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We are all concerned about our appearances nowadays, and staying fit is one of the biggest worries the population has when it comes to social interaction and making good first impressions. One of the main sources of this worry is how out of shape our midriffs are, especially our abs; therefore, many people are on the lookout for a good ab workout program that can help them reach their goal.

Before you plunge headfirst into a strenuous ab workout, you can avoid serious injury and embarrassment by knowing first off what the abdominal muscles are, why they are placed as they are, and what their unique functions are. That way, you can streamline your ab workout to target the areas in the midriff that you want to work on, and get the maximum out of your workouts. First there is the prominent rectus abdominis muscle (commonly known as the 6 pack); the transverse abdominal muscle; and the internal and external obliques.

Knowing the functions of the different abdominal muscles will give you a better handle on what they do, which direction they move in, and how far can they be taxed. This in itself will help you target your ab workout to the degree that you are getting the most efficient output in muscle development for the least effort. First of all, take a look at the “6 pack” set of muscles, or the rectus abdominis. These are located in the front of the torso between the ribs and the pelvic bones—-their function is to aid in the motion of the middle body. Next, examine the transverse muscle; consider it like a belt that is designed with the function of holding in your internal organs and keeping them in place. The oblique muscles are internal, and external. The internal obliques are located just inside the hip bones, and are involved in the action of rotating the torso. The external obliques are more on the sides of the body, and are used to twist the torso.

As mentioned, a good ab workout can target various groups of muscles over another, and can also work with all of them together to increase the all over strength of the middle area of the body. Here’s where working with the core muscles is important because they are the solid base that the other muscle groups work on top of, and without a strong set of core muscles, your all over body strength will not happen. There are targeted exercises for the core muscles as well as the abs, and doing leg lifts and static holds will do the job here. As far as the abs themselves, crunches are preferred over situps usually because the back is spared the stress created by situps, and crunches are much safer for your back. To build up the obliques, twisting exercises are touted as the best for that particular group.

And when all is said and done, a good ab workout is only as good as the body is healthy. If your diet is poor and you are shortchanging yourself metabolically by eating garbage, then all the exercises and workouts in the world will not do much good when they do not have a strong basis to work from. You need a well planned eating program—-you’ve heard it all before; lower fat intake, eat smaller meals but eat more often, never skip breakfast, and drink drink drink water. Depending on the type of ab workout you will be doing will determine the amount of protein you take in, and the amount of carbs as well. Certain types of exercises require more carbs than others, and you need to get that information and incorporate it into your plan. Start lifting weights and doing a cardio routine as part of your total workout as well.

Just a few small reminders when you are putting together an effective ab workout. Exercise with routines that are focused on the abdominal muscles, keep your body hydrated so it runs efficiently; keep your metabolism steady and at an increased pace so you are burning fat constantly and creating targeted energy. Also, remember that it takes a calorie deficit of 500 calories/day to lose one pound of fat/week.

There is nothing that you can’t do if you put your mind to it, and as all the old sages say “Where there is a will, there’s a way.” That applies to developing an ab workout that you like, you will stay with, and will produce results for you—-because, once you get started and start to see the results, you will be hooked and reaching your goal will be a certainty.

Gerald Holt has written and published many works about Getting Abs. For more information on How To Do Sit Ups visit our site.