By John Cleary
Abdominal contraptions seem to be the biggest seller of all the machines. You’ve seen them; space-age-looking springs that you push with your gut, or a rolling device that is supposed to help make your sits easier. These machines are really not needed. The only thing that is going to reduce your waistline is honest hard work. Those machines simplify your workout and make your effort less effective. If you want to really hit your abs, try this. Take about three days a week and alternate a group of ab exercises such as crunches, side crunches, and seated crunches. No machine necessary.
Let’s take a further look at an effective ab workout. To really hit the abs and slim your waistline you, will need to develop your abs as well as burn fat. You can have the most developed abs in the world, but you won’t see them if they are buried under a lot of f at. To work out the abs effectively, you will need to do a combination of ab and aerobic exercise, at least 3 to 4 days a week. I recommend you do one-hour workouts split in half: 30 minutes for abs and 30 minutes for aerobics. The following exercises should be done for three to four sets of 20 reps each.
Crunches – Works the overall ab area. Lay on the floor with your knees up. Cross your arms over your body and slowly crunch your body up.
Side crunches – Works your side oblique muscles. Start out as you would a crunch, but instead of going straight up, twist your right arm towards your left knee and vice versa.
Seated crunches – Works your lower abs. Sit on a bench, close to the edge. Support yourself with your hands. Tilt back a bit and extend your legs out with a slight bend and slowly pull legs to chest.
This article by Paul Becker was published with his permission. Paul, a bodybuilder and fitness expert, is the owner and operator of TrulyHuge.com. Click the link to his website for more ab training tips.

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