For you to flatten your stomach, you need to do abdominal exercises, but you also have to do cardio. This especially holds true if you have a high amount of fat on your belly. As you lose fat, the abdominal exercises will define your midsection and promote a flat appearance. Use the weight of your body and fitness tools with your exercises and execute good form.
Upside-Down Crunches
An upside-down crunch is a variation to the plank exercise. Both target the abs and both are performed from a face-down position. After placing your forearms flat on the floor, position your feet together behind your body, and raise your hips to form a straight line from your shoulders to your heels. This is the plank position. To do the crunch, raise your butt in the air slightly as you curl your pelvis under your body and squeeze your abs forcefully. Hold this position for a full second, slowly return to the starting point and repeat.
Pike Crunch
Pikes are gymnastic moves that cause you to fold your body in half at the waist. Pike crunches are variations to these that are performed from a face-up position on the floor. After moving your legs together and extending your arms behind your head, raise your arms and legs toward each other and try to touch your toes with your hands. You should be balancing on your butt at this point. Lower yourself back down until your arms and legs are right above the floor and repeat.
Weighted Bicycle Crunch
A weighted bicycle crunch requires a medicine ball. This exercise works your entire abdominal area, but it places specific emphasis on the obliques, the muscles on the sides of the stomach. While lying on your back, hold the medicine ball in front of your chest, raise your legs and bend your knees to level your shins to the floor. After raising your shoulders off the floor, steadily twist your torso from side to side as you move one knee in toward your chest and extend the other leg out straight. Alternate back and forth in a steady motion. When you move your knee in, move your opposite elbow toward it.
Knee Tucks
Knee tucks work the upper and lower abs as well as the hip flexors. These are performed from a face-down position with a stability ball. After placing your hands shoulder-width apart on the floor, lightly place your lower shins together on the ball. Your arms, back and legs should all be straight at this point, and you should already feel a contraction in your abs. Steadily roll the ball toward your head as you tuck your knees into your chest. Squeeze your abs for a full second, extend your legs back out and repeat.
Abdominal Lock
The upward abdominal lock is also known as uddiyana bandha in yoga terminology and a vacuum in gym terms. This exercise works the transverse abdominis, which is a deep abdominal muscle that supports the spine. It is performed from a standing position with your feet hip-width apart and hands on your thighs. After leaning forward slightly, exhale all the air out of your lungs and draw your navel in and up as far as possible and hold as long as you can. Slowly release, catch your breath and repeat. For a variation, perform this from an all fours position or while lying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
Member Comments