Ab muscles are muscles everyone wants but dont know how to go about getting them. Perform the best ab exercises and stick to a solid diet and you will grow your ab muscles and have the potential to get a six pack. The abs are just like any other muscle and require proper training, nutrition and rest in order to grow. Doing 100 sit-ups a day will NOT give you ab muscles as many other factors have to be taken into consideration first.
The Best Ab Exercises
One of which is overtraining. If your working your abs everyday then you are overtraining them. Secondly, are you eating correctly. If your body fat percentage is not low enough or you are overweight, you will never see your ab muscles no matter how hard you work them. Here are some of the most effective ab exercises you can perform:
Abdominal Crunches
The abdominal crunch is an exercise that many people perform incorrectly and do not use good form. Using bad form will not only make your ab workouts less effective but can also cause back problems. To perform a crunch, lie down on the floor and bend your knees. Place hands either across your chest or lightly behind your head. With your lower back pressed firmly against the floor contract your abdominal muscles and lift yourself up off the floor.
Shoulder blades should be raised 2-3 inches off the floor in a slow and controlled motion. Pause for a second and then lower your body slowly back to the floor. Keep your lower and middle part of your back on the floor at all times. Do not pull your head up with your hands or tuck your chin in towards your chest when you crunch up. You may find it useful to place some sort of weight above your feet whilst performing the crunch as this will restrict any movement of the feet.
Tuck Crunch
The tuck crunch is very similar to an ordinary crunch. The only difference we have here is that the legs are raised and knees are bent to form a right angle. The tuck crunch places greater stress on the upper ab muscles whilst also hitting the remaining ab muscles.
To perform the tuck crunch lie down on the floor and bend your knees to form a right angle. Legs should be raised off the floor at this point. Keep the legs parallel to the floor with your hands placed across your chest or behind your head. Contract ab muscles and lift your shoulder blades up off the floor. Shoulders only need to be raised a few inches off the floor and then returned to the starting position.
Abdominal Leg Raises
Leg raises are great for hitting those lower ab muscles. They place primary stress on the lower abs whilst also working the upper ab muscles. Performing the leg raise is relatively easy. Lie down flat on the floor with hands positioned by your sides. Now attempt to curl your legs up above you while keeping the legs as straight as possible. Focus on contracting your abdominal muscles when curling your legs up. Lower your legs back down so that the legs are a couple of inches off the floor and repeat. You may also perform this exercise with legs slightly bent and hand behind your head or tucked underneath your bum.
Seated leg tucks
Seated leg tucks are another great exercise for hitting the lower abdominal muscles. Greater stress is placed on the lower abs during this exercise while the upper abdominal muscles are also worked. You can choose to perform this exercise by either sitting on a bench, or sitting on the floor. I would recommend using a bech for this exercise as you can then use a fuller range of motion for the exercise.
Position yourself at the end of the bench and grab hold of each side for support and balance. You should also lean your body back ever so slightly for additional comfort. With your knees slightly bent, lift your legs straight out infront of you. Now bring your knees in towards your chest and then back to their original position. Do not let your feet touch the floor!
Oblique Crunch
The obliques cruch will help develop your oblique muscles which are positioned either side of your rib cage. The obliques muscles are actually formed by two muscles known as the external and internal obliques. To perform the oblique crunch you will need to position yourself as if you was doing a regular crunch or situp. Lay down on your back with knees bent and hands across the chest/behind the head. Contract your abs and lift your shoulder blades off the floor towards your right or left knee. Depending on which side you are working, you should bring your left elbow towards your right knee to work the left sided oblique muscle and the opposite to work your right sided oblique.
