Your abdominal muscles are some of the easiest areas to train at home, says "101 Workouts for Women." An effective workout routine for girls takes about 15 minutes to complete. Perform each exercise three to four days a week. Combine targeted exercises for the abdomen with cardiovascular exercise for a flatter stomach.
Basic Crunch
Lie face-up with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Make sure your lower back is pressed firmly into the ground. Touch your hands behind your head and curl your chest toward your hips. Lift your shoulders off the floor as you squeeze your abs before lowering back to the start position. For a more advanced move, lift your feet and curl your knees in toward your chest as you crunch upward. Perform 10 to 15 repetitions, and as you become more advanced, increase to 25 reps.
Side-to-Side Crunch
Start in the same position as the basic crunch. Support your head by placing your hands lightly behind it. Lift your head and shoulder blades off the ground. Hold this position and crunch to your right side. Imagine bringing your right elbow to your right hip while keeping your lower back pressed firmly against the floor. Repeat this move on the left side. During this exercise, you will feel a contraction, or muscular stress, on the oblique muscles.
Reverse Crunch
Start by lying face-up on the floor. Bend your knees and lift your legs so that they create a 90-degree angle from your hips. Place your hands under your lower back. Contract your lower abs while slowly curling your pelvis off the ground and toward your ribcage. Hold this position for a moment at the top before slowly lowering your legs and hips back to the starting position.
Kick-Out
Lie face-up on the floor with your knees and hips bent at a 90-degree angle. Place your hands down by your side and extend your legs straight out to create a 45-degree angle. Hold this position for a second, then slowly return to the starting point. Repeat for 20 to 25 repetitions without letting your feet touch the floor.
References
- "Flat Belly Diet"; Liz Vaccariello, Cynthia Sass; 2008
- "The Abs Diet for Women"; David Zinczenko; 2007
- "101 Workouts for Women"; Editors of "Muscle and Fitness Hers"; 2007
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