4 Great Exercises for Washboard Abs

By Article Guy On November 23, 2009 Under Body Building Exercise

I wouldn’t be surprised at all if you’re still on the lookout for the best exercises for washboard abs. Otherwise, you won’t even be on this page. Well, it’s your lucky day because by the time you finish reading this, you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for.

Before we get into that, I just want to stress that a low-fat, highly nutritious diet, and regular full body workouts are just as important as the abdominal muscle exercises listed below. Fusing all three strategies will get you those no nonsense six pack abs. Trust me, without proper nutrition and cardio, you’re going to find it much more difficult to get a six pack.

After getting your diet plan and cardio program in order, you can go ahead and target your abdominals with ab-specific exercises. Check out these 4 great exercises for washboard abs:

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

Recent studies have shown that these exercises, whether done on their own or in combination with each other, are the most excellent ab workout routines. Why? Because they work virtually every part of your abdominal muscles, involve other body parts as well, and promote other beneficial tasks such as balance and strength resistance. More importantly, you won’t need any expensive gym equipment to successfully perform any of these exercises for washboard abs.

Make sure you start off with only 5 reps of every exercise and work your way up to 20 as you advance. To really define your abs and burn that unwanted belly fat, go through 3 sets of each 3-4 times a week. Not sure how to do each one? Check out the blow by blow:

Ball Crunches

1. Sit on a stability ball and keep those feet flat on the ground.

2. Lean back on the ball gradually so that your thighs and upper body are almost parallel to the floor.

3. Raise your upper body while keeping your ab muscles taut.

4. Once you’ve reached a 45-degree angle with your torso, hold that position for a few seconds, and go back to your original position.

Full Body Crunches

1. Lie flat on an exercise mat or padded area in your house.

2. Place both hands over your chest and bend your knees.

3. Remember to keep those abdominal muscles taut.

4. Lift your shoulders a few inches off the floor while pulling your knees in at the same time.

5. Hold it for a few seconds and then go back to your starting position.

Bicycles

1. Go back to the floor and lie down.

2. Lift those knees up while you slightly touch your fingers to your ears.

3. Perform cycling movements in mid air with both legs.

4. As your right knee draws in, lift and twist to the left so that your left elbow touches it; do the same on the other side.

Weighted Sit Ups

1. Lie back down and keep both knees bent.

2. Place a small weight, like a bottle of water or a can of fruit, over your chest and secure it with both hands.

3. Come up as you would with a regular sit up and hold it for a few seconds before going back down.

Integrate these basic yet highly effective exercises for washboard abs in your abs training and you can never go wrong. One of the best ways to get abs is to perform these workouts on a regular basis and before you know it, you’ll be donning those rock hard abs for all to see.