If you’re looking to build up your abs muscles fast and have fun in the process, I can recommend the following four “superhero” exercises.  Although these aren’t specifically abs workout routines, these exercises will help tighten up your abs, and get a fast six-pack appearance to your midsection.

In each of these exercises, you will want to do 2 or 3 sets, resting 30-60 seconds between each.  I recommend you do this workout 2 to 3 times a week, being sure to rest at least a day between sessions.

Equipment required:  a pull-up bar, and a back-extension station.

1.  Climb Like Spiderman

This is really a great exercise for your arms and shoulders, but it also works your midsection.

Grab a pullup bar with an OVERHAND grip.  Make sure your hands are a bit more than shoulder-width apart.  Pull up toward your right hand as you simultaneously bend your right knee and lift it toward the bar as if you’re trying to climb a wall like Spiderman!  When your chin is above the bar, lower yourself back down, and repeat on the left side.  Do 10 reps.

2.  Leap Like The Hulk

This works your obliques, but also builds stronger legs.

Stand on an exercise mat, bend at the hips and knees to quickly lower your body about halfway into a squat position.  Then, quickly explode upwards as you simultaneously swing your arms overhead as if you’re trying to leap a hundred yards in a single bound.  Don’t leap forward, just leap upwards.  Land as softly as possible and then immediately drop down to the half-squat position.  Do 10 reps.

3.  Fly like Superman

This is a superhero exercise for strengthening your back and your abs.  As I do it, I think of how Christopher Reeve must have felt in his flying harness when filming the Superman movies.

Position yourself at a back-extension station.  Lie face down and anchor your feet.  Start in a bent over position with your hands on the floor.  Hold a pair of dumbbells with your arms hanging down.  Keeping your abs tight, raise both your torso and arms until your body is in a straight line.  Hold for the count of 5, and then lower yourself back down.  Do 10 reps.

4.  Swing Thor’s Hammer

This is a fun exercise for building your upper body.  It will work part of your midsection and abdominals.

Grab a barbell (unloaded at first, then work yourself up to adding weight), with one hand with your palm facing up.  Curl the bar up toward your shoulder and continue upwards.  Press the bar over your head while simultaneously rotating your palm so it faces forward when you reach the top.  Stretch and push the weight as high as you can.  (Think of the line “By the Hammer of Thor!”) Lower the bar, switch arms, and repat.  Try for at least 6 reps per side, and then go for 10!

Remember, in each of these exercises, you will want to do 2 or 3 sets, resting 30-60 seconds between each.  I recommend you do this workout 2 to 3 times a week, being sure to rest at least a day between sessions.  You’ll find that these exercise will help you get a fast six pack, and really develop washboard abs that are the envy of your friends.

It’s amazing where you can find inspiration for new abs workouts!   Marvel Comics superheros are the best.

Lots of people desire ripped, stunning abdominals.  Not only do they look attractive, they are the best indicator that the person is in great physical shape, eats healthily and is a “stand out from the crowd” individual.  Yet, lots of men and women struggle with their belly fat.  In fact, one of the most searched questions on the internet is the topic of how men can lose belly fat and develop six pack abs fast.  Indeed, there are many ways by which men can lose their belly fat but not too many of them prove to be effective.

In this article, I want to highlight several good exercises you can do on a regular basis to build up your abs.  Let’s be clear, you cannot get great abs simply by doing cardio workouts.  No matter how much you run, jog, walk, use a treadmill, do Zumba, or even Sweat to the Oldies with Richard Simmons, you will not get a great set of “6 pack abs”.  You have to do strength training as part of your regimen if you’re looking to get a great flat stomach that is the envy of your friends.

Exercise #1:  Basic Leg Lifts

The standard leg lift is a great way to build your lower abs.  Follow these steps:

1. Lie on the floor, legs straight out, hands at your sides.
2. Lift your legs straight up (not bending your knees at all) until they’re at a 90 degree angle (or close).
3. Lower your legs and repeat without letting your legs touch the floor.
4. Repeat in 4 sets of 4 (16 times).

