There is one area of the body that gets more attention than any other, in part because right or wrong, it’s the measurement by which most people judge whether or not you’re in good shape (and by extension, good looking). That area is the stomach.
Everybody wants great looking abs, and no one wants the spare tire, although the latter is now far more common than the previous. Unless you have the ability to do the Herschel Walker workout, chances are you’ve had problems trying to get the perfect six pack abs, especially with just plain old sit ups and crunches.
The abdominal area for many people is where the most fat gathers, and since the stomach is just right there, it often times appears unattractive and even a small gut can ruin the appearance of a person who is otherwise in pretty decent shape. So if the normal sit-ups and crunches we learned in gym class as kids isn’t enough, then what can work to get us in the best shape with good looking abs?
There are exercises that help to get good looking abs, but there is no instant magic bullet. To get a six pack, you can’t have extra fat. There are plenty of in goo shape guys who can do 60 sit ups a minute, but have a Buddha belly covering what could be good ab muscles hidden underneath. You have to lose fat, and you need to find the right ab workout for yourself.
One of the first things to do is find an all around good workout that is enjoyable for you. How many people really feel like sitting down to do two hundred crunches or sit ups every day? That’s not fun and it’s not enjoyable, which is why so many people quit. Not only do you need a workout with good stomach exercises to get great abs, but you also need an over all fat burning workout that is enjoyable and that you are willing to stick with.
There are a wide variety of abdominal exercises, which is great for those of us who hate sit ups. The bicycle crunch exercise is one of the absolute best exercises to work towards six pack abs, and is gaining popularity. This is the exercise where you lie on your back, knees up, and move your legs like you’re riding a bike while crunching your stomach muscles. In a gym consider the Captain’s chair exercise, or using a medical ball to change up your workout routine and inject a little excitement.
The captain’s chair and bicycle crunch are overall the two most effective exercises for developing great looking abdominal muscles. The reason for this is that many beginners don’t know that to get great abs there are actually three sets of muscles that you need to exercise in order to get the full effects: “rectus abdominis,” “external obliques,” and “internal obliques.” The captain’s chair and bicycle crunch are among the best exercises for all three, which is why they are so effective.
Keeping this knowledge, and learning how to exercise all your stomach muscles while also working to burn all extra fat, will keep you happy and far more likely to get that elusive six pack.