Get abs fast: training whether you're a homebody or a gym guy, one of these three routines will lead you to six-pack stardom - Personal Trainer - Cover Story

Men's Fitness, March, 2002 by Myatt Murphy

(Tip: "Resist the urge to extend your arms out to the sides for balance," says Morand. "Keeping them close to your sides places more emphasis on your abdominals.")

3. EXTREME (lower abs, transverse abdominus) Lie on your back with your times up, arms at your sides (3a). Slowly extend your legs out and up until they are straight and 45 degrees above the floor. Simultaneously, curl your shoulders and lower back off the floor, extending your hands toward the outsides of your feet so that your arms are straight out in front of you (3b).

Holding this position, slowly draw your left knee into your chest (3c), then extend your left leg back out (your right leg should remain stable throughout the movement). Repeat seven or eight times with your left leg, then perform the same knee-to-chest motion with your right knee for the same number of reps.

STRATEGY #3: HOME OR GYM PHYSIOBALL

Maybe it's because you only see women using one, or because it looks like something Toys-R-Us puts on sale around Christmastime. Or maybe it's simply because it sounds like something made by men who enjoy yodeling and find Eucalyptus bearable. Whatever your explanation is for being afraid to use a Swiss ball, you're not alone. Seasoned exercisers share your fears, but for an entirely different reason: Nothing puts your midsection through greater, shape-shifting torture.

Exercising your abdominal muscles with a Swiss ball is one of the best ways a guy can jump-start his routine, for what may seem unique to you is actually quite familiar to your muscles. A Swiss ball mimics movements your abdominal muscles typically do throughout the day. "The abdominal wall's greatest job isn't to cud you off the floor; it's to constantly support and stabilize your body in an upright, balanced position all day long," says Jeff Bell, C.S.C.S., N.A.S.M., A.C.S.M., co-owner of Spectrum Wellness, New York City.

Merely positioning yourself on the ball forces all your muscles (especially your abs) to naturally contract before you even start a movement. "Doing crunches on top of a ball also lets you bend back through a greater range of motion to work more muscle fibers along a safe, supported surface," says Bell. "Trying to arch your lower back on a flat surface to achieve the same effect will only compromise the spine instead of strengthen your abdominals."

The following routine offers all the benefits Bell mentions in one simple three-step, boredom-beating plan.

THE EXERCISES

1. BALL CURL-UP (upper abs, internal/external obliques) Sit on top of a Swiss ball with your legs in front of you, feet flat on the floor. Cross your arms on your chest, touching each hand to the opposite shoulder (1a). Keeping your feet flat on the floor, slowly lean back and roll yourself down the ball until your shoulders and back touch (1b). "Beginners may need to shift their butts forward a bit on the ball to make it easier at first," says Bell. "The stronger your abs already are, the less adjusting you'll need to do to get yourself into this starting position."