A study conducted by Peter Francis, Ph.D. and Jennifer Davis, M.A. at San Diego State University evaluated the effectiveness of common types of ab exercises for women. Ab exercises using the Captain's Chair, stability ball and Torso Track ranked more effective than traditional crunches, and they are all safe for women. By performing ab exercises and eating healthy foods you, too, can have flat abs.
Diet
Cutting calories will help women lose weight to show off a flat stomach. However, women should eat at least 1,200 calories per day, says Andrea Wenger Hess, a nutritionist at the University of Maryland's Joslin Diabetes Center. The diet should consist of belly-flattening foods such as tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables that are filled with antioxidants, recommends Sass. Research has yet to show why certain foods have stomach-slimming properties, just that what you eat may affect where your fat is stored. Sass is the co-author of the book "Flat Belly Diet," a nutrition consultant to the Philadelphia Phillies and the Tampa Bay Rays, and a Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD). Sass says that people who regularly consume antioxidants generally have smaller stomachs. Sass further recommends mushrooms, raspberries, coconut oil and Alaska Pollock, which are full of antioxidants.
Captain's Chair
The Captain's Chair is rated the most effective ab exercise. You'll find a Captain's Chair, also called a Roman Chair, at any gym. The exercise works by forcing a person's abs to stabilize their torso while lifting their legs up to waist level when "sitting" on the chair. A person "sits" on the chair by resting their arms on the arm pads and dangling their legs toward the floor. The chair is high enough that the legs cannot touch the floor. Even though the leg muscles are not attached to the ab muscles, it takes a lot of core strength to keep ones back pressed against the back of the chair while the legs lift. This exercise can be done with straight or bent legs.
Stability Ball Crunches
The stability ball is a tool that can be used for a variety of core exercises. Ball crunches on a ball were rated more effective than crunches on the floor due to the potential movement of the ball caused more muscle recruitment than when lying on a non-moving floor. The exercise is performed with a person lying face up on a stability ball to do crunches, instead of lying face up on the floor. The torso is held parallel to the floor with the ball under the middle of the back and shoulders. Knees are bent and the feet are on the floor, like with floor crunches. The actual crunch motion is the same on the ball as the floor, with a person putting their hands behind their head and curling their torso up 45 degrees. The tricky part is not allowing the ball to roll as one does crunches.
Torso Track
The Torso Track is a unique tool for exercising the abs. It works by making the abs stabilize a person's torso as he or her slides the handles along the track of the machine. The exercise is done with a person kneeling on the knee pad and grabbing the handles of the Torso Track with straight arms. The abs are strained as the person glides back and forth along the Torso Track. The arms and back are always held straight, though the hips will have to drop as someone glides forward. It is important that anyone using the machine keeps his abs tight throughout the exercise to protect the lower back.
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