The Greatest Abs Workout Ever

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Unleash your abs with this exclusive plan from Get Fit, Stay Fit, the sequel to the best-selling Abs Diet

By David Zinczenko

MEN WITH

FLAT STOMACHS ARE . . .

50% less likely to develop

heart disease.16%

less likely to die of a fi rst

heart attack. 50%

less likely to have erectile dysfunction.

70%less likely to develop high

blood pressure.35%

less likely to develop

kidney cancer.90%

less likely to suffer from gallstones.

14%less likely to develop

osteoarth ritis.19%

less likely to die in a car crash.

LIVE LONGER!A Canadian study of more than

8,000 people over 13 years found

that those with the weakest

abdominal muscles had a death

rate more than twice that of

the people with the strongest

midsections.

LIFT MORE!A stronger core supports

your spine, so you can lift more

weight in every exercise. Case

in point: Canadian researchers

found that men bench-pressed

40 percent more on a stable

surface—which best supported

their spines—than on an

unstable surface.

PREVENT INJURIES!

Research shows that men with

the best-conditioned abdominal

muscles—guys who can perform

at least 73 situps in 2 minutes—

are fi ve times less likely to suffer

a lower-body injury than

those who can knock

out only 50.

IMPROVE YOUR

POSTURE!Tight lower-back muscles from

excessive running pull your spine

out of natural alignment. Strength-

ening your abs can correct this

muscular imbalance, improving

your body’s posture to allow

it to function properly.

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The Ultimate Abs Exercise Plan

Lie on your back with your knees bent,

and hold a weight plate or dumbbell

on your chest. (If that’s too hard,

just do a traditional crunch.) Slowly

crunch up, bringing your shoulder

blades off the fl oor. Pause, then lower

yourself to the starting position.

Do 10 to 15 repetitions.

Sit with your knees bent and your feet

fl at on the fl oor, shoulder-width apart.

(Tuck your feet under weights to

maintain balance.) Extend your arms in

front of you with your fi ngers interlaced.

Begin with your upper body at slightly

less than a 90-degree angle to the fl oor.

Lower your upper body toward the fl oor,

curling your torso forward, rounding

your lower back, and keeping your abs

contracted. When your upper body

reaches a 45-degree angle to the fl oor,

return to the starting position.

Do 10 to 15 repetitions.

THE WORKOUT This routine attacks your midsection from every angle, so your abs are constantly

challenged. Choose one exercise from each section, for a total of fi ve. Perform one move

immediately after the other for the specifi ed number of repetitions, then repeat the circuit. After

4 weeks, choose the exercise in each group that you didn’t perform in your previous workouts.

This ensures that your muscles are always adapting to new stress.

BURN OFF YOUR BELLY This interval routine is designed to strip away the excess fl ab that’s

hiding your six-pack. Do it 3 days a week, after your weight session or on the days in between.

Use your mode of choice—a treadmill, stationary bike, or rowing machine.

STEP 1 Warm up for 3 to 5 minutes at an easy pace, about 30 to 40 percent of

your best effort.

STEP 2 Run, cycle, or row at 95 percent of your highest effort for 30 seconds.

STEP 3 Perform active rest, slowing back down to your warmup speed for 90 seconds.

STEP 4 Repeat fi ve to seven times.

STEP 5 Once you can complete eight intervals, reduce the length of your active

rest periods by 5 to 10 seconds each workout, until they’re only 30 seconds long.

Position yourself in a back-exten-

sion station, and hook your feet

under the leg anchor. Lace your

hands behind your head. Lower

your torso, allowing your lower

back to round slightly, until it’s just

short of perpendicular to the fl oor.

Raise and twist your upper body

until it’s in line with your hips and

facing right. That’s one repetition.

Repeat the move, this time

twisting to your left.

Do 10 to 15 repetitions.

