Most Effective Ab Exercises: Abdominal Exercises for Men and Women

People are constantly asking what the most effective ab exercisesare, which is why I decided to do a post onabdominal exercises for women and men.

That is the really crazy thing about the abdomen – you don’tneed to work it specifically in order to get defined abs. Do stomach workouts speed up the process and make it go faster? Yes. But is it necessary? No. All workouts get your core going.

So if you have a low body percentage and workout routinely, chances are your stomach will be defined.

Okay, but you didn’t come here to get lectured about low body fat percentages and about how “core” exercises have been taken to the extreme by the fitness industry. You want the most best workouts for your midsection to get a toned, defined stomach by summer. Well, you asked, and I delivered. Here are the top 5 exercises:

#5. The Crunch. The most basic workout. Done like a sittup but only going up partially. This is by far the worst of all the exercises listed here.

#4. The Plank. Lay straight on your forearms and toes, keeping your head up and back straight. Hold for 30 seconds to 2 and a half minutes. This is an excellent exercise because it trains your midsection to be tone while you’re in standing position, and it’s also great for the spine. Here’s a video of the plank:

#3. The Side Plank. Lay on your side forearm and foot, raise your side for 30 seconds to 2 and a half minutes. Repeat on other side. Great workout for the side abs. Here’s a video of the side plank:

#2. The Leg Lift. Lay on your back. Raise your legs. Hold. This exercise is amazing for the lower abs. Here’s a video of a leg lift:

#1. Leg Lift On a Pullup Bar. Harder than the leg lift of #3, you hold onto a pullup bar and lift your legs straight up. You can also alternate to the sides for the side abs. This is an advanced exercise – but by far the best one if you can do it. It’s amazing for the lower abdomen.

A few extra notes:

I know a lot of you guys are looking to get ripped ab by summer time, and I want you to succeed, so I just wanted to give you a few tips outside of the above exercise.

1. Start a moderate diet now. Something you can handle but will allow you to lose weight. A week or two before beach time, go super low carb/no carb, high protein and add some more cardio. It’s slight pain for those two weeks but it will pay off at the beach big time.

2. Don’t forget the basics. These workouts help, but the main thing as always is consistency and low body fat percentage when you’re trying to tone up. Keep it up, and your body for adapt. Try not to skip workouts!

3. Remember – it’s really not that hard. A lot of people let themselves get “psyched out” or “intimidated” by the idea of working out and dieting pre-summer. Attention guys and girls – all this worry is about literally eating a little less (diet) and moving around for 10 minutes (working out). It’s not that big a deal. Just be consistent and you’ll look awesome for summer!