1) Take your time| Rushing your ab workout will not bring that 6 pack any quicker. By slowing down you'll be placing more emphasis on your abs, therefore working them harder. Your abs respond far better to slow and steady compared to the amount of reps you do. The slower you perform your ab reps, the less you'll be able to do, but they'll be quality reps.
2) Tension, Tension, Tension | Unless you're placing tension on your abs, then you're wasting your time. Let's look at the 'leg raise' exercise as an example. By swinging your body as fast as possible, you're placing very little tension on your abs. You could easily knock out 50 reps, but they'll be poor and a waste of time. Performing the leg raises slowly will place greater tension on your abs.
3) Take uncomfortable breaks | When you get to the top of your ab lift, take a little break, a sore break. It will burn every time you briefly pause half way through each rep, but that's what works your abs the most. By pausing during your ab exercises, you'll be definitely placing greater strain on your abs - well on your way to getting that 6 pack!
4) Mix things up | You may well have your favourite ab exercise, but sticking to just one, or even two, could limit your results. Hitting your abs from different angles will give you an overall better looking and stronger core. There's much more to a core than just the little slabs of abdominal muscle.
5) Stop moving | Following on from the above tip, try staying still to progress further with your core. Using static holds during your workouts can help to boost your abs even more. By performing exercises such as planks, you work the muscles that are deep in your core, which contribute to strength, stability and good posture. Working the inner muscles with holding movements can help you to lift more in other exercises such as squats and deadlifts. You shouldn't only focus on the muscles that you can visibly see.
6) Vary the weight | Many ab exercises are based on using your bodyweight. However, by adding resistance (cable rotations for example) you're placing a greater strain on your ab muscles to further develop them. Even with the bodyweight ab exercises - once you can do them all day long, you need to add a bit of weight to keep progressing. You wouldn't bench the same weight week in, week out if you want to build your chest, so don't do it with your abs.
