Ab Exercises for Overweight Men

Your abs are not going to show when you are overweight. But that does not mean you cannot start integrating  ab exercise program into your regular routine. Your abs are there, and they will gain muscle and become stronger over time, even though you cannot see them.
For overweight men, and women, turning your body into the one you want (hopefully you’re thinking of a body that can grace the covers of fitness magazines) will be one of the most difficult things you will ever do in your life. You must be prepared for the challenges. It will take weeks, if not months, to undo the bad habits you have followed over the years.
The battle is primarily mental. You must be absolutely dedicated to this goal. You must imagine your body as one of a greek god. This program will take you out of your comfort zone, and then some.

Tell your friends and family about your goal. Write it down and stick it to your door. Even better, find a partner not only for motivation, but help in the gym as well.
It is absolutely necessary for you to start a cardio program and begin a healthy diet if you want washboard abs. You will never lose enough fat just by weight lifting. You must attack it from all three fronts: Diet, Exercise, and Cardio.
There are some schools of thought that say gradual progress is the way to do it. We think that is bullshit! The only way you are going to get fit and expose your six-pack is by willing your mind and body into it. You must dive in head first and never look back. When you are giving 110%, you see results quicker which leads to more motivation to continue giving it your all. When you take your sweet ass time, there is plenty of opportunity time for your talk yourself out of getting fit, and plenty of opportunities to fail over and over again.
If you want the slow and sensible approach, call Weight Watchers.

Ab Diet for Overweight Men

Diet accounts for roughly 75% of weight loss. If all you did was follow our healthy diet guidelines, you would still lose weight.
Your primary goal is to lose as much fat as possible, as quickly as possible. You want to cut fat and expose the abs. After a number of weeks, you will notice the last few pounds will become harder and harder to get rid of. At this point, you should increase the intensity of your cardio and exercise program, and reduce fat and carbs in your diet.
To be honest, our healthy diet guidelines is not the fastest way to lose weight, but it is the most sensible, and it is something you should follow for the rest of your life. It works, plain and simple. There are many extreme diets out there, but none will provide the energy you need for our cardio and ab exercise routines, and none that develop healthy eating habits that last for the rest of your life.

Cardio Program for Abs

As far as cardio goes, there is slow state cardio (jogging), and high intensity cardio (sprints, interval running, etc). Both forms of cardio should be incorporated into a weight loss diet diet. The goal is to cut fat to expose the abdominals.
Cardio is best done early in the morning before you eat anything.

Monday

• 20-40 minute jog

Tuesday

• 10 second sprints / 10 second walks – 12-15 SETS TOTAL

Wednesday

• 15-25 minute jog
• 6-10 minutes of jumping rope

Thursday

• 1-4 minutes faster pace running / 1 minute rest – 3-6 SETS TOTAL

Friday

• SLOW 10-20 minute jog

Saturday

• Hill sprints / Regular sprints – Make Your Own Workout! See our Running Manifesto for ideas.

Ab Exercise Program for Overweight Men

Attach this routine to your regular workout routine. The following regimen has high-intensity exercises that will have you pushing yourself to the edge. That’s good, because the more intensity you train with, the faster you will lose weight.

Monday

• V-Ups – 2-4 sets of 15-50 (work your way up to the maximum) [On your back, legs straight, arms extended straight over your head. Bring your finger tips to your toes, making your body form a "V" shape, keep legs and arms straight, do this exercise in a fast, explosive manner – STEADY MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT!]
• Bicycles – 2-3 sets of 30-60 [Left elbow to right knee, right elbow to left knee, keep a fast motion throughout. Once you start never let both legs touch the ground until you're done the set – FAST MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]
• Leg Raises – 3 sets of 15-30 [On your back, keep your legs straight, and raise them up forming an L-shape with your body. Get your lower back slight off the ground. – SLOW MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]
• Supermans – 3 sets of 15 [Lay on your stomach and raise both your arms and your legs off the ground simultaneously, like you're flying through the air - like Superman! STEADY MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]

Tuesday

• Weighted Crunch – 2 sets of 12-15 (use enough weight that will get you these amount of reps, no more and no less. It will require a lot of guess and check if you are new to this exercise) [Get on the weighted crunch machine, load up weight, and start crunching. SLOW MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]
• Weighted Decline Sit-ups 3 sets of 10-15 (concentrate on the massive burn) – [Get on the decline bench, grab a weight and put it across your chest and hold tight, go ALL the way down, and ALL the way up, at a decently high incline – SLOW MOVEMENT ON THE WAY DOWN, FAST & EXPLOSIVE ON THE WAY UP]
• Sitting Machine Crunch – 2-3 sets of 10-15 [Pick an ab machine, preferably one that lets you sit up, pick your weight, and do your crunches following the instructions of the machine. It will probably have you sit straight up, and crunch downwards. – STEADY MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]
• Back Extension Machine – 3 sets of 10-12 [Get on the back extension machine, and push all the way down, and all the way up – STEADY MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]

