Crunches? "Ab"solutely

Here is a subject that on the mind of probably most people interested in health and fitness: The Abs. That is why the amount of infommercials promoting miracle products to flatten the abs exist in the world. Whether its the "Bender Method," Pilates, those crazy chairs you lean back in, or the latest Salsa/Stripper/Hip Hop video guaranteed to give you 'the results you're looking for,' the bottom line comes down to exercise.

It is pretty well know that someone laying on the floor straining to lift their shoulders barely off the mat a couple of times is not going to give you the six-pack of your dreams. However, there are plenty of results to be had by the traditional crunch - although crunches by the hundreds appeal to a select few that I know. Here is the way I think of strengthening my abs: they are like any other muscle. I don't do 50 bicep curls with a 3 pound weight, I do 8-15 bicep curls with a weight that will just allow me to properly lift the designated amount of times because this will build muscle more effectively than the 3 pound weight. I would suggest attacking your abs the same way.

Aim to do 2 - 3 sets of 15 reps of a crunch that you can just barely squeeze out that 14th and 15th rep. This will affect your abs much quicker than doing 50 - 100 of the classic straight up an down crunch. Some ways to put the intensity of your crunch:

Add some weight - Hold two 3 pound dumbbells by your shoulders as you crunch up, adding more gravity to work against and upping the difficulty. Just make sure (and this is very important) that you are using a weight that still allows the motion to come from your stomach, and not by straining your neck. Your abs should be engaged constantly, and your lower back should never come off the floor. If this isn't possible, stick with the normal crunch until you work up to using the weight. This also works with a resistance band tied to a piece of furniture behind you.

Add some body parts - The classic types of crunches target only one section of your abs at a time, and unless the exercise is targeting that muscle extremely well, you are wasting time. When lying on your back, try spreading your arms and legs out into a V shape, then lift both at the same time to meet at the highest point possible over your body. Again, make sure to start the motion from your abs, not your neck. If you can't lower your legs down to the floor without your lower back popping off the floor, only lower them as far as your ab muscles will allow.

Add some gravity - I like to do all of my oblique exercises using my own body weight as resistance, such as: Lay on on side with your forearm flat on the ground, directly in line with your shoulder. Stack your feet and place your other hand on your hip. Raise and lower your hips, making sure to keep all joints in line with each other for 8-10 reps. Then, with hips raised, place your free arm by your ear and lower your bent elbow towards the ground and back up for 8-10 reps. These two exercises work different parts of your obliques and more effectively than laying on your back and twisting. Another great gravity exercise for the entire core is the plank pose - your whole body in a straight line with both forearms on the floor and body aligned in a straight line off of the ground. Hold for 30 seconds to a minute and do 2 sets, all the while concentrating every muscle in your stomach to squeeze as tightly as possible.

Doing these types of exercises for your stomach will target your abs more effectively than crunch after crunch after crunch, and will take a lot less time as well. Just make sure to give your core the proper time to heal with a day or two break between workouts, and don't forget your back is part of your core and must be given proper attention. Using this method will get you the flatter abs boasted about by the people on the infomercials have, without having to spend $19,95 on the next miracle product.