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Unleash your abs with this explosive plan! Looking for a more intense ab workout? Then you’ve hit the right article! This workout will burn and drive your abs into immense shape and strength in no time!
Six-pack exercises don’t start and end with sit-ups. As any proud owner of six-pack abs will attest, it takes more than just endless crunches, twists and sit-ups to achieve your goal of a cobblestone core. In fact, you may want to abandon crunches altogether if you want to get smart on your six-pack.
Choose one exercise from each section, for a total of five. Perform one move immediately after the other for the specified number of repetitions, then repeat the circuit. After 4 weeks, choose the exercise in each group that you didn’t perform in your previous workouts. This ensures that your muscles are always adapting to new stress.
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Standing Cable Crunch:
How To:
- Attach a rope to a high pulley cable.
- Stand with your back to the weight stack and hold one end of the rope on the left side of your head and the other end on the right.
- Crunch your torso down.
- Pause, then return to the starting position.
- Do 10 to 15 repetitions.
Weighted Crunch:
How To:
- Lie on your back with your knees bent, and hold a weight plate or dumbbell on your chest.
- (If that’s too hard, just do a traditional crunch.)
- Slowly crunch up, bringing your shoulder blades off the floor.
- Pause, then lower yourself to the starting position.
- Do 10 to 15 repetitions.
Pulse-Up:
How To:
- Lie with your hands under your tailbone and your legs extended straight up toward the ceiling, perpendicular to your torso.
- Lift your hips off the floor in a straight line.
- Pause, then lower your hips.
- Do 10 to 15 repetitions.
Figure-8 Crunch:
How To:
- Lie on your back with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle, squeezing a light medicine ball tightly between them, and place your feet flat on the floor.
- Place your fingers behind your ears, then slowly raise your head, shoulders, and feet off the floor.
- Keeping your torso up, move your knees in a figure-8 motion.
- Each figure-8 is one repetition.
- Do 10 to 15 repetitions.
Medicine Ball Torso Rotation:
How To:
- Hold a medicine ball or basketball in front of you as you kneel and sit back on your heels.
- Quickly twist to your left and set the ball down behind your back.
- Twist to the right and pick up the ball, then bring it around to your left and set it down again.
- That’s one repetition.
- Do 10 to 15 repetitions.
Side Jackknife:
How To:
- Lie on your left side, with your legs nearly straight and slightly raised off the floor.
- Also, lift your torso off the floor, with your left forearm on the floor for balance.
- Hold your other hand behind your right ear, with your elbow pointed toward your feet.
- Lift your legs toward your torso while keeping your torso stationary.
- Pause to feel the contraction on the right side of your waist.
- Then slowly lower your legs and repeat.
- Finish the set, then switch sides.
- Do 10 to 15 repetitions.
Two-Point Bridge:
How To:
- Assume the standard push-up position.
- Lift your right arm and left leg off the floor at the same time.
- Hold for 3 to 5 seconds, then lower them.
- That’s one repetition.
- Return to the starting position, then repeat, lifting your left arm and right leg this time.
- Do 10 to 15 repetitions.
Negative Crunch:
How To:
- Sit with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, shoulder-width apart.
- Extend your arms in front of you with your fingers interlaced.
- Begin with your upper body at slightly less than a 90-degree angle to the floor.
- Lower your upper body toward the floor, curling your torso forward, rounding your lower back, and keeping your abs contracted.
- When your upper body reaches a 45-degree angle to the floor, return to the starting position.
- Do 10 to 15 repetitions.
Back Extension:
How To:
- Position yourself in a back-extension station, and hook your feet under the leg anchor.
- Hold your arm straight
- Lace your hands behind your head.
- Lower your torso, allowing your lower back to round slightly until it’s just short of perpendicular to the floor.
- Pause, then raise your upper body until it’s slightly above parallel to the floor.
- At this point, you should have a slight arch in your back, and your shoulder blades should be pulled together.
- Do 10 to 15 repetitions.
Twisting Back Extension:
How To:
- Position yourself in a back-extension station, and hook your feet under the leg anchor.
- Lace your hands behind your head.
- Lower your torso, allowing your lower back to round slightly until it’s just short of perpendicular to the floor.
- Raise and twist your upper body until it’s in line with your hips and facing right.
- That’s one repetition.
- Repeat the move, this time twisting to your left.
- Do 10 to 15 repetitions.
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