The most effective way to tone and strengthen your abdominals is also a breakthrough in exercise science.

The crunch is dead. Lou Schuler, co-author with Alwyn Cosgrove of The New Rules of Lifting for Abs (Avery, 2010), hasn't done one in 10 years. "The idea of doing crunches and sit-ups is to make the abdominal muscles bigger," he says. "But we all have muscles there. My son had a six-pack for most of his childhood, without doing a single sit-up. He was just a skinny, active kid." It's not breaking news that diet (ditch the sugar and refined carbs) is more important than exercise if you want a torso that looks like a box of steaks. But most guys probably don't realize that the most effective moves for chiseling the rectus abdominis aren't crunches or sit-ups—which can actually do more harm than good. How can that possibly be? Consider this: The best exercise to target your gut does the exact opposite of a crunch.

From the Editors of Details

According to a study published in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy in May of last year, the Swiss ball rollout, in which you place your fists on a ball and extend your body like a bridge, is much better than the crunch for creating a ripped stomach and building strong lower-back muscles to support your spine.

But the rollout isn't some newfangled exercise invented in a laboratory; it's simply a dynamic tweak of the plank, one of the oldest exercises in the book. In a crunch, you bend your spine. In a plank, you brace it. That makes all the difference. Exercises that stiffen the abdominals generate greater forces in your hips, which allows you to move with more explosiveness and efficiency. They also make you look better. A pair of studies from 2006 and 2008 show that moves like the rollout work the upper and lower abs about 25 percent more efficiently than a crunch or a sit-up. How's that for maximizing your gym time?

And thanks to Stuart M. McGill, Ph.D., an influential kinesiology researcher at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, we now know that crunches do a number on your spinal discs, parts of your body that do not heal. McGill measured the forces placed on the spine by sit-ups and crunches. He found that the compression created by a crunch is so high that if you knocked out a set on the job and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration was there to measure the load, your employer could be charged with violating workplace-safety laws. In other words, if you're looking for a herniated disc, look no further than the crunch.

The basic plank—toes and forearms on the floor, shoulder blades pulled and down, butt down, body straight—is harder than you might realize. But once you can hold it for 60 to 90 seconds with ease, move on to a more challenging version of the classic. (The exercises are organized in ascending order of difficulty.) Do them in front of a mirror so that you can monitor your form, and be sure to break when it goes off.

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How to Get Six-Pack Abs in 2 Simple Steps

1. Create and maintain a caloric deficit to lose body fat.

You already have a six pack. The problem is that it’s probably hiding underneath a layer of fat.
To let your abs see the light of day — you need to lose fat.^2,3 The actual size of your abs isn’t going to make any difference in their appearance until you reach a lower body fat percentage.
Unfortunately, ab and lower back fat tends to take longer to disappear than other areas — it’s stubborn. This means you usually have to lose a lot of fat from other places before your abs start to appear.
There is no way to lose fat specifically from one spot on your body — spot reduction doesn’t work. You have to create a caloric deficit and maintain it until you lose enough body fat for your abs to materialize.
Be patient. Men usually need to drop to around 10% body fat before their abs show. Women usually need to get to ~12-14% body fat. If you want more definition, you need to get leaner.
People store fat in different places, and can lose fat at various rates from different parts of their body.^4-7 You may need to lose more or less fat from other areas of your body than someone else before your abs appear. As long as you maintain a caloric deficit, however, eventually you’ll have abs.
You can create a caloric deficit through diet or exercise, though combining both  tends to work best. This brings us to the next step.

2. Lift weights that engage your upper body.

When it comes to exercise for abs, Lyle McDonald says it best:

“You need two main exercises:
1. Table push aways: when you start to get full, just push away from the table.
2. Head shakes: when someone offers you food not on your diet, twist your head right and then left and repeat going ‘No thank you.’
Getting a 6 pack is mostly about losing fat.”

In truth, you don’t need to lift weights to get a six pack — or exercise at all.
However, strength training can help maintain muscle mass while you’re in a caloric deficit, which will generally produce better results.^8-10 Lifting weights can also help contribute to your caloric deficit by burning some calories (though that shouldn’t be the main reason you lift weights).^11,12
Most guys are obsessed with ab exercise like crunches, torso twists, sit-ups, and the like. These aren’t necessarily bad exercises, but they’re not always essential or all that helpful.
Full body exercises like squats and deadlifts can activate the abs as much as more direct ab exercises like side planks.¹³ You’ll also get a fair amount of ab activation from most compound movements like chin-ups, overhead press, and bench press (if you do it right).
It’s probably a good idea to do a few direct abdominal exercises as well, but don’t get carried away. To start, pick 1-2 ab exercises and train them once a week. Do 2-3 sets of 6-12 reps. You can do more than that, but it probably won’t be of much additional benefit.

