To get the most out of your ab workouts and get that much closer to your own six-pack, it’s important that your exercises, as a whole, target all of your abdominal and lower back muscles. The following list shows you how to do just that.
Ab Workouts Six Pack: Transverse abdominus – The Plank
1 – Lie face-down on a mat holding yourself up on your forearms with your palms flat on the floor.
2 – Push off the floor, raising yourself up onto your toes and resting on your elbows.
3 – Keep your back flat, maintaining a straight line along your entire body. Don’t let your buttocks break the line by sticking up into the air. To prevent this, you’ll need to contract your abdominals.
4 – Hold for 30-60 seconds.
5 – Lower gradually.
Ab Workouts Six Pack: Internal and external obliques – Oblique twists
1 – Lie down on your back with your knees bent and your hands under your head as if preparing for a standard crunch.
2 – Twist your body while lifting your torso off the floor (make sure you’re not lifting your head with your hands, as this can strain your neck). You’ll need to point your left elbow at your right knee, return to the rest position, and mirror the twist with your right elbow.
Ab Workouts Six Pack: Rectus abdominus – Bicycle
Lie face-up on the floor with your fingers interlocked behind your head.
2 – Bring your knees up into your chest and lift your torso off the floor, again without pulling on your neck.
3 – Straighten your right leg while twisting your upper body to the left, much like the oblique twists.
4 – Bring your right leg back in and straighten your left leg, then twist your body again, this time bringing your left elbow to your right knee.
Ab Workouts Six Pack: Lower back – Back extensions
1 – Lie facedown on the floor with your legs straight and your hands behind your head. This may seem familiar if you’ve had recent run-ins with the law.
2 – Lift your torso off the ground as much as possible and hold. Only your upper body is used in this exercise, so don’t worry about doing anything with your legs other than keeping them together and straight behind you.
3 – Lower gradually.
For each of these six pack ab workouts, it’s recommended that you do 10-16 reps; if this turns out to be too easy, check your form before increasing the number of reps. Improperly performing an exercise can make the workout ineffective or even dangerous. Make sure you are not relying on momentum or using other muscles to breeze through the reps.
Perform these routines 3-4 per week, but be sure to leave yourself 24 hours between each workout.
Don’t become so focused on these routines that you ignore your other, equally important regimens, including strength training and cardio.
Cardio in particular will help you achieve your six pack simply because those sorts of exercises burn plenty of calories and reduce your stomach fat, making your abs more visible. Along with cardio, a low-cal diet will help you reduce your body fat, which is key to effective six pack ab workouts.
