Exercises for Six Pack Abs

First:

Remove Belly Fat!

These exercises for six pack abs will only produce results if you have learned how to reduce belly fat first. The best six pack abs exercises performed regularly will not reveal your abdominal muscles if you don’t remove belly fat first.

So how do you remove belly fat first?

• Determine daily nutrition needs. You really need to know how many calories you require each day in order to lose 1-2 lbs. of body fat each week. A registered dietitian can do this for you if you want to be precise.

• Divide your daily needs into 5 or 6 meals each day. You should be eating the proper amount of carbohydrates, protein, and fat every 3-4 hours to maximize the fat-burning potential of your body.

• Do a minimum of 3-5 cardio or aerobic exercise sessions each week. Don’t overdo it and hurt your legs, knees, or joints but the more cardio you can do each week, the faster you will remove belly fat.

• Perform 2-3 strength training sessions each week. You should work all your major muscle groups at least once each week and no more than twice.

• Drink plenty of water each day. Dehydration is a real problem and most people don’t even know it. There are many benefits to drinking water including less eating and faster weight loss.

Once you start to reduce belly fat you can begin to incorporate exercises for six pack abs into your weekly routine. It is only then that you will be able to bring definition to this fascinating group of muscles that are important for protection and flexibility.

It is important to not overwork your abs. Muscle tissue grows and strengthens when it is resting the day after it has been worked. If you worked the muscle every day without giving it rest, it would be more harmful than helpful.

For this reason it is recommended to do these exercises for six pack abs no more than 3 times each week. Twice a week is sufficient and maybe even more ideal.

These are exercises that require no equipment. There are other exercises such as hanging abs that are excellent but do require some equipment.

• Abdominal Crunches Target Muscle: upper rectus abdominis (“upper abs”)

  • Lie on floor with feet flat on floor and knees bent.
  • Place palms against the back of your head. Keep this in a relaxed position; do not pull your head.
  • Very slowly raise your shoulders and upper back about 30 degrees off the floor.
  • Make this a curling motion. You should have the feeling that you chin is moving toward your navel.
  • Hold this position for about 1 second then return to starting position.
  • Be sure you are raising your shoulder blades off the floor and not just rounding your shoulders forward as you raise your neck.
  • The entire rep should take 2 sec.

• Cross-Knee Abdominal Crunches Target Muscle: external and internal obliques

  • Lie on floor with feet flat on floor and knees bent.
  • Slowly raise your shoulders, upper back, and right hip.
  • Twist your torso and point your right shoulder toward your left knee.
  • You should feel a contraction along the right side of your abdominal area.
  • Hold for at least one second and then return to starting position. Repeat for other side.
  • There are 2 important aspects to this exercise: torso rotation and hip elevation.
  • To increase the intensity of this exercise, you can slightly lift your foot on the same side that is being worked. In other words, if right hip is lifting off the floor your left foot if off the floor.

• Raised Leg Crunches Target Muscle: upper abs

  • Lie in standard crunch position.
  • Raise your legs and bend your knees so that 90 degree angles are formed at your knees and hips.
  • Raise your torso toward the ceiling. Focus on “up” rather than toward the knees.
  • Don’t let your legs drift.
  • You can make this exercise easier by pulling your knees in toward your chest.
  • You can increase the intensity by pushing your knees out from your body.

These exercises for six pack abs can all be performed on the floor with no equipment. You can find other exercises such as planks here.