How to Do The Correct Exercises For Your Abs

Pretend you have a grapefruit under your chin when doing crunches.

The types of exercises you do for your abs are important, but how you do them will make the difference in muscle tone. Many people believe by simply doing enough sit-ups, they will achieve body builder abs that are shapely and well defined. The correct technique determines how your abdominal muscles will look.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Exercise mat

1. Exercise with a flat stomach to get the result of a flatter stomach. You need to train your muscles to assume this shape. Tighten your stomach muscles while doing your ab workout. Suck your stomach in as if you were tucking in your shirt. Keep your muscles tight through all your reps.

2. Incorporate a variety of abdominal exercises for sculpted abs. During each ab workout, complete at least two exercises for each area: upper abs, lower abs and obliques. Options include crunches, leg lifts, bicycle twists, side bends, crossover crunches, and plank twists.

3. Focus on contracting your abdominal muscles, rather than your hip flexors, arms, neck or legs.

4. For any crunch type exercise where your back is on the floor, bend your arms and place your fingertips to the side of your head just behind your ears or cross your arms over your chest. Push your lower back into the floor flattening the arch and holding it there. Keep your eyes on the ceiling and curl up slowly so both your shoulders lift off the floor a few inches. Hold for a count of 2 and return to the start position. Do not pull your arms in toward your head, keep elbows pointed outward.

5. For ab exercises that twist, do not pull your head in toward one knee or the other. Instead, twist your torso and direct your elbow (or knee) toward the opposite knee.

6. Perform three to five abdominal exercises two to three times a week with at least a day's rest between each workout.

Tips & Warnings

• While some people may seem to have flat abs or a six-pack, gender, age, body type and genes affect the shape of your abs.

• Your current activity level and fitness goals will help you determine how intense your abdominal exercise workout should be.

References

• Simple Fitness Solutions; Truth About Training The Abdominal Muscles; Deborah L. Mullen
• Women's Health Magazine: 5 Rules for Flat Abs
• Military.com: Fitness Center; The Proper Technique for Curl Ups; Stew Smith
• University of Michigan Health System: Images of Proper Abs Exercises

Resources

• University of Michigan Health System: Images of Proper Abs Exercises