As its coming up to summer most people will be looking to attain that beach body and display a rippling 6 pack. However the majority of people will not have yet achieved that look. Having thick defined abs can literally transform the way a physique looks and is the desirable look for most men.

However, although a good 6 pack is what most people desire, most people fail to train their abdominal muscles on a regular basis and to the necessary degree. in my experience doing 3 sets of crunches once a week when it gets to summer is not enough to really get a solid 6 pack. you have to dedicate some time at least once per week all year round to build these stubborn muscles. Just like you would any other body part.

To me good abs are when you have thick abs, with really deep divides and pronounced obliques. in order to get this i believe that heavy weights must be used. i have used a routine over the past year that has worked very well in helping me to develop my abs. it takes no more than 30 minutes and can be done only once a week to see great results.

so here it is:

1st exercise: crunch circuit
i warm up my abs by doing a superset of crunches and static leg raises. i lie on my back with my knees bent and feet planted. watching the clock i do crunches for 30 seconds (aim for 1 crunch every second). Then at 30 seconds i hold my legs out straight with my feet 2-3 inches off the floor. cross your arms across your chest to keep tension on your abs. i hold this for 30 seconds then bring my legs back in to crunch again. i repeat this 3 times so taking a total of 3 minutes. that is one set. i will usually do 2.

2nd exercise: cable sit ups
this is best if you have a training partner. you will need to set a bench around 3 foot away from a low cable machine (the bottom cable on a cable crossover machine will work as well). attatch a rope attatchment to the cable. lay on the bench so that your head is at the end with the cable and rope and your feet are away from it. tuck your feet up onto the bench and get your training partner to hold them down. take the rope and hold it either side of your head. stretch right back whilst keeping your abs tensed and then performa full range sit up. there should be tension on the cable the full time. it is very hard and the lowest weight on the stack will most likely suffice for most people. if you dont have a training partner you can do the same thing but simply sit on the floor rather than a bench and tuck your feet under 2 heavy dumbells. you should do 3 sets of 8-12 reps

3rd exercise: reverse cable crunch:
this time we will use the top cable. attatch the rop attatchment to the high cable. hold the rope either side of your head and kneel down around 3 feet away from the machine. allow your abs to stretch up with the cable then crunch down bringing your head towards your knees. crunch hard at the bottom. do 3 sets of 8-12 reps

4th exercise: side reverse cable crunches
these are performed in the same way as the third exercise but you will face sideways on to the machine and you will crunch sideways. bring your elbow down to the same side and squeeze your obliques. swap sides and perform one after another with no rest period. perform 3 sets of 15 reps. this will work the obliques.

5th exercise: Leg raises
lie flat on a bench with your legs hanging off the end of the bench. slowly lower your feet (with legs straight) to around 1 foot off the floor. pause at the bottom and raise your legs to straight up. pause at the top and repeat. perform 3 sets of 15 slow and controlled reps. these will work the lower abdominals.

so that is it. this will hit every part of your abs and i guarantee if you do this routine once per week you will have a fantastic 6 pack by this time next year.

-AC-