Male Abs

Having a nice, strong set of male abs is the ideal to which most modern guys aspire. Earning that sixpack can be a lot easier said than done, however. Here's a two-pronged approach that'll help you get moving in the right direction.

The first step towards enviable male abs is to shed the excess fat. If you're naturally lean, you can skip down to the next section. But if you're like most of us and carry a few unnecessary pounds, this is a key component of your quest for nice male abs.

The good news is that it doesn't have to be rocket science. Cut out all candy, sugary sodas, donuts and other obvious culprits. Having an occasional beer isn't ideal, but one or two once in a while won't kill you -- just avoid bingeing. Junk food like burgers and pizza can be okay now and then as long as you watch the quantities you eat. The important rule for all the "bad" things is to keep an eye on the calories that dwell within. It may seem unnatural and unsatisfying to eat just one slice of pizza, but do the math and you may find the caloric equivalent is a hearty turkey sandwich on rough bread.

This brings us to the stuff you should eat in your quest for flat male abs. Proteins like chicken breast, tuna, lean beef, turkey and low-fat dairy products are important, as are good fats found in seafood (salmon, for example) and vegetables (olive oil). Simply put, don't starve yourself -- just eat better. Check out our sister site for more specifics on smart dieting.

The two most important muscles of male abs for aesthetic purposes are the rectus abdominis, i.e., the classic "six-pack", and the obliques, which wrap around the sides of the waist. The latter may not seem obvious at first, but having suitably toned obliques will help tighten up the waist kind of like a natural girdle. Oh yeah, strong core muscles are great for back health and posture, too.

Here is a sample ab workout that will hammer the entire midsection quite thoroughly:

• Exercise ball crunches - 2 sets, to failure
• Twisted crunches - 2 sets, to failure
• Kneeling cable crunches - 3 sets, 10-12 reps
• Sitting twists - 2 sets, to failure
• Captain's chair - 2 sets, to failure
• Rollerball - 2 sets, to failure
• Plank sidestands - 3 sets, to failure
• Air bike - 2 sets, to failure
• Dumbbell side bends - 2 sets, 10-12 reps

Now, as part of the fat-loss portion of the effort as well as general health, you should make this part of an overall exercise scheme that includes cardiovascular training and more general weight training to boot. These don't have to be in conjunction with one another, but rather along the lines of a weekly training split.

This can be suitable for an average guy carrying some extra pounds but otherwise being in pretty average shape:

• Monday: Weight training: Upper body
• Tuesday: 45 minutes swimming
• Wednesday: Ab workout
• Thursday: 60 minutes spinning class
• Friday: Weight training: Lower body
• Saturday: 2 hr countryside hike
• Sunday: Rest

Coupled with a sensible, non-starvation diet, this weekly routine should bring about a respectable set of male abs over time. If swimming and hiking isn't your thing, you can substitute the cardio with tennis, treadmill, biking or whatever you prefer -- the important thing is to get your heart rate up and your lungs working continuously. Likewise, if you have more than a few pounds to lose to reveal your male abs, you can try tacking on a 30-45 minute cardio session a few days per week; just don't overdo it to the point where you burn out after a month and chuck the whole initiative. Good luck!

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