The Top 5 Six Pack Abs Workouts and the 5 Biggest Mistakes You Must Avoid

Six pack abs...everybody wants them. However, very few people know how to get abs without breaking their backs and spending way too many years wasting their energy with the mis-lead information from the 80's and 90's.

If you've been working hard to achieve a sexy six pack and you're getting sick of seeing no results for all the blood sweat and tears, then read on as I dispel some of the biggest time wasting myths when it comes to effective six pack abs routines.

In other words, you're about to discover which abs workouts will actually allow you to burn the fat and feed the muscle and save you months, or even years of wasted time...

Many people believe that certain abdominal exercises must be carried out in every abs workout routine. Sadly, these same common workouts produce the least visable results. In fact, the most common abs exercise is the traditional crunch, yet according to a recent study by acefitness.org, the abdominal crunch actually came out as one of the least effective forms of stomach exercises.

So, let's cut the fat and start speaking the truth about abs. Here's the top 5 abdominal exercises as testified by independent studies, in reverse order. (drum roll please...)

• 5. Torso Track
• 4. Vertical leg crunch
• 3. Exercise ball
• 2. Captains Chair
• 1. Bicycle crunch

There you have it, the top 5 most effective abs workout routines, with the bicycle crunch clearly coming out on top. Notice there's no traditional ab crunch or ab roller machine in the top 5 list? These are based on the amount of calories burned vs time spent doing the exercise.

Of course, it's important to remember that ab workouts like these are only one part of the six pack abs puzzle. There's a few common mistakes that people make when trying to get a sexy six pack...

• 1. Doing the wrong ab workout routines (we don't need to worry too much about that anymore)
• 2. Thinking that getting a six pack is only about abs routines like the ones above
• 3. Mis-informed diet plans and thinking that by eating rabbit food, you can lose weight consistently and keep it off
• 4. Thinking that the gym is the answer to all your tubby problems
• 5. Making excuses to put off the effort and getting upset when you look in the mirror and can't wear that nice shirt you just bought

So, if you can avoid the 5 common mistakes and adopt the 5 most effective workouts, you now stand a better chance of a gorgeous six pack of abs this summer...and keep that flat stomach toned for years to come.

Stomach Vacuum Exercise - How to Do This Exercise Effectively

One of the greatest challenges of working out and being in shape in the modern world is being able to fit in exercise into your hectic routine. The stomach vacuum exercise is an excellent way for you to train your abs during school, work, while you're watching TV, while you're on a bus, car, or train, practically anywhere and everywhere. It's one of the easiest exercises to perform.

How do you do the stomach vacuum exercise?

It's as easy as breathing so everyone can do this. You can do this either standing or sitting if you're a beginner, and later you can do this lying or kneeling. Just sit or stand straight, exhale to push all the air out of your lungs, suck in your stomach, and hold this position.

At this moment, your stomach muscles are contracting in a static, yet powerful way. Try holding your stomach in as hard as you can for at least 20 seconds and then release and start breathing normally again. Holding for 20 seconds counts as 1 repetition, so you're going to have to do this a few times more.

Naturally, this is an exercise that takes some getting used to but it can be very effective. Most people tend to disregard the stomach vacuum as something that can't really deliver results. I'm here to tell you that it can prove to be a valuable addition to your workout routine.

The best thing about this exercise is how you can do it on dead time. When you're sitting at your desk at work or when you're driving your car, do some stomach vacuums and build stronger abs. Why not make use of this time to your own advantage. Even if you're with people, no one will notice when you're doing this exercise.

Naturally, don't make the stomach vacuum your one and only exercise. It is effective but you need to work your abs in a variety of ways to have real results. In addition, some people become addicted to this exercise and over do it. Take it gradually, build up the time on each rep, and you will slowly get better and better results.