Your abs keep your torso stable, your back posture strong and are also often viewed as an attractive muscle region. Several exercises come recommended by universities as ideal ways to strengthen and enlarge the ab region to help you get the quintessential "six pack," a moniker given to the ability to see the six typical bulges of the ab region. Note that exercises aren't the only component of building a six pack, as diet also helps by limiting the layer of fat that covers the stomach and obscures the underlying muscles.
Medicine Ball Crunches
"Men's Fitness" magazine writer Alwyn Cosgrove, a certified strength specialist, recommends incorporating a medicine ball --- a weighted sphere that measures approximately a foot in diameter --- to improve the ab-forming results you get from traditional workouts. The University of Kansas Medical Center suggests lying down in the traditional position you use for crunches, with your back on the ground, knees bent and soles flat on the floor. Put the ball under your knees so that your legs are squeezing the ball against your thighs. Lift your shoulders and your hips off the ground several inches; then lower your body back to the floor. Repeat for 10 crunches in a set. Then do two more sets with a two-minute rest between sets.
Toe Touch-Ups
Toe touch-ups come highlighted as a good ab-building exercise by Christopher Newport University. Lie down with your back on the floor and your hands placed palms down on your chest. Stick your legs up in the air so that they make a 90-degree angle with your torso. Stretch your arms up straight above you and reach as far as you can toward your upraised toes. Don't move your hips, and instead focus on lifting your torso using your abdomen muscles. Once you've reached as far as you can, lower yourself back down and repeat so you're accomplishing three sets of 10 to 12.
Draw a Circle
Drawing a circle with your feet may sound silly, but Culver-Stockton College reports that it's one of the best methods of improving the strength of your entire midsection. Lie down with your legs straight and holding a medicine ball squeezed between your ankles. Lift your feet up and draw a circle in the air. Position the top of the imaginary circle approximately 14 to 16 inches high, and do three sets of 10 to 12.
Bicycles
The bicycle exercise doesn't use a real bicycle but is excellent for strengthening the abs, notes the medical center at the University of Kansas. Place your hands behind your head and lie down. Pull yourself up into a crunch form with your shoulders off the ground and your knees pulled toward your head. Extend your left leg so that it's straight while keeping your right leg bent. Push your left elbow towards your right knee. Straighten out your shoulders and pull your left leg back in; then repeat with the opposite leg. Make these alternating movements so that you're doing three sets with a dozen switch-ups in each set.
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