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The abdominal area is one of the most challenging parts of the body to tone. When you initially start a weight-loss program, one of the first places you reduce in size is the stomach. However, the actual toning of the abdominal muscles tends to take more work. For this reason, both weight-loss hopefuls and avid exercisers often aim to work out this large muscle group on a daily basis. This type of routine is not necessary to obtain strong and lean abdominal muscles. In fact, daily ab exercises may actually do more harm than good.

Benefits of Strong Abs

A lean abdomen does more than to make you feel good about yourself. According to the American Council on Exercise, strong ab muscles correlates with a strong back. You will can reduce back pain and help improve your posture as a result of abdominal exercises. Plus, having a strong core helps prevent athletic injuries. A smaller mid-section also decreases your risk of chronic illnesses such as heart disease.

Types of Exercises

Crunches alone will not tone your abs. There are no specific exercises that target any one particular spot. For example, you cannot work out in hopes of toning your lower abdominal muscles exclusively. The key to a successful routine is to perform different types of ab exercises that will tone your entire core, while remain challenging for the muscles. You can include crunches as well as leg lifts and toe reaches.

Amount

MayoClinic.com recommends performing ab exercises no more than every other day for best results, and to prevent injury. When working on your abdominals, you will not gain better strength in numbers. Doing multiple repetitions of a certain exercise is not an ideal workout plan, particularly if you do the exercise incorrectly. The American Council on Exercise recommends performing no more than three sets of any ab exercise, with 10 to 25 repetitions. Rushing through the exercise is also a common mistake. If you aren’t getting results after doing several sets of abdominal exercises a day, then you are likely doing them incorrectly. During the set, you should remain challenged, and have difficulties at the end of the last set.

Considerations

Overall body fat reduction is another factor in achieving lean abs. This is achieved only through aerobic exercises. Examples include walking, running, stair-climbing, swimming and bicycling. Incorporate regular aerobic activity in addition to ab exercises for maximum results. The Diet Channel recommends five 30-minute sessions a week at the very least. Overtime, the expulsion of energy through cardiovascular exercise causes the body to eat up fat to maintain energy levels. The first place you will likely lose this fat from is the stomach. Reducing stomach fat allows your ab muscles to become more prominent. Ask your doctor before exercising, particularly if you are a newcomer, or if you have an underlying health condition.

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Joseph Pilates developed his system of exercises as a means of strengthening the center of the body to improve overall health. Classical Pilates teachers refer to five of his exercises as the abdominal series. If you only have 10 minutes, do this series, recommends master Pilates teacher Romana Kryzanowska, author of “The Pilates Method of Body Conditioning: Introduction to the Core Exercises.” Talk to your doctor about choosing an appropriate exercise program for you.

Single Leg Stretch

This beginner exercise stretches your lower back and lengthens your leg muscles, according to Kryzanowska. Lie on your back with your knees tucked against your chest. Draw your belly in, and flatten your spine against the floor. Place both hands on your right knee, and press your left leg out at a 45-degree angle. Switch your legs back and forth for 10 kicks on both legs. Pull the bent knee in deeply, and extend your other leg fully.

Double Leg Stretch

The double leg stretch strengthens what Joseph Pilates referred to as the powerhouse, the center of your body, as well as your legs. Lie on your back with your knees tucked against your chest. Place both hands lightly on your shins. Inhale as you raise your arms back by your ears. Simultaneously extend your legs at a 45-degree angle. Exhale as you tuck your knees in and sweep your arms out to the sides and in to your knees. Move as if you are pushing water with your arms. Repeat this exercise five times.

Single Straight Leg Stretch

This intermediate exercise works your powerhouse more deeply, while stretching your legs. Lie on your back with your knees tucked against your chest. Extend one leg toward the ceiling, and grab as close to your ankle as possible. Extend your other leg forward, about 12 inches above the floor. Pull the higher leg toward you in two tiny pulses, and then switch your legs. Repeat this exercise 10 times on each leg.

