Best Ab Workouts and Ab Exercises

Best Ab Exercises to Get 6 Pack Abs, Core Exercises, and Home Exercise Videos

Simple equipment increases effectiveness of abs exercise videos.

You've seen abs exercise videos for all sorts of crazy equipment. Exercise DVDs promise to show you how to get 6 pack abs with little effort, which just doesn't make common sense. With exercise programs for your biceps or quads, you expect a certain amount of strain and pain to make the muscles harden and grow, and abdominal muscles are no different. A study of abs workouts by the Biomechanics Lab at San Diego State University included several exercise contraptions that landed on the bottom for effectiveness. (American Council on Exercise (ACE®))

That's not to say ab exercise videos shouldn't use some equipment. The best abs exercises include an element of instability, engaging more muscles, whereas a lot of gimmick ab equipment tries to take that instability out of the exercise. Ab workouts with an exercise ball, for instance, scored high among the 13 exercises tested. Exercise programs are more effective when they incorporate a variety of exercises, forcing your body to improve to meet the constantly changing challenges. Endless crunches are not the best abs exercises, so try mixing it up a little.

Having learned from abs exercise videos how your abs work, you begin to see that equipment such as chin up bars becomes essential gear for core exercises for men and women. Exercise programs include chin ups for the awesome way they work your back and shoulders, but you can also hang there and do great abs workouts with different ways of raising and lowering your legs and twisting. Combine these core exercises with chin ups or pull ups, and you increase the intensity of your workout, burning more calories and getting better results.

One piece of gear abs exercise videos usually don't stress enough, though, is the exercise mat. The study of the best abs exercises by the Biomechanics Lab at San Diego State University looked at 13 abdominal exercises and all but one involved laying on the ground. (ACE) Abs workouts almost invariably have you lying down, sometimes putting pressure on your spine or joints, and a good mat protects sensitive areas while making the exercise experience more comfortable. While you are considering exercise DVDs such as Debbie Siebers' Slim in 6® to target your physique, also find a good mat to do the fat burning exercises. Even if you don't purchase the other gear on this list for your abs workouts, do yourself a favor and buy a mat for your sit ups and crunches.