Washboard Abs

Abdominal Anatomy

First off, it is important to recognize that there's more to the abominals than just rectus abdominis, the visible sixpack. There are two sets of diagonal muscles called obliques that criss-cross one another, and work by twisting the torso. These are mostly visible on the sides and, when properly trained and toned, they work a little like a girdle tightening up your entire midsection. Thus, we will focus most efforts on the sixpack, but we'll also throw in some twisting motions to get a complete package.

Training for Washboard Abs

Without further ado, let's look at five exercises that are guaranteed to set your midsection on fire.

Crunches and Twisted Crunches

The most obvious and perhaps well-known ab exercise is the crunch. It is a little different from the classic sit-up in that it's a shorter range of motion that keeps the focus on the abs rather than hip flexor muscles. The execution is simple: lie down on the floor with knees bent and your hips at a 45-degree angle. Put your hands on your chest or behind your neck (don't tug at the back of your head) and press your heels down and back while you lift your shoulders a few inches off the ground. Make sure to keep your lower back pressed against the floor at all times. For variation, twist your body so that left elbow moves towards right knee and vice versa.

Captain's Chair

Found in most gyms, this is like a bottomless chair suspended a few feet off the ground. When it's set at the proper height, your feet are completely suspended and all of your bodyweight rests on your elbows and forearms. Your entire back should be pressed firmly against the pad the entire time. The exercise is lifting your knees straight forward, alternating towards the sides for obliques training.

Bicycle Maneuver

Lie down on a pad with your hands at the sides of your head, then lift your legs about halfway towards the ceiling. Make sure to keep your lower back pressed firmly against the pad at all times. For exercise, move your feet in controlled circles similar to how you'd pedal a bicycle.

Bent-Knee Hip Raises

Best done on an decline bench where your head is on the upper end and where you can grab the edge at the top for support. Lift your knees so that both knee and hip joint is at a 90-degree angle. Slowly curl your torso up, lifting your hips off the pad and hold in the max contraction position for as long as possible. Slowly lower and repeat.

The Plank and Side Plank

Prop yourself up facedown on your toes (feet together) and elbows, so that your entire body is suspended a foot or so off the floor. The key to this exercise is to maintain a straight posture for as long as possible, so don't let your hips sag for even a second. To hit obliques, place yourself sideways on just one elbow and the side of one foot.

The Diet and Cardio Factors

Training the ab muscles is greatly beneficial, not least for health reasons, but if your goal is visible washboard abs you're going to have to do something to burn off bodyfat too. It's a slow and frustrating process, but it can be done. That doesn't mean starvation; in fact, dieting shouldn't involve actual hunger since that may actually turn out to be outright counter-productive. Diet smart, not hard.

You can also accelerate the fat burning process by doing regular cardio, such as jogging or swimming. Here you have some leeway in picking the activities you enjoy, since the goal is to burn off extra calories on a regular basis. Does the gym treadmill make you faint from boredom? Go play basketball for an hour. Can't stand the jogging trail? Challenge someone better than you at tennis and work even harder chasing impossible balls. Simply go with whatever you can realistically stick to for several months; the only criteria is that it's regular and that it gets your heart pumping for an extended period of time. Good luck!