A Killer Abs Workout For a Flat 6 Pack Stomach

If you want a great looking set of abs or tight toned stomach then apart from getting to low levels of body fat you need to be doing the right ab exercises that really work them properly. This means forgetting about outdated crunches and sit ups and start using more modern techniques that really deliver the best results. I personally only work my abs about twice a week, which is more than enough, and when I do I like to use a circuit type abs workout to not only fatigue the abdominals but burn some extra fat as well. So if your ready to work your abs a little different try this very effective five exercise abs workout.

The first exercise is a mountain climber. To get into position, place your hands on the floor, your feet on the floor as though you are going to do a push up then keeping your hips flat and your abs contracted bring a knee up to your chest then take it back. Repeat with other leg and do 20 reps.

Next is the side plank - Balance on one forearm with your body straight and ankles together. Hips should be as high as possible and chest pointing outwards. Hold the position for 30 seconds before changing sides.

Then you need a stability ball for jack-knives. So feet on ball and hands on floor in push up fashion with back straight. Then controlling the ball bring your knees up to chest or as far as they will go. Return to start position making sure your legs are straight - 20 more reps please.

Then it's on to Russian Twists. Sit on the floor slightly leaning back until your abs are engaged. Take the stability ball or a medicine ball if you want more resistance and holding it your hands rotate your body side to side and touch the ball down. Legs should be slightly bent but if you want to make it harder bring your feet off the floor. Great for your oblique muscles this one. 40 reps (20 each side)

Then to finish your abs off it's a plank of some description. Personally I sometimes just do a standard plank with elbows and toes on the floor with a straight body and braced abs. Other times I may put my feet on a medicine ball or stability ball. Whatever you choose try to do as long as possible to failure.

If you feel like more then give yourself a minute or two of rest then complete the circuit 2-3 times more. I hope you liked this abs workout and that you have been persuaded away from crunches and all those other waste of time ab machines. Combine these types of circuits with a clean diet and lots of intensive cardio and resistance training and you will have a slim flat stomach or a super sharp six-pack in no time.

I am Howard Standring a Personal Trainer who lives in Southern Spain. I coach and advice men and women of all ages to help them achieve a lean attractive body that lasts for life.

For more workouts, advanced fat loss tips and muscle building advice to look like a Hollywood star or fashion model visit my blog http://www.energiafitness.com.

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How to Quickly Get Chiseled and Defined Abs Like a Fitness Model by Doing These Six Top Exercises

Are you constantly doing sit ups and yet seeing no results and you feel like you are fighting a losing battle? Well maybe you are! Sorry the truth sometimes hurts, but in order for exercises to work you need to maintain a low body fat level, eat a proper diet and have a healthy cardio regimen. These are essential to seeing that six-pack you crave.

Spot training won't do you any good, the only thing that you can get from that is muscle toned in the area being worked. The question here is, what good will that do you if you have an extra few pounds of fat covering it up?

In addition to a proper cardio vascular workout it is of the utmost importance that you work to target all 3 area of the abs; the upper abs (rectus absominius), the love handles (obliques) and lower abs (transverse abdominus). So here is how to quickly get chiseled and defined abs like a fitness model by doing these six top exercises

TIP: Keep the crunch motions slow and deliberate while focusing on your abdominal muscles. Drawing your navel in towards your spine as you do each abdominal exercise. It's not about getting your shoulders off the ground that you should be concentrating on.

1. Bicycle Crunch - Laying flat on your back just like doing crunches you will lift your legs so they are parallel with the floor. Now start like a normal crunch by lifting your shoulders off the floor, only you will do so in a twisting motion one shoulder at a time. So you will bring the right shoulder and left knee towards each other in a crunch and then as you straighten the left leg back out and lower the shoulder the left shoulder and right knee towards each other in another crunch, the motions is like riding a bicycle, hence the name.

