The upper abs are part of the rectus abdominis. This large muscle starts just below the chest and ends in the pelvic area. Any ab exercise you do is going to work your entire rectus abdominis, but you can do exercises that place more emphasis on the upper region. The position of your body is what determines which part of your abs is going to get the most work.
Spot Reducing
Exercises for the upper tummy are not designed to burn fat. That would be spot reduction, which is not possible. The goal with these exercises is to tone and tighten the upper abdominal area. The best way to lose fat is through cardiovascular exercise. By doing cardio in conjunction with upper ab exercises, you can improve your definition.
Body Position
Exercises that involve lifting your legs or pulling your knees in toward your chest primarily target your lower abs. A hanging leg-hip raise from a pull-up bar is an example. When you want to target your upper abs, you need to move your torso forward. Sit-ups, crunches and v-ups are examples of such exercises. The v-up exercise places equal emphasis on your upper and lower abs.
Executing Good Form
For upper tummy exercises to be of value, you need to pay strict attention to form. Move through a full range of motion, do not rely on momentum and focus hard on the midpoint of your exercises. Proper breathing goes a long way in doing going ab exercises as well. Take the basic abdominal crunch for example. Start out lying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. After crossing your arms over your chest or placing your hands on the sides of your head, lift your head and shoulders off the floor and look forward. Squeeze your abs forcefully for a full second and slowly lower yourself back down. As you move forward, exhale forcefully and inhale as you lower yourself down. People often make the mistake of lifting their butts off the floor when they lower themselves down. This will place excess stress on your lower back.
Adding Resistance
Once you are able to 20-plus reps with good form of your ab exercises with good form, you can add resistance to make the exercises more challenging. Hold a medicine ball, weight plate, dumbbell or kettlebell against your chest or over your body when you perform your exercises. You can also perform crunches and sit-ups on a stability ball. This will cause your body to be off balance and force you to contract a greater amount of muscle fibers to remain stable.
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