When it comes to ab workouts for men you probably know that there’s a bewildering variety of options out there.

Click Here to see the exact steps that “ordinary guy” Alex Miller used to lose 36 pounds of body fat and FINALLY get six-pack abs.
Check out Alex’s inspirational pictures and also the Q&A we put together on how he achieved these results (very informative and inspirational!)

Many people will recommend that you focus on whole-body exercises with barbell, dumbbell or kettlebell, or even that you stick to bodyweight only exercises, including a few ab-specific drills at the end of your routine to really get a burn in your mid-section.

Other trainers will insist that a routine consisting of a variety of specific exercises, often collectively known as “floor abs” is the way to go; others again that particular training aids such as ab wheels will bring terrific results.

Now in truth there is some merit in all of these approaches, and if you haven’t ever done any training, or not for years, then almost any exercise will bring rapid results in the early days.  But if you persevere beyond this early “honeymoon period” you will almost inevitably hit a plateau where your progress slows down considerably or may even appear to cease altogether.

Effective ab workouts for men

The muscles of the abs, and the fat which covers them, are notoriously stubborn in their responses so it’s at this point that you will probably start to pay attention to the different suggestions for effective ab workouts for men.

It’s fine to experiment a little, but whatever you do don’t fall back on the simple and familiar, but largely ineffective, sit ups and crunches.  There are far more effective ways to use your time and energy if you really want that elusive six pack. The hanging leg raise, for example, is a simple but hellishly tough exercise that will form a complete abs workout on its own.  You can try this at your local gym to get wondering glances from the other trainers.  But if you don’t have access to a gym you can buy a very inexpensive pull up to instal in a convenient place at home – so no excuses!

The hanging leg raise is a real test for all the muscles of your torso, lats as well as abs, and will also work your legs, arms and hip flexors, and has been called the upper body squat for this reason.  Working all these muscles at once stimulates the whole body and makes the exercise a great fat burner, but you’ll notice the effect on your muscles first.

All you need to do is hang from the bar, arms locked as straight as you can, and then simply stretch your legs straight out in front, lifting your feet as high as you can towards the bar.   Lift your legs slowly, being careful not to swing your hips to assist the movement, and keep your legs as straight as you can.

Aim for sets of 5-8 reps in good form, trying to get your feet as high as you can.   You’ll need to really concentrate to get the best out of the exercise; try to imagine that you are pushing at the bar, rather than pulling it; and squeeze your legs together while imagining your feet being pulled away from you – almost as though you were being stretched on an old fashioned torture rack.

Even performed on its own this great exercise is tough enough to give you one of the very best ab workouts for men that there is.  It was used by the Soviet lifters of old, and by the time you can get your feet to touch the bar for quality reps you’ll have developed tremendous strength in your abs and core – and very likely a six pack as well.

If you want to get a lean, toned and shapely stomach in the shortest time then click here for access to these great free downloads
Mike Geary’s – Insider Secrets For A Lean Body (e-book)
Tom Venuto’s – Six Pack Abs Revealed (e-book)
David Grisaffi’s – Posture & Core Conditioning (e-book)
Mike Geary and Jeff “Muscle Nerd” Anderson (90 minute MP3 audio)

Enjoy!

Steve

© 2011 Effective Ab Workouts