2. Hanging Leg Raises - First you want to grab hold of a pull up bar or use ab slings and just hang there until your body is still. Now using all of your abs slowing raise your legs up by bringing your feet toward the ceiling, stop the motion when your feet can't go any higher and your abs are fully contracted (To make this exercise a bit more difficult then you can do it by keeping your legs straight.) Repeat 15 to 20 times

3. Crunch on Exercise Ball - Using an exercise ball you can do crunches that will allow you to get a better range of motion than normal crunches. Take a large exercise ball, lay with your lower back centered on top and your feet shoulder width apart. With your arms over your head, crunch your upper body up making sure that you contract your abs in towards the spine when your reach the top of the movement and hold for a count of one. Slowly return to the beginning and repeat 20 times. For extra benefit you can hold a medicine ball in your hands while doing the crunches.

4. Bench V ups - This is a great lower abdominal workout. First you sit at the end of a flat bench with your legs out in front of you straight with your feet just off the floor. With your hand holding the bench behind you, inhale and raise your legs into a V position just above your waist. Exhale and slowly lower legs to the start position and repeat. Repeat 10 to 15 times.

5. Standing cable twist - Using a cable crossover machine stand keeping arms straight hold the handle in front of your chest. Look straight ahead slowly turn your upper body to the right, using your abdominal muscles to pull with, you will feel the obliques working. Slowly release and repeat on the other side. (do not pull with your arms) Repeat 10 to 15 times on each side.

6. Plank Bridge - This is probably one of the most difficult yet one of the best abdominal exercises because not only does it work on your abs, it is also a great core strength exercise. Lay face down, place your forearms under your chest, use toes and forearms to push your body to form a bridge keeping your back flat and your navel pulled in. Start with 10 seconds (stop if you feel it in your low back) and build up until you can hold for 60 to 90 seconds. Return to start position and begin again. Repeat 5 sets.

Follow these steps and you will then understand how to quickly get chiseled and defined abs like a fitness model by doing these six top exercises.

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How to Get a Six Pack - Melt Your Whole Body, Not Just Abs

The best method to getting a six pack is one that will melt your whole body fat not just abs. We are always seeing ads that claim great results with their ab machines or ab exercises. The most effective way is to train your metabolism by training with resistance and watching your diet - it will melt the fat off your whole body.

People think that spot reduction is the answer to getting six pack abs. That is why we see so many ads showing their exercises or machine targeting the abs directly. The abs will get stronger, but they won't become more defined.

Melt the body fat by simply increasing the body's metabolism. Resistance exercises are the most effective ways to kick-start your metabolism and burn fat.

Training with resistance can be done either with weights or using body weight. The main part of training with resistance is to have a regular training session 4 times a week, keeping the intensity high and having low repetitions.

A workout session can consist of lunges, chin-ups, squats or step-ups, which can be done with or without weights. These exercises are to be performed at high intensity for 20 seconds, moving from one exercise to the other with no rest, then resting briefly when the last exercise is done, then you repeat the sequence of exercises 6 times during each workout.

The great thing about this type of training is the body will work hard during the workout, but it also has residual effects and causes the body to work hard throughout the day burning fat and fueling muscle activity as the muscles are replenishing and repairing to prepare for the next bout of exercise.

A diet that consists of lean proteins and complex carbohydrates will allow the body to consume the calories easier and prevent any excess calories from being stored as body fat. Eating several meals throughout the day will help stabilize the body's energy levels and help monitor calories. Eliminating fatty foods, snacks and carbonated beverages will also help keep fat from being stored on the body, as these foods are very high in caloric content.

Getting six pack abs is about the whole body. Melt the whole body's fat and you will get the full effect of your training. Kick start the metabolism and rock hard abs can be achieved very fast!

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Top Ab exercises

The top five abdominal exercises for a ripped midsectionThe great thing about ab training is that the exercises are startlingly easy to do. Unlike exercises for the larger muscle groups like the legs, chest, or back, abdominal exercises don't require heavy weights. There's also little risk of injury either. How often have you heard people say that they "pulled" an ab muscle?The key to six-pack abs is knowing what the best ab exercises are and then doing them.

So what are the most effective exercises for targeting the abdominal muscles and producing a ripped midsection? One of the best studies to look at this issue was conducted at the Biomechanics Lab at San Diego State University. The researchers compared 13 abdominal exercises, ranging from the familiar crunch to more complicated exercises using gym equipment and home equipment.

