When to do Abdominal Training...

Question: Should I do my abdominal training at the beginning of my workouts or should I do them later? Also I keep having soreness in my neck after I train on back days. Any idea why that could be?

Answer: Training your core, your abdominals, is an important part of any workout routine but research suggests that it may not always be the best thing to do if you want to lift heavy. For beginners, ab training early in the workout may not be a bad thing at all because it gets you used to doing them and warmed up. Besides for the most part beginners are not going to be shooting for a maximum weight. For more advanced lifters, consider doing abdominal training later or on another day all together.

Researchers used 6 trained individuals and tested them on squats on two different occasions. On one day the subjects did squats with their 6RM (rep/max) using a standard warm-up but not doing any ab training. On the next testing day they had the subjects do an ab and core workout which consisted of 3 sets each of wood choppers, hanging knee raises and crunches. Then they had them do a 6RM squat workout. What they found was one the first and second set of their 6RM they did one rep less on each of those sets and on the third set they did two less reps than they did on the previous test day.

Try doing abs three days a week if you are an advanced trainer and do them on days other than on days that require a strong core like squats, deadlifts and heavy rows. If that's not possible then do them later in your training perhaps including them as alternating sets with calves or smaller body parts.

Your neck soreness could be from how you position your head during your bent-over exercises like rows or any type of rear delt exercises. Too often trainers keep their heads up so that their eyesight is level instead of keeping their heads level and their eyesight down. When you are in a bent over position don't lift your head curving your neck. Keep your head down and your neck in a level more natural spinal position. You really don't need to watch yourself in a mirror on these exercises.

Daryl Laws

Personal Training and Sports Performance Excellence Blog

When to do Abdominal Training...