Abs like Batman! Want em?

People try to make six pack abs sound like a complicated science. It's not.
The simplest way to put it is this....if you want your abs to show, you need low body fat. Most would say under 10-12% for males and a little higher for females.
So for the most part, when they say "abs are built in the kitchen", they're mostly right. Diet is I would say about 80% of the ab battle. You can do all the goofy ab exercises you want and do thousands of crunches or planks (crunches burn like ZERO calories btw, and doing only ab exercises is a waste of time.), but if you eat like crap or like a depressed fat girl, no abs for you. Sorry.

Working your abs is a lot easier than you think. If you stick to mostly compound exercises like squats, kb swings, push ups, pull ups, rows, the snatch, jumps, STANDING military presses (not seated), handstand pushups, you really have to do VERY LITTLE direct ab work. Don't do sets of fifty crunches or use one of those stupid ab machines at the gym. You're wasting a lot of time and energy. The same goes for cardio but I'll get into the cardio MYTH at a later date ;)
The reason your abs get worked in those amazing compound exercises is that the main function of your abs is to keep your spine from collapsing over like a jenga tower. PLUS total body movements like those burn WAY more calories than sitting your ass on the thigh machine at the gym, and if your sitting on your ass with your back on a back rest to press dumbbells overhead, guess what? You're pretty much neglecting your abs. Stop it!
Here's a secret: I have pretty decent abs judging by the pictures below and BF that hovers around five and guess what? I do almost no cardio, and here's my abs routine: 3 sets of 8 crunches one day, 3 sets of 6-8 hanging knee raises the next. THAT'S it! Your abs DO NOT need their own routine!
Seriously folks, if you stick to total body work outs with plenty of squats, jumps, push ups, pull ups, you really have to do very little ab work.
But remember, even if you have a very strong core and amazing abs, body fat WILL hide them. Exercise is amazing but I DON'T CARE HOW HARD YOU WORK OUT! EVEN IF YOU WORKOUT LIKE A MONSTER THAT DOES NOT GIVE YOU THE LICENSE TO EAT LIKE KIRSTY ALLEY WHEN SHE FALLS OFF THE WAGON, PERIOD!
In closing , stick to those compound exercises, don't overwork your abs , and remember , it's mostly about diet ......
So work hard! And eat clean! Get bat abs!
-Tom