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You might be one of the multitudes of people performing a multitude of crunches every single day. If this is you, you can stop doing them as a part of your six pack abs routine. How to get washboard abs then? Let me introduce you to plank exercises. Doing planks for abs is going to help you get your washboard abs. You might think this workout is not very sophisticated because planks are basically used in yoga. However, plank exercises are an extremely effective way to get those six pack abs.

Before I delve into specifics about planks, I think it’s important to discuss the drawbacks of crunches. The first problem you need to look at is belly fat – there’s no one exercise, not even crunches, that will reduce the fat in just that specific area. You have to lose enough body fat through high intensity exercising and a strong diet before you have any chance of seeing your abs.

Moreover, I believe that crunches do not work well as a ab workout. Abs are part of core muscles that are meant to stabilize your body and keep your spine straight. Crunches involve the exact opposite movement, whereby you flex your spine and “crunch” at your back’s weakest point. This puts more strain on your lower back and your posture suffers.

Situps are an exercise that help remedy this issue because your back should remain straight as you do them. The problem with situps is that they don’t really require much from the abs – all the action is taking place in the lower back muscles. As a result, your posture will get worse and you might even feel some discomfort in your back. You may have a hard time agreeing with this, but just remember what your old gym teacher always told you about lifting a heavy weight. Bend at the knees and use your legs. By not doing this, you will be putting undo stress on your back muscles.

On the other hand, plank exercises will work your abdominal muscles as well as the rest of the core area. You make your body stay still in a single position, which means both your back and ab muscles are getting stronger. A significant advantage of planks in terms of developing better looking abs is that they work the transverse abdominus (that holds in the rectus abdominus), while crunches focus on the rectus abdominus alone. Because the crunch only works the one muscle, you’ll develop a strange profile view where your abs appear to be sticking out.

But with several plank exercises available, you can develop all the core muscles and avoid all these problems. A great one to begin with is the basic plank. You basically get in a pushup position but instead of resting on your hands, you rest on your forearms. You hold your back completely straight while trying to hold your abdominals in. I’m sure you’re thinking this sounds easy, but the longer you try to hold the position, the harder it becomes. Begin by holding the plank for 30 seconds at a time and build up to holding them for between 2 and 3 minutes each.

Do this exercise no more than 2 or 3 times every week. Remember, your muscles need to rest as well or you may end up causing more problems. And of course, you’ll be using your abs during other activities, like pushups.

For those who are looking for a more ab centered training program, there are other core and abdominal exercises that you can add to your routine, like leg raises and renegade rows. In a renegade row, you’ll go into your pushup position, then perform a one-arm row while you stabilize your body. Other good options are the hanging leg raise and the lying leg raise. Done slowly, these focus on the muscles in your lower abs and back.

The real path to washboard abs is through a strong core. If you really want to have a good core and sexy abs, plank exercises are one of the most effective ways to get there. A simple 5-10 minute routine performed 2-3 times per week is all it takes to increase core strength. Unless you like having lower back pain and a droopy posture, avoid the crunches and switch to planks. Rather, focus on exercises that burn fat, and you will soon catch a glimpse of your abs.