When you’re trying to find the best way to get ripped, don’t overlook the power of isometric exercise. Too many think that they have to do hundreds of crunches and sit-ups every day. Those workouts, while not the best for abdominals, will help you lose weight and start to tone but they won’t do the job by themselves. Adding isometric exercises can really help to target the precise muscle group required in order to get that 6-pack that everybody wants.

First, let us cover what isometric workouts are. These are resistance type exercises where you are not dealing with range of motion but of a static pose. Instead of moving the joints, you are focusing on isolating muscle groups and strength training without altering the length of the muscle like you would with range of motion type exercises. The resistance can be from your own body structure, an immovable object such as a wall, or work out equipment that provides this resistance (such as holding a weight in a certain position). Isometric exercise will target and strengthen the muscle fibers that are not usually worked in full range of motion exercises.

One way to perform isometric exercise specifically targeting the stomach muscles is very simple to do but do not let the simplicity fool you. This will help you work those muscles and increase the size of the muscles needed to get that washboard abs look you want. All you need to do is focus on tightening the muscles of the abdomen. Hold that contraction for a count of five, then release the muscles slowly. Repeat 10-20 times per set. The great thing about this particular work out is that you could do it anywhere – sitting in a chair at the office, standing by the water fountain, you name it. As you do it more and more, you’ll find yourself holding the muscles tighter on a regular basis because it will become a habit. Within 2-3 weeks, you will see a tightening and toning just with this exercise alone.