Abdominal Muscle Training: 5 Effective Exercises for a Flat Stomach

With this abdominal muscle training you train your body center optimally. The five exercises are particularly effective and ensure a taut abdomen.

The bad news first: it is not possible to lose weight only on the stomach and neglect all other parts of the body. To burn fat, you need to do a holistic workout that targets all muscles and you should also include endurance sports in your training plan. With a little discipline, however, you can significantly reduce abdominal fat and work on your six-pack. For a sustainable muscle build-up, you should do the abdominal training three to four times a week.

With our abdominal training, the different abdominal muscles are addressed and at the same time your back muscles are strengthened. You can also do the abdominal training at home and without equipment.

Crunches for strong abdominal muscles

The Crunch, also called abdominal press, is one of the most popular abdominal exercises and is very effective for strengthening your straight abdominal muscles. In the starting position you lie on your back, put your legs up and cross your arms behind your head. Then you tense your abdominal muscles and lift your upper body. In contrast to a sit-up, only the upper back and shoulders are released from the floor, the lower back remains on the mat.

Then you unroll again, but only so far that your shoulders do not touch the floor again, so that your stomach remains tense. Make sure that you do not work with momentum, but that the power comes from your stomach. Repeat these abdominal exercises 15 times.

Plan for a firm stomach

For the plank or forearm support, lie on your stomach, put your toes up and support yourself on your forearms. Your back should be straight and in line with your legs and bottom. Try to hold this position for 20 seconds and then take a break. You should repeat the exercise ten times and slowly increase the intensity with each abdominal workout.

A variation of this exercise is the Side Plank, which addresses the oblique abdominal muscles. Turn to your right side and cross your legs so that only your right foot touches the floor. Then support yourself with your right forearm and grab your waist with your left hand. Again, you should try to hold this position for 20 seconds.

Leg lifting for the straight abdominal muscles

Leg lifting is one of the abdominal exercises that train the straight abdominal muscles. You lie on your back, stretch your legs straight and place your arms next to your body with the palms down. Then you lift your legs vertically. Make sure that they are slightly bent and that your back is still touching the floor.

Then lower your legs without putting them down completely and then lift them up again. To get the most out of your abdominal workout, you should repeat the exercise 15 to 20 times.

Mountaineer for stomach, shoulders and legs

The Mountain Climber is not only perfect for your abdominal muscle training, but also appeals to your shoulder and leg muscles. Support yourself shoulder-wide on your arms and place your hands directly under your shoulder.

Now stand on your toes so that your back is straight and pull your knees alternately towards your chest. The back leg remains straight, the movement comes from the hip and the legs. This workout mainly trains the straight abdominal muscles.

Scissor kicks for the lower abdominal muscles

With the Scissor Kicks you can train your lower abdominal muscle. Lie on your back and stretch your legs slightly bent in the air. Your arms lie straight next to your body.

Then you move your legs like scissors and cross them alternately. Your lower back should remain on the floor and your stomach should be constantly tensed.