The Best Ab Exercise

Crunches. No, crunches are NOT the best ab exercise. Neither are endless situps. Believe or not, the main purpose of the abdominal muscles is not flexion of the spine. In fact, the main purpose of the abdominal muscles is stabilization.

So, what are the best ab exercises? Squats, deadlifts, standing overhead presses, pushups, inverted rows, etc. Your abdominals muscles are a web design; you have fibers running different directions. This allows your "core" to have more stability.

Here is a simple, effective ab exercise. The Plank. Get in a pushup position and then get on your elbows. Make sure you elbows are in line with your shoulders. Contract you abs and hold your body in a straight line from head to ankles. Don't let your hips sag and don't stick your butt in the air. Hold this for as long as possible.