Based on their findings they concluded that five of the best exercises for targeting the abdominals are:

1. Bicycles:

To do this one, lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed firmly to the ground. With your hands held at your temples bring your knees up to about a 45-degree angle and slowly go through a pedaling type motion. To make things more challenging touch your left elbow to your right knee, then your right elbow to your left knee. Keeping the legs elevated and moving, stresses the lower sections of the abdominals while lifting the torso up and twisting works the upper abs and oblique muscles. Both sections will need to be fully developed to give that six-pack appearance.2. Captain's chair hanging leg raises :Even though the "best" abdominal exercises have traditionally been those involving no specialized equipment, this one was found to be very effective. Start with your forearms resting on the pads of the leg raise support. Without rocking, slowly lift your knees up towards your chest. Slowly lower back down to the starting position, stopping just short of locking out the legs at the bottom. Some people perform this exercise with the legs straight but we caution against this as straight leg, leg raises place extra stress on the lower back ligaments. It's not worth injuring the lower back for a ripped midsection.3. Crunch on an exercise ball:Although the relationship between bodybuilders and the medical profession has never been that close, bodybuilders can thank physiotherapists for this great six-pack exercise. SWISS balls (also called therapy or exercise balls) are now commonplace in gyms these day - and for good reason. With this one single piece of equipment you can target virtually every muscle in the body. To work the abs, sit on the ball with your feet flat on the ground. Slowly lean back until your thighs and torso are parallel with the floor. You'll need to roll forwards or backwards to see what position is most comfortable. Next contract your abdominals and raise your torso to about 45 degrees. Slowly return to the starting position. To bring more of the oblique muscles in, you can simply move your feet closer together alternate twisting to each side.4. Reverse Crunch:Another simple but highly effective exercise for developing a ripped midsection. Lie back on the floor and draw your knees towards your chest as if you were going to perform bicycles. Slowly stretch your legs outwards stopping just short of a lockout. Although they primarily target the lower abs, the upper abs also get a good workout from this great exercise.5. The Plank:This is one of those abdominal exercises that looks far easier than it actually is. Lie face down on a mat resting your forearms on the floor. Slowly push away from the floor, raising up onto your toes and resting on the elbows. Try to keep your back flat and in a straight line from head to heels. Contract your abs and keep your butt from

Turn Those Flabs in to Abs - How to REALLY Work Your Abs

Abdominal workouts can be made quick and effective by following these three guidelines:

1. Keep your Abs Tight Throughout the Repetitions

A common mistake is not flexing your abs while preforming crunches. This is called "activating" the muscle group you are working with, and should be applied to any weight workout. By flexing your abs, you are using them to move your body, instead of overcompensating with the upper body, or hips. If you can do more than 20 crunches, you are not properly activating your abs, or the exercise is too easy.

2. Work your Abs Every Other Day or LESS

Think of the abs as you would any other muscle group. Just because the abdominal muscles are smaller, doesn't mean they don't need adequate time to recover. Muscle strengthening involves a process of breaking down muscle fibers, and having them rebuild stronger and bigger. Without 48 hours rest, the muscle is being overworked and the routines become counterproductive. A five minute abdominal routine, every other day, is more than sufficient for a six pack program.

3. Use Stability Balls and Weights

Going back to treating your abs like any other muscle group, when training you probably use body weight in combination with resistance. Do the same thing for your abs. Some routines should incorporate weights. A good example of this, is holding a 5-10lb weight on your chest.

Stability ball crunches are shown to be 20% more effective, if used properly. To perform a perfect stability ball crunch, position your body on the ball so the top of your head is pointed toward the floor. This means, the base of your low back is supported securely on ball, and your shoulders, and head are off the other side. You will notice, the crunch will not allow a great range of motion. This is because your upper body is acting as resistance. This crunch is extremely challenging, will work the entire midsection, and have you feeling the routine the next day.

Also remember to cut back on high carb meals, saturated fats and drink plenty of water for a flat stomach and a defined six pack.

Kaleena Lawless
Personal Training Specialist
http://www.kalisthenixfitnessblog.com