8 Exercises for Sexy Abs
by Christiane Lamy

The Center of Attention There's
something special about a firm and flat midsection. Your abdominals
attract attention like nothing else. Sexy abs are a sign of good health
and overall fitness. We see more and more athletic female
bodies being heralded as the "new sex symbols." And what exactly are
the areas of focus on these new athletic models? Abs, thighs, and
buttocks. These are the three "hot zones" that a woman can modify with
proper diet and training. A tight midsection on a female
enhances her femininity by accentuating a smaller waist-to-hips ratio:
a definite plus when it comes to being perceived as sleek and sexy!

Why Train Abs? Well,
if becoming a sex symbol isn't enough for you, well-developed abs also
have other significant benefits. They can help with proper breathing as
the diaphragm is attached to the abdominal wall. The transversus
abdominis and obliques also act as a "belt" that helps stabilize the
trunk and reduce the risk of lower back pain or injury. Furthermore,
having a firm midsection can be a strong self-esteem booster! You'll
become more confident and as a result you'll carry yourself with ease. On
the opposite end, a flabby belly that hangs freely can be a confidence
killer that can have a drastic impact on our mental disposition. Plus,
a loose abdominal wall is functionally not very effective, making you
work harder for everything you do during the day. As a result, you get
more fatigued just doing everyday tasks.

Words of Caution Let's
get this out of the way right now: train abs all you want, but if you
have a layer of fat covering them, they won't have a visual impact. You
can't significantly increase localized fat loss by doing thousands of
crunches. You lose fat by following a proper diet and a proper general
training program. On the other hand, there are some people
who don't train abs at all because they have excess body fat around
their waists. They argue that working their abs isn't worth the effort
because they won't be able to see them anyway. This is silly. We
already know that the abs provide a myriad of health benefits that
aren't limited to looking good naked. Having some fat around your tummy
isn't an excuse to shy away from ab work! If anything, it'll motivate
you to stick to your diet so you can finally see the results of your
hard work. The ultimate sexy-abs formula will always be: Training the ab muscles + lowering body fat = WOWWY! (Yes, that's the scientific term.) Another
quick note: While the obliques (the muscles on the sides of your waist)
are very important in reducing the risk of lower back injuries, you
shouldn't overdo direct oblique work. The obliques are involved in
trunk rotation and lateral flexion, but also assist the rectus
abdominis (six pack) during flexion of the trunk. As a result, they
receive plenty of stimuli from basic ab work. Too much work involving
the obliques will actually give you a thicker waist!

Training Abs for Best Results To
get the fastest results possible for abs, you should use both lower
reps and moderate reps. Going above 40-60 seconds of time under tension
(the time spent on a set) isn't going to do much for abdominal
development, so you should stick with reps in the 6 to 12 and 12 to 15
ranges. If performing more than 15 reps on an exercise seems
too easy, that means you should add weight. If it's impossible to add
weight on that exercise for practical purposes, drop it from your
program. I believe in training the abs frequently with a lower
volume at each session. I prefer to perform 2-3 exercises 2-3 times per
week rather than 4-6 exercises once a week. The abdominal muscles
recover quickly and can be trained often. And remember, you need to
focus on your abs; you must feel them working during the whole set.
Just going through the motion isn't enough.

