Nothing says &quo;fitness&quo; like a six-pack. The hard part, of course, is getting one. A low-fat diet, regular cardiovascular exercise and fat-loss supplements like Venom Hyperdrive can definitely help showcase a sixer, and your abs are used isometrically (without movement) to help stabilize your torso during virtually all exercises. Still, you need to perform exercises specifically for your rectus abdominis to expose its potentially awesome shape.

The decline reverse crunch with a hip thrust is one of the more difficult ab exercises to perform, but it’s also one of the most beneficial. The decline reverse crunch portion of this exercise helps strengthen the core muscles and hits the lower half of your abs more than any other movement. I prefer it to hanging leg raises because I can’t swing, which enables me to concentrate more on the contraction in my abs.

When this exercise is performed correctly, your abs contract from the bottom to depress your pelvis as your legs rise. (Picture a seesaw.) As your thighs become roughly perpendicular to the floor, your pelvis can’t tilt further, so the ongoing contraction in your abs causes the lumbar region of your lower spine to flex and your glutes to begin rounding up off the bench. Finishing the exercise by thrusting your hips toward the ceiling causes your spine to flex even further, bringing your glutes and low back off the bench and producing a more complete abdominal contraction.

To get it right, follow these eight steps:
1) Lie face up on an inclined crunch board with your head at the higher end. Grasp the ankle retainers or pole behind your head to avoid sliding.

2) To start, bend your knees and arch your back slightly, and place your feet together so that they hover above the end of the board. (If you’re a beginner, bend your knees a little more.)

3) Take a deep breath and, concentrating on feeling the movement in your pelvis, contract your abs to raise your legs, keeping your knees fixed in their slightly bent position. Exhale as you go.

4) As your legs approach an angle perpendicular to the floor, your lower spine should flex, raising your glutes slightly off the board.

5) Once your legs are roughly perpendicular to the floor, contract your abs even harder to thrust your hips and push your toes toward the ceiling, bringing your glutes, hips and low back completely off the board. (Only your shoulder blades and head should remain fixed on the bench at this point.)

6) Hold this upraised position momentarily and inhale.

7) Slowly reverse the motion, exhaling as you lower your legs until your feet almost touch the board again.

Inhale and repeat for reps to complete your set. One final note: If it feels like your hip flexors are doing more work than your abs, you’re probably doing the exercise incorrectly. Instead of flexing your hips and knees to pull your thighs toward your chest, concentrate on the movement taking place at your pelvis and on the contraction of your abs.

This killer ab move should get you off your butt. The reverse crunch thrust a difficult, but effective exercise.

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