Trying to achieve a flat, muscular stomach as a man can be difficult, especially if you have not worked out consistently for a couple of months or years. According to researchers at bodyrecomposition.com, a man needs to have a body fat percentage of 10 percent or less in order to have visible abdominal muscles. While there are many components of fitness needed to achieve 10 percent body fat, a good ab exercise can strengthen and tone the stomach to give you that muscular look.
Function
The function of a good ab exercise is to work the entire stomach through a motion that is challenging, yet does not cause pain. If the right exercise is chosen and done correctly, it will produce results that give your stomach a muscular look. It will tone your stomach so when you get to that 10 percent body fat, you will be able to see your muscles. Most importantly, it will strengthen your entire core, making your whole body stronger and improving your balance.
Benefits
Core strength and stability is explained by highperformancegolf.com as critical to the body's ability to control the trunk. The core is in the middle of your physique and is responsible for being strong enough to handle weight placed on it, to produce the body's movement and to provide balance and stability. A good ab exercise will strengthen your core so it is able to do all of those things. Your whole body strength will improve, your movement will be easier and pain free and your balance will be improved.
Misconceptions
A common misconception is that a good ab exercise alone will provide you with a flat stomach and a sixpack of abs to go with it. This, unfortunately, is not the case. While a good ab exercise is essential in strengthening and building the ab muscles, there is much more fitness involved in achieving a flat stomach. Cardio exercise, full-body strength training and good nutrition all play a major role in producing a flat, muscular stomach.
Ab Exercise
A good ab exercise for a man is called the bicycle. To perform it, lie on your back with feet straight out and hands on your head. Bend your left leg and bring your left knee in towards your stomach; as that is happening, crunch and meet your left knee with your right elbow. Hold 2 seconds and then take your body back to the starting position. Do the same action with your right leg and left elbow. Do two sets of the bicycle for 40 seconds each with 30 seconds of rest in between. This exercise works the top, middle, bottom and side abs all in one motion.
Time Frame
Getting that flat, muscular stomach will take some time if you have not been working out consistently--and hard work is a must if you want to achieve it. With that said, adding the bicycle ab exercise to a routine that involves cardio and full-body strength training, along with a good nutrition plan that you follow, will enable you to achieve that washboard stomach in less time than you would expect. It generally takes about a year to make a lasting change to your body, but continue working hard and always look for the positives your workouts are bringing to your body.
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