Build Your "Six Pack" With a Five Minute Abs Routine

All physical fitness regimens would have an abdominal workout or two. However, since these workouts usually have a duration of 15 minutes for the abs alone, a lot of individuals voice their reluctance to do crunches and sit-ups for such a long amount of time. Thankfully, there is a 5-minute abs routine that can help people build, shape, and define their six pack.

As a rule of thumb, each physical fitness regimen should have abs exercises that need to be done every 2 days to a maximum of 4 times a week. After each abs routine, you should give your muscles 48 hours recover time to prevent overworking and fatigue in your abdominals. It is also during rest and sleep that new muscles grown, enabling your six pack to bulk up at a faster rate.

Your abdominals are not like your arms and legs which you can train on alternate days. An abs routine should be done during a single session. There are two reasons for this - first, you work out your abdominal muscles simultaneously and, secondly, bulking up of muscle mass is promoted because the muscle tissues are in a warm and active state.

Standard Six Pack Abs Routine

A standard six pack abs routine consists of 3 types of workouts, which are...

· 3 Abs workouts
· 3 Obliques workouts (both left and right sides)
· 2 Exercises that simultaneously work out the abs and obliques

These workouts should have...

· 3 sets each
· 10 to 25 repetitions per set (or each set is 30 to 60 seconds in duration)
· Alternating 2 to 3 different workouts to prevent the body from adapting

The length of a standard abs routine is 15 minutes. Not all individuals, however, can work out for this long.

Five Minute Abs Routine

A 5-minute abs routine consists of 5 different workouts with a duration of 1 minute each, without taking breaks in between each workout. If you need to take a break, it should not be more than 5 seconds. This routine is the ideal workout for people with busy schedules and don't have the time to perform a standard abs workout. You don't need exercise balls and specialized gym equipment. All you will need are your body, abs, an exercise mat to lie on, and your best, concentrated effort.

The 5-minute abs routine consists of the following exercises...

· Alternate Crunch = This is an effective warm-up for your abs. Lie down on the mat in the crunch position. Raise both legs, at the same time, reaching for your feet with both hands. As you do this exercise, crunch your abs.

· Leg Raise (Left Foot on Top) = Warms and tones the lower abs that form the abdomen's V-cut

· Leg Raise (Right Foot on Top) = Creates balance between the left and right sides of the lower body around the waistline

· Reverse Crunch = Targets the lower abs which are not trained by the earlier alternate crunch. Similar to a standard crunch, the difference lies in that you bend your knees as you raise your legs.

· Bicycle Crunch = Provides a complete workout for your abs

To determine if you performed these exercises properly, you should feel some soreness and tight pulling in your abs. This sensation of abdominal strain also gauges the effectiveness of other types of abs routines.