs dropping almost to the floor but maintaining tension through the whole set, while doing pullovers with a barbell (or my sandbag with handles) reps as fast crunches with slow return. Do 3 sets to failure with 3-5 min apart and be astonished at how fast you adapt. Most efficient when you superset that with clean and jerk to failure, to get a full body crossfit workout in about 30 min without frying your CNS, as you can have 2-3 min between the set of reverse-crunch-pullovers and the set of clean-and-jerk. Or do them in sequence with 5 min between rounds to get more of a MIIT/HIIT while you're at it. It's more of also a functional and anaerobic (tempo) workout than just hypertrophy. Just make sure you get about 3 hours since previous meal and be well hydrated with electrolytes.
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Knuckle87x
Is there a reason we treat hip flexor activation as a bad thing Majority consensus is a compound movement is almost always better than an isolation movement, if you are physically able would you not always want deadlift, squats, benchpress, shoulder press as part of a routine because you are recruiting multiple muscle groups Is training hip flexors a good idea in general If the answer is yes it is inefficient to overload your abs separately. Would love a response on this. I am curious about movements where ab activation and hip activation was high not being considered s tier. I am just discussing from a practical side of things.
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Is there a reason we treat hip flexor activation as a bad thing Majority consensus is a compound movement is almost always better than an isolation movement, if you are physically able would you not always want deadlift, squats, benchpress, shoulder press as part of a routine because you are recruiting multiple muscle groups Is training hip flexors a good idea in general If the answer is yes it is inefficient to overload your abs separately. Would love a response on this. I am curious about movements where ab activation and hip activation was high not being considered s tier. I am just discussing from a practical side of things.
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oscarl. 3563
I don't like this ranking. Things started off poorly when he emphasized that a stretch is important, it really isn't. And I don't like the rankings either. Dragonflags and the ab-wheel crushes your abs, and there's plenty of ways to make a rollout easier or harder. A human flag crushes abs also. And a simple 6-inch hold leg raise is fantastic when you don't have any equipment.
There's many ways to skin a cat and it comes down to preferences, but this list misses the mark for me. For me the ab wheel is the most practical and easy way to train abs, followed by a 6-inch hold if you've got no equipment.
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I don't like this ranking. Things started off poorly when he emphasized that a stretch is important, it really isn't. And I don't like the rankings either. Dragonflags and the ab-wheel crushes your abs, and there's plenty of ways to make a rollout easier or harder. A human flag crushes abs also. And a simple 6-inch hold leg raise is fantastic when you don't have any equipment.
There's many ways to skin a cat and it comes down to preferences, but this list misses the mark for me. For me the ab wheel is the most practical and easy way to train abs, followed by a 6-inch hold if you've got no equipment.
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BaskingInObscurity
Interesting. I used to do essentially the dragon flag all the time as a kid. Nobody showed me. I thought I was just weird and would only do it when I was alone. Sometimes I would continue the arch, lowering my feet the other direction. I never achieved them touching the floor, though; I wasn't that tenacious. X-D
I also did one where I'd lift my legs vertical, then bring my back into the same position while continuing to point my toes toward the ceiling. So essentially, my legs pointed upward the whole time. My torso was doing most of the work, except for all the muscles engaged for balancing.
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Interesting. I used to do essentially the dragon flag all the time as a kid. Nobody showed me. I thought I was just weird and would only do it when I was alone. Sometimes I would continue the arch, lowering my feet the other direction. I never achieved them touching the floor, though; I wasn't that tenacious. X-D
I also did one where I'd lift my legs vertical, then bring my back into the same position while continuing to point my toes toward the ceiling. So essentially, my legs pointed upward the whole time. My torso was doing most of the work, except for all the muscles engaged for balancing.
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jeremy_ethier
This video is very accurate and exactly what I need. I have good abs, but when I stopped doing ab work after boxing or MMA sessions and lifting 150kg deadlifts, I got belLy fat while my upper abs stayed visible. Now I am going to focus on lower abs. My chest was never good either, so I will work on that too. I have chronic pain on the third rib to chest connection, but I am still trainng since it never gets better
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This video is very accurate and exactly what I need. I have good abs, but when I stopped doing ab work after boxing or MMA sessions and lifting 150kg deadlifts, I got belLy fat while my upper abs stayed visible. Now I am going to focus on lower abs. My chest was never good either, so I will work on that too. I have chronic pain on the third rib to chest connection, but I am still trainng since it never gets better
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zedek_
9: 56
Ok, so the plank is mild if you merely hold it. but what if you don't just do that.
What if you focus your attention on actually contracting your abs as much as you can, to turn it into a legit isometric exercise
This would avoid your shoulders giving out first, and if it doesn't, then it sounds like your shoulders need to help. meanwhile, you're also avoiding all the extra steps of the RKC Plank.
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9: 56
Ok, so the plank is mild if you merely hold it. but what if you don't just do that.
What if you focus your attention on actually contracting your abs as much as you can, to turn it into a legit isometric exercise
This would avoid your shoulders giving out first, and if it doesn't, then it sounds like your shoulders need to help. meanwhile, you're also avoiding all the extra steps of the RKC Plank.
