I am always looking for new ways to work my abs to develop better midsection strength and power as well as sculpting a nice six pack. And I know the RMO readers are too.

In this post I want to show you some alternative abs exercises and workouts that I have been working with in the past few months in the hope of giving you something different to do with your abs when you get bored of the usual suspects.

Alternative abs workouts for a better six pack

The crunch is a very effective exercise but it can get boring. It is also good to mix up your workout so that your body does not become accustomed to what you are doing. Here are some awesome alternative ways that you can hit your midsection and abs muscles.

1. Yoga asanas and stretches
A few days ago my girlfriend forced me go to a yoga class at our gym. I thought it would be good for my muscle recovery and flexibility. Boy was I wrong! It was a hard workout that left me sore, sweating and very exhausted.

The great thing about yoga is that all of the exercises are done with your own body weight so you can move at your own pace. The breath is used in order to make your internal energies flow properly and as such yoga is a very healthy exercise at the same time as being challenging.

Many of the exercises involve the abdominal muscles. One exercise (asana) we did involved lifting your legs up in a reverse crunch style way for about five minutes. It was hard but left my abs and lower back feeling amazing.

If you are looking for a new abdominal workout that works the muscles on a deeper and more isometric level then yoga is for you. Make sure you go to a class that has a well trained teacher - they need to know their stuff.

2. Capoeira kicks and acrobatics
A few months ago I started experimenting with Capoeira. This is a Brazilian martial art that involves a lot of acrobatics, high kicks and fast movements. The thing about acrobatics and high kicks is that your abs need to do a lot of work to get your legs to where they need to be. Seeing as the legs are the heaviest thing on your body the resulting effect is a lot of abdominal soreness!

You don’t have to go to a Capoeira class to reap the benefits. You can do 20 minutes of high kicks in your backyard and get a good abdominal workout. However, the best thing you can do is go to a proper class and throw yourself into the intensity of the art. This way you will get both the cardiovascular and the anaerobic benefits that it offers.

3. Heavy squats
I have to throw this in the mix. One of the best ways to get amazingly strong abs is to do heavy squats. Now you might be thinking, “hang on, squats don’t work the abs all that much” and you would be right. But, the testosterone that is released by your body after some heavy squats is one of the best ways to increase muscle mass in other areas.

Simply put, if you do heavy squats the other unrelated muscles will also grow. It creates a perfect internal environment for muscle gain. The abdominals are affected extremely well by heavy squats.

4. Overloading with one exercise
The other day I talked about how I had been “overloading” my triceps with an overhead cable extension. It worked extremely well. You can read about it here. Well, I have also been doing it with reverse crunches with some excellent results.

The idea is simple. Strap some light weights to your feet and pump out 15 of the best reverse crunch sets that you have ever done. After about set 5 you will be ready to throw in the towel but if you keep going you will reap some amazing muscle growth rewards.

Remember, only do this type of training once in a while so that your body does not get too used to the idea. Keep it guessing.

Any other exercises?

These are just some simple ideas to supplement your regular abs workout. Try picking one each week and rotating them over a month and see if it makes any difference. Can anyone think of any others?

photo Jippolito

We all want more visible abs that are as hard as a rock. However, many people do not understand that it is all about losing the fat that is covering the abdominal muscles. However nice your abs might be, they won’t be visible until that fat is gone.

1. High intensity cardio is best
The explosive stuff is the best if you want to bring out your abs. It burns more fat and it increases your metabolism so that your body will continue to burn calories after you have finished your session. This means that you will put on less fat that you would normally.

2. Increase the weight
The abdominal muscles are like any other muscle, they need to be continually challenged. Make sure you are increasing the weight on your abs all the time. Adding more muscles to your midsection means that you will burn more fat in the area. Muscle and fat do not exist well together.

3. Eat small meals regularly
Forget the traditional three meals a day. You want to be eating six or seven small meals every two and a half hours. This keeps your metabolism burning and it stops you from feeling heavy and tired after each big meal. This means you will be more likely to work out.

4. Kick stuff
Martial arts and sports where you need to lift your legs often help you get better abs. The high kicks bring your abs into play and you will find that over time the combination of cardio work and strength training will really bring out the best in your abdominal region. Some of the best abs I have ever seen are on kickboxers, not bodybuilders.

5. Eat the right stuff
You want to be eating foods that are high in proteins, vitamins and minerals. Empty calories in foods like candy, soda and so on do sweet “F” all for your abdominal region. Make each meal count.

The abdominal crunch is the most popular abs exercise of all time. It is done by everyone who is trying to develop their abs muscles. But there is a problem. Many of you aren’t doing it correctly.

So what’s wrong with my abs crunch?

You might be a little offended that I am just flat out telling you that you are doing the crunch wrong. I’m not trying to start some inter-site flame war, I am just trying to help.

Ask yourself these questions:

1. Does your back get sore?
If you back gets sore while you are doing your crunches then there is a good chance your technique is way off. This is a sure sign.

2. Does your neck or throat get tight?
A common symptom of bad crunching is a tight or sore neck or throat. It shows that you aren’t putting the correct emphasis on the right muscles.

3. Are your abs growing?
The sure sign. If your abs haven’t improved over the last six weeks then you are doing something wrong. The whole point of the crunch is to make your abdominal muscles grow and if that isn’t happening then something is wrong.

4. Do other muscles get worked?
Is it just your abs doing the work or are your hip flexors and obliques stepping in and helping cover some of the load? Make sure you notice which muscles are sore the day after.

So how do I do the abs crunch properly?

Now that we have looked at some of the symptoms of a poor abdominal crunch we now have to look at how to do the damn thing properly. Here are some tips:

1. Keep your lower back on the floor
Make sure you are not sitting the whole way up. That is a sit up! Keep your lower back pressed against the floor.

2. Mentally crunch the abdominal muscles
As always, make sure you are mentally “crunching” the abs as you do the crunches. Do not just go up and down over and over again - you really need to make sure you are crunching them hard.

3. Go slowly
If you are finding that other muscles are getting sore it is most likely because you are going to fast and your technique is suffering. Make sure you go slow and concentrate on the technique.

If you want to learn more about the crunch the check out these other articles which give more tips and hints to help you get the most out of your abdominal crunch.