Abdominals needs to be approached differently than other muscle groups. This can be rationalized by realizing the goal of ab training is not so much size as it is definition. In practice, this means that abs are trained more frequently and for many more reps than other muscle groups. I advocate training abs between four and six times a week. Of equal importance in defining the stomach muscles are diet and exercise. No matter how strong or cut your abs may be, they won't show up if they're hidden under a layer of fat.
With this in mind, you should commit to at least twenty minutes of cardio work every other day. This isn't a carved-in-stone rule, rather a guideline. Exercise bikes, stairmasters, jogging and swimming are all great activities that will positively affect the appearance of your abs.
A lot of people do abs after their workout when they're already exhausted from 45 minutes or an hour of hard lifting. Don Long always does his ab workout first and after talking to him about it, so do I. His reasoning is that abs are such an important part of your physique that they deserve to be done first so that you can concentrate on performing the motions with the strictest form. Abs aren't so exhausting that they will appreciably affect the rest of your workout so go ahead and hit them first--it will also speed the warming up process.
This page, concentrates on the exercises you'll need to do get and maintain a ripped six pack. Omitted is information about aerobic exercises and diet both of which can be found elsewhere on the Hugeness Homepage.
On to the exercises...
Lie on a mat or an incline sit-up board. If you're on a mat then put your hands under your glutes. If you're on an incline, you'll need to use your hands to hang on to something to keep yourself from sliding off--most boards have a little handle at the top for precisely this purpose.
Once you're situated, bring your legs up to the point where they are perpendicular with the floor. Keep your legs as straight as you can to maximize the resistance. For an extra dose of soreness the next day, thrust your heels up towards the ceiling at the top of the movement. This thrust should be fairly controlled and should come from the lower two abdominal muscles. If you do it right, you'll actually be able to feel which ones are being worked.
From the top of the movement, just lower legs down to just above the floor (or incline board). Don't allow your legs to touch the floor--keep constant tension on your abs and go right into the next rep.
Lower abs.
These usually come first in my ab routine simply because I feel my lower abs need extra attention.
Hang from a chin-up bar with an overhand grip and your hands spaced wider than shoulder width apart. Let your legs hang straight down. Now, pull your knees up to your chest and hold it for a moment before lowering and repeating. To increase the resistance, keep your legs straight and pull them up until they form an "L" with your torso. To emphasize the intercostals in this movement, incorporate a twist so that your knees come up to either your right or left side.
Lower abs, intercostals (only in twisting variation).
Truth be told, I can't do these very well. I tend to sway back and forth when I do them which decreases the effectiveness of the movement. Some people--gymnists in paricular--are remarkably adept at performing this motion in a very controlled manner. I am not. If you're like me then stick to other exercises for the lower abs.
Lie on your side and cradle your head in your hands. Bend your knees and place your lower elbow and arm on the ground just under your head. Keeping your hands linked behind your head, point the other elbow up. Twist your body and lift the lower elbow up off the ground and across your toso. Hold for a split second before lowering almost all the way back down and then repeating. When the desired rep range is completed, roll over and work the other side.
Intercostals and obliques.
This is one of the best exercises to separate the abs from the intercostals.
Lie on your back and bend your legs. Lift your legs up so that your thighs are perpendicular to the ground and your shins are parallel with the ground. Lock your hands behind your neck and crunch your torso up towards your thighs. Lift your torso as high as possible without yanking on your neck. Lower and repeat.
Entire Abdominal Complex
Don't leave these guys out. They're for real.
This movement is pretty straight forward. You need a pull-over machine in your gym to be able to perform it.
Sit down and strap in after selecting the desired weight. Grab the overhead bar and pull it down in an arc to your midrift. Let the weight back down in a controlled way. If you find yourself arching your back a lot on this movement then it's time to lower the weight and concentrate on form.
Serratus, lats.
Well developped serratus muscles add a lot to the overall impact of a physique. Shawn Ray, Kevin Levrone and Flex Wheeler all have outstanding serratus development and should be inspirations to the rest of us who are still working on getting those finger-like muscles to pop out.
Because of the strong role the lats have to play in this movement, it's a good movement to include on back day.