Get Flatter Abs with Abdominal Exercise

In the quest to attain the preferred body shape, the area that many people focus on is the abdomen. In both males and females, fat prefers to collect around the midsection increasing the waist size. Abdominal exercise is one way to get rid of the fat around the midsection and get the flatter abs that you want.

There are several different variations of abdominal exercise that are all aimed at firming the abdominal muscles and reducing fat in that area. Since muscles build resistance and can grow tired of the same exercise every day it is good to know two or three different kinds of the abdominal exercise so that you can alternate.

One kind of abdominal exercise is the stomach crunch. This is perhaps the most popular of all the exercises aimed at tightening abs. To do the crunch, start by laying flat on your back in sit-up position. Your hands should be loosely behind your head with your elbows touching the ground. Tilt your chin slightly as if you were holding a piece of fruit under your neck. Curl your upper body off the ground to the highest position possible. Hold this position for at least a full second before slowly lowering your body back to the ground. Don’t return your body to the ground fully, but rather to a position where you are slightly off the ground and your abs are still contracted. Repeat this about 20 – 30 times a day or as many as you have planned in your workout routine.

Another kind of abdominal exercise is a slight variation to the stomach crunch. Lie down on your back with your knees pulled forward. The position of your legs should slightly resemble that of a squat. With your hands behind your head, sit up and pull your right elbow towards your left knee. Return to the original position and alternate, this time pulling your left elbow towards your right knee. Do about 20 – 30 repetitions of this abdominal exercise per elbow/leg.