A six-pack doesn’t just refer to a pack of beer or soda. It also refers to a great set of abdominal muscles. Crunches and variations on crunches are the only way to gain a great looking six pack with very little time commitment.
The basic crunch requires:
1) Lie on the floor with the knees bent and the lower back pushed into the floor.
2) Place your hands behind your head.
3) DO NOT pull up on your head and neck! Pick a focal point on the ceiling directly above your head. This will keep your chin raised off of your chest while crunching since this is crucial to working the muscles correctly.
4) Once in position, raise your entire upper body off the floor a few inches.
5) Exhale while crunching and inhale on the way back down.
6) For added challenge, do not rest on the floor again before beginning the next crunch. This exercise will work the upper abdominals.
For more of a challenge on the basic crunch:
Lift your legs a few inches off the ground instead of bending them with your feet flat on the floor. This will make your stomach muscles work harder on the lift.
The highest challenge to try:
Pull your legs into your stomach as you lift and straighten them back out while you lower your upper body. All the while you are keeping your legs a few inches from the ground.
To work the oblique, or muscles that run along the side of you stomach, start in the same position as described above except place your left ankle on your right thigh right below your right knee. With your hands behind your head and chin raised off of your chest, lift diagonally toward your left leg which is bent. This will work your left oblique. To work your right side, place the right leg on the left thigh directly below the knee and lift diagonally toward your right side.
In order to tone your lower abs:
1) Lay flat on your back and raise both legs in the air so that they are in a 90 degree angle with the body.
2) Place your hands behind your head or flat on the ground at your sides and lift your legs straight up into the air. Imagine there is a string from the ceiling to your ankles lifting them straight up.
Another great way to work your lower abdominals is to use an exercise ball. Lay on your back on top of the ball, knees bent so your upper body is hanging off the back of the ball.
Placing the hands behind the head, lift your upper body slightly feeling your lower abs tighten.
If you are just beginning to work your abdomen muscles, start out with about ten repetitions of each exercise described above. This should only take about 5 – 10 minutes daily. As you feel like you want more of a challenge, increase the number of repetitions by 5. Abdominal exercises should be done daily in order to achieve maximum results.