subject: How to get washboard abs [print this page] Are you tired of doing endless crunches, day after day, waiting for those six-pack abs to appear - then it's time to shake things up with a new routine. So what do you do to get those great abs? Let me introduce you to plank exercises. Doing planks for abs is going to help you get your washboard abs. The really "macho men" may scoff at the idea of performing planks since they're a yoga move, but they are one of the best ab exercises you'll ever try.
I'll explain the benefits of planks further on but first I want to look at the problems you'll encounter if you just do crunches. The first thing to note is that if you want to get washboard abs, you can't spot reduce belly fat by performing crunches or any other exercise. In order to see your abdominal muscles, you have to drop the extra weight by combining high intensity exercises with a healthy, low fat diet.
More importantly, in my opinion, crunches don't really qualify as an effective abdominal exercise. Abs are part of core muscles that are meant to stabilize your body and keep your spine straight. Crunches do not support this kind of movement, though, because they bend the weakest portion of your backbone. This puts more strain on your lower back and your posture suffers.
Situps solve half the problem since you should be keeping your back straight when performing them. But, situps do not target the abs and only focus on the muscles of the lower part of the back. Once again, you'll walk away with lower back pain and poor posture. If you do not believe me, you might want to remember the old adage about lifting heavy items. Use your legs and not your back. By not doing this, you will be putting undo stress on your back muscles.
On the other hand, plank exercises will work your abdominal muscles as well as the rest of the core area. You make your body stay still in a single position, which means both your back and ab muscles are getting stronger. Crunches only target the rectus abdominus muscle, but planks target both the rectus abdominus muscle ant the transverse abdominus muscle, which contains the rectus abdominus. This is definitely a benefit of doing planks over crunches. Because the crunch only works the one muscle, you'll develop a strange profile view where your abs appear to be sticking out.
A variety of plank exercises are available to help you meet your goals. If you're just starting off, then a good place to begin is the standard plank. Lie down as if you were preparing for a pushup, but instead of resting your weight on your hands, fold your arms and place the weight on your forearms. Once you lift up, you'll want to hold your back as straight as you can while you keep your abdominals tucked in. I'm sure you're thinking this sounds easy, but the longer you try to hold the position, the harder it becomes. Begin by holding the plank for 30 seconds at a time and build up to holding them for between 2 and 3 minutes each.
Just perform this routine 2-3 times per week at most. Remember to rest your abs just as you would any muscle in the body. Keep in mind that you will use your abs when you do other workouts too.
If you prefer to do more ab training, you can incorporate further core strengthening and abdominal exercises such as renegade rows or leg raises. In a renegade row, you'll go into your pushup position, then perform a one-arm row while you stabilize your body. Other good options are the hanging leg raise and the lying leg raise. Done slowly, these focus on the muscles in your lower abs and back.
Building a strong core is the best way to get washboard abs. If you are looking for the best core and abdominal workouts available, took no further than planks. A simple 5-10 minute routine performed 2-3 times per week is all it takes to increase core strength. You do not need to do crunches any longer, except if you want to get back discomfort, bad-looking abs, and a slouch. And make sure you're spending plenty of time on fat burning workouts so you can eliminate the body fat that's been concealing your core.
