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A great set of abs is a function of two factors - abdominal muscle density and low body-fat. It’s a major factor to have low body-fat level, usually below 10%, because the less of it the more visible the abdominals. As far as ab exercises go, there are many to choose from, but some of them are not working the midsection 100%. In fact scientists have an amazing tool called Electromyography (EMG) that shows how much muscles work during specific exercises, Scientists place electrodes over a muscle of the belly. The harder the muscle works the more electricity is measured on the EMG. From these EMG studies, results show that the best ab exercises are bench crunches, hanging leg raises, pull-down crunches, swiss ball crunches, vertical crunches (especially on a swiss ball) and swiss ball side crunches. So I combine these marvelous exercises and use them in my training session 2 times a week. Beware that the above routine is for people who are somehow advanced in the fitness level and have some experience of doing ab exercises with proper form. So the main training session I do for my abs (and I must say that it is pretty hardcore) so please don’t do it alone without the proper guidance from a qualified trainer or training partner, is:

I do 4 giant-sets including all of these exercises I mentioned above, with 1 minute rest between them in order to keep the heart rate high. A giant-set is a very intensive set that is consists of various exercises with very little rest in-between. Only when you perform this whole series of exercises you can rest a little according to your fitness level. So I do:

GIANT-SET:

1) Bent crunches X max reps

2) Hanging leg raises X max reps

3) Pull-down/Cable crunches X max reps

4) Swiss ball crunches X max reps

5) Swiss ball vertical crunches X max reps

6) Swiss ball side crunches X reps

As you can see half of my abdominal routine consists of exercises on a Swiss ball, this way you can work through a greater range of motion and activate more muscle fibers than regular exercises which ultimately leads to very intensive ab workouts when performed properly. Now lets take a look at each exercise alone.

a) Bent crunches: Lie flat on the floor with the legs over a bench so that the thighs are perpendicular to the floor. Cross the arms over the chest. Don’t place the arms behind the head, as there is a serious possibility to pull the body forward with the arms, thereby taking the focus off the abs and the chance of injuring the neck region increases. Once you are in the proper starting position, simply raises your upper back off the floor very slowly and roll forward until you reach the end point of the movement.

Begin the #1 ABS Program!