Answer: We were all born with abdominal muscles. The fact is that many of us have a layer of fat over top of them! One of the best things you can do to bring out your abs is get your nutrition in check and perform 30 to 45 minutes of cardiovascular exercise four to five times per week. Once you burn the fat, you will see those beautiful abdominal muscles.

One thousands sit-ups per day is not going to produce a mid-section like Britney Spears or Janet Jackson. It is definitely a balance of proper and efficient exercise and nutrition that makes all the difference.

For the record, not all ab exercises are created equally. Studies of abdominal muscle recruitment have shown that bicylces, hanging knee raises and reverse crunches top the charts. We also recommend using the Swiss ball along with traditional ab exercises. Lastly, it is important to balance out your ab work with some erector spinae (back muscles that run down the length of your spine) exercises like the quadraped opposite arm/leg lift and back extensions.

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