Abs & Core

Heads and regions

Upper abs
Lower abs
Obliques
Deep core

What it does

Trunk flexion
Rotation
Anti-extension / anti-rotation

How to train it

Abs are a muscle — load them. Weighted work beats endless bodyweight reps.
Balance flexion (crunches, raises) with anti-movement work (planks, rollouts, carries).
Visible abs are a kitchen outcome. Training builds the shape; nutrition reveals it.

Common questions

How many sets of abs & core a week?

8 to 16 hard sets, spread over 2-4x per week. A hard set is one taken close to failure — warm-ups and easy back-off sets do not count towards it. Below that range you are maintaining rather than building; above it, for most people, the extra sets cost more recovery than they buy.

How often should I train abs & core?

2-4x per week. Splitting the week's sets across more than one session means each one is done fresher, and the quality of the last set matters more than the number of them. With 12 movements to choose from there is no need to repeat the same session twice.

Where should a beginner start?

9 of the 12 movements here are rated for a beginner. They are all isolation movements, which is usual for a muscle this size — pick two, and add load before you add sets.

What else works the abs & core

40 other movements in the library train the abs & core as a secondary mover rather than as the target. That volume is real and it counts: if a week already contains a lot of these, the direct work needed to reach 8–16 sets is at the lower end of the range, not the upper.

28 more, across the whole library.