Abdominal training can be likened to those dusty textbooks sitting on your bookshelf – totally rejected until test day.

While I could tout the benefits of having a strong core year-round (and not just before I go to the beach), I’ll save you the sermon.

To get a defined midsection before Spring Break, you need to know a few things about training your abs.

1. Feel free to go as low as 10-12 repetitions. If you train abs consistently and you’re not seeing any results, it’s probably because your repetitions are too high, or because you’re using the same repetition range with every exercise.

Next time you train abs, try performing a weighted exercise such as cable crunches for 10-12 repetitions. Incorporate weighted, moderate repetitions into your abdominal training as well, such as decline-weighted crunches for 15-20 repetitions.

Try ending your routine with a timed bodyweight exercise such as stability-ball crunches for one to two minutes, or about 30 to 40 repetitions of a non-timed exercise.

2. Don’t slack on cardio. The less fat you have on your midsection, the more visible your abs will be. Perform cardio three to four times a week, and increase the intensity as Spring Break approaches by either increasing the time you perform cardio or by incorporating a high-intensity training method.

3. Focus on form. instead of banging out repetitions, focus on squeezing your midsection at the top of each rep and resisting the negative. Quality repetitions are much more effective then 30 fast or sloppy reps.

4. Train against yourself. Each abdominal training session should be like a contest where you try to do either one more repetition or the same number of repetitions with more weight. If you’re not continually challenging yourself, you’re not training optimally.

5. Frequency. You should train your abs three to four times per week, either as the sole exercise that day or after training another body part.

Three to four exercises of three sets each should be enough to sufficiently tax your midsection, though if you’re a beginner you may want to begin with two sets per exercise and work up from there.

I’ve included a sample intermediate abdominal routine; notice how the repetitions vary and how each exercise targets a different area of your midsection.

Feel free to substitute exercises from week to week to keep your body guessing.

- Daniel Hanna is a certified personal trainer and columnist for The Red & Black.