Dos and Don'ts of Getting Ripped Abs

Here are some common mistakes that will get in the way of achieving your ultimate goal: a set of fabulous ripped abs.

Don't lace your fingers - Place both hands behind your head with the fingertips (just touching or slightly overlapped) to support your head. Intertwining your fingers makes it easier to cheat and use your hands to lift your head up off the ground instead of your abs.

Don't be an overachiever - When it comes to toning your abs, you don't need to do 200 repetitions all at once. In fact, you shouldn't. Concentrate on achieving the correct number of repetitions and focus on doing the moves correctly. Slowing down is a better way to intensify toning and achieve your goals rather than fatiguing your muscles with tons of repetitions.

Always remember that form is much more important than the rep number.

Don't rush it - Ab work isn't the reincarnation of a speed demon. It will be over soon enough. Move slowly and stay in control so that the momentum progresses through your ab workouts. Most people tend to rush the moves at the end of a set. This is exactly when you can reap the most benefit of your ab workout from going slowly, steadily and purposefully.

Do let yourself down gently - The downwards part of your ab workouts when your leg, torso or arm moves down is the easy part (kind of like jogging downhill). But, this isn't the time to rest. You get your muscle working during this easy part of your ab workouts, so do maximize it by moving slowly and gently, in a controlled manner.

Many people (especially the beginners) will make mistakes when performing ab workouts due to the common misconceptions. It's alright to make mistakes as long as you head towards the right direction after learning from the mistakes.