Sit-Ups are NOT Needed for 6 Pack Abs!!

I was at the gym during lunch today and I noticed one of the trainers going through his 'ab day' exercises. He was doing hundreds of sit-ups! I had to laugh because even I know that sit-ups/crunches are not the best way to work your abs. Considering this guy is a certified trainer who probably charges $40-50 an hour, I would think that he would know that too!

The best way to work your abs is through doing multi-compound exercises in which you need to stabilize your core. The 2 best are squats and deadlifts, but there are plenty others too. BUT if you are looking to isolate your abs try these exercises first:

The Plank

The plank is a great way to work your abs and is one of my favorites! Please see the video below to see how to properly do this exercise:



Once you can work your way to holding the Plank (using proper form) for 2 minutes than you can add a stability ball to make it harder. The only difference between the standard plank and the plank with the stabilty ball is that you have your elbows on the ball and not on the floor.

The Side Plank

The Side Plank is an alternate version of the plank that works the abs and obliques. Please see the video below to see how to correctly perform the exercise.

Once you can do a Side Plank for 60-90 seconds you can make this exercise a little more advanced too. First you can try to do leg raises with your top leg while you are in the plank. You can also take a dumb-bell (use a very light weight) and do lateral shoulder raises.

There are many other ab exercises you can do that are not sit-ups/crunches that I will go into in later posts. Please let me know if you have any questions on the Planks. Enjoy!!