Six pack abs are the goal of many people who get started on a fitness plan. They might see a model in a magazine or an actor in a movie that has a sexy, defined stomach and they want to achieve that look. Well, it’s a little more difficult than just buying one of the latest ab machines you see on late night TV. The truth is that if it was easy, everyone would have six pack abs.
If you venture into any gym in this country, take a look around and count the number of people who are truly lean. Being lean means having a level of overall vascularity (visible veins) which is achieved when you lower the amount of body fat on your physique. There is probably less than 3% of the gym members who are lean enough to be vascular and this is what is needed in order to showcase an impressive set of ripped six pack abs.
The way you achieve this ripped look is through combining cardio exercise, a clean diet and resistance exercises. You need to build the muscle with resistance training and burn off excess body fat with cardio and eating the right foods.
Here is a great six pack abs workout that has 3 different abdominal exercises that will really target your stomach muscles and provide the resistance you need in order to develop your washboard abs. These exercises include crunches, bench leg raises and exercise ball crunches with a medicine ball.
Crunches
Lie flat on your back on a mat with your feet flat on the ground. Place your hands lightly on either side of your head keeping your elbows out. Push the small of your back down to the floor to isolate your AB muscles. Begin to roll your shoulders off the floor. Continue to push down with your lower back. Your shoulders should come up off the floor only about four inches, and your lower back should always remain on the floor. As always, make sure you let your abs do the work in a slow and controlled fashion. You want to focus on doing 20-30 reps per set for a total of 3 sets.
Bench Leg Raises
Lie flat on your back on a bench with your legs off the end, remaining parallel to the ground. Place your hands back next to your head and grab the edge of the bench. Keeping your legs as straight as possible, raise your legs as high as possible, making sure that your abs are doing the work. Lower legs back down to the start position and repeat. You want to focus on doing 20-30 reps per set for a total of 3 sets.
Exercise Ball Crunches with a Medicine Ball
Using a large exercise ball, lay your back on the ball with your feet placed firmly on the floor. Your lower back should be centered on top of the ball. Hold a medicine ball securely over your head and crunch your upper body forward while keeping the medicine ball overhead. Be sure to contract your abs at the top of the movement for a one-count. Slowly return to the starting position and repeat. You want to focus on doing 20-30 reps per set for a total of 3 sets.