Wednesday

• Knee Hugs – 2-4 sets of 15-50 (work your way up to maximum) [Similar to the V-Ups, except this time, with your legs extended, and your arms extended straight over your head, focus on touching both knees to your chest, simultaneously – FAST MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]
• Russian Twists – 3 sets of 20-60 [Get yourself into a semi-crunch position on a decline bend and hold. Extend your arms out in front of you, and put your hands together, now twist to all the way to the left, and then twist all the way to the right, all while in the semi-crunch position. This should really put a burn on your midsection, as well as work the obliques very well – FAST, YET STEADY MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]
• Straight Extensions – 3 sets of 20-40 [Lay down, legs straight, arms at your sides. Lift your upper back off the ground, keeping arms straight, and legs straight, and focus on a touching your fingers to your toes motion, without moving your legs whatsoever. Your lower back does not leave the ground. This is almost like a half crunch, except your legs stay stationary – SLOW MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]
• Back Extensions – 3-4 sets of 15-30 [Get on the back extension unit / bench, bend all the way down, and then bend all the way up – STEADY MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]

Thursday

• Decline Bench Medicine Ball Sit-ups – 2-3 sets of 12-18 [Grab a medicine ball of decent weight, get on a decline bench, hold the medicine ball over your head the whole time, and go all the way up, and all the way down...OUCH! - FAST ON THE WAY DOWN, SLOW ON THE WAY UP]
• Decline Bench Russian Twists with medicine ball – 3-4 sets of 14-20 [Get on a decline bench with a medicine ball, and do the Russian Twists as described earlier, on a decline – FAST BUT CONTROLLED MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT - Start with a very low weight if you are new to this exercise.]
• Double Medicine Ball Crunches – 3 sets of 12-16 [Get on the ground, medicine ball between your feet, and a medicine ball in your hands, over your head. Crunch up concentrating on touching the 2 medicine balls together! Good luck! – SLOW AND STEADY MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]
• Good Mornings – 2-3 sets of 10-12 [Grab a barbell and load some weight on it, put the bar on the top of your upper back / shoulders / back of neck (CAREFULLY!). Bend down, legs straight, eyes and head up, and go back up – SLOW MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]

Friday

• Crunches – 3-4 sets of 30-60 (work your way up to maximum) [No explanation needed. Good old fashioned crunches – FAST AND STEADY MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]
• Sit-Ups – 3-4 sets of 30-60 [No, these are not the same as crunches. Lay down, knees slightly bent, feet on ground, arms behind head, and go all the way up, and back down. Don't let someone hold your feet down like they did back in gym class! Concentrate on keeping your feet pinned to the ground, while sitting up. It makes it harder – SLOW MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]
• Side Crunches – 3-4 sets of 20-40 each side [Lay on your side, and crunch, contracting your oblique muscles – FAST MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]
• Alternating Supermans – 3 sets of 15 (15 with left arm, right leg; 15 with right arm, right leg) [Same as the regular Supermans, except instead of raising your arms and legs up simultaneously, raise your left arm, and your right leg, then your right arm, and your left leg, respectively, simultaneously – STEADY MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]

Saturday

At this point, you might be completely spent. But when you are ready to take it to the next level, add this workout on Saturdays!

• Weighted Crunch with 1 leg – 2 sets of 8-15 (per each leg) [Get on the weighted crunch machine like explained before, but instead of putting both your legs through the leg pads, only put one leg through, and crunch that way – SLOW AND CAREFUL MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]
• Decline Bench Medicine Ball Passes – 4 sets of 15-20 [Get on the decline bench, grab a medicine ball and hold it at your chest, go all the way down, and when you come up, explode up as fast as you can and throw the ball at a partner, and have him throw it back at you at the very moment when you begin to back down, and repeat the painful process. You may also throw the ball at a wall and catch if you do not have a partner – SLOW ON THE WAY DOWN, SUPER FAST AND EXPLOSIVE ON THE WAY UP]
• The Ab Wheel – 3 sets of 10-12 [No weight needed for this bad boy. Everyone knows the wheel. Grab an ab wheel, and depending how strong you are, either start from your feet, or from your knees, roll all the way out, and then come back up. – You will only be able to do SLOW MOVEMENT during this exercise]
• Weighted Roman Chair Reverse Crunches – 3 sets of 8 [The Roman Chair is the gadget with the arm rests and the back rest, with bars coming out which you can hang from. Put a dumbbell between your feet, then hang from the Roman Chair, then pick your knees up slowly (or your feet up straight if you want a challenge) and then lower down slowly – SLOW MOVEMENT THROUGHOUT]