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Abdominal exercises are great for your workout routine.
Strong
abdominals helps your posture and prevents back injuries.
To get the best results you need to do 15-20 reps of each abdominal
exercise. You can build a flat stomach by doing a variety of
abdominal exercises with and without weight also.
Doing Abdominal exercises alone will not give you the flat stomach you
desire.
In order to see those abdominal muscles, you must combine aerobic exercise-walking, running, treadmill, or stair climbing with abdominal exercises and eating a healthy diet.
Spot reducing- trying to lose weight in one part of your body by
exercising that area- simply doesn’t work.
EXERCISE 1
Hanging Leg Raises
Hang from a bar with your
legs straight down. Raise your legs by flexing your hips while flexing
your knees until your hips is fully flexed. Continue to raise knees
toward shoulders by flexing your waist. Do NOT swing and use momentum.
Go slow and concentrate on using your abs to pull your legs up. Return
to the starting position. Repeat. You may place weight between your
ankles for added resistance. You may also raise your knees to one side
of your body to work the obliques.
EXERCISE 2
Ab
Crunches
Lie flat on your back with your feet flat on the ground, or resting on a bench with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle. If you are resting your feet on a bench, place them three to four inches apart and point your toes inward so they touch. Place your hands lightly on either side of your head keeping your elbows in. Don't lock your fingers behind your head! Push the small of your back down in the floor to isolate your abdominal muscles. Begin to roll your shoulders off the floor. Continue to push down as hard as you can with your lower back. Your shoulders should come up off the floor only about four inches, and your lower back should remain on the floor. Focus on slow, controlled movement - don't cheat yourself by using momentum!
EXERCISE 3
Reverse Ab Crunch
Like on the floor on your
back. Put your hands by your sides with your feet up and your thighs
perpendicular to the floor. They should not go down lower than this
during the movement. Using your lower abs, roll your pelvis backward to
raise your hips off the floor. Your knees will now be over your chest.
Return slowly to the starting position. You can use ankle weights to
make it more difficult.
EXERCISE 4
Dumbbell side bend
Works the obliques. Stand straight up with your feet at shoulder width. Hold a dumbbell in your right hand with your palms in. Place your left hand on your waist. Keep your back straight. Bend to the right as far as you can, then bend to the left as far as possible. After finishing your desired reps, change the weight to your other hand and repeat. Bend at your waist only, not at your hips or knees! This exercise can also be done with a barbell on your shoulders.
EXERCISE 5
Seated twist
Works your obliques. Place a light barbell on your shoulders and sit at the end of a flat bench with your feet firmly on the floor. Twist your torso to the right, then to the left by twisting at your waist only. Do not move your head from side to side. Keep your back straight and your head up. Can also be done standing or by holding a dumbbell close to your chest.