The stomach muscles are different from most of the rest of the muscles in the body in that they attach at the ribs and pelvis, but hover over a cavity instead of over bone. However, they are similar to the rest of the muscles in the body in that they progress and get stronger by facing continually greater resistance. If you want to build a strong, well-muscled abdominal area, you need to add weight, not reps.
Bicycle Crunches
Bicycle crunches might not look dramatically different from other types of crunches, but they're on an entirely different level when it comes to efficiency and strength gains. The American Council on Exercise commissioned a study that they published in their May/June 2001 issue of ACE Fitness Matters. The purpose of the study was to determine the most effective ab exercises. The bicycle crunch won, recruiting 2.5 times more core muscles than the traditional crunch. Lie on your back. Crunch your ribs towards your pelvis. Lift your legs and pump them in and out as if you were pedaling a bicycle. This movement will crunch your pelvis toward your chest. As you move your legs, twist your shoulder to your opposite knee. Once you can perform a set of 20, hold a plate a few inches away from your chest. Increase the weight as you get stronger.
Decline Bench Sit-Ups
Sit on a decline bench and lock your legs into the pads. Perform either a sit-up or a crunch. If you perform a sit-up, allow your core to relax at the bottom of the movement, so that your back uncurls and your shoulders touch the bench. Once you can perform 20 reps, grab a barbell and hold it up over your chest as if you were going to perform a decline bench press. As you get stronger, keep adding weight.
Russian Twists
The Russian twist is a great abdominal exercise because it hits the upper, lower and oblique abdominals. Bend your knees and perform a sit-up, but stop before you get to the top of the movement. Your torso should be at an angle to the ground of about 45 degrees. If you are able to, then cross your ankles and lift your feet from the ground, so that you are balancing on your butt. Hold a weight plate or a medicine ball with your elbows locked in by your sides. Twist your torso back and forth, trying to touch the weight to the ground on either side. One touch on each side equals one rep. Once you can perform 10 reps, increase the weight.
Ab Machine
This is an obvious one. Most gyms contain at least one abdominal machine attached to a weight stack for resistance. The good thing about these machines is that they are easy to use. The bad thing is that they are often uncomfortable, depending on what you press on to move the weight, and they lock you into a single path of movement, which limits the real-world applications of your new abdominal strength. The locked-in movement does make the ab machine a good place to finish up after you've exhausted your abs with free weight exercises.
Deadlifts and Squats
These probably aren't the first, second or even 10th things you think of when you think about abdominal exercises, but according to a study published in the January 2008 issue of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, they should be. The study found that core muscle activation during deadlifts and squats was equal to or greater than that produced by fitness ball exercises. These two lifts engage the entire girdle of underlying muscle in your abdomen to protect your spine and keep you stable under the enormous pressure of hundreds of pounds. As these muscles tighten, they'll better contain your viscera, giving you a slimmer waist even as you pack on muscle.
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