I admit that abdominals are my favorite of all the body regions to train and have been for my entire adult life.  In fact I cannot think of a single time that I balked when it was time in my training split to work my abs.  This makes designating a particular abdominal exercise as my favorite especially challenging for me, since I consider very move to be a valuable component of an abdominal routine.

After having evaluated the level of motivation I have during each abdominal exercise, I have determined that my top abdominal move is the decline bench crunch.  If you have not performed this exercise before (and yes, I realize that many of you are already familiar with this move), I would highly recommend that you incorporate decline bench crunches into your routine.  Decline bench crunches are excellent at targeting the rectus abdominis and hip flexors due to the increased range of hip flexion which occurs on a decline bench.

Adjust a decline bench so that it is at a 30 to 45 degree angle (the more advanced you are, the greater the angle you can use).  Sit on bench with your feet hooked under the rollers and lie back on the pad with your arms folded across your chest.  Exhale as you bring your head, shoulders and back off the pad, coming to a full sit up position, then return slowly to start position.  You can perform 12 to 20 reps per set, 3 to 5 sets, but I will admit that when I do decline bench crunches, I perform 5 to 6 sets of 30 reps.  If you crave an extra challenge, extend your arms overhead while you perform this move.

Decline bench crunches can also be performed with a twisting motion at the top of the move, recruiting the obliques and serratus anterior.

Those of you who are really looking to punch up this exercise can perform a weighted variation of this move in which you hold a dumbbell behind your head, hold a plate on your chest, or pull on a cable during the exercise.

After incorporating decline bench crunches into your training split, don’t be surprised if people begin noticing your washboard abs!