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Flattening Your Abs

absAbs... you either love your or you hate them.

To get those rock-hard abs, you will need to eat a healthy diet and exercise.  Aerobic exercise should come first, so that you reduce fat and begin to shape your body.  Then you can work on those abs.

Achieving the best abs requires body rotation and keeping your body stable and avoiding strain.  You do not have to buy expensive machines to get great abs.

Try to stay away from sit-ups and crunches which tend to be powered by the hips and not the abdominal muscles and can cause back strain.

Try to alternate exercises, so that you work all the abdominal muscles and not just one particular area.

bicycle exercise The Bicycle requires you to lie flat on your back, lace your fingers behind your head and raise your knees to a 45º angle.  Do NOT pull on your neck.  Then, you move your legs as though you are riding a bicycle and alternate touching one elbow to the opposite knee as it comes up.  Try to do 12-15 reps

This is the best exercise for the six pack and waist.
crunch The Captain's Chair is the next most effective abdominal exercise.  Stand in the middle of the chair and grip the handholds.  Push your back against the back pad and squeeze your abs to raise your legs.  Lift your knees toward your chest.  Do NOT arch your back and try to breathe smoothly.  Lower your legs slowly.  Do 12-15 reps.
crunches Crunches with an exercise ball are done by lying with your back on the ball.  Make sure that your thighs and body are parallel with the floor.  Place your hands behind your head and tuck your chin into your chest.  Squeeze your abdominal muscles.  Do not raise your body more than 45º from the ball.  Do NOT let the ball roll as you are curling up.  Lower your body and stretch out the abs.  Do 12-15 reps.

Moving your feet, wider or closer, makes it easier or more difficult.
vertical leg crunches Vertical Leg Crunches and the reverse crunch place less stress on the back than regular crunches. Lay flat on your back with your hands behind your head and extend your legs up straight.  Cross your ankles and slightly bend the knees.  Lift your stomach toward your knees and squeeze your abs while keeping your neck straight.  This should lift your shoulder blades.  Do NOT move your feet.  Do 12-15 reps.

 
full vertical crunch The Full Vertical Crunch is similar, but keep your legs side-by-side and do not bend the knees.  Place your hands behind your head and squeeze the abs to lift your shoulder blades.  Push your heels up toward the ceiling.  Relax and lower yourself to the original position.  Do 12-15 reps.
long arm crunch The Long Arm Crunch works the upper abs.  Lie flat on the floor while extending your arms straight past your ears.  Clasp your hands, squeeze the abs and lift your shoulder blades off the floor.  Do 12-15 reps.
reverse crunches Reverse Crunches are done by lying flat on the floor.  You can place your hands behind your head or flat by your sides.  Cross your ankles and lift your knees to a 90º angle.  Push your lower back down toward the floor and squeeze your abs to rotate your hips and stretch your legs upward. Do NOT swing your legs to left your hips.  Lower your hips back to the floor.  Do 12-15 reps.