Women love a tight stomach -- and a new Western Illinois University study confirms it. Women rated abs as the sexiest muscles on a man’s body, when compared to five other body parts. Here's the complete breakdown, from the ladies' least favorite to most popular.
Muscles That Women Love Slideshow
6. Butt
Not surprisingly, when men were given this same survey, they ranked a woman's butt number one. Ladies: Make sure your backside stays high on his list with this two-week plan to Shape Up Your Belly, Butt, and Thighs!
5. Triceps
This muscle makes up two-thirds of your arm, even though it doesn't get the same prop as a man's biceps. Think the basic pushup isn't challenging enough? Try it with your hands placed on a stability ball. Research shows it increases triceps activation by 30 percent over a standard pushup.
4. Obliques
If you want this muscle to show, you have to lose the love handles with a smart diet and exercise plan. But working the muscles themselves couldn't be simpler. One way: Try an "offset" lunge or squat, in which you hold a dumbbell in just one hand (nothing in the other) as you perform the exercise.
3. Chest
Want to pump up your chest? Then pump up your mind. U.K. researchers found that people bench-press 12 percent more weight when they psych themselves up before a lift than when they're distracted. In the study, the scientists gave experienced weight lifters 20 seconds to mentally prepare. The take-home message: Before you approach the bench, skip the small talk and focus on the task at hand.
2. Biceps
In a poll of Cosmopolitan readers, 1 out of 5 women confessed that nice biceps on a man makes them "absolutely melt." For all new ways to train your biceps, check out 6 Awesome New Arm Curls.
1. Abs
No shocker here, of course. What's more, men ranked this as their second favorite muscle group on a woman. Want to shore up your core? Check out the Best Ab Workout Ever.
