If a killer set of abs is your goal, you need to avoid these 7 exercises.

1. Lying straight-legged leg raises (first 45 degrees off of floor, one leg at a time or both at the same time) 2. Hanging leg raises with an arched back 3. Sit-ups with the feet supported 4. Straight legged sit-ups 5. ANY machine-based ab exercise 6. ANY machine-based twisting exercise 7. Torso twists

Your exercises need to target the abs and the supporting areas of your body, like your core, not your arms, your legs or your neck. The point here is to BURN the belly fat and DEVELOP the abdominal muscles.

Let's talk about these bad exercises that you should avoid if your goal is to develop really great abs.

1. Lying straight-legged leg raises: An excellent exercise. The lying straight-legged leg raises are great for exercising the LOWER abdomen but NOT for your abs. Any exercise is a better than no exercise, but if your goal is to develop your abs; you're wasting your workout time on lying straight-legged leg raises.

2. Hanging leg raises with an arched back: Hanging leg raises with a STRAIGHT back are terrific ab exercises. But when the back is arched, the leg raises do zero to build the abs.

3. Sit-ups with the feet supported: Here again... sit ups with the feet NOT supported are very good ab exercises. But when the feet are supported, that kills all of the advantages to your abs.

4. Straight legged sit ups: your back and lower belly muscles are used when you are doing your sit ups with your legs straight.

5. Any machine based ab exercise: Great abs are earned the hard way. No machine is going to build your abs. Get over it and pass on the machines.

6. Any machine based twisting exercise: Twisting doesn't work the abs. Twisting exercises are good exercises to reduce the size of the waist, but that's all they do.

7. Torso Twists: Again... twisting doesn't work the abs or burn belly fat.

Make your exercise session time work FOR you. If you goal is to burn off that sagging stomach and build your abs, make the most of your exercise program.

Doing exercises that are not designed to build up your abs is simply a waste of your time and energy, plain and simple.