Ab Exercise Routine

A strong set of abs not only looks good in a bathing suit, they help you stand taller and improve every day function. An ab exercise routine may be performed anywhere, without any special equipment. It only takes a few minutes every other day to make a marked difference in your abdominal strength and appearance.

Significance

Enhance your abs to help protect you back and other joints from injury. Without focused attention, your abdominals weaken with age. Whether you are a professional athlete looking to improve performance, or simply want an easier time carrying the groceries into the house, strong abs are key.

Features

Work your abs from different angles so that upper, lower middle and sides are activated. This stimulates all the ab muscles: the rectus abdominus---the front sheath of muscles, the transverse abdominus---the internal abdominal muscle that corsets in your internal organs, and your internal and external obliques---the muscles around the sides of your abdomen that assist with spinal rotation.

Sample Exercises

Effective exercises may be performed anywhere, without extra equipment. Try the isometric hold move called the plank: Prop your body up on your toes and forearms, lifting your hips and squeezing your ribs together. Keep your body in a straight line so you look like a plank of wood and hold for 20 seconds at first--build up 60 seconds. Another effective exercise is the toe to ceiling lift: Lying face up on a mat, extend your arms alongside your torso and contract your abs and raise your feet to the ceiling as if you were trying to touch it with your toes. Work your way up to three sets of 12 repetitions. Round out your routine with the oblique-focused bicycle: Lie on your back with your hands clasped behind your head. Draw your knees over your hips, shins parallel to the floor and extend your right leg while bringing the right shoulder and left knee towards one another. Keep your elbows open wide and focus on lifting your shoulder blades off the floor.

Considerations

If you are not getting the strength results you want with just a mat, consider employing exercises that require equipment such as hanging leg raises, medicine ball rotations, cable crunches or stability ball passes. Chances are, if you can complete 20 or more repetitions of a particular exercise---it is time to change up your routine and seek out more challenge. Pilates practice helps build a strong core and might be just the extra boost you need to accelerate your abdominal routine. Seek out a class at your gym or at a local studio or borrow a DVD from the library to try the classes out.

Misconceptions

An ab routine alone will not get you that sexy six-pack. If you have a high body fat percentage, you must reduce this to see your abs. A focused diet that excludes junk and calorie-scorching cardio exercise are the only things that will reveal the muscle beneath your layers of fat. Your abs are like any other muscle group and need a break to recover and build. Train them every other day for best results.