Get a Six Pack With the Best Abs Exercises!Six-pack abs are the focus of many on a magazine cover! Who doesn’t want to get a six pack? Are you ready for sexy, chiseled six pack abdomials?! Remember to take two or three seconds to rise, hold for one or two seconds, then take at least two or three seconds to lower. This will give you the most effective six pack abs workout. Perform one set--or 15 repetitions--of a given exercise. If that’s too strenuous, simply do as many high-quality reps as you can. Initially do three sets per exercise; as you progress, feel free to do more sets. Remember to get a six pack: quality, not quantity. All lifting is done with the abs. For a more effective workout, and to better carve out six pack abdominals... don’t come all the way down at the bottom of each rep. This helps to keep the tension on your abdominals, yielding better results! The following exercises are great to get a six pack... working the lower rectus abdominus:
Bent Knee Hip Raises: Difficulty, 2; lower back, 3. Lie on your back with your legs extended along the floor, arms along your sides. Bend your knees, and raise your feet a couple inches off the floor. Now slowly curl your pelvis upward, and bring your knees to your chest. Slowly lower, still keeping your knees bent; don’t lower your feet all the way to floor to better get a six pack; keep them a couple inches off the floor. Repeat.
Extended Leg Reverse Crunches: Difficulty, 2; lower back, 3. Lie on your back with your legs extended. Place your arms along your sides, palms down. Bring your knees up to your chest while simultaneously bringing your chin to your chest. Slowly lower to starting position, then repeat.
Extended Reverse Crunch: Difficulty, 2; lower back, 1. This is a step beyond the Reverse Crunch. Lie on your back, and clasp your hands behind your head to hold it lightly, elbows pointing to the sides. Raise your legs and bend your knees at a 90-degree angle; cross your ankles. Use the power of your lower abs, not your legs, to bring your knees to your chest. And now for the step beyond to better get a six pack: simultaneously tuck your chin to your chest. Slowly lower to starting position, and repeat.
Scissors: Difficulty, 2; lower back, 3. Lie on your back with your legs extended along the floor, arms along your sides, palms facing downward. Lift your feet about six inches off the floor, keeping your knees slightly bent. Now perform small, scissor-like movements by alternating your legs up and down in a slow-controlled fashion. This will really work the ab muscles to get a six pack! Moving both legs upward once equals one rep.
Scissor Crunches: Difficulty, 3; lower back, 3.. Lie on your back with your hands clasped lightly behind your head, legs extended on the floor. Now lift both legs two inches off the floor. Raise your right leg so that it’s perpendicular to your torso, while bringing both hands upward to touch your foot. In a controlled manner, slowly lower to starting position with your hands lightly clasped behind your head and both legs off the floor. Repeat with left leg. Continue alternating legs. Each alternating side equals one rep.
Seated Bench Pull-Ins: Difficulty, 2; lower back, 3. Sit on the edge of a flat exercise bench with your feet flat on the floor. Grasp the sides of the bench. Lift your feet off the floor until they are straight in front of you; your torso and legs should be perpendicular to one another, forming a giant L. Now lean your torso back at a 45-degree angle, still keeping your legs perpendicular to your torso. Now slowly bend your knees toward your torso. In a controlled fashion and to better get a six pack, slowly extend your legs again. Continue bending your knees toward your torso, then extending your legs.
Declining Bench Pull-Ins: Difficulty, 2; lower back, 2. This exercise is similar to Seated Bench Pull-Ins, except you always keep your knees bent. Sit on the edge of a flat bench, grasping the sides. Lean your torso back to a 45-degree angle, keeping your knees bent so that your feet come off the floor; it should look as if you were sitting in a chair and someone tipped you halfway back to the floor. Now slowly with control, lift your knees toward your chest; then slowly lower them to starting position.
Reclining Bench Pull-Ins: Difficulty, 3; lower back, 3. Lie on a flat bench with your butt at the edge so your legs extend straight off the end. Place your hands under your butt, palms down. Now slowly and with control, bend your knees toward your chest; then slowly extend them straight outward again. For more of a challenge, hold a dumbbell between your legs.
Decline Crunches: Difficulty, 3; lower back, 2. Position yourself on a decline bench with your head lower than your feet. Lock in your feet at the top. Bend your elbows and keep your hands near your ears. Rise slowly, bringing your elbows toward your thighs. Slowly lower, but only to the beginning of your shoulder blades. Repeat. If you prefer, you can lightly clasp your hands behind your head instead; remember to keep your elbows pointing to the sides, and do not lift with your neck.
