Sit-ups, of course, are a type of exercise associated with developing the abdominal muscles. But, you should be aware that there is some controversy about the importance of implementing this type of abdominal exercise into your workouts. They are vital, but only in the context of combining them with the three other components of your fitness plan, which are diet, walking and weights. You may want to review expert opinions regarding the effectiveness of certain crunches to decide the extent to which you want to integrate them into your abs training.

Let's talk about your diet. If you are just beginning your quest for six pack abdominals, then you probably need to lose weight first. Losing that layer of abdominal fat that is hiding your abs is your first step. A healthy and nutritious diet that results in reasonable weight loss is one of the four primary components of your plan.

If your dietary plan calls for you to ingest two thousand calories per day, then you obviously don't want to eat that all at once. Break your daily food intake down into at least five or six small meals that you eat throughout the day. In this way, you will replace those calories you have burned while still maintaining sufficient stores to get through to the next meal and ultimately to reach your fitness goal of toned abdominal muscles.

Next, let's discuss exercise. It is widely agreed upon that the most important exercise in your quest for flat abs is stretching. That is correct, as stretching is an integral part of exercising your abdominals because your body needs to remain limber and flexible in order to glean the most benefit from the other three components of your plan.

No fitness regimen is complete without some good old traditional walking. If you want defined abs, then you need to understand that walking can play a critical role in your regimen. Walking provides great stimulation for the abdominals and helps keep your core tight. Try to walk around three miles at least every other day. Even if you have been fairly sedentary, you should be able to complete this distance in less than an hour.

Workouts that use weights are extremely important to attaining toned abdominals when beginners start exercising. Basic instructions on weightlifting can be found by doing a simple search on the Internet. With minimal effort, you should be able to find step-by-step instructions for using weights to develop six pack abdominals.

While you may envision hours of sweaty exertion when dreaming of achieving sculpted abs, the truth is that your initial focus should be on your diet. The saying that flat abs are made in the kitchen is probably the most accurate way of putting it. So what should you be doing to get ripped abdominal muscles? Simple. Watch your diet, exercise, walk and do weight training.