When you have a goal to strengthen your stomach within a short amount of time, you need every abdominal exercise to be effective. The American Council on Exercise, ACE, studied the effectiveness of abdominal exercises in May 2001. Researcher Dr. Peter Francis recommends training your stomach muscles for five minutes a day, using a variety of the most effective abdominal exercises such as the bicycle maneuver and stability ball crunch. You will not be able to see your stomach muscles if you have a layer of fat over your midsection, so participating in cardiovascular exercise to burn fat is also important.
Step 1
Perform the bicycle maneuver to strengthen your abdominals. Lie on your back. Hold onto your head with your hands and point your elbows out to the sides. Bend your knees and lift your feet off the floor. Extend your right leg straight toward the floor as you reach your right elbow toward your left knee. Extend your left leg straight toward the floor as you reach your left elbow toward your right knee. Continue to bike pedal with your legs to complete eight to 10 repetitions on each leg.
Step 2
Perform a crunch on a stability ball. Sit on top of an exercise ball with your knees bent and feet on the floor. Walk your feet away from the ball until your lower back makes contact with the ball. Lie back and place your hands behind your head. Exhale and sit up, trying not to roll the ball. Inhale and lie back, trying to lie back over the ball so you are beyond parallel to the floor. Repeat for eight to 10 repetitions.
Step 3
Perform a reverse crunch to strengthen the sides of your stomach. Lie on your back with your knees bent to a 90-degree angle and feet off the floor. Cross your ankles. Place your hands behind your head. Exhale and contract your abdominals to lift your hips off the floor. Inhale and lower hips to start position. Repeat eight to 10 times.
Step 4
Participate in daily physical activity. Walk, run, swim, bike or choose another activity to perform for 30 minutes at least five days weekly. Increase your time to 60 to 90 minutes to lose weight, according to the American College of Sports Medicine.
Tips and Warnings
- Consistency is the key to success when strengthening your abdominal muscles. Exercise daily for best results.
Things You'll Need
- Stability ball
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