Hands up if you want a toned stomach? Well, with a little hard work you can get the stomach of your dreams by doing these exercises.
Below you'll find a list of great abs exercises, pick a few of these to create your own flat stomach workout. Remember, you should mix up these exercises regularly to keep challenging your body and continue progressing:
For this exercise you will need a Swiss ball. To begin, kneel down with your feet resting on the floor and lean with your forearms on the Swiss ball. Use your forearms to roll the ball in a circular stirring motion while keeping the rest of your body stable. The uneven surface of the Swiss ball makes this exercise good for your core fitness and stability too. Once you feel like you have mastered the technique, try making larger circles with the ball or complete the movement with only your feet resting on the floor.
This abs exercise will effectively work your internal and external obliques alongside other key abs muscles.
2. The plank
To complete this exercise lie flat on your stomach and place your forearms on the floor. Then, press down with your forearms and push your self up – using your toes as support - until your head, neck, back and legs are all in a straight line.
This is an excellent flat stomach exercise because it strengthens your inner core muscles, upper and lower abdominal muscles and burns more calories in comparison to other abs exercises, such as sit ups. This is because to do the plank you have to engage the muscles in your legs, arms and back too.
3. Boat pose
If you want to try a challenging flat stomach exercise you should introduce the boat pose to your workout. Doing this yoga pose regularly will quickly help you reach your goal of a flat stomach. To begin, sit on the floor with bent knees. Lean back slightly and then bring your legs up and straighten them until your body forms a V shape. Your arms should be stretched out and parallel to one another. Keep your palms facing inwards. Remember to engage your abs muscles whilst doing this exercise and keep your stomach relaxed and flat.
This is a fantastic abs exercise because it targets and strengthens your core muscles and improves balance.
4. Mountain climbers
To perform this exercise place both hands on the floor in front of you, about shoulder width apart (as if you are about to complete a push up.) Then using your toes to push off, pull your right leg forward and extend your left leg back. Keep on your toes throughout the exercise, alternating between each leg for the desired number of reps. Your upper body should not move during the exercise.
To increase the difficulty, speed up your steps once you are comfortable with the technique, or you could add extra height using a medicine ball to work the arms and your balance. As well as getting a decent cardiovascular workout when doing Mountain Climbers, you will also work your abs as this exercise requires you to engage your core .
5. Medicine ball slam
For this exercise, you will need a non-bouncing medicine ball. Using both hands, lift your medicine ball above your head and place your feet shoulder-width apart. Your knees should be slightly bent. Now, explosively bring the ball down, bending at the waist and throw it at the floor. Try to get into a rhythm so that you can catch the ball once it has hit the floor. During this exercise you should not lose your balance or posture. If you do, it might be because the medicine ball you are using is too heavy.
The medicine ball slam is a total body exercise that strengthens your core stability and will help you to tone up your stomach.
6. Bicycle crunch
This exercise is a must if you want a flat stomach. To begin the Bicycle crunch, lie on your back. Place your palms beneath your head and lift your legs until they are positioned at a 90-degree angle. Keeping your right hand on your head, twist your body, bringing your right elbow towards your left knee. Alternate your limbs, bringing your left elbow toward your right knee. To get maximum results this exercise should be executed slowly.
The bicycle crunch is a great exercise to include in your flat stomach workout as research has shown that the exercise works all of the major abdominal muscles.
7. Skipping
As well as doing abs exercises, if you want a flat stomach you should try to incorporate some cardiovascular exercises into your workout. Although running, cycling and swimming are all excellent forms of cardiovascular training, skipping is useful in this instance because it can be performed indoors with your other abs exercises. Skipping for fitness requires the correct technique: you only need to lift your feet a few centimetres off the ground each time the rope passes and ensure your heels don’t touch the floor. Also, make sure you turn the rope with your wrists, rather than using your whole arms.
Skipping works your transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis and your inner and outer obliques. It is essential to include cardiovascular training in your flat stomach workout, as it will help you burn calories and lose weight alongside helping you to tone your abs.