Double Straight Leg Stretch

Begin the double straight leg stretch on your back with your legs pressed together and extended toward the ceiling. Place your hands behind your head with your elbows wide. Flatten your spine to the floor. Lower both legs about 12 inches. Do not allow your back to arch off the floor. Exhale as you pull your belly in and raise both legs to upright. Repeat this exercise five times, increasing the range of your leg movement by 2 to3 inches with each repetition.

Crisscross

This exercise helps eliminate love handles by stretching and strengthening your waistline, according to Kryzanowska. Lie on your back with your knees tucked against your chest. Bring your hands behind your head with your elbows wide. Flatten your spine against the floor and draw your belly in. Extend your right leg out at a 45-degree angle. Twist your torso to the left, slowly peeling your shoulder blade off the floor. Inhale and then exhale as you switch your legs and your torso twists. Repeat this exercise 10 times to both sides.

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Joseph Pilates is the originator of the exercise moves that bear his name. Since their origin just after World War I, the core-based Pilates has become known for working the abdominal muscles. Many ab exercisers are based on the Pilates principles. Before spending money on any of these, check with your doctor to make sure you are healthy enough for this type of workout.

The Pilates Ab Exerciser

Both Bally and Everlast have made Pilates Ab Exercisers. Though neither is now being produced, both can be found for purchase on the Internet. These two pieces of equipment look the same and are simple to use for strength training that specifically tightens your abdominal muscles with only a few minutes of exercise each day. Each has an adjustable strap for users of all heights and include a guide to moves that can be done with the Ab Exerciser.

The Reformer

The Reformer is the main piece of Pilates equipment that is used to sculpt your body and especially your abdominal muscles. This exerciser is constructed to conform to the original machine created by Joseph Pilates. It’s made to be used at home and many of them can even fit under your bed. The Reformer comes with instructions on how to do ab tightening moves. Keep in mind, however, that even the simplest Reformer can cost more than $1,000.

Other Options

It is possible to purchase an entire selection of Pilates abdominal exercise equipment for much less than the cost of The Reformer if you want to get a little creative. Fitness balls — which you can purchase at your local department store for as little as $20 — can be used to work your stomach muscles through balance or to enhance crunches. Resistance tubing and bands are also in that same low price range and will help strengthen your abs when used with Pilates moves.

On Your Own

The entire principle of Pilates is based on strengthening your core, the center of which is the abdomen. You can do many Pilates moves without any special equipment. Exercise instructions that will help to flatten your abs are available on free websites such as Balanced Body. You can also take classes at many health and fitness centers if your area does not have a Pilates studio.

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The truth about abs and the training you do for them is not working because the abs are part of the bodies core. And the core is the seat of your bodies power. Arthor Saxon said the loins or the core is the seat of power, the lower back, sides of the waist, and the hips. And he should know. He bent press over three hundred pounds. And that is enough for me.

A man’s waist is suppose to be thick and strong just look at pictures of guys like Saxon, Arco, Hackenschmidt, Jowett, The Great Apollon, Eugene Sandow and Thomas Inch and the weights these guys were lifting back in the early 1900’s. These guys did not use belts and support gear. No crunches and ab machines. Train your waist hard and heavy like it was meant to be trained.

The statues of Hercules by Michelangelo to see what I am talking about. Thick and dense muscle. I promise you that the power look that gives you is not created by endless sets and reps of crunches. The guys of the past like Saxon and Inch trained alot of one handed lifts. The bent press, one handed lift. The swing, one handed lift. The one handed deadlift, the one handed snatch, the one handed presses with a heavy dumbbell. There was a lot of lifting over head from the floor. As you can see full body movements.

The snatch, the clean and jerk, Turkish get ups, side press, the bent press, the overhead press. All these exercises developed a thick and dense muscular waist that was as strong as it looked. If you lift over three hundred pounds in the bent press like Saxon did then you are going to have a strong waist no questions asked. The old timers knew the truth about abs, train the core. Train the core muscles exercises heavy, like Otto Arco doing a Turkish get up with 175 pound barbell in the early 1900’s.

A v taper is nice but not when the waist is small and thin. A man’s waist is suppose to be strong and powerful built on endless amounts of time lifting heavy with full body exercises.

