Having a nice 6-pack is always nice, but its a slow and grueling process if you're not already in great shape.  Obviously your abs will never show through layers of fat, so for it to happen the first thing to do is get rid of the extra fat from the midsection.  Assuming thats already done and you're just trying to make your abs look good, I have a simple workout that will help.  The key to making your abs visible is building them up, just like you would your biceps or other muscles, but not so they are huge and bulging, just so they have a defined shape.  All it takes is a few sets on 2 or 3 machines. 

The Nautilus Nitro Abdominal is one machine that I use at my gym and it is awesome.  I just throw on as much weight as I can do for 6-10 reps, slow and controlled, for about 4-5 sets and move on. 

  My other favorite is the Life Fitness Torso Rotation machine.  Same sets and reps on here as on the previous machine, switching sides after each set.  

 And the best one is not a machine at all, its just straight-leg raises on a bench w/ a dumbbell between your feet. This focuses on the often neglected lower abs.  You just lay down on a flat bench with your butt as close to the edge as possible, stand the dumbbell straight up and hold it between your feet, and keeping your legs straight raise your legs to about a 45 degree angle and back down just past parallel to the floor.  About 3 sets of 10 should do the trick. 

I like to do this like a circuit starting with the leg raises, then torso rotation, then nitro abdominal, resting only to move to the next station.  For added difficulty I try to hold the last rep for about 10 seconds then slowly let the weight down to finish.  After I finish I don't wanna do anything else, so I always do abs last.  I only do this workout twice a week on Monday and Thursday.  The rest of the week when I do abs its usually some crunches, oblique dips, knee tucks, etc... without wights and in higher reps to give them a nice burn.  I hope that this is useful to anyone who wants to try it.

Anyone else workout abs this way?  What other things have you found work to get your abs looking great? 

This workout totally sucks, and i mean realllllly reallllly sucks!!!  But..... it works, and I love how great I feel after its over.  The good thing is that it only takes 20 minutes, the bad thing is that you'll feel like death in those 20 minutes.  It can also burn up to 400 Calories.  It kinda looks complicated, but its really not, just a simple interval workout.  The best way to set it up is to choose manual mode, type in your info, and choose the correct starting level and time.  Then follow the workout as follows:

Levels in order: 14,6,15,8,16,9,17,10,18,6.  Levels 15-18 last 1 minute each.  Levels 6-10 last 3 minutes each.  Start at level 14 for one minute, then drop to level 6 for three minutes, then up to 15 for one, then 8 for three... continue the sequence until you've finished all levels.  Since the timer will be counting down from 20, the best way to know when to change is to write down at what minute you need to change to each level.  For example level 14 is the start so it would be at minute 20, then next is level 6 at minute 19, then level 15 at minute 16, and so on. 

So thats it, i guess if further explanation is needed just comment or message me and i'll see if I can explain it better. Seriously try it, and if need be change the levels to fit you.  If you're a beginner you should start with level 10 and go up from there, and instead of level 6 maybe go level 4 and up.  Good Luck!!