Work Out Programs for Abs

Abdominal workout programs can vary from intense, focused abdominal exercises multiple days a week to a few exercises included as part of another workout. The abdominal workouts you choose to do should be dictated by your goal. Heavy intense exercises will build abdominal muscle while low resistance, high rep exercises will simply improve your abdominal muscular endurance. Paul Chek of the Corrective High-performance Exercise Kinesiology Institute notes that trained abdominal muscles will help you maintain good posture, a necessity for injury prevention.

Build a "Six Pack"

The rectus abdominus muscle, the famous "six pack" muscle, will become more visible with body fat levels below 20 percent. However, with intense training three days a week, you will begin to see a lightly separated "six pack" for body fat levels between 20 and 25 percent. Train your abdominal muscles three days a week, with one day's rest between sessions. Gradually increase the weight you use for abdominal exercises to build muscle. Complete six to 12 reps per set. Perform one set of the first exercise in a pair then a set of the second exercise in a pair for six total sets per exercise.
On Mondays, pair weighted crunches on an exercise ball with dumbbell side bends, hanging knee raises using ankle weights with front chops and ab roller crunches with rotating medicine ball throws against a rebounder. Do front chops by pulling a double rope cable from above your right shoulder diagonally across the front of your body toward your left hip. Switch sides after one set.
On Wednesdays, do reverse crunches with barbell side bends, v-ups on an exercise ball with Russian twists on a decline bench and full sit-ups on a decline bench with side planks. Hold a dumbbell above your chest when you do the sit-ups.
On Fridays, use a double rope handle to do seated cable crunches with Saxon bends, hanging oblique raises with double crunches and overhead medicine ball tosses against a rebounder. Perform Saxon bends by holding the ends of one dumbbell in each palm, just above your forehead.

Build Abdominal Endurance

Abdominal muscles with a high degree of muscular endurance will benefit recreational and elite endurance athletes. Endurance exercises like running and swimming require your abdominal muscles to maintain tone and contract for prolonged periods. As such, complete an abdominal workout twice a week. For instance, on Mondays, do the same exercises from above but perform 30- to 50 reps per set for only three sets. If using dumbbells or weight plates, use no more than 10 lbs. Then, on Thursdays you can choose another three pairs of abdominal exercises from the Wednesday and Friday workouts.

Tone Abdominals

General muscle tone in the abdominal muscles requires only a one day a week workout. You can devote a single day to abdominal exercises, or you can do such exercises as part of another workout. Including ab exercises with your chest and back workout for example, will make use of rest periods while allowing your chest and back muscles to recover. Change the exercises you do from week to week, including an exercise for your upper rectus abdominus, lower rectus abdominus and obliques. For instance, do crunches on an exercise ball, hanging knee raises and front chops with your upper body workout. Vary the amount of weight you use and the number of reps per set to enhance your abdominal training.