Living Better: Working Your Way to a Six Pack

Remember when I told you how 80% of a 6-pack comes from diet alone? Here's the other 20%.

The crunch is arguably the most popular exercise in the history of man (and woman)-kind. 16.7 crunches are attempted, worldwide, every single second. Ok. I made that up. But the point is, lots of people are doing lots of crunches.

In any case, it's no good if you're not fighting the good fight. By crunching the right crunch.

This is the crunch everyone's doing:

Feet flat on the floor, buttocks as the pivot, the cruncher pulls the weight of his upper torso upwards.

This is the crunch everyone should be doing:

Lying down in a comfortable position, arms crossed over your chest with your buttocks as the pivot, lift your upper torso while simultaneously drawing your knees inward towards your face.

Not only does this crunch relieve the immense pressure that the basic crunch inflicts on your back (which may eventually lead to back pain), it also places a higher workload on your abdominals, which results in quicker growth and greater core strength gains.

Besides the crunch, there are a multitude of exercises that are wonderful for assisting you along your journey to the mighty six.

Intermediate

The plank is performed by holding your body in the above position, keeping your midsection tight and your back in a straight line. Your back should not sag for the entire 60 seconds. Start by attempting 3 sets of 1 minute each and once holding it for a minute becomes comfortable, move on to 1 and a half minutes, 2 minutes and so forth. Kobe Bryant holds his planks for 5 minutes. Try it. It's harder than it looks.

Advanced

When the improvised crunch and the plank become child's play, consider moving on to the exercise ball assisted move as depicted above. Your core will need to be reasonably stable to balance yourself in the above position - hands on the floor, arms straight, body in a straight line, with your toes resting on the exercise ball.

Now, in a slow and controlled motion, draw your knees inward while keeping your back straight and extend outward to the starting position. Perform 20-30 repetitions, rest for one minute and repeat another 2 sets.

The rule of thumb in bodybuilding is - for size: heavier weights, less repetitions. For toning and definition: lighter weights, higher repetitions. That's why marathon runners are slimly built whereas sprinters are often packin'.

A six pack is achieved via toning and definition, thus the more repetitions you put in, the more you're accelerating progress toward your goal.

Strengthening your core doesn't only result in giving you a six pack - the resulting greater stability and body control will give you an instant edge in almost any sport.

Add these exercises to your pre-bedtime pushup routine in order to refine your frame and prepare your core muscles for the upcoming free weights program, exclusively on Straight Eye for the Straight Guy.