Learning how to get abs can seem daunting at first. You're either confronted by so much conflicting information that you don't know what to believe, or you're taught that it all comes down to genetics and it's physically impossible for you to accomplish your goal. Most men are stressed and frustrated with their abdominal training routine but don't know how to change it.

The massive amount of information out there leads to nothing but confusion. That's because most of it is conflicting, causing the individual to deem things 'too confusing'. There are many outdated beliefs still being touted online, which lead nowhere. These include but are not limited to:

* If you do 2000 sit-ups, you will get abs.

* Being small muscles, you need to hit your midsection every single day.

* These muscles don't need weights.

These three beliefs alone will restrict you to some of the most tedious, boring workouts you could imagine. Performing crunch-after-crunch is not the most effective method to building a leaner, stronger midsection and the first shred of proof to that fact can be seen in the evidence that those who follow the three myths above generally don't get any results at all.

Simply put, the false beliefs above are outdated and ineffective.

Like other muscle groups, your abs will respond and develop further if you simply learn how to hit them effectively. You would not do 2000 reps on a bench press to develop your chest, so ditch the same approach with crunches. Instead, look to use a well balanced routine that allows you to hit each individual section of your stomach.

The following routine will get you started:

1. 20 x Abdominal Crunches with a Swiss Ball

2. 20 x Leg Raises with a Swiss Ball

3. 20 x Half Crunches

This should be performed as a circuit instead of straight sets. This means you do all reps for each exercise in quick succession, without rest. You can go back round the circuit four times to maximize results.

But why will this relatively short workout outperform long, 2000-rep workouts?

Two reasons. First of all, it doesn't just focus on crunches. Have you ever known somebody who has developed the two muscles at the top of the six pack, but very little else? That's because crunches only hit that area. To target the lower region of the stomach you must add exercises like the reverse crunch into the mix.

It also ensures you keep the intensity high, which will result in more fat loss. Providing you are following a solid diet, you will notice these effects quite quickly.

Like any muscle, of course, the key to a solid and progressive workout program that continues to yield positive results for you is variety. Without variety, you will adapt to even the hardest challenge over time and it will be hard to generate further results. Your body isn't going to change if it doesn't need to, you must force it.

Learning how to get abs is not as difficult as it once was. There is quality information out there and I encourage you to go find it in your own time. Look to develop your routines even further by adding weighted exercises into your workouts. Ignore the myth that weighted exercises will give you big, bulky, unattractive abs - the reason bodybuilders have bulky abs is the fact that they are using human growth hormone, which causes the intestines to bloat up and push their abs out, it has nothing to do with using weights during their abdominal workouts.