awesome ab workouts

This post is dedicated to Denise, a lovely lady I met while on a jog to Rittenhouse a couple of weekends ago. I started doing some ab workouts and she definitely came to mind, asking me how can she get rid of a little tummy she's gotten. Well, honestly, I can tell you, you can do all the crunches in the world, but it won't mean anything (or it will all be in vain) if you don't clean up your diet (see last few posts). So once we have the diet down, then we can get to some sweet exercises that will torch your abs :)

Here's a few that I like:

Captain's chair leg lifts: yes, I know, the exercise we all love to hate. It pretty much looks like a chair with no bottom and you lift your legs up. First try lifting your knees up, then when your abs get stronger, lift with your legs fully stretched out. 1 set of 10-15.

Decline crunches: just your basic crunch, but you're on a decline. 1 set of 20.

Russian twists: Uses the same apparatus as the decline crunch, but bring in a medicine ball and be as angled as you can while holding the ball and twisting side to side. 1 set = 20 reps on each side.

Basic crunches: the trick here is the breathing and to do them slowly. Start with your legs up in the air and crossed, and just focus on technique and breathing. Don't let your neck do the work, squeeze your abs to bring yourself up. Inhale when you come down, exhale when you squeeze up. 1 set is 20 crunches.

Leg raises: Simple yet effective. I really like to work on my lower abs, since those are the hardest to define. You can do them on the mat, with your hands under your hips while you raise your legs, or on a weight bench where you can hold on to a bar for support while you swing your legs. Remember to focus on breathing and squeeze the abs. 1 set is 10-12 reps.

Side bends with weights: Stand with a weight of your choice (I use 25-35lb plates) in one hand and go from standing straight up to bending to your side with the weight. You should feel these in your oblique muscles. 10 on each side.

There's tons of other ab workouts to do, but these are definitely my favorite. Now, take 3 or4 of these, and do them in a circuit--that is, do one set of each, one right after the other, with no rest (or as little rest as possible, 30 seconds or less). Combine 3 or 4 of these, and they will give you one large set. If you can do 3 overall sets, then your abs are golden. If after the first set you're dying, grab a 2 minute water break and try the next set. These sets will definitely leave you sore the next day, but they're amazing on your stomach :) Best of all, you can mix and match and create different sets to keep your body guessing :)