Washboard Ab Workout

Saturday, September 1, 2012 | Unknown at 8:30 PM |

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that if you could train one body part to perfection for the summer, it would be your abs! I don't know anybody who doesn't want to shrink their waistline, lose body fat and develop a jaw-dropping set of six-pack abs.
To make drastic improvements, be sure to give your abs the same variety, intensity and focus you give any other body part. This may seem obvious, but it's amazing to me how many people either overtraining their abs or don't train them at all. They might at the very least hit some crunches at the end of a workout once or twice a week. How can that effectively build your midsection and enhance core strength?
These five simple ab routines could very well be your ab-solution. Pick any 2 of the workouts to perform during your ab training session.
Workout 1: ALL-AROUND
EXERCISE / SETS REPS
Leg raises 3 12-15
Machine or cable crunches 3 12-15
Vacuums 3 Holds*
Cable side bends 2 15-20(per side)
Back extensions 3-4 10-12
Note: Your internal abs aid in your breathing and posture - strengthening them can help prevent or relieve lower back pain, assist stabilization during lifts like squats and deadlifts.
Workout 2: BIG SETS
EXERCISE / SETS REPS
Knee raises 4 15-25
Crunches 5 15-25
Side crunches 5 15-25(per side)
Vacuums 4 Holds*
Workout 3: LOW REPS
EXERCISE / SETS REPS
Machine or cable crunches 3 6-10
Hanging leg or knee raises 3 6-10
Dumbbell side bends 3 6-10
Note: Do knee raises if you're not yet strong enough to get six reps of leg raises. If you can do more than 10 reps of leg raises, wear ankle weights or hold a dumbbell between your feet.
Workout 4: ULTRA-HIGH REPS
EXERCISE / SETS REPS
Roman-chair situps superset with 2 50-100
Seated knee raises 2 50-100
Good Mornings 2 50-100
Workout 5: UNIQUE LIFTS
EXERCISE / SETS REPS
Ball crunches 2 12-15
Bicycle crunches 2 12-15
Jackknife crunches 2 15(per side)
* perform vacuum holds by inhaling and simultaneously sucking in your midsection, hold your midsection in for up to 1 minute. Don't forget to breathe!
Utilize these five strategies to reinvigorate your midsection workouts. Train your abs with the same attention, variety and intensity you give your arms and chest, and your abs will garner so much attention on stages or beaches you'll never ignore them again. That's it for this time, I'll see you around the site.
So Long until next time,