Everybody wants “10 minute abs” but lets be serious, thats stupid. Working out and exercise in general isn’t supposed to be easy, otherwise they’d call it baby-time. Abs are an interesting muscle, and they really don’t need that much work, because if any fat is covering them, you’re really not going to be able to see them anyway.

Generally speaking, bodyfat levels need to drop below 10% for a man and 15% for a woman for the abs to really show through. (MuscleMedia)

However, if you still want to try and give your abs the best work out of all time (which will make them more defined, and hits upon ALL sections of your abs, you should try this workout. As a warning, I’ve never met anyone who was able to do this on their first try, so if you do, let me know.

The workout I’ll be showing you is referred to as the “ab bootcamp” and is written by Muscle Media, read on to see instructions and my personal spin on the workout for even greater efficiency.

This workout should take 20 minutes

(The following is from MuscleMedia, click here to see the official ab boot camp, or read on to see my modified more difficult version).

Do each exercise without any breaks, (only pausing to stretch after each cycle) then repeat the cycle. If you do this three time in a row, without breaks, it should take around 15-20 minutes, and you’d should break a real sweat. Remember, you’re essentially doing 360 reps, without a break, its pretty impressive.

LOWER AB CRUNCH—20 REPS
This is a good starter exercise focusing on the lower abdominals.

STARTING POSITION:
Lie on the floor, or on a flat or decline bench, with your knees bent at a 45° angle.

THE EXERCISE:
Bring your knees toward your chest in a slow and controlled manner by contracting the lower abdominals. Return slowly to the starting position. Focus on pulling with the lower abs. Limit your range of movement to minimize hip flexor involvement.

LEG RAISE/HIP UP—20 REPS
This combination exercise targets the lower abs.

STARTING POSITION:
Lie on the floor, or on a flat or decline bench, with your legs straight and hanging slightly over the end. Use your hips to lift your legs until your toes are right above your navel. Keep your legs straight as you lift them. At this point your legs should be perpendicular to your body (forming a 45° angle).

THE EXERCISE
Raise your hips off the bench three to five inches, keeping your legs perpendicular to your body. The hips should be lifted by pushing up with the lower abs. Your feet should move straight up as you lift.

SIDE CRUNCH—20 REPS EACH SIDE
This is the most effective exercise I know to work the intercostals (the muscles between your ribs) and the oblique muscles (the muscles along the sides of your abdomen).

STARTING POSITION:
Lie on the floor or a flat or decline bench on your side with your knees bent and your arms holding onto either the end of the bench or something behind you.

THE EXERCISE:
Slowly bring your knees toward your chest. Switch to the other side and repeat. Keep the movement short to remove the hip flexors from the motion.

KNEE UP—20 REPS
Use this exercise to work both the lower and upper abs

STARTING POSITION:
Sit on a bench with your body parallel to the bench and your legs resting on the bench. Grasp the edges for support. Lift your feet off the bench and bend your knees.

THE EXERCISE:
Raise your bent knees toward your chest, keeping your toes pointed downward. Mentally focus on squeezing your abs throughout the movement, and make sure your feet don’t touch the bench.

LYING CRUNCH—20 REPS
When done properly, this exercise effectively targets the upper abdominals.

STARTING POSITION:
With your torso flat on the floor, place your legs up on a wall or bench.

THE EXERCISE:
Pull your shoulders off the ground about six inches by contracting your abs. To increase the intensity of the exercise, begin by first contracting your glutes and then hold that contraction while you perform the crunch. This removes any action of the hip flexors and spinal erectors (lower back muscles), enabling you to totally isolate the abs.

Active Rest Period
After completing the no-rest circuit, we have an active rest period lasting two to three minutes. During this period we will stretch and tighten the abs and perform stomach vacuums to enhance our control over the abdominals.

Basic Ab Stretch
Stretch your abs by locking your hands and reaching as high for the sky as you can. Hold for 10 to 20 seconds, then repeat.

Also, do these stomach vacuums all the time!

Finally, and most importantly, perform stomach vacuums during the active rest period. The stomach vacuum (as perfected by Arnold and Frank Zane) is one of the best exercises you can perform to shrink your waistline in a very short period of time. I can generally knock several inches off my waistline just by performing vacuums for a three-week period. Although the vacuum takes some practice to master, it’s extremely effective in helping you gain great control over your abdominals and giving your waistline a paper-thin appearance.

Perform a vacuum by exhaling all the air in your lungs, sticking your chest out, and trying to touch your belly button to your backbone (don’t worry, you will never accomplish this). Hold for 10 to 20 seconds, relax, and repeat. The simplest way to perform vacuums when starting out is from a kneeling position on all fours. As you begin to master the vacuum in this position, you can also perform it in an upright kneeling, seated, or standing position. Like anything else, the more you practice the easier it becomes and the more control you will have over flexing your abdominals. Eventually, you will be able to do these anywhere, from driving in your car to standing in line at the grocery store.