If you want ripped abs, pay close attention to this article. Because I’m going to show you what I think might be the two best ab exercises for athletes.

First, let’s explain what I mean when I say abdominal training for athletes. I’m talking about building a set of abs that not only look good, but are functional as well. Abs that can take a hit, so to speak.

Best of all, these ab exercises can be done just about anywhere. And you can do each exercise without weight or ballast to increase the degree of difficulty.

The first intense abdominal exercise for athletic abs is the tried and true abdominal wheel rollout.

You’ll need an ab wheel for this move, but luckily they’re cheap (around ten bucks) and can be found at just about any major sporting goods store these days.

The beginner version of this exercise is difficult. You start on your knees, which shortens the movement and makes it a little easier. As you get stronger, you can do standing crunches or you can add weight by placing a plate on your back (may require a partner) or wearing a weight vest.

While bodybuilders and figure competitors train their abs with isolation movements, athletes must train their abs to work together with the rest of the body. And that’s the great thing about the abdominal wheel toss: you’re training your entire body as one unit.

The following exercise also helps strengthen your abs while training your entire body as a unit. I call this move Ab Ripper simply because you will feel like your abs have been ripped to shreds after performing this exercise.

Again, the move is deceptively simple. You start on your back as if you were doing sit-ups.

But instead of stopping at the top of the sit-up movement, pull your heels under you and launch your upper body into the movement to force yourself to stand up.

Once again, this exercise is quite difficult to perform without any additional resistance.

By starting with your hands above your head and “throwing” your arms into the movement, you can make the exercise easier. Or, to make the move more difficult, you can cross your arms over your chest.

And true hardcore athletes like Colt can hold onto a weight plate to take the degree of difficulty to the next level.

So if you forced me to choose only two ab exercises for the rest of my life, I’d have to say these are two I’d stick with. Try them for yourself and you’ll see why.