Six Pack Central: Where Are My Abs?

Who doesn't want a tight, strong midsection? Just about everyone strives for it, but most never achieve it. Why? Are most people just flat out unable to attain a six pack? No, the answer lies in a few key areas.

1) Improper Dieting: 'Great abs are made in the kitchen'. You may have heard this before, but what does it mean? Dieting is without a doubt number one on the priority list for attaining a six pack. Without a diet that puts you in a position to burn more calories than you take in, you will always have a layer of body fat covering up your abdominals no matter how many sit ups you can do.

2) Lack of Variety: The ab portion of most people's workout consists of plopping down on the mat and pumping out a hundred crunches. We must remmeber that the abdominals are made up of three parts: upper abs, lower abs, and the obliques (muscles on the sides). An ab routine needs to hit all three of these muscle groups, otherwise you are not going to fullly develop your abs. Russian twists, side planks, and leg lifts are examples of exercises that work the entire abdominal region and should be included in your workout. You can also add stability ball and bosu exercises to your resistance routine to add some variety.

3) Lack of Cardio: Ok, say you have a solid ab routine. You can feel the muscle in your midsection, but still aren't seeing results? You will only begin to see definition when that layer of body fat that is covering your abs is removed. Remember, we can't spot reduce (take away fat from just one specific part of the body), so cardiovascular work is the easiest way to reduce your total body fat percentage. Once you lose that layer, your six pack will come shining through.

So what should I do for my ab routine, you ask? Here is a quick workout you can do in the gym or at home. Go through all of the exercises once, rest about 30 seconds, then repeat for one or two more sets:

Leg Lifts 20 reps
Plank 30 seconds
Russian Twist 20 reps/side
Side Plank 30 seconds/side
Straight-leg Crunch 20 reps