Position yourself in a back-extension

station, and hook your feet under the

leg anchor. Hold your arms straight

out beyond your head. Lower your

torso, allowing your lower back to

round slightly, until it’s just short of

perpendicular to the fl oor. Pause,

then raise your upper body until

it’s slightly above parallel to the

fl oor. At this point, you should

have a slight arch in your back,

and your shoulder blades should

be pulled together.

Do 10 to 15 repetitions.

SECTION

1

SECTION

2

SECTION

3

SECTION

4

SECTION

5

STANDING CABLE CRUNCH

WEIGHTED CRUNCH

PULSE-UP

MEDICINE-BALL TORSO ROTATION

TWO-POINT BRIDGE

BACK EXTENSION

FIGURE-8 CRUNCH

SIDE JACKKNIFE

NEGATIVE CRUNCH

TWISTING BACK EXTENSION

F IRST PAGE: PHOTOGRAPH BY P IOTR S IKORA, STYLING: LAURI EISENBERG/R.J. BENNETT, GROOMING: KEVIN DONLIN/SUSAN PRICE, 2(X)IST SHIRT, REEBOK SHORTS

THIS PAGE: PHOTOGRAPHS BY BETH B ISCHOFF, GROOMING: KEVIN DONLIN/SUSAN PRICE

mc Go to

MensHealth.com/abs

for a free abs newsletter.

Lie on your left side, with your legs

nearly straight and slightly raised off

the fl oor. Also, lift your torso off the fl oor,

with your left forearm on the fl oor for

balance. Hold your other hand behind

your right ear, with your elbow pointed

toward your feet. Lift your legs toward

your torso while keeping your torso

stationary. Pause to feel the contraction

on the right side of your waist. Then

slowly lower your legs and repeat.

Finish the set, then switch sides.

Do 10 to 15 repetitions.

Lie on your back with your knees bent

at a 90-degree angle, squeezing a

light medicine ball tightly between them,

and place your feet fl at on the fl oor.

Place your fi ngers behind your ears,

then slowly raise your head, shoulders,

and feet off the fl oor.

Keeping your torso up, move your knees

in a fi gure-8 motion. Each fi gure-8 is

one repetition.

Do 10 to 15 repetitions.

Hold a medicine ball or basketball

in front of you as you kneel and

sit back on your heels. Quickly

twist to your left and set the ball

down behind your back.

Twist to the right and pick up

the ball, then bring it around to

your left and set it down again.

That’s one repetition.

Do 10 to 15 repetitions.

Lie with your hands under your

tailbone and your legs extended

straight up toward the ceiling,

perpendicular to your torso.

Lift your hips off the fl oor in a

straight line. Pause, then lower

your hips .

Do 10 to 15 repetitions.

Attach a rope to a high-pulley cable.

Stand with your back to the weight

stack and hold one end of the rope

on the left side of your head and the

other end on the right.

Crunch your torso down. Pause,

then return to the starting position.

Do 10 to 15 repetitions.

Assume the standard pushup

position. Lift your right arm and

left leg off the fl oor at the same

time. Hold for 3 to 5 seconds, then

lower them. That’s one repetition.

Return to the starting position,

then repeat, lifting your left arm

and right leg this time.

Do 10 to 15 repetitions.

H aving worked at Men’s Health magazine for more than 10 years, I’ve seen all the

trends. (Uh, electrodes on my abs? No, thanks.) I’ve talked to trainers. I’ve tried

just about every exercise ever concocted. In a lot of ways, my workout is my work.

But I’m also busy with calls, meetings, and all the stresses that go with any job. So I know

you want an exercise plan that fi ts into your life—not one that is your life. This routine is short

and simple. In addition to performing this workout three times a week, train your largest

muscle groups with classic moves like squats, bench presses, deadlifts, and rows. And add

the 12 Abs Diet powerfoods to your diet. (See MensHealth.com for a meal plan to go.) The

end result: You’ll lose fat, build muscle, fl atten your stomach—and change your body forever.

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