Getting Abs
Who wouldn't like to have ripped abs? If you get rid of the fat covering your stomach, you will almost certainly want to have defined abs to really look in shape. Dieting, fat burning exercise, and weight training are all essential to getting six-pack abs. Of course, the abdominal muscles themselves will
Ab Workout Routines
require intense training to bring them out. This is where ab workout routines come into the picture.
The best abdominal workout routines should have you training all of the areas of the midsection, including the upper abs, lower abs, and obliques. You can develop all of these muscles by performing exercises that focus some resistance on them.
While you want to develop the muscles of the midsection, you don't want to overdevelop them. Building the abs and obliques with heavy training may cause your waist to appear wider and "blocky". This won't lead to the aesthetic look you are likely striving for. Because of this, it's best to perform all of the exercises in ab workout routines for high reps on every set.
The muscles in the midsection area also recover quicker then most other muscle groups. This means that you can train them more often through your weight training routine. It's a good idea to perform your ab exercise routine after every other time you lift, and possibly do a longer ab session by itself when you don't plan on lifting.
There are plenty of exercises you can do during an abdominal workout routine. Among the most popular are crunches, leg raises, decline sit-ups, and side bends. Each of these exercises has a lot of variety in the way you can do them. You can do crunches on a bench or core ball, leg raises while hanging or while seated on the edge of a bench, and side bends with dumbbells or cables. You can also add a twist to alternating sides on most ab exercises when you want to get ripped abs. Many gyms will also have machines and small equipment that will allow for different ab exercises. You should regularly make changes in your ab exercise routine so the muscles don't get too used to what you are doing, and switching exercises is an excellent way to avoid a plateau.
You won't need to do a ton of sets while training the abs if you keep the intensity level high. Here is an example of one of the best ab workout routines:
2 supersets of hanging and seated leg raises - 40 to 50 reps total
2 drop sets of core ball crunches (with medicine ball weight, then without) - 30 to 50 reps total
2 sets of side bends with dumbbell or cables - 25 to 40 reps
2 sets of various ab machines or equipment
Drop sets and supersets are excellent high intensity techniques to use while training the midsection. Experiment with your exercises and don't be afraid to try new things.
There you have it - the best abdmonal workout routines can be mastered with the proper focus and consistent training. Soon, those six-pack abs can be yours.
