March 6, 2005

Stomach Exercises – Simple and Effective Ab Exercises

Stomach Exercises are hard work. I have been an athlete all my life and workout at the gym 5 days a week, but still hate doing abs! They’re hard, they’re frustrating and many people just don’t know which abdominal exercises to do. That being said, here are a couple of the best and most effective ab drills, used by athletes, and trainers everywhere:

The Crunch

The crunch is a simple exercise to perform. Almost any athlete will tell you that this is the most effective and straightforward stomach exercise out there. To do it, lie on you back, place your feet on the floor as close to your bottom as possible and place your knees together. Rest your hands across you chest and relax the neck and slowly raise your shoulders off the floor by contracting only the abdominal muscles. Don't come up too high - your lower back should always remain on the floor. Hold that position for a count of 1 and breathe out forcefully. Slowly relax the stomach muscles and allow your shoulders to return to the floor. Repeat 10 - 12 times (or as many times as you can do), rest for 60 seconds then repeat. Just as a tip, if you find your neck starts to strain, try to focus your vision on one point on the ceiling and maintain this throughout the exercise.

The Plank

The crunch is the single best exercise for toning the ab wall, however there is a tendency to find that it doesn't flatten the stomach as much as we'd like. To do that you should perform the plank, as well as the crunch. For the plank, lie flat on your stomach. Place your arms at either side of your chest, with your hands by your shoulders and your elbows tucked into your sides. Keeping your back perfectly flat, push yourself up onto your elbows and feet, so that your upper body is off the floor, with your wrists, elbows and toes acting as support. Keeping a flat back, pull your tummy button in as high as possible - as if to suck it in close to the spine. Aim to maintain a normal breathing pattern and hold this position for 10 - 60 seconds. Rest, lie flat then repeat twice.

For A Six Pack Of Abs – You Gotta Sweat!

Performing ab exercises alone will not get you those 6-pack abs you’ve been dreaming about. Your workouts must also consist of some cardio. To be a diligent exerciser, you should also be doing a minimum of 30 minutes of cardio, 3-times a week. This will help to burn the fat on top of your abdominals, leaving you with a toned, tight and taught tummy. Many people make the mistake of thinking that they only need to do abs, which leaves them disappointed when their results are minimal. So, if you’re serious about getting your stomach in shape, try the two exercises discussed above and combine them with your cardiovascular workouts. Trust me, the hard work will be worth it next summer when you can confidently slip into a bikini or swim trunks and strut down the beach with your new, slim stomach.

About The Author:
Erin McMillan is a talented and successful freelance writer. Her various writings provide relevant information and wonderfully researched resources for novice and experienced weight lifters and exercise enthusiasts wanting to learn more about working out, fitness nutrition, weight lifting equipment and exercise tips. Erin loves sharing knowledge and education through her numerous writings and educational articles.

By: Erin McMillan
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