For more challenge there is equipment at most gyms that will allow you to raise yourself up using your arms as support and dangle your legs.  This is often called the “Captain’s Chair Leg Raise”.

Exercise #2:  Ball Crunch

The exercise ball is an excellent tool to strengthen the abs.  A high-quality exercise ball, which costs about $30 depending on the size, is needed to do this exercise.

1. Position yourself face-up on the ball, with the ball resting under your middle back.
2. Cross your arms over the chest.  (Alternately, place your arms behind your head.)
3. Contract your abs and lift your upper body off the ball.  Work at pulling the bottom of your ribcage in a downwards motion toward your hips.
4. Lower back down, getting a stretch in the abs.  Repeat for a total of 4 sets of 4.  (16 times)

Exercise #3:  The “Long Arm Crunch”

This is a great exercise that emphasizes the upper part of your abdominals.

1. Lie flat, and extend your arms straight out behind your head.  Clasp your hands, and be sure to keep your arms right next to your ears.
2. Begin to lift your shoulder blades off the floor by contracting your abs
3. Be sure to keep your arms straight and avoid straining your neck. (If you begin to feel any neck pain, put one hand behind your head while keeping the other arm extended.)
4. Lower back down while releasing the abs contraction.  Repeat for 4 sets of 4 (16 times).

Exercise #4:  Lying Torso Twists

1. Lie flat on the floor.
2. Pull your knees in against your chest.
3. Place a ball between your knees and stretch your arms out to the sides, palms up.
4. While you contract your abs, twist your hips to the right, bringing your knees towards the floor (But don’t touch the floor with your knees.  Use your abs to keep your knees above the floor.)   Be sure to keep your shoulders flat on the floor.
5. Hold the position for the count of 4, and then use your abs to bring your knees back to the starting position.
6. Repeat by twisting your hips to the left.
7. Repeat 4 sets of 4 (16 total).

Exercise #5:  The Reverse Crunch

The reverse crunch targets the rectus abdominis.   This is a really simple exercise that will build great abs strength.

1. Lie flat on your back with knees bent, and your feet on the floor
2. Place hands flat on the floor at your sides, or behind your head.
3. Slowly bring your knees up towards your chest so they are bent at about 90 degrees
4. Next, contract your abs and work to lift your hips off the floor. This will be a very small movement.
5. Lower your hips back down and repeat for 4 sets of 4 (16 times).

Repeat all five of these exercises at least three (3) times a week.  I suggest a schedule of Monday, Wednesday and Friday as a starting point.  These exercises can be done in about 20 minutes or less, depending on the speed with which you do the motions.  However, let’s remember that it isn’t about how FAST you do the exercises, it’s that you do enough of them in the correct FORM.

Finally, be sure to pay attention to the kinds of food you’re eating on a regular basis.  There’s no sense in doing these exercises if you’re just going to lie around and eat ‘bad’ foods all day.  You will see the best progress in your abs if you do the exercises regularly, and pay attention to your food intake.

One of the most popular requests among people in the gym is to get six pack abs. There is no doubt about it, obtaining this elusive goal not only takes hard work, but also demonstrates that you clearly know what you are doing in the gym. Learning how to getsix pack abs is definitely not the easiest thing in the world but it’s also not the hardest, as long as you follow the right steps.

So, what should you be doing to get results?

1. Focus on your diet.

Without a clean diet, six pack abs will never be yours. One thing you must realize is that while exercise is important, it’s only going to take you so far. No matter how many crunches or sit-up variations you perform, if you’ve got a solid layer of fat covering your stomach, your muscles are not going to be seen.

Try and focus on consuming enough protein to keep your appetite under control, supplemented with healthy fats for satiety and fruits and veggies for energy. It is important, however, that you are running a calorie deficit, because regardless of the food you eat, if you are consuming more than you burn off that day, you aren’t going to lose weight.

2.  Perform a variety of exercises

Next up on your quest for six pack abs, you need to make sure you change up the exercises you perform on a regular basis.

While it’s fine if you have some that you generally like to stick with as you really feel it when you do them, try and alternate between at least a few from week to week.

