To attain a firm, flat stomach, you must do more than crunches. Crunches are good, but they primarily work the upper abdominals, and doing them exclusively will lead to imbalances in muscle that are dangerous and unattractive. You must develop the upper and lower rectus abdominis--the abdominal muscle that forms the six-pack--to have a truly flat stomach. This requires a variety of exercises that target the abs from different angles.
Machine Crunches
"Strength Training Anatomy," by Frederic Delavier, explains that machine crunches are good for beginners, gym veterans and everyone in between. Machine crunches lock you into a movement that protects your back. Because you can vary the weight of resistance easily, beginners can build the strength to perform more strenuous exercises, and advanced lifters can stack on plenty of weight to ensure progress. In "The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding," Arnold Schwarzenegger stresses the importance of feeling the crunch in your abdomen. Not every ab machine will be a good fit for you, but many gyms have several types. Find the one that feels right.
Reverse Crunches
Machine crunches work the upper abs more by having you tilt your chest toward your pelvis, but reverse crunches work your lower abdominals by having you tilt your pelvis toward your chest. This is essential for a flat stomach because if the lower abdominals are weak, they will bulge under the pressure of your internal organs. Lie on your back, with your hands palm-down at your sides. Bend your knees. Crunch your abs so your butt and lower back roll up off the ground. Contract your abs for a moment. Return to the starting position. If you contract hard enough, you'll be able to do only 10 to 20 reps per set.
Ball Passes
The "Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding," by Robert Kennedy, says ball passes are one of the most intense and effective abdominal exercises. They are efficient because they combine a crunch with a leg raise, exercising the entire rectus abdominis equally. Lie on your back on an exercise mat, with your arms extended over your head and holding a medicine ball. Crunch your upper body while lifting your legs, place the ball between your ankles, and straighten back out into a stretched position. Do the same movement to pass the ball back to your hands. Don't lower your legs and arms all the way. Your lower back must remain slightly rounded forward, not arched back, to protect your spine. This is true of all ab-specific exercises. Do ball passes in sets of 10 to 20, increasing the weight of the medicine ball as the exercise gets easier.
Running
Strong abs flattens and firms your stomach only so much. Women tend to carry fat over their abdominal muscles, which produces a soft appearance. Men tend to carry fat around their viscera, beneath the abdominal wall, which produces a bulging belly. This makes cardio work a crucial part of the strategy for attaining a flat stomach. According to a study published in "Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism" in December 2009, running requires enough trunk-muscle activation to qualify as a core exercise, so it should be your cardiovascular exercise of choice. The repeated lifting of the legs really develops the harder-to-hit lower abs.
References
- "Strength Training Anatomy, 3rd Ed."; Frederic Delavier; 2010
- "The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding"; Arnold Schwarzenegger; 1998
- "Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding"; Robert Kennedy; 2008
- "Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism"; Trunk Muscle Activation During Moderate and High-Intensity Running; D.G. Behm; December 2009
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