The Abs You Want In The Shortest Amount Of Time
With only three exercises you can also have defined abs.
The Bicycle Exercise; Lie face up on your mat and place your hands behind your head, lightly supporting it with your fingers. Bring the knees in to the chest and lift the shoulder blades off the floor without pulling on the neck. Rotate to the left, bringing the right elbow towards the left knee as you straighten the other leg. Switch sides, bringing the left elbow towards the right knee. Continue alternating sides in a 'pedaling' motion for 1-3 sets of 12-16 reps. But the count should be 1,2,3; 1, 1,2,3;2-so on till you reach twelve.
Vertical Leg Crunch; Lie on the floor and extend the legs up at an angle with legs straight. (You should be forming a V shape with your body.) Hold a weight against your chest. (I use a thirty pound kettle bell most days. The weight is key! The weight will give you the results you want.) Contract the abs to lift the shoulder blades off the floor, as though reaching your chest towards your feet. (Basically you're doing a crunch with your legs extended off of the floor and a weight in your hands held against your chest.) Keep the legs in a fixed position above the ground and imagine bringing your belly button towards your spine at the top of the movement. Lower and repeat for a set of fifty. You may want to break this up if you cannot perform fifty at once. Maybe split the exercise between 30 reps and then 20, or sets of ten till you reach fifty. Don't rest longer than thirty seconds between these sets.
Bench leg Raises (Gym may be needed for this); Extend the bench to as high as it will go. Lower the bench slightly if you need to starting out, (must be at an angle though), but aim for being able to complete the exercise with the bench at the highest level. (You should be able to stand right up from the bench when you are done.) Grab the top of the bench with both hands (where one would usually lock their feet into place.) Now simply raise your legs as far as they will go, (you should even feel your ass rise from the bench when you do this,) and then lower your legs back down but don't rest at the bottom. (Keep your legs straight when doing this exercise.) Do three sets of twelve when it comes to the leg raises.
Focus on your form with each of the three exercises. You will see results. If you don't have a bench available exchange this last exercise for the Plank mentioned below.
Plank on Elbows and Toes; Lie face down on mat resting on the forearms, palms flat on the floor. Push off the floor, raising up onto toes and resting on the elbows. Keep your back flat, in a straight line from head to heels. Tilt your pelvis and contract your abdominals to prevent your rear end from sticking up in the air or sagging in the middle. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds, lower and repeat for 3-5 reps. (If you can hold the plank for 60 seconds then you are above average according to Mens health magazine, so if you are a woman and able to hold this for 60 seconds you should truly be motivated.)
Depending on your weight you may need to change your diet for a time to reach your goals faster. I would recommend lots of protein; chicken, fish, maybe a protein drink in the mornings and fruits or vegetables with every meal. Only eat carbs in the morning, if at all. Do this routine for a time to see quicker results from the workouts I've shared above.
The Bicycle Exercise; Lie face up on your mat and place your hands behind your head, lightly supporting it with your fingers. Bring the knees in to the chest and lift the shoulder blades off the floor without pulling on the neck. Rotate to the left, bringing the right elbow towards the left knee as you straighten the other leg. Switch sides, bringing the left elbow towards the right knee. Continue alternating sides in a 'pedaling' motion for 1-3 sets of 12-16 reps. But the count should be 1,2,3; 1, 1,2,3;2-so on till you reach twelve.
Vertical Leg Crunch; Lie on the floor and extend the legs up at an angle with legs straight. (You should be forming a V shape with your body.) Hold a weight against your chest. (I use a thirty pound kettle bell most days. The weight is key! The weight will give you the results you want.) Contract the abs to lift the shoulder blades off the floor, as though reaching your chest towards your feet. (Basically you're doing a crunch with your legs extended off of the floor and a weight in your hands held against your chest.) Keep the legs in a fixed position above the ground and imagine bringing your belly button towards your spine at the top of the movement. Lower and repeat for a set of fifty. You may want to break this up if you cannot perform fifty at once. Maybe split the exercise between 30 reps and then 20, or sets of ten till you reach fifty. Don't rest longer than thirty seconds between these sets.
Bench leg Raises (Gym may be needed for this); Extend the bench to as high as it will go. Lower the bench slightly if you need to starting out, (must be at an angle though), but aim for being able to complete the exercise with the bench at the highest level. (You should be able to stand right up from the bench when you are done.) Grab the top of the bench with both hands (where one would usually lock their feet into place.) Now simply raise your legs as far as they will go, (you should even feel your ass rise from the bench when you do this,) and then lower your legs back down but don't rest at the bottom. (Keep your legs straight when doing this exercise.) Do three sets of twelve when it comes to the leg raises.
Focus on your form with each of the three exercises. You will see results. If you don't have a bench available exchange this last exercise for the Plank mentioned below.
Plank on Elbows and Toes; Lie face down on mat resting on the forearms, palms flat on the floor. Push off the floor, raising up onto toes and resting on the elbows. Keep your back flat, in a straight line from head to heels. Tilt your pelvis and contract your abdominals to prevent your rear end from sticking up in the air or sagging in the middle. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds, lower and repeat for 3-5 reps. (If you can hold the plank for 60 seconds then you are above average according to Mens health magazine, so if you are a woman and able to hold this for 60 seconds you should truly be motivated.)
Depending on your weight you may need to change your diet for a time to reach your goals faster. I would recommend lots of protein; chicken, fish, maybe a protein drink in the mornings and fruits or vegetables with every meal. Only eat carbs in the morning, if at all. Do this routine for a time to see quicker results from the workouts I've shared above.