The main reason for this is because your abdominal muscles adapt to change very quickly. As soon as they are finished adapting, you are going to stop seeing results – this is the truth about six pack abs.

By keeping them guessing as to what’s coming, you keep the results coming as well. Don’t make the mistake of doing the same boring workout, day in, day out.

3.  Get Your Cardio In Line

Finally, step three for getting a nicely chiseled stomach is performing cardio properly. This isn’t to say you should run out and start doing hours upon hours on the treadmill. We aren’t aiming to turn you into a hamster here.

All you really need is a few quality sessions of cardio work a week. What’s high quality? Sprint sessions. Skipping. Hill running. Anything your body is not efficient at.

Yes, these are going to be much more intense than plodding along at a moderate pace while you read the fitness magazine of the week, but trust me, you will get results a thousand times faster.

Crank that intensity up for twenty to forty seconds and then back it down again for another minute. Repeat this process eight to ten times and you’ll have a workout that’ll shed that body fat in no time.

So, next time you’re admiring your physique in the mirror and are still longing for a better mid-section, take these three factors into consideration and you’ll discover this is the truth about six pack abs.

About the Author:

Vince DelMonte is the author of Your Six Pack Quest found at http://www.YourSixPackQuest.com

He specializes in helping chubby guys and gals get six pack abs without gimmicks, supplements or dieting.

© 2006-2008, Your Six Pack Quest All rights in all media reserved. You may reprint this article so long as the article and author bio are reprinted intake and all links are made live. This article may never be sold individually or as part of a package

If you’re getting ready to bare your mid-section for the summer months or potentially escaping the cold for a warm vacation, getting washboard abs is probably something you would love to take with you. Potentially the top request personal trainer’s hear everywhere is with regards to tightening these muscles. Face it, washboard abs not only look great, but, they also signify the holy grail of fitness.

One big misconception that some people have regarding getting a washboard stomach is that you should be working all these muscles separately. Because these individuals often envision the so-called ‘6-pack’, they think that you can divide this muscle up, working on it section by section.

Without a clean diet, six pack abs will never be yours. One thing you must realize is that while exercise is important, it’s only going to take you so far. No matter how many crunches or sit-up variations you perform, if you’ve got a solid layer of fat covering your stomach, your muscles are not going to be seen.

Unfortunately, this simply isn’t true.

While the abs definitely do consist of a few different muscles, all of these muscles are going to contract simultaneously, helping perform whatever movement is being asked of it. You can definitely target certain areas slightly more than others, but overall, you cannot solely isolate any one of the muscles in particular.

So, having said that, try not to do too many isolated ab exercises during your workout. While these can be nice in a sense that you’ll likely really ‘feel the burn’, they aren’t going to work as many muscle fibers as possible – which is your primary goal with any weight lifting session you perform.

The better thing to instead, is to do exercises that decrease your balance because that is what best calls your muscles into action.

Think doing ab crunches on the floor is good? Move those crunches onto an stability exercise ball.

This applies for other calisthenic exercises as well. Performing a set of push-ups? Why not move those onto an exercise ball as well? It’s the perfect opportunity to really challenge those muscles and help develop washboard abs. Simply place an exercise ball under your arms or under your feet and push-up from there. If you’re really ambitious, try both at the same time (note, use a spotter when doing this as there is a good chance you’ll roll off until you gain the skill necessary to balance).

The only time when you don’t want to decrease your stability too much, however, is when you’re lifting very heavy weights in major compound lifts (such as squats for instance). This could prove to be very dangerous because one small movement in the wrong direction due to being off balance could cause your form to go and that could lead to a severe injury.

So, keep your destabilization work to exercises that are performed with your body weight or very light weights.

By following these principles though, you can be sure that washboard abs are on their way for you.

———————————-
About the Author:

Vince DelMonte is the author of Your Six Pack Quest found at http://www.YourSixPackQuest.com

He specializes in helping chubby guys and gals get six pack abs without gimmicks, supplements or dieting.

© 2006-2008, Your Six Pack Quest All rights in all media reserved. You may reprint this article so long as the article and author bio are reprinted intake and all links are made live. This article may never be sold individually or as part of a package