Work Your Abs - Get Flatter in No Time

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

11 Oct 2006 10:30 AM

For most women, when you start talking about fitness and getting into shape, we think about the abdominal muscles. We think about trimming the excess weight off and slimming down. We think about firming up the stomach muscles and whether we get a six-pack or not is irrelevant, a taut and firm tummy is an ideal. Since abdominal fat is some of the hardest fat for anyone to lose and some of the most important fat to trim back.

The following abdominal exercises are great for helping you sculpt and tone. It's important, if you are dieting and working on weight loss to incorporate a cardio component into your program. 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week is beneficial to every weight loss program. These exercises can help to strengthen and build your abdominal muscles, which will in turn help you burn fat more efficiently. But the process of weight loss, sculpting and toning takes time and effort on all fronts. With that said, here are some tummy toning moves that you can incorporate into your workout to help flatten your abs and give you tummy sculpt you are looking for:

• Fingers to Toes - You lay on your back with your legs straight and pointed at the ceiling and your arms straight at your sides. Take a breath and then exhale and contract with your hands rising and your shoulders coming up off the mat to point at your feet. Inhale and relax - repeat 8 to 12 times
• Butterfly Crunches - Lay on your back with your hands under your head and elbows pointing out. Touching your feet to each other so that your legs form a butterfly formation and perform crunches from this position, you'll feel the tightness in your abdominal and thighs - repeat 8 to 12 times
• Side to Side Crunches - Laying on your back with your knees bent at a 45 degree angle and your arms pointing straight with hands palm down - as you perform your crunches reach further with one hand than the other then relax and repeat again on the other side - perform 8 to 12 times per side - this works on your obliques, the abdominal muscles along your sides
• Swingers - Begin by laying flat on your back with your legs pointed straight up and arms pointed out to the side; slowly you lower your legs together to be pointing completely to one side trying to hold your upper body straight - hold for a count of three and relax, pointing your legs straight up again then repeat on the other side - perform 8 to 12 repetitions per side

Do you perform any abdominal targeting exercises regularly?

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Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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