Some of the Most Effective Ab Workouts for Women

It's unfortunate, but as women get older, they often begin to accumulate excess weight around the lower part of the body. It's common for weight gain to settle on the thighs, hips and the belly. It's difficult to lose fat in these areas, with belly fat being the hardest to lose. While ab workouts for women can help, it's often not enough. These workouts will tone the abs, but if there is too much fat in the area, the toned abs will not show. To remedy this, combine the following ab workouts for women with a healthy eating plan that will help you lose excess weight.
There are many reasons that women want to lose weight and flatten their abs. Some of the most common reasons are as follows:
• Improve overall health
• Post partum recovery
• Upcoming events
No matter why you want to flatten your stomach, the following ab workouts for women can help you reach your goals.
Exercise Ball Crunch
This workout uses an exercise ball to support your body during the workout. Lie on the ball, carefully positioning it under the lower back. The feet are placed flat on the floor, shoulder width apart. Cross your arms either behind your head or over your chest. Next, contract the abs, lifting your torso upward, off the ball, then lower yourself back down onto the ball. Repeat this movement 12 times, completing 1-3 sets.
Plank on Elbows and Toes
This is one of the most effective ab workouts for women when done properly. Lie face down on the floor, with your weight resting on the forearms. Push your body from the floor using your arms and toes, resting your full weight on the elbows. You body should be kept perfectly straight, resembling a plank of wood. Make sure your back is not arched and your but is not up in the air. The position should be held for 20-60 seconds before lowering to the original position. Do 3-5 reps.
Vertical Leg Crunch
Lay on the floor, flat on your back, ankles crossed and legs extended straight up, toward the ceiling. You can place your hands either flat on the floor or behind your head. The abs are then contracted, shoulders lifting from the floor, legs holding the original position, before lowering the legs. Complete 1-3 sets of 12 reps.
Reverse Crunch
This workout starts with you lying on the floor, hands behind your head or beside you on the floor. Bend the knees, bringing them to your chest, creating a 90 degree angle. Your feet can be crossed if desired. Contract the abs, lifting the hips from the floor. At the same time, reach the legs upward, toward the ceiling. Complete 1-3 sets of 12 reps.
These are just a few of the ab workouts for women that can help your reach your goal of having flat, toned abs. There are a number of online resources that can be used to learn the proper form for each of these workouts. With a little bit of effort and a reasonable diet plan, you can reach your goals.

By Matthew Mitchells .

Want To Know The Best Ab Workout For Belly Fat Loss?

It's a common request: "Hamish, tell me the best ab workout for belly fat loss".
Well, guess what I tell them?
There isn't one! There is no ab workout that can burn enough calories alone to create a sufficient calorie deficit for noticeable belly fat loss.
As a self-proclaimed fitness fanatic and avid researcher of the best ways to flatten your stomach, people constantly grill me for info on the best exercises and workouts to shed stubborn stomach flab and unveil a trim and sexy waistline. While the questions aren't exactly "wrong", the issue is that most folks with unwanted belly fat think there's some kind of "magical ab workout" that will whittle their waistline down to visible abs while still eating hamburgers and guarding the couch (by sitting on it for extended periods).
Sorry people... You need to look at the problem from a different angle. See, ab workouts alone just won't cut it.
And while you folks keep spending your time and energy purely on ab workouts to get your excess love handles handled, you're missing out on the easiest and quickest way to strip stomach fat - through correct full body workout routines that will do the job safely and effectively.
Simply put: the best ab workout is actually a full body workout and would include the following multi-joint exercises:
Different types of squat, the lunge, the dead lift, the clean and press, the snatch, the kettlebell swing, different types press and pull exercises, the mountain climber, the semi-occasional sprint, and more.
Personally, I'd use this list to make up the majority of each workout and then chuck in some direct ab workout stuff for fun. See, a workout made up of exercises from the list above massively increases the calories burned during, and long after, each session. And the more calories you burn the more belly fat you're likely to lose. Sound fair enough? Great!
Please understand... I don't have anything against direct ab / core work, but I wouldn't base a whole workout on it because there are better options available to get better results faster. Whole body exercises elicit greater changes to your metabolism and hormone profile to create the best environment for fat loss. Plus, most whole body exercises greatly tax the midsection anyway - so you get your ab workout without having to do a single crunch!
Now you're clear about exercise there's another thing to consider, nutrition is probably the most crucial part of belly fat loss. In fact several scientific studies have proven, no matter how many crunches you do, if you're eating sucks you will never get a flat stomach - simple as that. Strangely, I think almost everyone knows this but some choose to ignore it. The availability of sugar laden / fat filled processed food makes healthy eating a lot harder (and maybe even a lot less enticing) than it used to be. However, if your diet isn't right the belly flab will not budge.
Summing this all up:
Crunches, leg raises and all that direct ab stuff is great as part of a whole body workout program. But steer away from ab workout routines where you're only doing abs and nothing else. Go for intense full body workouts made up of compound (multi-joint) exercises combined with a sound diet. Stay away from processed foods and drink plenty of water rather than sodas. Do all the things above and you'll be on the path a flat stomach and visible abs in no time.

By Hamish Shephard.