People who are trying to obtain a flat stomach have many different options, many that are wrong and many that are right. Choosing the wrong abdominal workout routine can lead to poor or no results or even pain and injury to the back or other muscles.

Before doing any fitness routine be sure to consult a fitness professional, stretch and warm up and keep the following titbits of important information in mind:

Knees Should Be Kept Up

To prevent injury to the back, the knees should be kept bent with the feet flat on the floor. The knees should be center aligned and pointing up. If the knees are not centered and are slanted to one side, the vertebrae become compressed which leads to back injury and pain. Any exercises that cause pain and can lead to injury should never be included in your abdominal workout routine.

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Traditional Sit-Ups

Many people don’t realize that the traditional sit-up has little or no effect on the stomach muscles and it often included in their abdominal workout routine. Regardless of how it is done, the hip muscles are absorbing most of the strain and the arms are usually doing most of the work, which is useless in obtaining flat abs.

In addition, most people do sit-ups in a very fast motion, which means that the body’s momentum is actually doing the work, not the stomach muscles. Rather than wasting time with sit-ups, do crunches for much better results.

Leg Lift- Straight

The straight leg lift is another ‘old school’ stomach exercise that I would not include in my abdominal workout routine. They offer little if any benefits to the stomach. Instead, the back muscles do all the work and in the end can be strained or injured.

Over Exertion

More than fifty reps of any stomach exercise is futile. If fifty reps don’t garner the results desired, then one hundred reps won’t either. If the exercise is becoming too easy, move to a more complex one that works even more muscles.

Sleeping

Sleep plays a large part in an abdominal workout routines. The sleeping position at night affects the exercise the next day. If you sleep in a position that makes you wake up with pain in the back, chances are you aren’t going to be able to work the abdominal muscles the next day.

Avoid sleeping on the stomach, this position makes the back arch and hurt the next day. Try sleeping with a pillow between the knees while lying on the backside. This will keep the back in alignment and help prevent back pain, which in turn allows for working out the next day without pain.

No Resistance

Abdominal fitness routines require some type of resistance in order to produce results. Resistance can come in the form of an exercise ball, a resistance band or even gravity. Exercises that do not have any resistance produce little or no results. For example, standing broomstick twists have no resistance, while this is a good warm up exercise; it is not directly beneficial to a flat abdomen.

Proper Technique

When it comes to exercising, technique is very important. Improper techniques can lead to pain and injury which prevents further exercise. Investigate and learn about new exercises before diving into them and always consult a fitness professional before starting a new program.

If you take all these points into consideration when choosing a new abdominal workout routine then you will see much better results.

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A 6 Pack Ab Workout is the talk of any local gym or fitness center and a perfect six is the goal that many bodybuilders strive for, it is also the goal of many people who are just striving to have that rippled body that completes their physical appearance.

The concept might seem simple, lose body fat while strengthening the abdominal muscles, however, making those words a reality are another story all together. It can be done, with the right amount of dedication, willpower and some serious patience, a six pack of abs can become your reality.

The following 6 pack ab workout and advice will help get that six pack of abs by building muscle. Remember that you must also lose fat so follow a proper diet to burn calories. Also remember to warm up before starting any exercise routine and consult a professional for advice.

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Intermediate 6 Pack Ab Workout Exercise #1 – Crunches

Lie on the floor, if necessary use a mat or towel to soften the floor. Place your arms across your chest, not over your head – this makes is harder to use them for leverage.

Raise the shoulders and upper torso off the floor and towards your knees using your abdominal muscles. Keep in mind that you need to focus on keeping the abdominals tight during the crunch.

Also do not let the head touch the floor when returning to the lying position.

Repeat for 10-15 reps and for 3 sets.

Intermediate 6 Pack Ab Workout Exercise #2 – Leg lifts

Lie down on the floor with your legs straight out and your hands at your side. Keeping the body in a straight alignment, lift both legs straight up in the air until they are as close as possible to ninety degrees.

Next, lower the legs slowly but do not let them go all the way back to the floor. Again, concentrate on pulling the abdominal muscles in tight during the move and move slowly.