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d_no_allyn_86
I also think alongside abigail, Pikes are great stationary hands and then your feet are sliding up to your hands. You can even do that from a fully extended position like the start of the most extended position you're in when doing ab wheel pull yourself up with your hands and then finish off the move, doing the pike, bringing your feet to your hands. Very very hard. Brutal even.
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I also think alongside abigail, Pikes are great stationary hands and then your feet are sliding up to your hands. You can even do that from a fully extended position like the start of the most extended position you're in when doing ab wheel pull yourself up with your hands and then finish off the move, doing the pike, bringing your feet to your hands. Very very hard. Brutal even.
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jeremy_ethier
Yeh, it’s good to start when your stomach is already flat, but for someone like me, M/W/46, who lost weight from 205lbs to 170lbs, but the belly fat don’t want to leave. I have a lot of muscle but belly fat is so stubborn. I know it has a lot to do with diet as well but I get weak and lower libido, when I get on a struck calorie diet.
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Yeh, it’s good to start when your stomach is already flat, but for someone like me, M/W/46, who lost weight from 205lbs to 170lbs, but the belly fat don’t want to leave. I have a lot of muscle but belly fat is so stubborn. I know it has a lot to do with diet as well but I get weak and lower libido, when I get on a struck calorie diet.
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KarlManson-q5f
I wonder which of these exercises have a higher potential to harm your spine and induce a hernia over the long term. I always thought that the more you bend your back, the more likely you are to damage it over time. It would be great to keep that into consideration for these exercises, weighing in the risk/reward into their score.
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I wonder which of these exercises have a higher potential to harm your spine and induce a hernia over the long term. I always thought that the more you bend your back, the more likely you are to damage it over time. It would be great to keep that into consideration for these exercises, weighing in the risk/reward into their score.
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jeremy_ethier
If you want something that's really crazy intense on your abs, do this - grab a cable machine, attach a two-sided rope to it, face away from it, grab the rope from behind, get on your knees, squeeze your glutes and allow the abs to fully stretch back without pivoting at your hips or your knees, then contract after fully stretching
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If you want something that's really crazy intense on your abs, do this - grab a cable machine, attach a two-sided rope to it, face away from it, grab the rope from behind, get on your knees, squeeze your glutes and allow the abs to fully stretch back without pivoting at your hips or your knees, then contract after fully stretching
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IRHasDiabetes911
Jeremy, I'd challenge you to try other variants of the dragon flag such as on an adjustable ab bench where it's slightly elevated for the upper back (so your head is going where your lower body regularly goes) that way you can get a greater range of motion for the stretched portion and it might elevate it in ranking for you.
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Jeremy, I'd challenge you to try other variants of the dragon flag such as on an adjustable ab bench where it's slightly elevated for the upper back (so your head is going where your lower body regularly goes) that way you can get a greater range of motion for the stretched portion and it might elevate it in ranking for you.
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chadmace3355
CAREFUL. roller out on toes is crazy risky to the lower back. popped a disk once trying to hold for a minute. Also, used to do the GarHammer Raises years ago until my hernia popped. only one of these injuries required surgery, LOL! Dennis is a trooper! Don't jump too quickly into hard versions of these.
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CAREFUL. roller out on toes is crazy risky to the lower back. popped a disk once trying to hold for a minute. Also, used to do the GarHammer Raises years ago until my hernia popped. only one of these injuries required surgery, LOL! Dennis is a trooper! Don't jump too quickly into hard versions of these.
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Kirifr
doing anything BUT dragon flys. Dragon flys are like the dragon flag but you have your stomach flat and move your legs up and down which targets both upper and lower abs. don't listen to this guy because the only thing that makes your abs stronger and more visible is extending and contracting them. just do dragon flys
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doing anything BUT dragon flys. Dragon flys are like the dragon flag but you have your stomach flat and move your legs up and down which targets both upper and lower abs. don't listen to this guy because the only thing that makes your abs stronger and more visible is extending and contracting them. just do dragon flys
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richardjones9007
Your caption is misleading. I kept waiting for the one unusual exercise that blew away the rest but there wasn’t one. In the end, you had six or seven in the top category and two that you considered the best of the best. I wish content creator would not engage in Clickbait captions like this.
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Your caption is misleading. I kept waiting for the one unusual exercise that blew away the rest but there wasn’t one. In the end, you had six or seven in the top category and two that you considered the best of the best. I wish content creator would not engage in Clickbait captions like this.
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zedek_
5: 15
Hmm, not sure about the Lying Leg Raise placement. In this photo, it's activating the upper abs just as much as the crunch. while activating the lower abs more, while also giving you a bonus hip flexor activation --- I don't see that as a bad thing.
It should _at least_ be C tier, if not higher.
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5: 15
Hmm, not sure about the Lying Leg Raise placement. In this photo, it's activating the upper abs just as much as the crunch. while activating the lower abs more, while also giving you a bonus hip flexor activation --- I don't see that as a bad thing.
It should _at least_ be C tier, if not higher.
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