You will get bigger shoulders from lifting big weights overhead and bigger shoulders help to create the v taper without giving up the powerful waist. And how did you build those bigger shoulders, by presses overhead, and that will cause a thick and powerful waist. One exercise and two benifits. So what are you waiting on. Starting lifting from the floor to overhead today for a powerful core and now you know the truth about the abs.

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Hundreds of exercises can be used to tone the three major muscles of the abdomen. The No. 1 abdominal exercise activates all of these muscles with maximum intensity, when compared against the classic crunch. A 2001 study commissioned by the American Council on Exercise and performed by researchers at San Diego State University rated 13 of the most popular abdominal exercises, which determined that the bicycle maneuver was the most effective abdominal exercise. The IDEA Health and Fitness Association reports that the Pilates version of this exercise, the criss-cross, is more effective than the basic crunch at activating the rectus abdominis, and more effective at targeting the obliques.

Step 1

Lie on your back on an exercise mat. Draw your knees up over your hips and make your shins parallel to floor. Form a 90-degree angle at the hips and the knees.

Step 2

Press your lower back into the ground. Place your hands beside your head. Rest your fingertips at your temples.

Step 3

Lift your head, neck and shoulders off the floor. Inhale, and as you exhale extend your right leg at a 45-degree angle. Simultaneously, twist your torso to bring your right elbow or shoulder to your left knee.

Step 4

Repeat on the other side, touching your left elbow or shoulder to your right knee. Continue to alternate until you have completed 10 to 15 repetitions. Stick with one set as a beginner. Work your way up to two or three sets as you become stronger. Give yourself a minute or two to rest between each set.

Step 5

Augment your bicycle maneuvers with other abdominal exercises. Try the captain’s chair—a tall piece of equipment that looks like a chair without a seat bottom. You climb into the “chair” to prop yourself up on the armrests with your forearms, press your back into the backrest and raise your knees to your chest. Round out your abdominal workout with the stability ball crunch.

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Crunches are by far one of the most popular core exercises, so it’s no wonder there are so many variations. Certain crunches emphasize the front of the abdomen and some emphasize the obliques on the sides. The abdominal muscles are like any other — they respond differently when exercised differently and build strength in the position you use them in. Crossing the legs adds a new stimuli.

Butterfly Crunches

Butterfly crunches work the rectus abdominis muscle, which is close to the surface of the skin and runs lengthwise down the abdomen. This muscle brings the head and shoulders off the floor during a floor crunch and also works during butterfly crunches. To perform a butterfly crunch, lie on your back with your legs crossed on the floor. Let your hips open toward the floor. Put your hands behind your head and then curl your shoulders off the floor.

Reverse Crunch With Crossed Legs

The reverse crunch has many variations from bent legs to straight, legs crossed and legs together. The legs crossed with bent knees exercise was tested as part of a study sponsored by the American Council on Exercise to determine the effectiveness of different ab exercises. The reverse crunch is harder for the abs than a traditional crunch, according to the study. To perform this exercise, lie on your back and bend your knees to right angles, crossing the legs at the ankles. Push your lower back into the floor and roll your hips slightly upward to bring the knees toward your chest.

Oblique Crunches

Oblique crunches target the side oblique muscles by bringing the right elbow to the left knee, and then the left elbow to the right knee. Twisting the torso targets the obliques. To perform this exercise, lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor. Cross your right leg onto your left knee. With your hands behind your head, lift your shoulders and twist to the right. Repeat on the other side.

Oblique Crunches With Legs Lifted

The oblique crunches with legs lifted works the obliques but in a different way than the oblique crunches with one foot on the floor. For this variation, lie on your back with your hands behind your head and extend your legs straight to the ceiling. Cross the legs. Alternate as you twist your shoulders from side to side on each crunch.

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When you do ab exercises, your goal is to work your upper and lower rectus abdominis and obliques. The obliques are the muscles on the sides of your ribcage. This can be achieved with the use of your body weight or with a device. A device can be any number of fitness tools that are specially designed for ab training or not.

