[I don't get why people say that Taylor Lautner from Twilight has good abs. I mean, even if he did, how would you be able to see them under all of that fur?]

Attaining 6 pack abs is probably easier than you might think. It essentially comes down to two things, proper nutrition (and having very low body fat) and a strong abdomen. This post is going to focus on four great exercises that I've recently added to my routine that will help you get a strong abdomen and if you desire, 6 pack abs. (Note: The video below shows how to do all of the exercises.)  Here are the exercises:

1. Hanging Leg Ups. There are essentially 3 different groups of ab muscles as far as exercising goes. Top abs, lower abs, and side abs. To get the top abs going, you bring your hips to your legs (like a sit up), to get the side abs going, you do a side movement, and to get the lower abs going, you bring your legs to your hips.

Hanging leg ups constitutes a lower ab exercise, and works your lower ab by bringing your legs to your hips. There are two different ways you can do this exercise, but both are done while holding on to some sort of bar (parallel bars, pull up bar, etc.). You can either have your legs bent and bring them up to your chest, or have your legs straight and bring them up. Both are good, although having your legs straight is a bit more advanced.

Alternatively, you can also do a completely different exercise called an L-sit where you keep your legs straight ahead parallel to the floor and hold for 60 seconds for 3 sets. All of these different methods work amazingly for strengthening the lower abs, but it's always good to have a lot of different execises so you can mix up your routine.

2. Incline Sit Ups. Put a bench on an incline. Lay down on the bench with your legs holding on the leg holder, cross your hands on your shoulders and bring your upper body to your legs. The aim is to be doing this for 3 sets at high repetitions.

3. Side Twists. For your side abs. While on the incline sit up bench, bring yourself back although not touching the bench. Move your upper body and hips side to side to get your side abs going.

4. Incline Leg Ups. Lie down on an incline bench with your feet at the bottom. Grab the handle with your hands and bring your legs back to your head, then rest your feet again down without touching the bench, keeping your abs tensed and repeat 3 times.

Don't Over Do It. If you haven't worked out your abs before, make sure to take it slow. The first week, do a small amount of repetitions and even just one set to get the hang of it. Hopefully you will enjoy working out for a long time to come, so there's no need to rush into high intensity the first week.

This video has all of the above exercises. This video by Greg Plitt, a former officer in the U.S. army rangers and a fitness model, shows all of the above exercises in detail. Here it is:

One Last Thing. Personally, I think it's important to have a strong core but am not obssessed with the super defined 6 pack abs look. That's because to achieve that look you need to have a body fat percentage that is lower than what feels good for most men and women.

I recommend that you focus more on achieving a strong core and a flat stomach (sort of like Daniel Craig or Jessica Alba) and not get obssessed with more than that, since it unecessarily makes you have to worry more about your diet than you should. You can also cut down your calorie intake before an event to get really cut abs, without having to maintain that extremely low body fat percentage year round.

P.S. It took longer than usual to put up a new post. I've been concentrating on a few things, including my own workout routine and taking the time to learn about some really cool fitness concepts, so expect a lot of good posts to come up soon along with other things. Happy Holidays! :)

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Rafi Bar-Lev is a former combat medic and the founder of Passionate Fitness.

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