By far the most common body area that people want to work on these days is the belly. This is true for both men and women, and for men, a six-pack is the last item on their body wish list. For women, what they are looking for is a flat stomach. In any case, it is important to review the various abdominal exercise routines and identify the one that best suits your needs and your body type.
ABS
The first type of abdominal exercise discussed here is crunches. To perform them, you must place a mat on the floor and lie on your back. Put your feet on the ground and raise your knees a little. Put your hands behind your head and slowly lift your head off the mat, cracking your stomach muscles as you do so. This should be done in one smooth motion without pulling on the neck. Hold the position for two seconds before slowly returning to the mat. You should aim to do about three sets of thirty repetitions.
knee lift
To perform this routine, sit on the side of the bench and rest on your sides with your hands. Now extend your legs out and pull your knees towards your chest. You should feel your stomach muscles contract as you do this. Hold this for two seconds and repeat. Once again, this should be done in a smooth, steady motion. Try to do three sets of twenty-five reps.
knee raises
This routine is for those who are a bit more advanced and not everyone will be able to do it on their first try. However, it is a very effective abdominal exercise. First of all, you will need an overhead pull up bar. Take it with your hands in a position slightly wider than the width of your shoulders. Without rocking or swaying, slowly raise your knees until you’ve achieved a 90-degree angle. Allow your abs to contract and hold for two seconds before slowly bringing your legs back. You should aim for three sets of ten to fifteen repetitions and again, this should be done in a steady, fluid motion. You can perform this exercise straight or at an angle.
You should try to do at least one of these routines twice a week to start noticing an improvement in your abs.