Stability Ball Sit-ups

A stability ball is an inflated exercise device that can be used multiple ways to work the abs. Sit-ups are basic exercises that target the upper rectus abdominis. To begin this exercise, sit on the ball and walk your feet forward as you roll your back downward. Once your lower back is on top of the ball and your head and shoulders are slightly elevated, place your hands on the sides of your head. Keep your lower body still as you move your torso to an upright position. Hold for a second, slowly lower yourself back down and repeat.

Overhead Lateral Flexion

Overhead lateral flexion targets the obliques and this is performed with a medicine ball. To begin, stand with your feet about hip-width apart and hold the ball straight above your head with both hands. Keeping your lower body still, bend laterally to your right side as far as possible. Rise back up and bend laterally to your left side. Alternate back and forth in a steady motion.

Side Bends with Dumbbells

Dumbbells are free weights that are not specifically designed for ab exercises, but can be used for added resistance. Side bends work the obliques. Start by holding a dumbbell in your right hand and placing your left hand on your hip. Your feet should be about shoulder-width apart at this point. Keeping your lower body still, bend laterally to your right and lower the weight down the side of your leg. Steadily rise back up, repeat for a set of reps and switch sides.

Seated Crunch

The seated crunch machine has a weight stack with a pin to adjust your resistance. This device works your lower and upper abs at the same time. To begin, sit on the seat with your back against the backrest and feet hooked under the padded crossbar. Reach up and grab the handles by your ears and look straight ahead. Keeping your shoulders tight to the backrest, bend forward as you raise your legs and move your elbows close to your knees. Hold for a second, slowly reverse the motion and repeat.

Torso Twist

The torso twist machine works the obliques and it is operated from a kneeling position. To perform the exercise, press your chest against the upper padded support and grasp the handles with your hands. Keeping your upper body still, twist your lower body as far to one side as possible then slowly rotate back to the starting position. After completing a set of reps, adjust the kneeling support to work your other side.

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If your abdominal workout is getting stale, grab a buddy to shake up your routine and increase results. Traditional crunches only target one area of the abdominal muscles and can become boring. Working out with a friend can help motivate you to work harder and add more variety to your abdominal exercises. Performing partner ab exercises can make your workouts more enjoyable while targeting every angle of your midsection.

Partner Sit-ups

Partner sit-ups work the abs, external obliques and lower back. Sit on the floor across from your partner with your knees bent and toes touching. Lie on your back and have your partner lie on his back. Reach forward with your arms extended. Mirror each other while squeezing your abs and lifting your upper body off of the ground. When you both reach the top of the movement, give each other a high-five. Return to the starting position. Repeat the movement for four sets of 25 repetitions.

Medicine Ball Sit-ups

Doing medicine ball sit-ups engages all of the muscles in the midsection. Sit on the floor across from your partner with your knees bent and feet touching. Have your partner hold a medicine ball with both hands. Lie on your back and have your partner lie on his back. Mirror each other and sit up simultaneously. Have your partner pass you the medicine ball and release back to the starting position. Repeat the movement and pass the ball back to your partner. Perform four sets of 25 repetitions.

Partner Leg Raises

Partner leg raises stimulate the lower abdominal muscles. Lie on your back with your legs raised straight toward the ceiling. Have your partner stand behind you and hold your partners ankles. Have your partner push your legs toward the ground. Squeeze your abs and don’t allow your feet to touch the floor. Lift your legs up to the starting position. Repeat for four sets of 25 repetitions.

Medicine Ball Pass

Medicine ball passes target the external obliques. Sit on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Have your partner sit back to back with you in the same position. Hold a medicine ball with both hands. Twist to the right and pass the medicine ball to your partner. Have your partner pass you the ball while you twist to the left. Continue alternating sides for four sets of 25 repetitions.

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The abdominal muscles, also known as your core, keep your back and torso upright as well as help you move; they also help you breathe. According to Len Kravitz, PhD of the University of New Mexico, it is possible to exercise your abs every day because they do not need the recovery time other muscles require. He recommends you engage in abdominal exercises to relieve the tightening of both your hip flexors and lower back muscles.

