Workouts for Abs & Pecs

When it comes to your physique and posture, few things can enhance your physical look like powerful pecs and a hard six-pack. These muscles also help improve your quality of life because they play a critical role in supporting your back and torso during movements like sitting and lifting. Several workout exercises can help you train and strengthen your pecs and abs to get you the upper body you want.

Pecs: Raised-leg Bench Press

Raised-leg bench presses take the traditional bench press --- the quintessential workout for people who want a bulkier chest --- and add an emphasis on the lower pecs, which helps give your chest definition. Get into the traditional bench press position with your back on the gym bench and the barbell positioned right above your chest. Grab the barbell with your palms facing up and bring your legs off the ground so that your thighs form a 90-degree angle with your torso. Lift the barbell up in the air, then lower it back down toward your chest while keeping your legs steady. Complete two sets of 10 repetitions.

Pecs: Push-ups

Classic push-ups strengthen and thicken the chest while also helping to improve your arm strength. Straighten your legs and balance on your toes while holding your upper body up on your arms. Lower yourself down to the ground, then back up. To make your push-ups more difficult, and thus help increase your chest size even more, try leaning push-ups. Instead of lowering your chest down by bending both arms at once, keep one arm straight while bending the other arm.

Pecs: Pulses

Get into the traditional push-up position. Lower yourself to the floor, then push yourself back up by just an inch or two. Repeat for 50 repetitions. New York personal trainer Joel Harper tells "Esquire" magazine that pulses are one of the best and simplest exercises for quickly building your chest region.

Abs: Pull-ups

Few things work better than pull-ups to get you defined, hard abs, reports "Men'sFitness." All you need to do is grab a pull-up bar and haul yourself up until the tip of your chin is above the bar, then lower yourself back down. Perform approximately 10 to 15 repetitions per set and two sets per workout. As a side benefit, pull-ups also work your arms and back.

Abs: Ball Crunch

Crunches work your abs hard, but you can make them work even harder by doing the crunches on an exercise ball, also known as a Swiss ball. The ball's movement forces your body to go into overdrive to try to keep your body stable. With your feet flat on the ground and your knees bent, lie on the ball with it positioned under your lower back. Cross your arms on your chest and raise yourself up into a half-sitting position by contracting your abs. Lower yourself back down and aim for two sets of 15 crunches each.