Abs for All

Getting abs is like a rite of passage if you’re trying to be lean. It’s a sign of health, fitness, willpower, and commitment (and for some, a little vanity).
Don’t be fooled. You don’t need to take supplements, use special exercise equipment, or avoid your favorite foods.
The only thing you need to get abs is a caloric deficit, although strength training can help you maintain muscle mass and get better results. Some direct ab exercises won’t hurt, but focus on your diet above all else.
You already have a six-pack. You just need to lose the fat that’s covering it.

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Start weight training to get six pack abs:

You need to have strong shoulders and a strong back to get six pack ABS. Include trunk rotations, wood chops and dumbbell fly in weight training.

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Do Leg lift exercise to get six pack abs:

Doing a leg lift is another important exercise in order to get six pack abs. To do a leg lift, lie down, preferably on a flat surface. Then lift your legs straight up 90 degrees. This will build pressure on your stomach muscles and help you get six pack abs.
So, till now you can already judge by yourself that six pack abs is not just about exercising, but a combination of exercise and proper diet. Obviously this is not easy to achieve and it also requires much determination. You need to plan your routine accordingly so that you can easily manage between your work and workout. Six pack abs is not a myth anymore. The body builders are also not the only one to have it. You can also get six pack abs if you follow the proper plan needed to achieve this goal.

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Workout more to get six pack abs:

Now, we are coming to the core part of getting six pack abs. You must by far know that only diet change will not help you achieve your goal. The workout is equally important in this matter. Some of the exercises, for example- leg lifts, crunches, etc. are the ones that are important to get six pack ABS. Doing sit ups is another primary exercise in achieving six pack abs. This will also give you a flat stomach. To do a sit up, simply lie down on a flat surface. Keep your knees high and your hands behind your head. Without moving the position of your knees, sit up and lie down. Don’t move the position of your hands too. To do a crunch, first lie on the floor. After that, bring your arms close to your chest, bend your knees, and then raise the shoulders towards the knees. This exercise is kind of similar to sit-up exercises. You can also see the best ab workouts on our blog.
The hallmark of fitness is a nice six pack, because it not only represents a certain level of effort in the gym, but also maintaining a relatively low bodyfat percentage.

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Get sufficient sleep to get six pack abs:

Getting sufficient sleep is also important for your body building. Doctors suggest that people who get more sleep are likely to lose more fat than those who sleep less. Stress controls your overall health. It also determines your body shape. So, you need to practice how to control stress.
Tip #1 – Make sleeping 7-8 hours a night a priority
Your sleep cannot be an afterthought in getting six pack abs. It’s critically important, and getting enough sleep needs to be one of your major exercise goals. Consistently getting enough sleep is just as important as consistently working out, or consistently eating right.
This is one of the big differences between guys who have a six pack and guys who don’t. Guys who have six pack abs treat their sleep seriously, while guys who don’t have a six pack neglect it then get frustrated when they don’t get the results they want.
Tip #2 – Reduce caffeine intake, especially after 6 PM
If you’re having difficulty falling asleep when you go to bed now, it may be because of caffeine. Caffeine stimulates your central nervous system, and makes it more difficult for you to get deep and restful sleep. Caffeine can be found in more than just coffee.  Check the other beverages you drink and even the food you eat for caffeine. You’d be surprised what it’s hiding in.
Caffeine can really hurt you if you are consuming more than two cups of coffee or two energy drinks per day. At this point, you are consuming enough to seriously interfere with your sleep.
Also, avoid consuming caffeine after 6 PM. Drinking caffeine this close to your bedtime will prevent you from getting sleepy, and disrupt your bedtime rhythm.

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Have a balanced diet to get six pack abs:

A Hollywood action celebrity or a wrestler, or maybe a renowned body builder- whoever your inspiration is, their sheer determination to get what they really want has gotten them the result. The most important thing to get six pack abs is to have a balanced and planned diet. Getting the right amount of carbohydrate is essential in this case. You can try whole grain, brown rice- these are the carbohydrates that are rich in fiber and also very important for your body as well. Eating enough protein in your breakfast should also make it to your planning list. You need to cut down any extra layer of fat that is on the upper portion of your abs. You should also drink a healthy amount (at least 2 liter) of water regularly. Processed foods should be avoided as much as possible, such as fast foods. These don’t add much nutritional value to your health, but adds unnecessary fat. Try to eat frequently as it is healthy for any individual.

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