ABnoxious ABS! Earn em and flaunt em

Firm flat abs are the status symbol of every fitness enthusiast in the country. They're the great equalizer in the world. Rich or poor, fabulous abs are up for grabs to whomever is willing to work for them. Are you ready for yours? If so...start your engines and lets get to work. It's time to earn that six pack and show it off!

First. Change your eating habits! If you're carrying extra weight at all, we'll never be able to see your rock hard abdominal muscles. How could we with a layer of fat covering thm? Don't diet just eat smart! Cut calories, fat and sugar. Choose veggies, fruits, lean meat and lean dairy. Consume less than you burn and you'll cut the belly blubber quick.

Second. Sweat....A LOT! Some people think they can do a bazillion crunches, and they alone will bring great abs. Again! You can crunch all you want, but you have to cut the fat. Eat right, and burn lots of calories. Cardiovascular training at a challenging pace is the best way to burn fat. Get sweaty. Don't stop moving until your face is red and your hair is soaked. Do this most days of the week.

Third. Drink lots of water. This will help deter bloating. Bloating is a tummy thing and even the flattest abs look poofy after a high sodium or gassy meal. Carbonated soda causes bloating too. Water. Water. Water.

Fourth. Of COURSE train those abs. Starting with basic crunches is fine, but once you are good at that you should change it up. Your body adapts to repetitive motion, so continue to shock the muscles you are working. Do crunches: on a stability ball, holding a medicine ball, on an incline bench, or on a BOSU. Go ahead and train your abs most day of the week, just train them right. The odds are, if you're doing crunches for 35 minutes....you're either doing them wrong or your routine has become too easy. Try something new and challenging.

Work the three different abdominal muscles; the rectus abdominas, obliques, and transverse abdominus. To work the rectus you should bring your shoulders closer to your hips. This is the up down motion in a regular crunch. To work the obliques, you should twist (against resistance). You can work the transverse abdominus by doing the many 'core stabilization' exercises that are quite popular lately. You can even work this muscle by simply sucking in your stomach. Easy, yes?

Abs are popular and so much fun to have when they look great. The other terrific part about earning great abs is that in order for them to look good, you'll have to have worked on your entire body. Eating right, religious cardiovascular exercise and strength training is important for all of your parts. Keep an eye out for my future weekly video podcast here on That's Fit called "Move of the Week". I'll be teaching lots of innovative ab work. We can be ABnoxious together.