If normal ab exercises aren't really doing it for you, then there is an alternative that's very much in fashion at the moment. You've no doubt heard the name, even if you're not really sure what it is. It's Pilates.
Pilates was invented by Joseph Pilates when he was imprisoned on the Isle of Man during World War I. While he was there, there was a flu epidemic, and Pilates came up with an exercise system to help flu victims get back to health more quickly. After the war, he moved to America and started training boxers in these new exercises, attracting widespread interest.
The key to Pilates is that instead of doing simple, repetitive exercises over and over again, it encourages you to learn more complicated, exact exercises, which you then do only a few times. The idea is to use your own body as a weight to lift. Once you master Pilates, you can exercise quickly, precisely, and effectively.
Many people are into Pilates for the same reason they like Yoga: the relief it can give for back pain. We're interested in Pilates, though, because of the effect it can have on your abs. It is designed to strengthen your abdominal muscles, together with your back and your behind, as all these muscles being able to move freely gives you the feeling of real physical fitness.
However, one word of warning is that while Pilates will get your abs fit, it won't necessarily make them look muscular – toned, yes, but not ripped. This is because Pilates isn't about lifting really heavy weights and building large amounts of muscle mass – it's more simply about physical wellbeing.
If you want to learn more about Pilates, you could just go along to a class – although, unfortunately, many classes that advertise themselves as Pilates use few of the original methods. If you can't find a good instructor in your area, consider teaching yourself from a book instead, as there is nothing about it that you can't teach yourself, at least with a little effort.
John Gibb is the owner of
, For more information on ab exercises check out http://www.ab-exercise-guidance.info
