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TheGreatest AbsWorkout Ever

Unleash your abs with this exclusive plan from Get Fit, Stay Fit, the sequel to the best-selling Abs Diet By David Zinczenko
LIVE LONGER!
A Canadian study of more than 8,000 people over 13 years found that those with the weakest abdominal muscles had a death rate more than twice that of the people with the strongest midsections.

LIFT MORE!
A stronger core supports your spine, so you can lift more weight in every exercise. Case in point: Canadian researchers found that men bench-pressed 40 percent more on a stable surfacewhich best supported their spinesthan on an unstable surface.

MEN WITH FLAT STOMACHS ARE . . .

less likely to develop heart disease. less likely to die of a rst heart attack.

50% 16%

PREVENT INJURIES!
Research shows that men with the best-conditioned abdominal musclesguys who can perform at least 73 situps in 2 minutes are ve times less likely to suffer a lower-body injury than those who can knock out only 50.

less likely to have erectile dysfunction. less likely to develop high blood pressure. less likely to develop kidney cancer. less likely to suffer from gallstones. less likely to develop osteoarthritis. less likely to die in a car crash.

50% 70%

35%

90% 14%

IMPROVE YOUR POSTURE!

Tight lower-back muscles from excessive running pull your spine out of natural alignment. Strengthening your abs can correct this muscular imbalance, improving your bodys posture to allow it to function properly.

19%

The Ultimate Abs Exercise Plan

THE WORKOUT This routine attacks your midsection from every angle, so your abs are constantly challenged. Choose one exercise from each section, for a total of ve. Perform one move immediately after the other for the specied number of repetitions, then repeat the circuit. After 4 weeks, choose the exercise in each group that you didnt perform in your previous workouts. This ensures that your muscles are always adapting to new stress. BURN OFF YOUR BELLY This interval routine is designed to strip away the excess ab thats hiding your six-pack. Do it 3 days a week, after your weight session or on the days in between. Use your mode of choicea treadmill, stationary bike, or rowing machine. STEP 1 Warm up for 3 to 5 minutes at an easy pace, about 30 to 40 percent of your best effort. STEP 2 Run, cycle, or row at 95 percent of your highest effort for 30 seconds. STEP 3 Perform active rest, slowing back down to your warmup speed for 90 seconds. STEP 4 Repeat ve to seven times. STEP 5 Once you can complete eight intervals, reduce the length of your active rest periods by 5 to 10 seconds each workout, until theyre only 30 seconds long.
mc Go to MensHealth. com/abs for a free abs newsletter.

aving worked at Mens Health magazine for more than 10 years, Ive seen all the trends. (Uh, electrodes on my abs? No, thanks.) Ive talked to trainers. Ive tried just about every exercise ever concocted. In a lot of ways, my workout is my work.

But Im also busy with calls, meetings, and all the stresses that go with any job. So I know you want an exercise plan that ts into your lifenot one that is your life. This routine is short and simple. In addition to performing this workout three times a week, train your largest muscle groups with classic moves like squats, bench presses, deadlifts, and rows. And add the 12 Abs Diet powerfoods to your diet. (See MensHealth.com for a meal plan to go.) The end result: Youll lose fat, build muscle, atten your stomachand change your body forever.

STANDING CABLE CRUNCH

WEIGHTED CRUNCH

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Attach a rope to a high-pulley cable. Stand with your back to the weight stack and hold one end of the rope on the left side of your head and the other end on the right. Crunch your torso down. Pause, then return to the starting position. Do 10 to 15 repetitions.

Lie on your back with your knees bent, and hold a weight plate or dumbbell on your chest. (If thats too hard, just do a traditional crunch.) Slowly crunch up, bringing your shoulder blades off the oor. Pause, then lower yourself to the starting position. Do 10 to 15 repetitions.

PULSE-UP

FIGURE-8 CRUNCH
Lie on your back with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle, squeezing a light medicine ball tightly between them, and place your feet at on the oor. Place your ngers behind your ears, then slowly raise your head, shoulders, and feet off the oor. Keeping your torso up, move your knees in a gure-8 motion. Each gure-8 is one repetition. Do 10 to 15 repetitions.

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Lie with your hands under your tailbone and your legs extended straight up toward the ceiling, perpendicular to your torso. Lift your hips off the oor in a straight line. Pause, then lower your hips . Do 10 to 15 repetitions.

MEDICINE-BALL TORSO ROTATION

Hold a medicine ball or basketball in front of you as you kneel and sit back on your heels. Quickly twist to your left and set the ball down behind your back. Twist to the right and pick up the ball, then bring it around to your left and set it down again. Thats one repetition. Do 10 to 15 repetitions.

SIDE JACKKNIFE
Lie on your left side, with your legs nearly straight and slightly raised off the oor. Also, lift your torso off the oor, with your left forearm on the oor for balance. Hold your other hand behind your right ear, with your elbow pointed toward your feet. Lift your legs toward your torso while keeping your torso stationary. Pause to feel the contraction on the right side of your waist. Then slowly lower your legs and repeat. Finish the set, then switch sides. Do 10 to 15 repetitions.

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TWO-POINT BRIDGE

NEGATIVE CRUNCH
Sit with your knees bent and your feet at on the oor, shoulder-width apart. (Tuck your feet under weights to maintain balance.) Extend your arms in front of you with your ngers interlaced. Begin with your upper body at slightly less than a 90-degree angle to the oor. Lower your upper body toward the oor, curling your torso forward, rounding your lower back, and keeping your abs contracted. When your upper body reaches a 45-degree angle to the oor, return to the starting position. Do 10 to 15 repetitions.

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Assume the standard pushup position. Lift your right arm and left leg off the oor at the same time. Hold for 3 to 5 seconds, then lower them. Thats one repetition. Return to the starting position, then repeat, lifting your left arm and right leg this time. Do 10 to 15 repetitions.

BACK EXTENSION
Position yourself in a back-extension station, and hook your feet under the leg anchor. Hold your arms straight out beyond your head. Lower your torso, allowing your lower back to round slightly, until its just short of perpendicular to the oor. Pause, then raise your upper body until its slightly above parallel to the oor. At this point, you should have a slight arch in your back, and your shoulder blades should be pulled together. Do 10 to 15 repetitions.

TWISTING BACK EXTENSION

Position yourself in a back-extension station, and hook your feet under the leg anchor. Lace your hands behind your head. Lower your torso, allowing your lower back to round slightly, until its just short of perpendicular to the oor. Raise and twist your upper body until its in line with your hips and facing right. Thats one repetition. Repeat the move, this time twisting to your left. Do 10 to 15 repetitions.
F I R S T PA G E : P H OTO G R A P H B Y P I OT R S I KO R A , STYLING: LAURI EISENBERG/R.J. BENNETT, GROOMING: KEVIN DONLIN/SUSAN PRICE, 2 (X)IST SHIRT, REEBOK SHORTS T H I S PA G E : P H OTO G R A P H S B Y B E T H B I S C H O F F, GROOMING: KEVIN DONLIN/SUSAN PRICE

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