THE ULTIMATE ABS WORKOUT GUIDE

What makes an ab exercise fall into the ‘most effective’ category? It needs to target the desired muscles, use little to no equipment, have multiple functions involved if possible, and be difficult to perform incorrectly. A lot of good abs exercises like leg raises, Russian twists and bicycle crunches are commonly performed incorrectly. In these exercises it’s all too easy to overuse hip flexors or underperform the rotational aspect and completely miss out on the benefits. That is why you won’t see these exercises show up on this list. What you will see is an array of exercises that hit the most important functions and regions of the abs. These will have some fail-safes built in to make them much easier to perform correctly, which makes them much more effective. A few of them work more than one abdominal muscle function and several of them use no equipment, so they can be performed anywhere! Let’s dive in and I’ll show you my top selections and why I chose them!

If you want to try what I believe is the best ab workout that hits every one of these functions and arranges the exercises in the correct sequence for maximum efficiency, check out my Perfect Abs Workout. It contains all of my favorite abs exercises as well as advanced exercises and a beginner abs exercise alternative for each move. If you’re looking for complete and effective ab workouts at home that require no gym equipment at all and can be done practically anywhere, give my Best Ab Workout at Home a try.

SIDE BRIDGE TWIST – LATERAL FLEXION AND ROTATIONAL CONTROL HOW TO DO IT: For this forearm side plank variation, start in forearm plank position with elbow under shoulder, but with feet in side plank position. Lift your trunk up off the ground to create lateral flexion pillar strength using the obliques and then twist the torso with a controlled motion. WHAT MAKES IT EFFECTIVE: This exercise works lateral flexion and rotational control and stability at the same time. Whenever we combine functions, it makes for a more effective exercise. This is also a great bodyweight exercise with no equipment required. LEVITATION CRUNCH – UPPER ABS HOW TO DO IT: This one proves that ab exercises don’t have to be elaborate to be effective. Keeping your feet flat, just lift your shoulder blades off the ground and ‘levitate’ your upper body toward the ceiling, hands behind the head and allowing your shoulder blades guide the way. Don’t crank on your neck or pull your head closer to your knees. This doesn’t work the abs. WHAT MAKES IT EFFECTIVE:This crunch variation is a simple and small movement that is very effective for training the upper abs without the need for the neck cranking involved in a traditional crunch. You don’t need a ton of range of motion here. It also requires no equipment at all. SWIPER – LOWER ABS HOW TO DO IT: For this reverse crunches variation, the upper body stays on the stays on the ground. Focus on curling the pelvis back and getting it off the ground, bringing your knees toward your chest. Swipe your hands underneath your tailbone as it lifts, which will help ensure you’re doing the exercise correctly and provides an extra challenge for core strength. WHAT MAKES IT EFFECTIVE: This is a slow and easily controlled movement for the lower abs that has a self-check built in to help make sure you’re clearing the tailbone off the floor. GYMNAST AB TUCK – LOWER ABS HOW TO DO IT: Use your arms to lift your torso up and focus on unfolding your trunk right at the level of the pelvis, not on moving the legs. This creates a posterior pelvic tilt which is responsible for the spinal flexion that activates the abdominals. While I’m doing it on a captain’s chair, it can also be done on a kitchen countertop corner. WHAT MAKES IT EFFECTIVE: Use your arms to lift your torso up and focus on unfolding your trunk right at the level of the pelvis, not on moving the legs. This creates a posterior pelvic tilt which is responsible for the spinal flexion that activates the abdominals. While I’m doing it on a captain’s chair, it can also be done on a kitchen countertop corner. HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET ABS? One of the most commonly asked questions get about the abdominals is how long it takes to get visible six pack abs. This will really depend on how much overall body fat and belly fat you had when you started, how consistent you are with your nutrition and how good your ab training is. The good news is, there are a few things you can do to speed up the process . WHAT SHOULD I EAT TO GET ABS? So then if nutrition is the key to seeing that six pack, what should you be eating? There’s a ton of conflicting info out there about nutrition. People like to make it really complicated but it doesn’t have to be. In fact, it’s all this complication that keeps people from being able to stick to a plan. I mean, how many people are going to be food journaling, counting and measuring every day for the rest of their lives? The truth is there’s a much easier way. Let me break it down for you. Just take a round plate and imagine it divided up into 40%, 40% and 20%. That’s 40% protein, 40% fibrous carbs and 20% starchy carbs. Fats are ‘incidental’… use them to cook your food or where they’re found as healthy ingredients in a recipe in cases like nuts, seeds and avocados. Proteins include meats and seafood, dairy such as cheese and milk, or vegetarian/vegan protein sources like soy, beans, nuts and seeds. Fibrous carbs are fruits and vegetables. For starchy carbs, choose unrefined options like whole grains, squash or sweet potatoes. Simple, right? This is a great way to make sure you’re eating properly to get your abs to show, without spending all your time food logging!

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