Workouts to Get Ripped Abs

Matthew McConaughey, Mark Wahlberg, David Beckham, Gerard Butler, Keira Knightley, Jennifer Lopez...In case you're still wondering what's common among all these Hollywood celebrities, well, the answer is simple. All of them are well-known for having the best bodies in the business; not to mention absolutely washboard stomachs and ripped 'n' super-sexy six pack abs. So if you too wish for the same and are wondering about how to get ripped abs, well, your search is over. Presented below are a few workouts to get ripped abs.

Effective Workouts to Get Ripped Abs - Abs Workout Routine
Getting those six packs is possible only if you exercise right, and by exercising right, I mean correctly exercising all the correct set of muscles. Here are some ripped abs exercises, i.e. exercises to get a six pack and at the same time, maintain it as well. However, you should make sure that you warm up for at least 5 minutes before you proceed to the following ripped abs workout.

Side Bends
This is the first exercise in this series of 'workouts to get a six pack'. Stand straight in front of a mirror and spread your legs such that the distance between them is roughly equal to your shoulder width. Place your left hand on your hip and let it remain in that position. Now, keeping your right hand by your side along the length of your leg, slowly bring it down towards your right foot and bend from your waist while doing so. Your entire movement should be sideways and you should not be leaning forward or backwards. Once you reach as far down as possible, slowly reverse the movement and return to your original position. Repeat this 10-15 times. Once done, repeat the same using your left hand i.e. on your left side. You can also perform this exercise using a pair of dumbbells for faster results. Side bends is a great way of getting rid of love handles. You can read more on exercises for love handles and dumbbell exercises.

Side Twists
Once again, stand straight in front of the mirror and spread your legs such that the distance between them is slightly greater than your shoulder width. Bring both your hands sideways at your shoulder level such that they are in a line. Now, keeping your lower body intact; using your hands, twist your upper body to the left until your upper body almost makes a 90-degree angle with your lower body. Hold this position for one second and then return to the starting position. Repeat this movement on your right side. This forms one complete twist. Perform 2 sets of 20 repetitions each. You can also make use of a long stick to support your hands and keep them parallel to the ground. This exercise is particularly useful for reducing the fat from your sides and your waist.

Leg Raises
Leg raises can be performed in two ways. In the first case, you need to lie down on your back and stretch your legs in front of you while keeping them together. Keep your hands under your buttocks with the palms facing the ground. Now, keeping your upper body firmly in place, lift both your legs off the ground and bring them up towards you in an arc. Your goal is to raise them up to a point wherein your legs and your upper body almost make a 90-degree angle. Once you reach this position, hold it for a second before slowly lowering your legs back to the starting position. All this while, you must make sure that both your legs remain joined together. They should move as 'one combined limb' rather than 2 separate legs. Perform this exercise in 2 sets of 10 repetitions each.

In the second case, lie sideways on the ground on your right side with your legs stretched in front of you. Rest your right elbow on the ground and use your palm to support your head. Now lift your left leg off the ground and bring it up towards you in an arc (similar to the earlier type). Once you reach the 90-degree position, hold for a second, and then lower it back to the starting position. This entire motion should happen smoothly and your body should remain sideways throughout. Perform this exercise in 2 sets of 10 repetitions each. Once done, turn over to your left side and perform 2 sets with your right leg.

Crunches
Every Tom, Dick and Harry knows the importance of crunches when it comes to getting ripped abs. So I will skip the basic description as I assume that you must be quite familiar with what crunches are, and how they are performed. What I will do however, is quickly run you through the different types of crunches; just in case one or two types is all you are aware of. I will merely enlist the types; information about their detailed description and implementation is something that you can get hold of by 'googling' them around on the Internet. Here are the different types of crunches and abdominal exercises that help in attaining six pack abs:

• Standard abdomen crunches
• Side abs
• Cross crunches
• Twisting crunches
• Half crunches
• Reverse crunches
• Bicycle crunches
• Crunches using a medicine ball

Regarding scheduling your workouts, you should ideally perform these ab workouts 4-5 times a week. If you can do them six days a week, that's even better. However, one day per week should strictly be reserved as 'rest day', in order to allow your muscles and your body to recover. Also, the role of a healthy diet cannot be ignored when in the pursuit of ripped abs. You can read more on abs diet and diet for six pack abs. This was a short overview on the workouts to get ripped abs. Exercise well and eat healthy, and you will soon get those six packs that you've been longing for!