The 5 Best Ab Exercises

The great thing about ab training is that the exercises are startlingly easy to do. Unlike exercises for the larger muscle groups like the legs, chest, or back, abdominal exercises don’t require heavy weights. There’s also little risk of injury either. How often have you heard people say that they “pulled” an ab muscle?

The key to six-pack abs is knowing what the best ab exercises are and then doing them. So what are the most effective exercises for targeting the abdominal muscles and producing a ripped midsection? One of the best studies to look at this issue was conducted at the Biomechanics Lab at San Diego State University. The researchers compared 13 abdominal exercises, ranging from the familiar crunch to more complicated exercises using gym equipment and home equipment.

Based on their findings they concluded that five of the best exercises for targeting the abdominals are:

1. Bicycles:
To do this one, lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed firmly to the ground. With your hands held at your temples bring your knees up to about a 45-degree angle and slowly go through a pedaling type motion. To make things more challenging touch your left elbow to your right knee, then your right elbow to your left knee. Keeping the legs elevated and moving, stresses the lower sections of the abdominals while lifting the torso up and twisting works the upper abs and oblique muscles. Both sections will need to be fully developed to give that six-pack appearance.

2. Captain’s chair hanging leg raises :
Even though the “best” abdominal exercises have traditionally been those involving no specialized equipment, this one was found to be very effective. Start with your forearms resting on the pads of the leg raise support. Without rocking, slowly lift your knees up towards your chest. Slowly lower back down to the starting position, stopping just short of locking out the legs at the bottom. Some people perform this exercise with the legs straight but we caution against this as straight leg, leg raises place extra stress on the lower back ligaments. It’s not worth injuring the lower back for a ripped midsection.

3. Crunch on an exercise ball:
Although the relationship between bodybuilders and the medical profession has never been that close, bodybuilders can thank physiotherapists for this great six-pack exercise. SWISS balls (also called therapy or exercise balls) are now commonplace in gyms these day – and for good reason. With this one single piece of equipment you can target virtually every muscle in the body. To work the abs, sit on the ball with your feet flat on the ground. Slowly lean back until your thighs and torso are parallel with the floor. You’ll need to roll forwards or backwards to see what position is most comfortable. Next contract your abdominals and raise your torso to about 45 degrees. Slowly return to the starting position. To bring more of the oblique muscles in, you can simply move your feet closer together alternate twisting to each side.

4. Reverse Crunch:
Another simple but highly effective exercise for developing a ripped midsection. Lie back on the floor and draw your knees towards your chest as if you were going to perform bicycles. Slowly stretch your legs outwards stopping just short of a lockout. Although they primarily target the lower abs, the upper abs also get a good workout from this great exercise.

5. The Plank:
This is one of those abdominal exercises that looks far easier than it actually is. Lie face down on a mat resting your forearms on the floor. Slowly push away from the floor, raising up onto your toes and resting on the elbows. Try to keep your back flat and in a straight line from head to heels. Contract your abs and keep your butt from

from: www.justmass.com