The best exercises for abs are still the traditional body weight exercises, like sit-ups and leg lifts. These essentials are the bread and butter routine that seriously strengthens and defines your abdominal muscles, so when people see you shirtless – or, for you ladies, in that always-appealing bare midriff apparel – they like what they see.
Understand that there are three different areas of the abs which need definition and work. Your exercises for abs need to focus not only on the straight lifting motions for upper and lower abdominal muscles, but also on twisting motions to exercise the lateral obliques.
When doing exercises for abs, make sure to put some effort into not only the upper abdominals – which are where most of us concentrate – but also the lowers. You can distinguish between the two by lying down on the floor and alternately lifting your upper body (exercising the upper abs) and your legs (exercising the lower abs).
For a serious lower abdominal workout, your exercises for abs should definitely include hanging leg raises. Suspending yourself by the arms from a pullup bar, lift your legs straight out in front of you – bending the knees as little as possible, depending on your level of fitness – and then lower them slowly. For even more benefit, lift them to each side alternately.
If you're also working on upper body development, you can mix this into your pull-up routine … which is simply the best exercise possible for your upper back and shoulders. Once you've added this routine into your exercises for abs, you'll soon realize that ripped midsection that makes people stare.