The Best Ab Exercises for Flat Tummy & Perfect Abs

Do you get up every day with the dream of having the perfect body stats? Does the dream seem quite far-fetched?

Com’on let’s get started… NOW is the time to get it RIGHT!

A 2016 study from The University of Texas at Austin read: “The allure of the hourglass figure is programmed in the human mind…”

The starting point to having an “hourglass figure” or the perfect “V-shaped torso” is to have a flat tummy and the perfect abs. You must have tried many ab exercises to burn belly fat, but haven’t witnessed any significant change/s. If building a toned and taut tummy was easy almost everyone would be flaunting their sexy abs. 

The actual challenge lies in knowing “how” to sculpt the strong and chiseled core in the correct way. There are three basic mantras to keep in mind when trying to reduce abdominal fat:

1. Be patient
2. Eat right
3. Be regular and consistent

A flat tummy is considered a badge of honor, confidence, and good health. People with high abdominal fat are at a higher risk of high cholesterol, cardiovascular diseases, Type 2 diabetes, cancer, and many more. 

Here Are Top 10 Best Ab Exercises

You can try from the comfort of your home to hammer the extra pounds building around your stomach and eventually have a healthier life by trying these ab exercises:

1. Raised Legs

• Lie on your back on a carpet.
• Put your palms under your buttocks and stretch your legs well.
• Raise your legs to a 90-degree angle keeping your feet straight and aligned with your knees (as if you were pointing your toes at the roof).
• The legs should be perpendicular to the ground.
• Bring down your legs without touching the heels on the ground. 
• Do 20 repetitions.

2. Raised Leg Crunch

Best among the ab exercises that require coordination and flexibility (which will increase with practice).

• Lie on your back on a carpet and stretch your legs by lifting them as in the previous exercise.
• You will have to keep them tense, which will make you work the torso.
• Try to touch your ankles with your hands (knee up at the beginning).
• Slowly return to the original position.  
• Repeat 30 times.

3. Leg Circles

• Lie on the carpet, stretch your legs, and put your arms along the body.
• Lift one leg with toes facing the ceiling.
• Move the leg in clockwise circular motions.
• Come to the starting position and repeat with the other leg.
• Do 20 repetitions.
• Reverse the circles in anti-clockwise motions with the same number of reps.

4. Plank

This is among the most popular ab exercises. “Sheathing” or plank is very effective in burning fat from the abdomen.

• Begin in a push-up position on the floor. The points of support are the toes, elbows, forearms, and hands.
• Keep your arms and body straight and core tight.
• Ensure that your hips are not sagging towards the floor or rising towards the roof.  
• Also, make sure you do not dip your head.
• Make the most moves in a minute.
• Hold on to this position for 20 seconds, then release. 

5. Hip rotation in plank position

• Start in the plank position with rest on the forearms and toes, elbows under the shoulders. 
• The body should be rigid and the pelvic area is kept straight. 
• Swing the left hip towards the ground, hold the position for as long as you can and return to the starting position.
• Do the same with the right hip. 
• Repeat this rotation 10 times on each side, or 20 repetitions in total.

6. Oblique crunches

• Lie on your back and bend your knees (press the soles of your feet on the floor).
• Cross the right ankle on the left thigh.
• Put your left hand behind your head and raise your torso to touch the raised knee.
• Do the same thing on the other side.
• Do 20 repetitions.

7. Vertical scissors

It is a very effective exercise in strengthening the internal muscles and lower abdomen.

• Lying on your back on the carpet, stretch your legs and put your hands under your buttocks.
• Raise the right leg as far as you can and slowly let it go down (but do not touch the floor). Then, lift the left leg alternating it with the right leg.
• The movement is similar to scissors (hence the name) or a “go up and down”.
• Make 20 lifts from each leg.

8. Bridge

• Lie on your back on the carpet, put your arms along your body.
• Bend your knees and press the soles of your feet firmly on the carpet.
• Lift the hips so that the torso “is off the ground”.
• The points in contact with the ground are the head, the shoulders, the arms, and the feet. The rest stays in the air forming a bridge or a triangle.
• After a few seconds in this position go down gently, inhale, and repeat. 
• Do 30 repetitions.

9. Mountain Climber

• Start in the plank position on your palms with arms extended. 
• Then, raise one knee to your chest without rotating your pelvis as far as you can while the other leg remains extended.
• Switch between the legs; when one knee is in, the other remains out and vice versa.
• Start slowly, and when you become comfortable with Mountain Climber, you can speed up your movements.

10. Running

Last but not the least, if you are looking to slim your waistline, cardiovascular exercises like running or walking can be very helpful. Brisk walking or running for 30 minutes every day can help shed off that stubborn belly fat to a great extent.

Do remember: Having a flat stomach does not happen overnight. But the right attitude, firm determination, and appropriate ab exercises can definitely get you there!

Happy workout!