Christiane's Top Ab Exercises Here
are eight of my favorite ab exercises. I like to rotate them throughout
the week, performing two or three different exercises three times per
week, normally Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Here are the exercises:
Exercise #1: The Serratus Crunch This
is my personal favorite! It's a great way to build the rectus abdominis
and even the obliques. And as a side benefit you get to develop the
hard-to-train serratus muscles. Strengthening this muscle will help
reduce the risk of shoulder injury and will actually increase your
bench pressing strength by stabilizing the shoulder blades. The
key point is to keep the arms perpendicular to the floor at all times.
As you reach the "crunched" position you should reach for the ceiling,
trying to bring the hands as high as possible. Hold that position for
2-3 seconds. Too easy for you? Try it with elevated legs (feet off the floor during the movement)!
Exercise #2: Kneeling Cable Crunch When
performed properly, this is arguably one of the best ways to develop a
sexy six pack. The first key is to focus on curling your body by using
only your abs. Think of your arms as inert ropes – they don't get to
help. The second key is to execute a trunk "curling" motion and not a
simple trunk flexion. (See pics.)
Exercise #3: Pullover Crunch This exercise is actually executed in two distinct phases: Stage
1: Perform an initial crunching motion, keeping the arms in place (you
crunch the trunk but don't lift the weight anymore than it is at the
starting position). Stage 2: Crunch up some more and at the same time bring your arms toward your knees. It's
better to go lighter at first to get the proper feel of the movement.
Gradually add weight as long as you can continue to feel a concentrated
effort from your abs.
Exercise #4: Dumbbell Weighted Crunch This
is a pretty straightforward exercise: just a regular crunch, holding a
dumbbell in each hand. You can vary the difficulty of the exercise by
changing the hand position: the closer to the hips you hold the
dumbbells, the easier the exercise is. To increase the difficulty, hold
the weight closer to your head or simply add more weight.
Exercise #5: Swiss Ball Crunch This
is another basic, yet effective exercise. Really focus on keeping your
hips up during the concentric (lifting) portion of the movement. I like
to use this exercise as a post-fatigue drill right after one of the
preceding four exercises. That means I go right to this exercise
without even resting from the previous one. Try it once you get
advanced!
Exercise #6: Ball Exchange Double Crunch This
is a seemingly simple exercise but it can be very challenging and will
really work all your ab muscles. Just pass the ball from your arms to
your legs and back, lowering the ball toward the floor each pass.
Exercise #7: Modified Russian Twist This
will improve trunk stability and give you more muscle control. Rotate
very slowly. In time you can even add some resistance by holding a
dumbbell in your hands above your chest.
Exercise #8: Seated Knee-ups This
is the only exercise in which I'll go above 15 repetitions. The key is
to focus on performing a peak abdominal contraction, keeping that waist
tight during the whole range of motion. In fact, contract (squeeze)
your abs harder than you actually need to perform the movement.

Sample Training Programs Choose your level and get your butt in the gym!
Beginner Level
Day 1 A. Dumbbell weighted crunches
3 x 10-12
30-60 seconds of rest between sets B. Swiss ball crunch
3 x 10-12
30-60 seconds of rest
Day 2 A. Kneeling cable crunch
3 x 10-12
30-60 seconds of rest B. Seated knee-ups
3 x max reps
30-60 seconds of rest
Day 3 A. Serratus crunch
3 x 10-12
30-60 seconds of rest B. Modified Russian Twist
3 x 10-12
30-60 seconds of rest
Intermediate Level
Day 1 A. Serratus crunch
4 x 8-10
30-60 seconds of rest B. Swiss ball crunch
4 x 12-15 (hold a dumbbell on your chest if it's too easy)
30-60 seconds of rest
Day 2 A. Kneeling cable crunch
4 x 8-10
30-60 seconds of rest B. Ball exchange double crunch
4 x max reps
30-60 seconds of rest
Day 3 A. Dumbbell weighted crunch
4 x 8-10
30-60 seconds of rest B. Seated knee-ups
4 x 8-10
30-60 seconds of rest

Conclusion With
these strategies and a good diet you simply can't go wrong! For years
my abs were a very weak point. Since they were a weakness, I had to
work extra hard to develop them. I tried out every method I could and I
feel that what I just presented to you is the best way to develop those
abs ASAP! Try it!

About the Author
Christiane
Lamy is an international level bodybuilder. She's certified from Coach
Export, a Canadian coaching certification organism recognized by the
IFBB and Canadian Bodybuilding Federation. She works mostly with figure
skaters and the average woman who wants to look her best. You can reach
her at christiane.lamy@videotron.ca.

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