Crunches

MayoClinic.com recommends abdominal crunches with a fitness ball. This exercise can be done at home or at a gym — all you need is a stability ball and your abs. To perform the exercise, sit on the ball with both feet hip-width apart and on the floor. Cross your arms over your chest and tighten your ab muscles. Then ease back until you can feel your ab muscles working. Hold the pose for three long breaths, then move back up to your original position. Repeat the exercise; MayoClinic.com suggests doing between 10 and 15 repetitions of each exercise.

Abdominal Hold

“Fitness” magazine recommends the abdominal hold as one of the most effective ab toners around. You need a steady chair to complete the exercise. Sit on the edge of the chair and put your hands on the edge with your fingers directed toward your knees. Then tighten your ab muscles and raise your toes two to four inches from the floor. Lift your bottom off of the chair and hold the pose for as long as possible. “Fitness” recommends you try for between five and ten seconds. Move back to the original position and repeat the exercise for one full minute.

Ballet Twist

Another “Fitness” magazine abdominal exercise favorite is the ballet twist, which is a sort of half-crunch that has you stretch your side. You’ll need a mat or a towel for the floor. Sit down and put your legs out straight in front of you, pushing them together. Lean backward so you’re at a 45-degree angle from your hips. Tighten your ab muscles and raise both of your arms over your head, as a ballerina would. Then twist your trunk to the right, and put your right arm on the floor. Leave your left arm in the air and count to three. Do the same motion, with your left arm on the floor, as well as your bottom and heels. Make sure you contract your abdominal muscles so your spine is supported while you go back to the middle position, raising both arms above your head. Switch sides and do two sets of six to eight repetitions for each side.

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The Ab Lounge machine, sometimes called an Ab Lounger, is a piece of exercise with one main purpose, to support the head and neck during abdominal jackknife crunches and its variations. Unfortunately, the design of the machine lets you use your arms and hip flexors to do most of the work, except for the torso stretch exercise. For this reason, skip the exercises that let you hold the strap or handles.

Extended Arm Jackknife

The extended arm jackknife targets the rectus abdominus muscle of the abs. Unlike the basic jackknife exercise, it does not require that you hold onto the strap or handlebar so it is much more difficult to cheat the abs out of a workout with this exercise. To begin, lie face up on the machine and extend your arms straight above your head, sliding your hands under the strap or handlebar, depending on your model. Bend your knees and place the soles of your feet on the foot rest. Next, raise your upper body as you would during a crunch. The Ab Lounge backrest supports your head and neck during the exercise.

Lateral Jackknife

The lateral jacknife does allow you to grab the handle or strap with one arm to assist in the exercise, but because your body is sideways, the hip flexors at least cannot take over. This exercise rates as an intermediate/advanced exercise in the Ab Lounge manuals but it is easy to do. Keeping your arm totally relaxed forces your oblique muscles to work to lift your torso, making this a good exercise for the side of the waist. To perform a lateral jackknife for the right oblique, lie on your left side with your head on your left arm and your knees bent, legs stacked. Grasp the strap or bar with your right hand by reaching over your head, and then raise your torso toward the ceiling in a sideways position. Turn over to work the left oblique.

Advanced Jackknife

The advanced jackknife is a more difficult version of the extended arm jackknife. Your legs rest on top of the foot rests with your knees straight instead of bent. To perform this exercise, lie face up on the Ab Lounge with your arms through the strap or under the handlebar. Press back and down slightly with your torso with your legs straight against the leg rest. Then, pike up from your hips so that your upper body and legs make a “V” shape. This works the rectus abdominus muscle.

Torso And Hip Flexor Stretch

The torso and hip flexor stretch targets the abdomen for lengthening instead of straightening. The hip flexors stretch, too. Simply lie on your back and extend your arms straight over your head with your legs straight as if to do the advanced jackknife. Next, push down and slightly arch your back. Hold for 10 to 30 seconds for the stretch to have enough time to affect the muscles for increased flexibility.

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