Exercises For Abs - 3 Great Abs Exercises For Women

There are different reasons for exercising the abdominal muscles. Strong abs gives you a leaner, more toned look; if have back pain, strengthening your abs will help support your back; you may have had a baby, and pregnancy does awful things to your abs; you may want to strengthen your abs to improve your posture. What are the best exercises for abs?

Four separate muscles make up the abdominal group; a horizontal, a vertical and two diagonal muscles. For abs exercises to be really effective, they must work all four muscles. To do this, just do exercises that use a body twist in conjunction with the classic crunch.

The abdominal muscles are the most resilient of all muscle groups and you can safely do abs exercises every day. There are many simple exercises you can do at different times of the day, wherever you are, that can train your abs to maintain a slight contraction. This is what gives you that slim, trim look in the stomach area. Examples of simple, daily abs exercise are - when you are sitting, tighten your abs and release, repeat 10 times; contract your abs, slowly lift your feet off the floor to straighten your knees and hold for the count of 5; repeat 5 times.



During a workout, try these 3 great exercises for abs:

o Oblique crunch - lie on your back, hands behind your head, knees bent up, feet flat. Lift your left knee and bring your right elbow towards your left knee. Try to keep your elbows in line. Repeat with right knee and left elbow. Do 5 reps each side.

o The plank - lie on your back, knees bent up, feet flat, arms on the floor, level with your shoulders. Tighten your abs and raise your body, to form a straight line from your head to your knees. Hold while you count 3 and lower slowly. Do 5 repeats.

o This one is not an exercise to be included only in a workout. Make this abs exercise into a daily habit. Several times a day, tighten your abs muscles and your pelvic floor muscles at the same time; flatten the curve of your lower back. Hold for a 5 count. Repeat while you are sitting, standing, lying.

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