Let’s face it, people love to have flat abs.  A six pack is considered by many to be highly attractive and desireable.  The question is though, how do you actually get one?

For many people, their abs are not in that bad a condition.  The issue is actually the fat covering the abs.  With a good diet and exercise you can get rid of that excess belly fat and show off your abs proudly.

The first exercise to perform is the crunch.  You need to lay on the floor on your back.  Put your feet flat on the floor and raise your knees.  Place your hands behind your head and raise your head slowly towards your knees without pulling your knees.  Hold this for two seconds before slowly relaxing back to the floor.

Following on from this is the reverse crunch.  You maintain the position from the previous exercise and instead of lifting your head, you lift your hips up and push them upwards.

Another type of crunch is the stationary bike crunch.  Still on your back on the floor, lift your legs up and bend your knees at ninety degrees so that your lower legs are parallell with the ground.  Lift yourself up slightly to touch the opposite elbow to the opposite knee.

Torso twists also help to strength the abs as your body moves from side to side.  Stand upright with your arms extended out from you parallel to the ground.  Keeping your hips stationary, swing your arms from side to side, turning the upper part of your body.

A squat is another exercise that focuses on the lower body and helps strengthen your core muscles, which in turn helps to pull in your stomach.  Stand up straight and hold your arms out parallel to the ground in front of you.  Bend your knees whilst keeping your back straight until you are in a squatting position as low as you can without causing pain.  Hold there for the count of five and then stand back up.  Repeat this as much as you can.  A good variation of this is to lean your back against a wall and squat down.

Knee ups are another core exercise for strengthening the ab muscles.  Sit on a bench, chair or other hard surface and extend your legs outwards.  Pull your knees up to your chest, contracting your stomach muscles as you do so.  Hold this for a couple of seconds and then repeat.  Make sure you do this smoothly and steadily.

The amount of these exercises you do will depend upon your level of fitness.  The fitter you already are, the more you will be able to do.  If you have spent a long time sat at a desk on a computer as many of us have, you may find your muscles are poorly toned.

When you are doing these exercises stop the moment you feel pain.  The last thing you want to do is cause yourself an injury.  Start slowly and always aim to push yourself a little bit further each time you do the exercises.  Aim to do the exercises four or five times a week.

Combine these exercises with a good healthy eating program and you will be surprised how quickly you will find your abs are looking fantastic.