Over the years there have been countless studies and articles written on the subject of the perfect mid section and the best way to develop lean ripped abs. A lot of these studies have taken respected academics years to compile and have involved huge amounts of research.

The bottom line however, is that all of these studies have established that the most effective methods for building and maintaining strong abs are to utilise specific ab exercises, such as crunches and sit ups and incorporate them into a well devised workout plan with a solid diet.

Lets take a look at what are believed to be the top 5 most effective crunches, use these in your workout and some significant results will follow.

1: Bicycle Crunch Exercise

Quite simply, lie flat on the floor with your hands behind your head, lift your knees up to around 45 degrees and go through a pedalling motion as if you were riding a bike. Take your right elbow to your left knee and vice versa. Always remember to control your breathing.

2: Captains Chair

You will need to perform this at the gym unless you happen to have a suitable piece of equipment at home. Start the exercise with your legs dangling and bring your knees up to your chest. To really get the most from this exercise you have to make the motion as slow and controlled as you possibly can whilst really concentrating on your breathing.

3: Crunch Using An Exercise Ball

Lie back on the ball with your feet flat on the floor. Let the ball roll back until your thighs and torso are parallel with the floor, and then contract your abs and bring your torso up to around the 45 degree position. Again make the movement as slow and controlled as you possibly can and remember at all times to concentrate on your breathing.

4: The Long Arm Crunch
 
The long arm crunch works the rectus abdominus as well as both the internal and external obliques so is ideal for our purposes and can be performed absolutely anywhere.

Simply lie flat on the floor, reach your arms back over your head and clasp your hands together, keeping your arms as close to your ears as possible.

Making sure to keep your knees bent, contract your abs and lift your shoulders off the floor. Focus on your technique and perform the crunch in as slow and controlled a manner as you can.

Repeat the process for as many reps as you feel comfortable with and focus on squeezing your abs as much as you can. It really is a great little exercise and it can produce fantastic results.

5: The Reverse Crunch

This is a great exercise to use on your way to ripped abs and also one that requires the least movement.

The exercise focuses on the rectus abdominus although you will tend to feel it working the lower abs. Here is how to go about it.

Lie on your back, flat to the floor and place your hands by your side or behind your head if that is more comfortable. Bring your knees in towards your chest until they reach the 90 degree position, and point your legs towards the ceiling. You can just cross your feet or perhaps keep them together, it all depends on what you find comfortable.

Now contract your abs and lift your hips off the floor nice and slowly. Make sure you use your abs to control the movement, as there can be a tendency to swing your legs to create momentum. It is a tiny movement but it’s massively effective so try to stick with it if you can. Repeat the process for as many reps as you are comfortable with, I would recommend 3 sets of 12-15 reps to begin with.

All these exercises are actually pretty basic but are proven to be extremely effective in the quest for strong and ripped abs. You can of course increase the intensity of these exercises by adding weights.
If you can incorporate these exercises into your other strength training activities then you should start to see some significant results in no time.

For More Great Tips & Info Visit:  http://www.want-ripped-abs.blogspot.com>

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