Lots of folk believe that crunches are the best abs exercise and the most effective way to get defined abs is to do lots of crunches each day. Although crunches do work the ab muscles they are not the quickest way of getting defined abs. Actually research that investigated the muscle activity of the abdominal muscles during various exercises has shown that crunches are [actually not|not} even in the top 10 best exercises to work both upper and lower abs. So what did the results show was the best way to get a hard set of well defined abs?

Listed below are the top 10 abs exercises based on the level of muscular work during each, using both upper and lower is required to get clearly defined abs. The top 2 best methods are the both the same for upper and lower abs.

To work your upper abs the most effective ways are :

1. Bicycle Maneuver 2. Captain’s Chair 3. Exercise Ball 4. Vertical Leg Crunch 5. Torso Track 6. Long-Arm Crunch 7. Reverse Crunch 8. Crunch with Heel Push 9. Ab Roller 10. Plank To work your lower abs the best exercises are:

1. Captain’s Chair 2. Bicycle Maneuver 3. Reverse Crunch 4. Plank 5. Vertical Leg Crunch 6. Exercise Ball 7. Torso Track 8. Crunch with Heel Push 9. Long-Arm Crunch 10. Ab Roller The results were really similar for both muscle groups and the best abs exercises came in at the top of both lists, making it the best option for getting defined abs. The bicycle maneuver and captains chair create more muscular activity in the abdominal muscles than all the other tested exercise. If you would like to get sleek, defined abs these 2 exercises are some of the best to add to your exercise program because they’ve been proven to be the best abs exercises.

The bicycle maneuver is also one of the best abs exercises as it is easy to do and does not need any type of gear. To do this exercise you lie down on your back and put your hands beside your head. You bend your knees to a 45-degree angle and start a pedal motion by touching your elbow to your opposite knee while alternating side to side.

The captain’s chair is also reagarded as one, considered as one of the finest abs exercises to workout your abs and simply needs a strong chair with arms or a dip machine. This is by far the best ab exercise and is often overlooked because it is not a normal type of floor exercise. None the less it is very effective. To start, sit on a chair and firmly grip the handles. Ensure you keep your lower back straight and steady. Then (push|press} your back against the chair and slowly lift your knees towards your chest. If you’d like defined abs this is one of the best abs excercises.

Getting sexy defined abs takes work and the right exercises. It is important to do the best abs exercise else you will be doing more work with less results. You also need to make sure to incorporate cardio into your workout and eat a healthful diet so that you can shed any fat that will mask your toned defined abs muscles.

Here’s some recent research on post-workout meals: “A recent 12-week study says that those who failed to consume a post workout meal immediately after their workouts suffered a lower metabolism, loss of fat free mass, and had clear indications of muscle loss – while their counterparts (those who consumed a post workout recovery meal) significantly lost more fat, increased lean muscle, improved their metabolism, and increased dynamic strength.” I have noticed that many people are confused as to what actually makes a good post-workout meal. A couple common questions I receive about post workout meals: 1. Aren’t post-workout meals only important for muscle building? Do they matter at all for fat loss goals? 2. Is it best to use one of the fancy post-workout drinks or shakes that you see in the magazines or is a whole food meal better? What’s the best combo of carbs to protein to fat in a good post workout meal? 3. How soon after a workout is best to have my post workout meal? Answers: 1. Post-workout meals are actually vitally important for BOTH muscle building and losing body fat! Always remember that one of the most important considerations of long term body fat loss and maintaining a lean body for life is raising your overall metabolic rate by building and maintaining adequate lean muscle mass throughout your entire body. By consuming a good post workout meal after every workout, you assist your body in repairing and building lean muscle throughout your whole body. The more lean muscle you have, the higher your metabolic rate (even when resting)… hence, you lose fat easier and faster, and it is MUCH easier to stay lean in the long term. 2. Are whole foods or supplement shakes best? This can actually be done either way, but I am going to show you some guidelines why some post-workout shakes are better than others and some whole foods are better than others. Either way, it can work. First, keep in mind that your goal throughout the majority of each day is eating small whole food meals frequently that digest slowly with high fiber and a controlled glycemic response (blood sugar). These normal daily meals should also contain healthy fats and slowly digested proteins to maintain a steady supply of amino acids. When it comes to post-workout meals, you can just about use the exact opposite strategy of your normal meals. With post-workout meals, you actually want a faster digesting carb source to stimulate an insulin response. This helps to push nutrients and glycogen back into your muscle cells for repair. Remember, this is not just important for building muscle, but also for losing fat. So while I always preach high fiber for most of your meals, with post-workout meals, you actually want lower fiber, higher GI carbohydrates, and quickly digesting protein as well to kick start muscle repair. Another consideration to keep in mind… while I always preach healthy fats at most of your meals… with the post workout meal, you actually want almost all carbohydrates and protein, and very little fat. Fat in the post workout meal just slows the absorption and glycemic response which is not what you want at this key time. What about the best ratios of carbohydrates and protein? I have reviewed dozens of studies on this subject and most seem to agree that a ratio of approx 2 to 1 carbs to protein is optimal. This seems to be the best combo to maximize muscle repair to boost that metabolic rate for long term body fat loss. I usually make my post-workout shakes using a frozen banana, whey protein, water, and some real maple syrup (not the cheap high fructose corn syrup based maple syrups at most stores) and aim for about a 2:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein in the shake. If you want to make things a little simpler, one of the best post-workout shakes that I’ve found that is already mixed in a 2:1 carb:protein ratio is Prograde’s Varsity Post-Workout mix. You can find it at the bottom of this page. 3. How soon should you eat (or drink) your post-workout meal once your done working out? As soon as you can after your workout (the sooner the better)! Studies have shown that the sooner you consume your post workout meal following your intense workout, the better your muscle recovery will be, and a higher quantity of the carbohydrates ingested will be used for muscle glycogen replenishment instead of other uses. The first thing I do when I get back from the gym is make my post workout shake, and this is about 10 min after finishing my workout.

Sit-up is the most popular AND yet, the worst ab exercise . Most people don’t know that sit-up is not a true ab exercise. When performing a sit-up, your main trunk flexor, the iliopsoas muscle, often does the majority of the work while the abs are not fully recruited. The iliopsoas muscles originates on the lower back so it pulls on the lower back during every repetition of sit-up, especially when your feet are held down or anchored, or repetitions are performed in a jerky manner. Too many sit-ups can lead to strength imbalance between iliopsoas and abs, poor posture and lower back pain. People who hold weights while doing sit-ups think that helps to build their abs. Unfortunately, they increase the chances of lower back injury significantly. The iliopsoas muscles work much harder and place even more strain on the lower back than bodyweight sit-ups. Additional weight may lead to poor exercise form, thus amplifying the likelihood of injury. Crunches are another common ab exercise . Doing hundreds of crunches alone and regularly can pull your head forward and leave your spine slightly flexed (leading to hunch back). You end up with poor posture and lower back pain.

If you don’t overuse crunches, they can still be an effective ab exercise. Vary your ab workout just like you vary your cardio and strength training exercise. There are plenty of safe and effective ab exercises for conditioning and strengthening your abs, which many people are not aware of. They include total body exercises that work the abs and swiss ball workout.

Believe it or not, you can develop amazing abs without ever doing a single sit-up!