Rock hard abs look amazing, but they do take a certain amount of sustained effort and dedication to achieve. A combination of sensible diet and exercises that focus on building the muscles in the abdominal region are necessary to reveal the muscle tone in the stomach area.

If you are tired of the extra flab that you are carrying around your waist, there is no time like this very moment to do something about turning that flab into lean muscle. The first thing you will want to focus on is effective exercises to strengthen and define your muscles.

Exercises that focus on the abdominals include sits ups, crunches and knee raises that can be done in a seated position on your couch or on a chair. Another alternative is to lay on your back on the floor and to lift your legs in a straight arc, from the hips, to over the head. You can brace yourself by holding onto the base of a couch or the legs of a sturdy chair legs.

Do sets of repetitions each day, preferably at a regular time. If you are not used to exercising your abdominal muscles, start slowly, doing ten or fifteen repetitions, then resting and doing another set after a minute. Increase the amount of repetitions you do after each week. Increase until you can do between one and two hundred sit ups or other abdominal exercises in one go.

Sadly, you can do all the abdominal exercises in the world, but if you do not modify your diet that muscle will still remain hidden under a layer of fat. If you are serious about showing rock hard abs, you are going to have to make some dietary modifications that include cutting out all sugar from your diet. Replace fizzy soft drinks with pure, unflavored water.

Cut out foods fried in fat or oil, processed meats high in fat and salt, butter, crisps and baked goods high in sugar content. Incorporate plenty of fresh fruit into your diet, fresh vegetables and lean meats, like chicken breasts or tuna and salmon. Keep yourself well hydrated and take to eating small meals more regularly, at least six times a day, rather than eating one or two heavy meals.

Take up an exercise that works on your cardiovascular system, like jogging or cycling. Try adding interval training as it is truly on of the best fat burning exercises around. Yoga or pilates is also a great way to strengthen your core muscles, important for developing a strong set of abs. If you are dedicated and work hard, you too can also have rock hard abs.