Incline Lifts: Difficulty, 3; lower back, 3. Lie on a bench with your head higher than your feet. Grasp the top with both hands. Now hold your legs straight out, parallel to the floor. Now bend your knees and slowly curl your hips to bring your bent knees toward your chest. Slowly straighten your legs again so that they’re parallel to the floor. Repeat.
Medicine Ball Leg Pass: Difficulty, 3; lower back, 3. Lie on your back with your arms and legs extended, holding the medicine ball in your hands. Now simultaneously lift your legs and arms off the floor so that they’re perpendicular to the floor; when your hands meet your feet, pass the medicine ball to your feet. Holding the medicine ball between your feet, slowly with control lower your arms and legs to the floor. Simultaneously lift your arms and legs again, this time passing the medicine ball to your hands. Holding the medicine ball with your hands, slowly lower your arms and legs to the floor in a controlled fashion. Continue. For more of a challenge, keep your feet just a few inches above the ground when lowering your legs.
Hanging Knee to Head: Difficulty, 3; lower back, 1. Hang from a chin-up bar with your knees slightly bent. Contract your abs, and bend your knees up to your elbows. Slowly lower, and repeat.
The following four exercises work the upper rectus abdominus. They include Barbell Rollouts, Forearm Plank Pyramid, Twice the Balls and Jacknife... they're killer workouts to get a six pack! 
Barbell Rollouts: Difficulty, 2; lower back, 2. Place a light barbell on the floor. Get on all fours so that the barbell is directly below your shoulders; grasp the barbell. Keeping your arms fully extended, slowly roll the barbell forward as far as you can while still keeping your knees bent. Be careful not to go too fast and fall flat on your face! Slowly roll back until your thighs are again perpendicular to the floor. Continue slowly rolling back and forth.
Forearm Plank Pyramid: Difficulty, 2; lower back, 2. Perform the Forearm Plank exercise. Contract your abs, and slowly lift your butt toward the ceiling. Hold. Slowly return to starting position, and repeat.
Twice the Balls: Difficulty, 3; lower back, 2. Holding a medicine ball, sit on an exercise ball with your knees bent. Walk your feet forward until your hips are past the exercise ball, and your back presses into it. Your lower back should be centered on the ball. Now extend your arms, holding the medicine ball overhead, forearms near your ears. Now crunch your abs forward while keeping the medicine ball overhead. Slowly lower to starting position and repeat. For more of a challenge and to create more contraction to better get a six pack, dip farther backward.
Jacknife: Difficulty, 3; lower back, 3. Lie on your back with your arms and legs extended along the floor. Now simultaneously raise your arms and legs so that they’re both perpendicular to the floor, meeting in the center. Now in a controlled manner, slowly lower them simultaneously and return to starting position. For more of a challenge and to better get a six pack, keep the tops of your shoulder blades and your feet a few inches off the floor when lowering.
These exercises sculpt the obliques. Remember, to get a six pack quality! Not quantity!: Decline Diagonal Crunches: Difficulty, 3; lower back, 3. Lock your feet into the top of a decline bench. Place your left hand near your left ear; place your right hand on your right hip or thigh. Now slowly rise, bringing your left elbow toward your right knee. Slowly lower in a controlled manner. Repeat on other side. Continue alternating sides. Each alternating side equals one rep. Diagonal Leg Raises: Difficulty, 3; lower back, 2. Hang from a chin-up bar. Bend your knees and lift them toward your left elbow as high as you can. Slowly lower, and repeat on right side. Continue alternating sides. Each alternating side equals one rep.
Side Bridge: Difficulty, 2; lower back, 3. Lie on your right side; extend your right arm directly under your right shoulder so your torso is lifted from the floor. Now lift your hips toward the ceiling so that your hips and thigh come off the floor; your weight should only be supported by your right hand and lower leg. Hold for two to four seconds (key to better get a six pack!). Slowly lower and repeat as many times as you can. Repeat on the left side. Try to build up to one minute on each side of your body. This exercise also helps stabilize your spine.
The following exercise is so bananas to get a six pack... I saved the best for last! This maniacal move works the entire rectus abdominus and the obliques: 
Gorilla Chin-up Crunch: Difficulty, 3; lower back, 1. Hang from a chin-up bar with an underhand grip, hands about one foot apart. Do a chin-up and pull your knees up to your chest simultaneously. Now slowly lower. To get really crazy, do the Gorilla move(great to get a six pack!): Hang from only one arm, grasp that wrist with your free arm, then do a chin-up and pull your knees up to your chest simultaneously, then slowly lower. Your obliques will go totally ape! Repeat on opposite side. You can get in the mood for this move by listening to “Monkey Man” by the Rolling Stones on your iPod!Return from Get a Six Pack to Best-Abs-Exercises.com |