Exercises For The Waist & Tummy

A strong midsection stabilizes the body and helps transfer power between the legs and the arms. Tummy toning exercises reduce body fat and improve body composition and posture. Abdominal fat increases the risk of developing diabetes, heart disease and colorectal cancer. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends biweekly strength training sessions; incorporate stomach exercises into them to build strength, tone your waist and lower your risk of developing certain health conditions.

Plank Variation

The plank variation is an isometric exercise that challenges and strengthens the rectus abdominus, the long muscles that run down the front of the stomach and the transverse abdominus, a muscle that lies underneath the obliques, or the sides of the stomach. Lie on your stomach, extend your legs behind you and adjust your feet so that they are hip-width apart. Position your elbows directly under your shoulders. Tighten your abdominal muscles and lift onto your toes and elbows. Adjust your body until your shoulders, hips, knees and heels form a straight line. Do not arch or sag your lower back during this exercise. Lift your right foot 6 inches off of the ground, hold for five seconds and lower it to the floor. Do the same with your left foot. Hold in regular plank for 10 seconds and then repeat the pattern until you complete your desired amount of time.

Long Arm Crunch

The American Council on Exercise, or ACE, ranks the long arm crunch as one of the top 10 exercises that strengthen the rectus abdominus and the obliques. This exercise tones and trims the waistline. Lie supine on a mat. Bend your knees and position your feet 6 inches in front of their respective hips. Interlace your hands, straighten your arms and extend them overhead. Tuck your arms next to your ears and maintain contact throughout the exercise; rest them on the mat until you start the exercise. Tighten your abdominal muscles and gaze at the ceiling. Slowly, crunch your torso up 6 inches, lifting your shoulder blades, upper back and arms off of the mat. Lower and repeat until you complete your desired amount of repetitions.

Reverse Crunch

The reverse crunch, also on ACE's top 10 abs exercises list, strengthens the lower region of the stomach, the rectus abdominus and the obliques. Lie supine on a mat. Bend your knees, lift your feet off of the ground, cross your ankles and position your knees directly above your hips. Rest your arms on the mat, next to your sides. Tighten your abdominal muscles and gaze at the ceiling. Slowly, pull your knees 3 inches toward your chest. A large range of motion is not necessary; focus on your abs and avoid using your lower back or legs to do the work. Lower to the start position and repeat until you complete your desired amount of repetitions.