Exercises for Flattening Abs

Are you one of those people who are not comfortable in their own skin? It is now the beginning of summer, yet here you are, hiding and locking yourself inside the bedroom. Is your belly keeping you away from achieving that perfect beach body? Worry not!

Doing pushups to achieve flatter abs is a thing of the past. We have seen people who testify that this workout indeed works, and we cannot agree more that this is indeed the perfect abs  workout. But doing pushups can be extremely exhausting— you do not get ample back support, you might strain your neck, etc. People also say that doing pushups is a way of proving how strong you are, but is there a fun alternative to this method? Thankfully, there is!

As you can see, this workout makes use of an equipment called the stability ball. The stability ball ensures that you get the same result from doing pushups without the discomfort. This equipment can help tone down your abs because in order to keep yourself from falling on the ground, you must balance your body on the ball by CONTRACTING your abdominal muscles. It may look easy for some, but it is anything but easy. These workouts are best done with a company of friends, because while having fun, you are actually working on those abs.

When you do your usual sit-ups on this ball, you will get all the support you need because your spine follows the shape of the ball. Our spine is naturally curvaceous in form, so it won’t have a hard time adjusting to this ball— unlike when you do your sit-ups on the floor, your spine tends to lie on a hard, flat surface.

You can do almost all the belly-flattening exercises you can think of with the use of this ball; whether it be vertical raises, flutter kicks, or even plunges. What’s even great about this is since you are free to move in any direction you want, you can even target the sides of your abdominals. This area is hard to reach, but having a stability ball in hand lets you do this with ease.

We present some more exercises for flattening your abs in a quick and effective manner.

• Chair leg lifts – This is a simple exercise which can be performed using any kind of chair. Sit down absolutely straight and keep your back flat against the chair you are using. Hold the seat of the chair with your hands and lifts the knees slowly towards the chest region. Now slowly take them back to the starting position. Breathe very slowly as you perform this exercise. 3 sets of 15 repetitions should be enough for a day.
• Crunches – This exercise helps flatten the upper, lower and oblique abs muscles. Lie flat on the ground and keep your feet on the ground. Clasp both your hands behind the back. Now slowly squeeze your abdominal muscles and raise the upper body. When you reach halfway, hold for 2 to 3 seconds and then come back to the floor, again slowly. Do 3 to 4 sets of 30 repetitions each.
• Perpendicular exercise – Lie down on the floor on your back. Keep your hands behind your back. Slowly breathe out and lift the legs over the hip. Stop when the legs become perpendicular to the floor. Now slowly widen the legs a little. As you lower down the legs after performing the exercise, breathe out. Perform 2 sets of 15 repetitions each.
• Bicycle exercise – Your abs will get extremely toned by performing this exercise on a regular basis. It keeps the stomach stable and burns a lot of fat. Lie down on the floor on your back and keep your hands behind the head. Now raise your knees off the floor. Start by bringing the left elbow near the right knee and keep switching the elbow position to perform the cycling motion with your legs.
• Sides – In order to achieve a flat abs, you also need to tone your oblique muscles. Stand absolutely straight and keep the feet at the same distance as your hips. Bend the knees and hold a 5 pound dumbbell in each hand. Now tilt towards the right, count 2 and come back to the starting position. Repeat on left side. Carry 20 repetitions on each side in one set. Perform 3 such sets.
• Planks – Lie down on the floor with your face down. Support the upper body with the forearms. Now raise full body off the floor. Form a straight line with the support of forearms and toes for 20 seconds to make a set. Perform 3 such sets.

Here are some great ab exercises to help flatten the stomach and give you a superb physique to show off!
• Abdominal Hold – Sit on the edge of a stable chair or you could also use a step of four risers. Place the hands on its edge and keep the fingers pointing towards the knees. Now tighten the abs and take the toes 3 inches off the floor. When done, lift the buttocks off the steps or chair. Hold this position for 5 seconds and gradually increase to 10 seconds with practise. Lower down yourself and repeat. Perform 2 -3 sets of 20-25 repetitions each.
• The hundred set – Sit on an exercise mat and bent the knees by the chest and keep the hands on the sides. Now lie down while your knees are still bent and the palms are facing downwards. Exhale and raise the shoulders and head off the mat. Now pump your arms 6 inches first up then down and reach with the fingertips. Inhale 5 times then exhale 5 times. Curl in the chin towards the chest. Perform 100 pumps.
• Prone Plank – Get into a pushup position and keep the palms on the floor right below the shoulders. Hold for 30 seconds and keep the abs sucked in. Extend the arms and legs and keep the head aligned with the spine. Hold the position for a minute and then rest.
• Side Crunches – This exercise not only help flatten the abs but also tone the oblique muscle. Kneel down on the floor and lean on the right side so that you place your right palm on the floor. Now balance your weight and extend the left leg out slowly while pointing out the toes. Now place the left hand behind the head and point elbows upwards. Now lift the leg to the height of your hips and extend arms above the legs while the palm facing in front. Now bring the rib cage’s left side towards the hip. Repeat 8 to 10 times on each side in a set and do 3 such sets.
• Opposite Leg and Arm Raise – Lie down on the floor mat on all fours. Keep the knees under the hips and the wrists right under the shoulders. Now raise your right arm to shoulder height and the right leg to the height of the hip. Hold for a second then reach forward with the fingers and the back with the heels. Repeat exercise on other side too. Perform 18 – 20 repetitions in a set alternating side each time.