If you are in the gym, try the same exercise using the equipment there that allows you to pull yourself up and extend your legs out. A pull-up bar will also work.

Repeat for 10-12 reps and for 3 sets.

Intermediate 6 Pack Ab Workout Exercise #3 – V-Ups

Lie on the floor again in a straight out position with your arms extended up above your head. Raise both the torso and the legs at the same time to form a "V". 

Hold the position for five to ten seconds while concentrating on keeping the abdominal muscles contracted.

Try reaching your feet with your hands. Relax and return to the starting position.  As this exercise gets easier you can add weights to your feet to make it harder and increase the workout on your muscles.

Repeat for 10-12 reps and for 2-3 sets.

Intermediate 6 Pack Ab Workout Exercise #4 – Static Hold and Side Statics

Position yourself in the pushup position; however, put your elbows on the floor and the rest of the body flat.

This is what is known as the static hold and it trains the core muscles to hold the body in the position you put it in. Hold the position as long as you can at least 45 -50 seconds for beginners.

The side static hold is similar. Roll over onto one side of the body and lift into the same position as you did for the static hold. The free arm should be pointed upwards into the air and the leg that is not bearing weight should be resting on top of the other one. Again, hold as long as possible.

There are many other six pack ab exercises that you can do, but this 6 Pack Ab workout should get you good results. Do this routine 3-5 times a week.

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An abdominal workout is an important part of any fitness routine. They strengthen and tone the abdominal muscles, sometimes referred to as the core, and they make the body lean and physically attractive.

In addition to the abdominal exercises here, a proper diet is required to obtain the best abs possible. For the best results, the abdominal workout should be done 3-5 times weekly with repetitions increased as the body adjusts to the current count. 

As with any fitness program, consult a professional before starting and always do warm-up exercises before starting to lessen the chance of injury.

This abdominal workout is designed for beginners and is a good lower abdominal workout.

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Abdominal Workout Exercise 1 : Pelvic Tilt

Lie on your back, use a towel or mat for cushioning. Bend the knees and keep feet flat on the floor approximately hip width apart.

Relax the head and neck muscles with your hands by your side. Contract the abdominal muscles pulling the belly button in towards the spine, while doing this lift your pelvis off the floor and hold for three seconds.

Slowly return to the starting position. Repeat ten to fifteen times.

Note that the key to the pelvic tilt is to hold the abdominal muscles tight while lifting the pelvic off the ground. The movement should be a slow, deliberate movement.

Abdominal Workout Exercise 2 : Knee Raises

Starting again from the lying down position with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, keep the back pressed into the floor.

Relax the head and the neck and put your hands by your side. Using slow movements, concentrate on contracting the abdominal muscles as you bring one knee in as far as it can go, stop at the top and hold the position. 

Repeat on the other leg. Once both legs are back at position, you have completed one rep. Try to do 10-20 reps.

Abdominal Workout Exercise 3 :Reverse Crunches

While lying on you back, press your back into the floor. Relax your head and neck and put your hands by your sides with your palms face down. Bend your knees to 90 degrees.

Next, focus on contracting the lower abdominal muscles as you raise your hips upwards towards your ribs, very slowly lifting the tailbone off the floor in a curved motion.

As you complete each rep your legs will wind up reaching towards the ceiling. Lower the hips back to the starting position. This counts as one rep.

The key to the reverse crunch is to make the abdominal muscles do the work and not the legs. Don’t stop and rest at the end of the rep, keep moving to keep the muscle working; however, don’t rock the body or move so fast that momentum takes over and does the work.

This is a good abdominal workout for beginners that will work the abdominal muscles. It should be done at the least three times a week. Pay attention to your body, when the exercise becomes to easy it is time to either increase the reps or move onto an intermediate routine.
 

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Yoga is an excellent addition to any fitness routine. It is capable of reducing stress and working the body out at the same time. A Yoga abs exercise workout can also be used to focus on the abdominal area.

Yoga has many positions, call asanas that target the stomach muscles. It is important to remember that some of the positions require more experience in yoga than others. Before trying asanas that target the stomach, determine what skill level you are at. If unsure of where you should start, begin with the easiest positions and work your way towards the more difficult ones. Read the rest of this entry