Easy Abdominal Exercises

When people get in shape, the main focus of their workout are normally to lose weight and to lose their tummy. But there are times that we achieve both but that lousy love handle stays behind just above our waistline giving us that mushroom look. And no matter how many sit ups or crunches you do, it kind of has the habit of hanging there. And you ask yourself what you're doing wrong or is it the workout and you end up with more questions than solutions.

The important thing that this gives you though is the motivation to lose that excess belly hanging there. It makes your hunt for a workout that's so much easier. Now, although crunches are an effective way to workout your upper abs, it is extremely uncomfortable and most people who do not know how to do a proper crunch end up hurting their neck rather than toning their abs. The remedy for that is to do reverse crunches. This actually works the abs more than a regular crunch would and it also targets the lower abs which are hard to reach. You can do them on the floor or on an exercise ball. You just have to get in the same position as when you are doing a regular crunch which is lying down on the floor, hands either behind your head or on the floor, stomach sucked in and eyes on your ceiling. Pull your legs up towards your head and reach as far as you can. Curling into a ball is the focus here. Hold the position for about 2 to 3 seconds then return to the original position. You can do this in 3 sets of 10 or depending on your tolerance.

Another ab workout that's easy and fun to do is the bicycle crunch. The American Council on Exercise calls this one of the most effective ab exercises. It's easy to do and you can add a little variety to it. To start, you have to lie down flat on the floor. Raise your knees to a 45 degree angle and do a pedalling motion, just like riding a bike. While doing this, try and raise your upper body to do a crunch and have your right elbow touch your left knee and vice versa. Try and do this in counts of 10 and do 2 to 3 repetitions.

A great ab workout that some Hollywood stars like Beyonce use to keep their abs in shape is the technique known as the plank. Yes, you have to be as stiff as one. You don't have to do much with this workout but it is sure to work your abs. What you have to do is get on your hands and knees. Place your hands on the same level as your shoulder and straighten your body so that your toes are on the floor. It kind of looks like your going to do push ups. But after you get in that position, what you do is to hold it for about a minute while you breathe normally. This tightens that abs and is an amazing beginner workout. After a minute, you can do this for about 5 more times depending on your strength level. You can also lengthen the time you are in that position.

These 3 basic ab exercises can help you lose that extra flab and get you started on getting those great abs you've always wanted. Just remember that getting great abs is not only with exercise, you need to get on a healthy diet too.