Spot on abs: this science-based training routine will help you spot reduce for better abs. Follow the program and you'll be spot on for achieving a chiseled midsection in six weeks

Muscle & Fitness, June, 2007 by Jim Stoppani, Joe Wuebben

During Week 1, shoot for 10 reps per set and no more. This will be very easy for the majority of the exercises at the start of the workout, but keep in mind, you're cycling these exercises with little to no rest between sets. After the first five minutes, 10 reps will become difficult, if not impossible, to complete. (If you can't make it to 10, just do as many reps as possible.) During Week 2, bump up the reps to 12 per set, as your abdominal conditioning should be improving. Of course, you have an extra five minutes of ab work to do this week. During Weeks 3 and 4, aim for 15 reps per set; Weeks 5 and 6 call for 20 reps. Be sure to rest no more than 15 seconds between exercises--the goal is to keep moving to maximize fat-burning.

Perform these ab routines three times a week at the end of your regular workouts. We suggest doing them on Monday, Wednesday and Friday to allow adequate recovery between sessions. Continue training other muscle groups as you normally do; however, since you're training abs Monday, Wednesday and Friday, we also recommend that you follow a five-day, Monday through Friday training split and take the weekend off, as in "Spot-On Split" on page 125.

Cardio should be done on a treadmill, if possible, as this has been shown to be just about the most effective form of cardio for maximizing the amount of fat burned. Another way to get the most out of fat-melting is to perform your cardio in the following manner: After a two-minute warm-up, get into high gear and do high-intensity cardio (about 85% of your maximum heart rate, or MHR) in the first half of your workout, then reduce the intensity (about 60% MHR) during the second half. (See "Spotty Cardio" at right for a sample cardio workout following this method.) Not only does research show that this type of cardio activity burns more fat during a workout, but higher-intensity cardio has also been found to burn the most fat after training is over--and that, after all, is the ultimate goal.

Is this program grueling? Yes. But do you want abs by the time summer is here, or would you prefer spending another vacation wearing a tank top at the beach to flaunt your guns and hide your no-show abs? Thought so.

STANDARD CRUNCH

* Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and place your hands lightly behind your head. Crunch up by contracting your abs, raising your shoulder blades off the floor. Hold the contraction for a count at the top before lowering.

REVERSE CRUNCH

* Lie flat on your back with your hips and knees bent 90 degrees, arms down at your sides. Contract your abs to pull your knees toward your chest, lifting your glutes and low back off the floor. Pause, return to the start and repeat.

WEEK TWO

Do each of the following exercises for 12 reps (or until failure) in giant-set fashion for 20 minutes:

Hanging Knee Raise

Reverse Crunch

Standard Crunch

Oblique Crunch

Rope Crunch

WEEKS THREE&FOUR

Do each of the following exercises for 15 reps (or until failure) in giant-set fashion for 25 minutes:

Hanging Knee Raise