Discover The Most Effective Ab Workouts
It sounds counter-intuitive, and will probably come as a surprise to many, but if you’re spending a lot of time in the gym on exercises which are supposed to work your abs directly you could well be wasting your time.  That means sit-ups, crunches, leg raises and all those other “fun” things you’ve been persuaded to do are probably not the most effective ways of training your abs.
A much better approach is to focus on an intensive full body workout, which will stimulate the metabolism and the body’s own natural fat–burning hormones.
You see, to get that coveted “six pack” it’s just as important to get rid of the fat covering the muscles as it is to build up the muscles. And research has shown that hundreds of reps of low intensity exercises are just not the best way to achieve this.
Whether you’re looking for a ripped “six-pack” or a just a better toned, more shapely middle, Insider Secrets For A Lean Body by Mike Geary* details the highly effective ab workouts you need.
The principles of intensive whole-body exercise and proper lean nutrition have been shown to work well for both men and women, but women are often particularly reluctant to try training with weights. But the truth for both men and women is that building up lean muscle is the most effective away of burning off fat – and keeping it off. Women in particular need to understand that this will not mean them building up unattractive, bulky muscles. Their bodies are just not designed to do that.
On the other hand, it’s also important to recognise that low-intensity (and boring) cardio work, on the treadmill or static bike, is also largely ineffective, and certainly time inefficient, in reducing body fat. But do high intensity exercises properly and they will give you a very good cardio workout as well.
The point is not that sit-ups or crunches are “bad” and should never be done, rather that they’re not the whole answer to training your abs and should be included, if at all, only as a small part of an intensive full-body workout.
So the most effective ab workouts are those which stress whole-body movements and intensive exercises such as squats and deadlifts. Working the legs and back, the body’s biggest muscles, in this way not only burns fat but also works the abdominal and core area really hard, even though you may not be conscious of it.  Ab specific exercises can be included as well, but these should be of the high intensity type rather than doing hundreds of crunches. A good example would be leg raises done while hanging from a pull up bar. Some twisting exercises of the yoga type can also be very effective.
Traditional cardio work, if done at all, should be of the interval type. That’s to say alternating bursts of high intensity activity, eg sprints, with lower intensity, eg jogging. Maintaining a steady, slow, pace for an extended time is not only boring but largely ineffective.
You can find out much more about effective ab workouts when you pick up a free copy of Insider Secrets For A Lean Body. The secret is to train not harder but smarter and you can discover many more ways by getting this 65 page guide.
Steve Smith is a freelance writer and web publisher with a special interest in health and fitness.
http://www.effectiveabworkouts.org
