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EASY ABDOMINAL EXERCISE

Best Abs Workout Routines

How do you train your abs? You can make your ab training long and complicated, like many people do, but in my book, the best ab workout is the one you’ll do over and over again.

Yes, it’s true that that abs are earned in the kitchen, but if a six-pack is your goal, it’s also important to pick the right ab workout for the job.

This routine is composed of seven abdominal exercises carefully chosen to work both the upper and lower abs. Hit it hard three times a week, along with a healthy diet, some lifting, and the right amount of cardio, and you’ll see your abs soon enough.

The Power Abs Program’s focus is to not only streamline your waist by getting rid of the flab but also etch in deep abdominal muscle – so whenever you take off your shirt, your six-pack will be clearly visible. The keys to such a look is a low-fat diet (that, you knew) and training your abs with weights – which you may not have known. And here’s more:

Powerlifters and strongmen have great abs. Sure, they’re buried under layers of bodyfat, but deep under that flab are an incredibly developed rectus abdominis, external obliques, and the deeper internal obliques and transverse abdominis. Those guys need to have super-strong and well-developed ab muscles to lift the massive amounts of resistance required by their sports.

Like a powerlifter, you want strong abs. Without a well-developed midsection, you would bend like a twig when doing everyday tasks like lifting a toddler or carrying groceries. And a stronger midsection means more strength on all your other exercises, since that’s your core. Unlike a powerlifter, however, you want a chiseled six-pack. But ripped, powerful abs seems like an oxymoron, right? Not with the Power Abs Program.

Unlike most trainees, powerlifters don’t do endless reps of crunches. Quite the contrary: They perform weighted ab exercises and manipulate their reps and sets to work on strength and endurance. When you want to build bigger bi’s or develop a chiseled chest, you cycle exercises, weight and reps. For some reason, though, you probably train abs differently, mindlessly crunching your way to nowhere. But make no mistake – the abs respond like any other muscle group. They require variety in exercises, reps, rest periods and use of weights. That last part is how the Power Abs Program differs from most conventional midsection philosophies.

THE PROGRAM LOW DOWN

Each two-week phase of the six-week program has one core, one oblique, and one upper- and lower-ab exercise to attack your midsection from every angle. Perform exercises for each week in giant-set fashion (doing the exercises one after another without resting between each). These workouts become more challenging as the weeks go by, progressively conditioning your abs so they can handle the highest volume of training during Weeks 5 and 6. Remember, it’s not about how many total sets you complete (this will vary from person to person) but rather that you’re able to perform sets one after the other for the entire period specified. For all exercises, keep your technique strict and move at a medium pace – don’t hurry. With this plan in hand, you’ll develop abs worthy of both a powerlifter and a bodybuilder.

This is a fairly advanced ab routine, so how you do it matters.

Beginners are better off just performing three exercises out of the seven for just two sets each of as many reps as possible, with a minute of rest in between sets. From there on, build up endurance by adding exercises and sets and cutting back on rest periods.

A great goal is to be able at the end of 12 weeks to do the seven exercises in a big circuit all at once, rest a minute or two, and repeat it two more times.

As you build up to that, feel free to break up the routine in different ways. For instance, I like to perform supersets like this:

• Repeat 3 times:

• Exercise 1 and 2, rest 30 sec.

• Exercise 3 and 4, rest 30 sec.

• Exercise 5 and 6, rest 30 sec.

• Exercise 7, rest 60 sec.

For each of those sets, perform each set to momentary muscle failure, or until you can’t easily do another rep.

You will note that no direct oblique work is present. The reason for that is the fact that in my experience, direct oblique work only leads to a wider waistline. Besides, obliques get enough stimulation from exercises like squats, deadlifts, and other full-body weight training.

WHEN TO WORK YOUR ABS

For most people, performing this routine a minimum of 3 days per week will be plenty. An advanced bodybuilder could do it nearly daily.

Personally, I like doing abs and cardio first thing in the morning and weight training in the afternoon. That way, I get to spike up my metabolism twice a day.

If you’d rather do everything in one session, I would recommend either performing the ab routine as a warm-up for your weight training or afterward if you’re going to be doing heavy lifting like squats or deadlifts. Then perform your cardio last.

HOW TO MAKE THIS AB ROUTINE EASIER OR HARDER

If you cannot do an exercise, due to lower-back injuries for instance, feel free to substitute it for an exercise that does not bother your back.

If, on the other hand, you have a healthy lower back and would like to add extra mass to your abs, I would just do the routine three times a week and use some resistance in the exercises, such as holding a small plate or dumbbell.

HOW TO PERFORM THE EXERCISES

EXERCISE 1: SIT-UP

Primary Target: Upper Abs

1. Lie flat on your back on the floor with your knees bent and your legs secured under a piece of heavy furniture or bench.

2. Place your hands by your chest.

3. Flexing your abdominals, raise your torso until you are in nearly a sitting position.

4. Retaining tension on the abs, lower your torso to the beginning position. (Note: Maintain full control throughout the movement. Avoid the temptation to rock back and forth.)

EXERCISE 2: LEG RAISE

Primary Target: Lower Abs

1. Lie flat on your back on the floor with your legs straight in front of you.

2. Place your hands at your sides by the floor for support.

3. Flexing your lower abdominals, raise your legs until they are perpendicular to the floor.

4. Retaining tension on the abs, lower your legs to the beginning position. (Note: Maintain full control throughout the movement. Avoid the temptation to let your legs drop on the negative portion of the movement.)