exercises for abs

Most of us are still wondering what the right exercises for washboard absare, much less how to do them. Find out the most effective exercises for toning, strengthening, and ripping your abs.

Before you begin exercising, make sure that you’ve got a diet and workout plan in place. Exercises are important, but getting washboard abs requires a healthy diet and cardio workout, as well.

The most effective exercises for a set of washboard abs are:

• Weighted Sit Ups
• Ball Crunches
• Full Body Crunches
• Bicycles

Begin with 5 repetitions of each exercise and gradually work up to 20, several times per week. To avoid injury, start out slowly and step up your workout at your own pace.

Weighted Sit Ups

Required: A small weight or similarly sized object(a hardcover book or bag of flour)

1. Lie down on the floor with your feet flat on the ground and your knees bent.
2. Place the weight on your chest and hold it in place with both hands.
3. Contract your abdominal muscles.
4. Slowly lift your head and back up from the floor, while keeping your feet on the ground.
5. Go up as high as you can and hold it for a second.
6. Then slowly return down and repeat.

Ball Crunches

Required: An exercise ball

1. Place your feet flat on the floor and sit on the exercise ball.
2. Lie back slowly, letting the ball gently roll until your thighs and torso are in a parallel line with the floor.
3. Begin raising your torso halfway up, while contracting your abdominal muscles.
4. When you reach a 45 degree incline, stop and lie back down slowly.

Full Body Crunches

1. Lie down on the floor.
2. Bend your knees and place your hands across your chest.
3. Contract your abdominal muscles.
4. Bring your shoulder blades up off of the floor several inches while bringing your knees up at the same time.
5. Hold this position for a few seconds and then lower yourself.

Bicycle

1. Lie flat on the floor.
2. Rest your hands up next to your head and bring your knees halfway up.
3. Begin a bicycling motion with your legs.
4. Alternate between touching your left elbow to your right knee and your right elbow to your left knee. Repeat.

When exercising, common sense and safety should be observed. If possible, exercise on an exercise mat or carpeted floor in a room with a moderate temperature. Keep yourself well hydrated. If you feel burning or tingling, perform less repetitions at one time.

If you follow these exercises for washboard abs and maintain a sensible diet and workout plan, soon you’ll have that washboard look you’ve always wanted.

What other exercises for washboard abs can you think of? Add to the list by leaving your comments below.

Did you know that an at home abs workoutis just as effective as exercising at the gym? Forget about throwing on your signature gym clothes and driving through traffic. You can get a pretty decent six pack abs workout without even leaving your house.

Think about it. Sure, you can sign up for gym membership or spend a wad of cash on the coolest exercise equipment. But even those things can’t guarantee you ripped abs.

You need to possess two important things before you even think about spending on anything else.

1. Knowledge. Information on abdominal muscles training is virtually ALL AROUND YOU. Make time and start researching on how you can successfully carry out an at home abs workout without having to spend a dime. Continuous learning will only get you to your goal faster.

2. Dedication. This would most certainly have to come from you. You must stick to your six pack abs workout and follow through to the end. Without dedication, you might as well say goodbye to those rock solid abs.

To get you started, assign an exercise area in your living room, bedroom, or basement. This will greatly help you in maintaining your workout routine. Every time you enter that space, you will feel instantly motivated.

The only two things that I consider as good investments for an at home abs workout are the yoga mat and exercise ball. They are hardly expensive and you can use them for other kinds of muscle-targeting exercises as well.

You can start off your routine by working out every other day, doing at least 3 abdominal exercises. It’s important that you do not strain your muscles, so having a whole day’s rest in between would do you a lot of good.

Begin your six pack abs workout with these three simple exercises:

• Bicycles. For this exercise, you need to lie flat on your yoga mat. Place your hands next to your head with palms facing upward. Alternately bend your knees and begin a cycling motion. While doing so, try to touch your right elbow to your left knee as it comes up, then again with the other side.

• Ball Crunches. To continue with your at home abs workout, take your exercise ball and sit on it. Slowly lean back and allow the ball to roll under you. Stop when the arch of your back is resting comfortably on the ball. With both feet flat on the floor, perform regular crunches. Always remember to keep those abdominal muscles tight.

• Full Body Crunches. With this exercise, I’ll need you to lie back down on the floor. Place your hands over your chest and bend your knees so that your feet are flat on the ground. Lift your shoulders off the floor a few inches as you pull in your knees at the same time. Hold it right there for as long as you can and then slowly go back to your original position.

Remember to start slow and finish hard. I know you’re EAGER to get those six pack abs. But gradually increasing your reps as well as the intensity of each exercise is the best and SAFEST way to carry out your at home abs workout.