Abdominal and Lower Back Training

by Wade Johnson

I've been asked several times, what is the most important muscle group to train for the sport of powerlifting? Many of you would say perhaps triceps for bench; you need a big bench and to have a big bench you have to have very strong triceps. Some would say hamstrings because of squats, and the list goes on and on. All those muscles are important. However, many times the abdominal muscles and the lower back muscles are very under trained. These muscle groups are the foundation to your lifting, especially for maximum weights. So how do you get stronger abs and a strong lower back? There are several ways. You will read articles about how to work the abs from all kinds of angles and machines and super cool infomercial-type gadgets. Here is my take: Ask yourself honestly, how often do you even train abs, if at all? Hmmm, changes your perspective doesn't it? "But Wade, I hate abs" you say. So do I, but that's what will put me over the top-- my foundation.

How do you get a stronger lower back? The answer is the same. Do you ever train the lower back? Let me give you an example of my approach here: How many times have we had a friend or co-worker that says, "I walk so much at my job that I don't need any exercise" and then turns around and is overweight and/or out of shape and complains about it?

Next question: "I can't seem to get over the hump in my squat when I go for a max lift. Why is that?" In several cases, it's a lack of ab and lower back strength. The list is long on exercises, but my point is if you train them, they will get stronger.

So, let's look at ways of training. When to do abs and lower back? If you find that after your typical workout, that your energy is used up and you can't do abs-do them first! I usually do them for the last thing in my daily workout. But, for some of you doing some ab work at the beginning will be the way to go. The bottom line is to do them, regardless of how you have to get them done.

What exercises? You will hear that this exercise is better than that, or this one is dangerous, or this one isn't as effective. I say that's hogwash! I think a good place to start is to lie on the floor, arms at your side, raise legs about an inch or two then pull the knees towards your chest, then push them back out never letting the feet touch the floor. Don't raise the feet too high. Keep the stress on the midsection. Start with 3 sets of however many reps you can do of 10. There are many exercises, try them all. The most important thing is to do them. This is just a good way to start. I do not believe that you have to do hundreds of reps a day. That's silly. Do you do that many deadlifts? NO! You do not! It is a muscle group just like the rest of them. Yes, you can train them more often, but don't over do it. You will be sore, overtrained and it will affect the rest of your lifting. 3-5 sets of 10-25 is plenty. Be smart and listen to your body. You will read articles about 10 sets of 10 and so on [note: 10 sets of 10 is usually reserved for compound movements like squats --ed.]. That's very effective, but my point is to get you training abs and do something that will get you started. The abs are a muscle group just like any other, so realize that abs need to have a break-in period in your training like any other muscle group.

What about the lower back? I usually do this type of training on my back day. Also, I get some work on my leg day. But to start with, stiff leg deadlifts for moderate to high reps are good. It only takes a moderate weight to get the lower back pumped. If you can, do hyperextensions. Start with 3 sets of an exercise. Start with 10 reps and as opposed to increasing sets, do more reps. Work into it slowly and always pay attention. This advice came from my good friend Linda Schafer. She is a world class lifter and devastating deadlift artist. She would know. She finds that instead of more sets and more weight, that if I add a rep or two to the set, you get a huge pump in the erectors. This was Linda's advice and it is working for me.

There many more exercises. Try them all, rotate them regularly and be safe. Don't over do it. The idea is to train them. Training them will make them stronger and give you better overall body strength. Good luck and safe lifting.


The Most Important Muscle Group for Powerlifting by Wade Johnson I've been asked several times, what is the most important muscle group to train for the sport of powerlifting? Many of you would say perhaps triceps for bench; you need a big bench and to have a big bench you have to have very strong triceps. Some would say hamstrings because of squats, and the list goes on and on. All those muscles are important. However, many times the abdominal muscles and the lower back muscles are very under trained. These muscle groups are the foundation to your lifting, especially for maximum weights. So how do you get stronger abs and a strong lower back? There are several ways. You will read articles about how to work the abs from all kinds of angles and machines and super cool infomercial-type gadgets. Here is my take: Ask yourself honestly, how often do you even train abs, if at all? Hmmm, changes your perspective doesn't it? "But Wade, I hate abs" you say. So do I, but that's what will put me over the top-- my foundation. How do you get a stronger lower back? The answer is the same. Do you ever train the lower back? Let me give you an example of my approach here: How many times have we had a friend or co-worker that says, "I walk so much at my job that I don't need any exercise" and then turns around and is overweight and/or out of shape and complains about it? Next question: "I can't seem to get over the hump in my squat when I go for a max lift. Why is that?" In several cases, it's a lack of ab and lower back strength. The list is long on exercises, but my point is if you train them, they will get stronger. So, let's look at ways of training. When to do abs and lower back? If you find that after your typical workout, that your energy is used up and you can't do abs-do them first! I usually do them for the last thing in my daily workout. But, for some of you doing some ab work at the beginning will be the way to go. The bottom line is to do them, regardless of how you have to get them done. What exercises? You will hear that this exercise is better than that, or this one is dangerous, or this one isn't as effective. I say that's hogwash! I think a good place to start is to lie on the floor, arms at your side, raise legs about an inch or two then pull the knees towards your chest, then push them back out never letting the feet touch the floor. Don't raise the feet too high. Keep the stress on the midsection. Start with 3 sets of however many reps you can do of 10. There are many exercises, try them all. The most important thing is to do them. This is just a good way to start. I do not believe that you have to do hundreds of reps a day. That's silly. Do you do that many deadlifts? NO! You do not! It is a muscle group just like the rest of them. Yes, you can train them more often, but don't over do it. You will be sore, overtrained and it will affect the rest of your lifting. 3-5 sets of 10-25 is plenty. Be smart and listen to your body. You will read articles about 10 sets of 10 and so on [note: 10 sets of 10 is usually reserved for compound movements like squats --ed.]. That's very effective, but my point is to get you training abs and do something that will get you started. The abs are a muscle group just like any other, so realize that abs need to have a break-in period in your training like any other muscle group. What about the lower back? I usually do this type of training on my back day. Also, I get some work on my leg day. But to start with, stiff leg deadlifts for moderate to high reps are good. It only takes a moderate weight to get the lower back pumped. If you can, do hyperextensions. Start with 3 sets of an exercise. Start with 10 reps and as opposed to increasing sets, do more reps. Work into it slowly and always pay attention. This advice came from my good friend Linda Schafer. She is a world class lifter and devastating deadlift artist. She would know. She finds that instead of more sets and more weight, that if I add a rep or two to the set, you get a huge pump in the erectors. This was Linda's advice and it is working for me. There many more exercises. Try them all, rotate them regularly and be safe. Don't over do it. The idea is to train them. Training them will make them stronger and give you better overall body strength. Good luck and safe lifting.


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