How to Tone your Stomach with Isometric Abdominal Exercises

The stomach area is one of the biggest problem areas for both men and women alike. We are all searching for the perfect six pack abs and methods to flatten our stomach. In order to achieve these results you need to add both aerobic exercise and strength training exercises. With your strength training you should do all the muscle groups including your abdominal muscles.

Most abdominal exercises are isotonic workouts, or “movers”. While these types of workouts give you a great workout and help build your abdominal muscles, you should also add some isometric exercises. Isometrics are static exercises in which you keep both the resistance and the length of the muscle consistent. In other words, these are non movers in which you hold the pose and the muscle contraction for a count of 10 to 60 seconds. These types of strength training moves help build muscle strength and the joint and are a great addition to any strength training routine. Below are a few isometric abdominal exercises to help you achieve fab abs.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Exercise mat

1. Isometric Abdominal Exercise #1
   Oblique Stretch
   
   This one really works the side muscles, or your obliques. Remember, an isometric exercise is a static contraction so be sure to hold this move for the entire count and don’t forget to breathe. The resistance for this exercise will use your own body weight or you can add weight by using a dumbbell weight.
   
   1. Start by lying on your right side.
   2. Bend your left arm and place your elbow on the floor even with your shoulder. Place your right arm against your right side.
   3. Bend your left leg slightly and lift up contracting your oblique muscles.
   4. Hold this for a count of 20 to 60 seconds.
   5. Repeat for 3 to 5 sets.
   
   For a more advanced contraction to this move place both your feet on the floor. You can add additional resistance and contraction to this move by also lifting your right arm and reaching your fingers towards the ceiling.

2. Isometric Abdominal Exercise #2
   Plank Pose
   
   This one really works your transverse abdominal muscle. This is your deepest stomach muscle and is the most overlooked when doing strength training.
   
   1. Lie down on the floor on your stomach.
   2. Place both elbows on the floor and bend your knees slightly.
   3. Now lift up your body and pull in your belly button to contract your muscle.
   4. Hold this for a count of 30 to 90 seconds.
   5. Repeat for 3 to 5 sets.
   
   To increase the contraction and take this to the next level, try this with straight legs and arms. You can also lift one leg and hold for a count of 10 to 20 and then switch legs to really work your transverse abdominal muscle.

3. Isometric Abdominal Exercise #3
   Traditional Crunch Hold
   
   This takes the traditional crunch move and turns it into an isometric contraction.
   
   1. Start by lying on the floor with your back to the floor.
   2. Place your arms across your body with your hands on your shoulders.
   3. Bend both legs and place your feet flat on the floor.
   4. Now contract your muscles by lifting your shoulders off the floor.
   5. Hold this contraction for a count of 30 to 90 seconds.
   6. Repeat for 3 to 5 sets.
   
   This one really works your rectus abdominis, also known as your six pack.

Tips & Warnings

• Take it slow to start with and only do a few sets. Begin holding the contraction for longer when you get used to these isometric exercises.

Resources

• Here are more abdominal workouts including both isotonic and isometric abdominal exercises