The question about which workouts are the best ab workouts is a somewhat subjective one simply because different people will have different priorities when doing exercises. However, it is possible to judge the most effective ab workouts by the benefits gained for the same amount of reps done. If you want truly hardnosed exercises that will quickly burn that fat away and tone your abs, here are some of the best ab workouts for you to check out.
The bicycle is a relatively recent addition to the list of best ab workouts because of its relative difficulty, but there is little doubt that it is one of the most effective workout exercises out there. The bicycle motion starts with you on your back with your hands behind your head like with a normal crunch. Then, lift your feet and bring your knees towards your chest while also getting your shoulders slightly off the ground.
Straighten your left leg and bring your upper body towards the right in a semi-crunch, allowing your left elbow to move towards your right knee which should still be pulled in towards your chest. Repeat the motion with the other side, allowing your legs to go through a cycling motion with your upper body doing semi-crunches and joining the elbow to the opposite retracted knee. Exercise technique is very important on this one, but if you can get it down pat you will definitely feel and see the benefits before too long.
Effective ab workouts can cover many areas, but just about every modified curl still in use today is one of the best ab workouts. Modified curls take the traditional crunch and make it better and that is why they are so good.
The exercise ball crunch is an example of a modified curl. You have your back on an exercise ball instead of the floor and do the traditional crunch motion from that inclined position. The vertical leg crunch is another example where your back is to the floor but your legs are vertical instead of placed on the floor a shoulder width apart. Finally, there is also the long arm crunch which sees your arms stretched out above your head and joined together for better leverage and more targeted muscle movements. If you want the traditional crunching motion to be part of your ab workouts, the best ab workouts would be adopting one or more of these modified curls to accomplish that goal.
Finally, one more group of the best ab workouts would have to be the reverse and dual crunches. What makes these workouts so good is that they target your lower abs first before your upper abs. Although your upper abs are important muscles, your lower abs form the centre of stability for much of your lower body. Bringing your legs in at the same time to do the crunch from both sides or solely focusing on your legs will allow you to train that muscle and have a more stable lower half as a result.