The best way I've found besides crunches is just simply walking. It's amazing how just taking a long walk (especially one through slightly difficult terrain) can work out all sorts of muscles, abs included. My boyfriend and I spent a lot of the summer walking to the lake from his house (lots of hills to climb through there) or down the river to our favorite spot by a waterfall and our abs were what showed the most improvement from it. I just thought I'd add that tiny little bit of trivia, you guys probably already know that, lol.
Over working your abs is not the answer. The answer is a balanced diet full of whole grains, fruits, veggies, lean protiens and certain types of fats. That coupled with an exercise program that consists of 2 days of strength training (to start) and 3 days of moderate cardio training (unless you are already more advanced). You should also incorporate some of the abdominal exercises listed on this page, there are plenty here that do not require any props. Do these exercises 2 days maybe 3 per week, but there is no reason at all to over exert your abs, they are just like every other muscle and they need rest just like all of the others. If you are having trouble, I'd say the problem isn't a lack of ab work though, what I would do at this point is reassess your caloric intake and your exercise program and modify calories and cardio accordingly. Usually, that is the problem.
visible abs like a 6-pack arent really a function of size, but bodyfat %. they start to show in guys at least around 11% visible abs on a girl mean your bodyfat % is probably way too low. i think around 11% is actually when girls stop getting their periods and get all kinds of hormonal problems. girls need to have a certain amount of fat on them to function properly.
exercising your abs has nothing to do with it..... its about eating a correct diet and loosing weight, wether you work out ur abs or not they are always there depending on how much fat is there....The best exercise would be dancing. then what realy happens is your metabolism speeds up and you eat more witch is natural. If you do everything correctly you will look good and have fine results. See http://www.bodybuildingforyou.com/bodybuilding-supplements-guides/diet-and-nutrition-guide-1.htm and learn
Very true. I thought I'd add in that I've read that abs definitely are a muscle group that develop best through rest, meaning they should be worked out well 2-3 days a week and given plenty of time to rest. Also, the face about abs being hidden is true. No matter how many crunches you do, they'll never show up 'til you get off yer ass anyways.
Thought I would resurect this necro post. I'm always looking for good ab exercises. IMHO ; best I can come up with is leg lifts from chin ups. About 12 in a set. Good burn. Previous postees have been correct , diet and cardio exercise are key as well. Personaly, I'm thinking there's more at task here than aesthetics. Your immune system is located at your core. Sexual prowess can be determined from abdominal fitness. A man can stay young by keeping a lean waist.
I will resurrect this old thread, since I have been doing a specialized ab exercise for years. I have a missing sacral/lumbar disc (the chiropractor was surprised I had as little pain as I did) My back goes out periodically from just the wrong movement at any given time and takes about a week to find its way back in place. So, I don't do sit ups, or leg lifts, or anything else that aggravates my lower back. This ab exercise is actually one for lower back problems because strong ab muscles help keep the other things in the area in line. Lay on your back on the floor, knees up and your abs relaxed. Your spine should be curved at that time. Push your spine down into the floor and hold for a while. You'll feel it in your abs. It doesn't seem like much but you will also get out of breath - so it is working muscles. IDK if you can get a six-pack doing this, but it keeps my abs toned and my back seems better for it.
a lot of superior abdominal definition comes from diet and genetics a lean diet really does help and some are simply born with elastic and defined muscle groupings....there are a variety of great exercises but what I have come to realize is that the old saying holds true NO PAIN NO GAIN...
they'll help you burn fat. you can't target a specific type of fat to burn though. i think it basically comes off in the opposite order that it got put on. so, if your belly is the first place that starts to store fat, it will probably be the last place to lose it.
If you’re looking to burn fat ab exercises are going to be super inefficient. They will help but there’s a zillion ways that are much more efficient. If stronger abs is your primary goal there’s also a zillion ab options - they’re infinitely adaptable. My personal belief is abs primary function is in support - so train them accordingly. They maintain your posture in heavy squats, for example. So I like the stabilizing exercises - (no one does a 1 rep max ab exercise) plank in all its variations, Turkish get up, hollow hold in all its variations, etc. Don’t do them every day either - that’s silly. No muscle recovers that quickly unless you’re not adequately working them and in that case what are you doing ;-)
Do eeet. I can see results the day after. I really need to get my midsection back to good, it's not bad but I've definitely added some cuddles to my love hands. But I figure a good 2 week diet and I'll be back to awesome again. When I was doing 4-5 sessions a week I was looking my best. Now I do a session every fortnight and bleh. Just not good enough. But it is winter.
yo , i do abs every blue moon and i got visible abs , yo abs are made in the kitchen, yo if I do ab exercise I only do planks, yo never do situps, they bs, yo paleo, paleo, go for paleo diet, paleo da bomb, paleo worxxx
I focus on each part: lower, obliques, and upper abs. Along with plenty of cardio. I don't diet just for abs lol. I don't eat junk food while training either.
I agree about the cardio I like to specifically target the abs with exercises but eating a balanced diet seems to help me