The Best Abdominal Exercise For A Woman

A combination of following a healthy diet and exercising regularly will ultimately help you gain and maintain strong abs. If you routinely eat a lot of unhealthy foods, abdominal exercises won't eliminate a bulging waistline, but along with good nutrition, ab exercises will help you sustain a slimmer, sleeker and shapelier figure. It takes consistency and hard work to keep abdominal muscles in the best shape. While most ab exercises are beneficial, some are ineffective.

Reverse Crunches

Although you might feel a slight twinge in your abdominal muscles when performing floor crunches, they seem to do little for toning ab muscles. Personal trainer Daryl Barrett recommends reverse floor crunches instead as one of the best ways to work your core. Lie on the floor and lift your legs straight up into the air and then bend your knees slightly. Instead of crunching forward, keep your head down and lift your hips and legs up and forward until you feel your ab muscles engaging. The lift should be smooth, and you should not need to thrust your legs forward in order to feel the muscles contract in your abdomen. Repeat between 12 and 20 times.

Ball Sit-ups

The benefit of using an exercise ball, also known as a stability or Swiss ball, while performing sit-ups is the added range of motion it provides, as well as the back support. The flexibility of the ball allows you to move easier and work ab muscles more intensely. Sit erect on an exercise ball and place your hands behind your neck for support, but keep from putting pressure on your neck, head or upper back. Stretch back and lift up to a sit-up position, lower back again, and when you sit-up the next time, slightly rotate your upper body to the left. Lower and turn to the right when you perform the next sit-up. Repeat the series 12 to 20 times.

Planks

Any sort of plank exercise you perform will help strengthen abdominal muscles since it's primarily the core that supports the body during the balanced lift. From an up position of a push-up, or plank position, balance your body between your arms and legs/feet on the floor. Hold for 10 seconds or longer if you can. After practicing the plank position for a while, try and hold it for one minute. Perform side planks for more of a challenge and workout for your abs by balancing your body sideways between one arm and stacked legs. Repeat on the opposite side.

Burpees

Burpees are an old school exercise that not only work your abdominal muscles but also your legs and arms. The exercise provides you with a solid cardio workout at the same time. From a standing position, reach down and press against the floor while you simultaneously extend your legs straight out behind you. Jump or walk your feet back in again and stand up. Raise your arms straight above your head as you jump up. Repeat several times and work toward completing more burpees as you get used to the exercise. Add a push-up to a burpee at the point where you extend your legs out behind you for more of a challenge.