The Best Ab Exercises for Developed Abs

Strong abs not only help strengthen your lower back, but also improve upon your posture.

Most lower back injuries occur, believe it or not, due to weak abs. Focus on these exercises and you'll see improved results.

Weighted crunches.

Crunches are one of the best ab exercises you can do. Grab a dumbbell, either hold it in front of your face, or let it lie on your upper chest, under your chin, and perform regular crunches.

You're now using your abs more to work against the leverage the dumbbell has created. Stick with a heavy enough weight where you can handle 10-15 reps, but no more.

Cable Rope Crunches

Another favorite for ab training, cable crunches require a cable machine at a gym. Grab the tricep rope, kneel on your knees, and bend downwards, forcefully contracting your abs on the way down.

It's basically a crunch, only, you're on your knees. But the contraction is the same. Don't swing with the hips, you're not using the abs very much if you do. Just a slight, 30 degree contraction until you feel the abs contract, hold for a couple seconds, then back up.

Weighted leg raises

Lie flat on your back, with your hands tucked under your butt. Wrap your feet around a small dumbbell, and perform leg raises.

Stability Ball Crunches

Probably the hardest of the ab exercises, stability ball crunches help build core strength, which is your abs and lower back. Working on the stability ball will incorporate balance into your abdominal work.

You lie down on a stability ball like you're going to perform a crunch. Position yourself on the ball so your lower back is resting on it.

Keep your feet close together on the floor making your body less stable (helps incorporate more balance on your part) and place your hands behind your head or folded on your chest.

Crunch your upper body towards your knees, exhaling as you contract your abs. Under muscular control, lower yourself back to the original position keeping full tension on the abs.

Regardless of what ab exercises you do, the key is to add weight/resistance. If not, you'll never increase the amount of lean muscle tissue in the area.

After all, the abs are a muscle group, just like any other. So why not train them like your other muscle groups?

True, the abs are a higher endurance muscle, so they can take a little more work then other muscle groups. But you still want to train them like you do chest, biceps, or legs. That means, you want to use weight (resistance) lower reps, and not train them too often.

Combine these ab exercises with proper diet and intense cardio and that elusive six-pack is yours to be had!

Click here to discover more of the best ab exercises you can do for lean, developed abs.