Read 5/3/1: The Simplest and Most Effective Training System for Raw Strength (2nd Edition) for Free Online Page A

you.
     Once you can perform reps on your own, hold your hands and arms out in front of you as though you’re holding a barbel .
     The next step in the progression is to fold your hands on your chest like a sleeping vampire.
     Once you’ve mastered the vampire position, pinch your earlobes with your fingers OR
    interlock your fingers with your hands behind your head.
     5 sets of 10-15 reps with your bodyweight in this position should be achieved before you’re ready to perform weighted GHR's.
    Add weight by holding a plate or putting it behind your head, using a weight vest or using a band. I recommend using a full range of motion to involve your lower back.
    Sit-ups
    You can do these on a glute-ham raise bench or a Roman chair. You can do them on the ground. You can do them with your feet anchored down. You can do them with your feet not anchored down. You can use bodyweight, or you can hold a plate behind your head, but please don’t be that guy who does them while holding a plate, dumbbell – or, even worse, a medicine ball – on his chest. This is lame, and it doesn’t do anything. Hold the weight behind your head and prepare to be humbled.
    Dumbbell Side Bends
    These are good for your abs, low back and obliques. If you’re strict enough with them, and you use some heavy weight, everything will be sore. I recommend doing sets of 15-20, and don’t use straps.

    Hanging Leg Raises
     
    These are popular with people who want to improve their ability to swing their legs and knees up while doing nothing for their abs, yet still want to call it ab work. To combat this, hang from a bar, and with straight legs, bring your feet to the bar. Return to the starting position, come to a complete stop, and begin the movement again. When you do it this way, you’l no longer ask about sets and reps because your body will tell you when a set is over.
    Abdominal Wheel
    The ab wheel made a comeback several years ago. Even though 90% of the people who bought it ended up throwing it in their garage, it was good to see a classic get some respect – at least until they started hooking up small motors to them to make it easier. This is akin to putting a baby seat in Grave Digger. Just kills the whole thing.
    Do these on your knees for some reps, and on your feet to test yourself out. Try not to sag or A-frame too much. If you’re on your knees, I recommend sets of 25-50.
    How to Have Stronger Abs
    If you ever are confused about what to do for abs, this is a simple abdominal circuit that we did for years when I first began powerlifting. At that time, my abs and low back were my weak point. For lower back, we did high rep barbell good mornings (sets of 10) and the following abdominal circuit. This was done 3-4 days per week.
     Weighted Sit-ups – 25 or 45lb plate held behind head for 10 reps  Hanging Leg Raises – 10 reps
     Abdominal Wheel – 15 reps
     Side Bends – 100lb DB for 20 reps/side
    These exercises were done right after each other (no…you don’t run to each one and there is no time between exercises. Just do it.) We started with 2 times through for 2 weeks. Then did 3 times through for 2 weeks .After 4 weeks we were doing this 4 times through. Simple. Easy.
    Effective.
    The Great Debate
    The big debate with ab work is whether to do a lot of sets and reps (5x12, for example), or to work up to one heavy set – sort of the way you do with this program. There’s no right or wrong answer for this. I usually tell people to do both. Some exercises are better with higher volume – face pulls and triceps pushdowns, for example – while others should be loaded fairly heavily and rep maxes should be established.
    The drawback of always relying on just one of these principles is that sometimes you can’t go for a rep max – or don’t feel like it – after punishing yourself on the first exercise. The higher volume approach hits something of a snag when the opposite is true: you feel great and strong