Abdominal workouts target the muscle groups in front of your stomach and often involve holds that require your stomach to tense up. It's this tension and repeated activation that makes your muscles get stronger and possibly more defined, depending on whether or not you still have excess body fat covering your newly strengthened abs.
Muscle Groups
The muscle groups that make up what you typically think of as your abs include the upper and lower rectus abdominis and the external and internal obliques. You'll need to do different exercises to target the different muscles; for example, twisting exercises emphasize your obliques, while curling exercises activate your upper abdominals.
Exercises
Common exercises include the reverse curl--bringing your tucked knees to your chest while lying flat on your back; the v-sit, where your upper torso and legs form a v as you bend at your waist to try to touch your toes in the air; the trunk curl, or what we think of as a standard sit-up, involving either your legs bent with feet on the ground or, for an extra challenge, your feet and legs in the air at a 45-degree angle, crossed at the ankle; and the trunk curl with twist, which requires you to put your hands behind your head, then curl up and touch your elbow to the opposite bent knee, with feet flat on the ground.
Other classic athlete standbys include bicycles, which involve lying on the floor, extending your legs up and alternately touching each elbow to the opposite knee while pulling it into the elbow, thus "pedaling" in the sky; push-ups; holds, which are similar to push-ups but involve balancing on forearms while holding your body totally rigid and nearly parallel to the ground; or side holds, which apply the same principle as holds but require you to first face one side, then another, and support yourself on just one forearm perpendicular to your body while your torso remains completely straight.
Classes
Pilates and yoga both will strengthen your abdominal muscles. Pilates builds strength, with its notorious "hundreds" exercises involving synchronized inhales and exhales for a count of 100 while lying on your back, holding your feet only agonizing inches above the ground. Yoga builds more flexibility but still requires building powerful abs to balance, maintain motionlessness during difficult poses and support a large percentage of your body weight.
Both Pilates and yoga have the advantages of building your entire core muscles, not just the muscles on your stomach, meaning you'll build balanced strength rather than simply improve the aesthetic appeal of your tummy.
Succeeding
Unless you have exceptional self-control, you may have to be creative in motivating yourself to do the exercises. Consider working out with a friend so you can motivate each other and contribute new exercises to freshen up your routines.
Be patient. According to The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, it's easy to start a workout plan, but sticking with it requires perseverance. The results, though, can not only help you improve your physical performance, but also your mental alertness and emotional stability. Build up to a higher number of reps over time, and when you're first beginning, you might work out on alternate days if you're too sore.
If you have an office with a door, you can squeeze in a quick ab workout during your lunch break if you just stow a yoga mat under your desk; other convenient times to do abs include right after you wake up or right before or after you do a cardiovascular exercise like running or swimming.
References
- "Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research"; Relative Activity of Abdominal Muscles During Commonly Prescribed Strengthening Exercises; Gilbert M. Willett, et al; November 2001
- The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports: Fitness Fundamentals: Guidelines for Personal Exercise Programs
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