Since body fat tends to accumulate around the stomach, the belly is one of the hardest areas to tone. Unfortunately, many people use poor form during abdominal exercises, and end up disappointed when they fail to see results. Correct form involves proper breathing and postural alignment, relaxes the back and neck muscles, and contracts abdominal muscles.
Step 1
Correct your muscular imbalances. If you spend your entire day at a computer, your neck, lower back and hip flexors may be excessively tight. Tight muscles are called hypertonic, which means that they are excessively strong. If your back and neck are hypertonic, they will take over the movement, which means your back and neck will do the work instead of your abdominal muscles. As such, it's advisable to stretch your back and neck prior to performing abdominal exercises.
Step 2
Activate your core. Draw your belly in and hold it tight for 10 counts. Practice this 10 times daily. Eventually, this will train your core muscles to stay contracted throughout the entire abdominal exercise.
Step 3
Use correct breathing. Exhaling helps you activate your deep core muscles. On every abdominal exercise, inhale to prepare, and exhale as you flex your torso into the movement.
Step 4
Use correct pelvic placement. If your feet are on the ground, there might be a very small curve in your lower back. This is called neutral spine, and it is perfectly acceptable. However, once your legs are in the air, your spine needs to be imprinted into the mat. If this is not possible, raise your legs higher, or perform the exercise while keeping your knees bent.
Step 5
Use smooth and fluid movements.
Step 6
Stop the exercise if your begin to feel back or neck strain. Neck and back strain indicates that these muscles have begun to monopolize the movement. The abdominals are no longer working. If you continue, you are actually training your back and neck to be even stronger than your abdominal muscles.
Tips and Warnings
- Quality is better than quantity. It's better to perform three sets of 12 repetitions in perfect form, as opposed to multiple sets of 50 or more repetitions in poor form. If you have tight hip flexors, stretching on a foam roller prior to performing ab exercises can be helpful.
- If you tend to keep your computer on one side of your desk, you are making one side of your oblique muscles stronger than the other. Centering your computer may correct this imbalance.
Things You'll Need
- Comfortable clothing
- Exercise mat
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