Best Ab Workout - Learn the Best Abdominal Exercises

Lets start out talking about the best ab exercises. Now, the term best ab workout is a little bit misleading. There isn't one best ab workout or set of best ab exercises. Some things are better for some people and other things are better for other people. You need to find what is best for you. In general, the key to ab exercises is to make it hurt. I'm not kidding. If you can't feel some soreness, you aren't working out hard enough. With that said, it shouldn't be painful, it should just be uncomfortable. As you read through the exercises, remember that the best ab exercises and best ab workout are dependent on you. Just because I like one ab exercise doesn't mean it is the best ab exercise for everybody. If you are looking for a complete program, I personally think the best ab workout is a program called The Truth About 6 Pack Abs.

I personally thing one of the best abdominal exercises is hanging or suspended leg raises. I can't imagine a best ab workout that doesn't include this exercise, but some people might not be able to hang or support their weight. This lower ab exercise is done by suspending yourself off the ground and raising your knees up. You can also keep your legs straight and raise them until they are parallel to the floor. The trick is suspending yourself. If you are at the gym, there is probably a station that looks like a chair with no seat that you can suspend yourself from. You can also hang from a pull up bar or support yourself on a dip station if you have enough upper body strength. This exercise will really work your lower abs and if you are able to do it, it is definitely one of the best ab exercises and should be considered when you are creating your own personal best ab workout.

Another possibility for best ab exercise is any number of abdominal exercises using an exercise ball. You can use an exercise ball to support your legs as you do crunches. You can hold the exercise ball between your legs off the ground as you do crunches to super charge your ab workout. You can sit on the exercise ball and pull your legs up to work your stomach. You can do your crunches while laying on the exercise ball so you can get a good stretch and full extension on your abs. There are many more exercises you can do on an exercise. In fact, the best ab workout may consist entirely of exercises done on an exercise ball. When you purchase your exercise ball, you should get a complete listing of exercises you can do.

While crunches aren't fancy and most people wouldn't classify them as one of the best ab exercises, it may be wise to consider good old fashion crunches when you are putting together the best ab workout for you. They are simple to do and you can do them anywhere. All you do is lay on your back and curl your upper body off the floor. You can put your hands behind your head, across your chest, or on the ground at your side. You can have your legs flat on the ground, bent at the knees, or raised off the ground completely. There are tons of combinations and you should do what allows you to work your abdominals as much as you can.

Another exercise you probably did in gym class can be included in your ab workout. It is commonly referred to as the bicycle. As with several of the exercises, you start out laying on your back. Put your hands behind your head and raise your head off the ground. Now, bring one knee up towards your chest and reach the opposite elbow towards that knee. You don't need to touch the knee, just make sure you are lifting your upper body and twisting towards the knee. As you lower the one leg, you bring the other knee up towards your chest and reach towards that knee with your opposite elbow. As you repeat this action it is very similar to peddling a bicycle.

Leg raises are another good ab exercise that has been included in many best ab workouts over the years. This is another exercise that you can do just about anywhere. Just lay on the ground on your back and raise your legs off the ground. Simple, yet effective.

These are only a few of the possible best ab exercises for you to include in your personal best ab workout. If you are looking for a more detailed program, I again would like to recommend The Truth About 6 Pack Abs. They offer a free nutrition and weight loss e-book to get you started.

As I mentioned above the best ab workout in the world won't help you unless you do some other things to help get your body fat level to a point where you will be able to see the muscle. I am not going to give you a strict diet to follow. You need to figure out what works best for you. I will, however, recommend a few simple things that will help make sure you get the full benefits by doing the best ab exercises.

The first thing you need to do is trade in your favorite beverage for water. Drinking water helps you feel full so you don't eat as much, it hydrates your body so it operates at peak efficiency, it flushes out the toxins so you feel better, and quite frankly it is the most important nutrient your body needs. Yes, I said nutrient. If you think of water as a required nutrient you will treat it with more respect. As far as the amount of water you need to drink, you should have at least 1 ounce for every 2 pounds of body weight. I recommend trying to drink at least 1 gallon of water a day regardless of how much you weigh. If you are over 200 pounds you should drink more. Make sure you get plenty of water after strenuous exercise. If you are going to do the best ab workout you can, you will probably perspire quite a bit and need to replace that fluid.

The second thing you can do to turbo charge your ab workouts is to make sure you are eating healthy and setting yourself up to lose weight. I will say it one more time, the best ab workout in the world won't help you one bit if you have a bunch of fat covering your abs. A few simple things you can do to improve your diet is to add a vegetable to every meal, drink a big glass of water before you start eating, and trade fried foods in for baked foods. For more specific diet tips, you will need to consult a professional or go to a different article, but if you do the few things I just talked about, your ab exercises will be way more effective.