Just so you don’t think we’re neglecting your abs, I’ll devote this post to abdominal exercises for flat abs. But before we get into specifics, I do want to reiterate that flat abs are not created in the gym, but in the kitchen. Belly fat alone is what causes the abs to bulge, and there are no abdominal exercises you can do to flatten your abs if they’re covered by a thick layer of padding.

The abdominals, even in well developed athletes are not big protrusive muscles. When they grow, they tend to widen more so than stick out. It’s the layer of belly fat covering these muscles that we really need to worry about if getting flat abs is our goal. But we’ve discussed this already and this is enough review. Let’s assume you’re watching your diet and are including resistance training and interval training in your flat abs workout plans already.

Then it’s only a matter of time before a little bit of extra abs training will make a difference in our midsection. Abdominal exercises should not be done compulsively or too frequently. Remember, they are muscles. And muscles all respond the same way to exercise. Intense exercise stimulates growth and requires rest in order to rebuild muscle and recover from your workout. So the principle of progressive overload applies to our abs as much as the rest of our body.

This means that in order to make gains in abdominal strength, we must increase the intensity of the exercise. If we increase the intensity, we must also DECREASE our frequency of training. I usually don’t train my abs more than twice a weak, and sometimes once or less. You see, the abs are stabilizing muscles, and so if you follow the interval and resistance training recommendations I’ve given, your abs are getting worked with nearly all your other training, and you’re well on your way to flat abs.

That said, if and when you do train your abs, there are some exercises that are more efficient than others, meaning more intense per time allotted. I’ll list some of those here, from beginner to intermediate levels:

Beginner
Crunches (done slowly with a 2 second pause at the crunched position)
Reclining Knee Crunches (lean back while sitting on a bench, support yourself with your hands and with your legs straight out pull your knees into a crunch.
Do 3 sets of 15 to 20 repetitions. Perform these 1 to 3 days a week, either after your resistance training or before your interval training. If all you’re looking for is flat abs, these abdominal exercises done once per week are sufficient. The following exercises are for flat abs and beyond. Warning, performing the following may result in a six pack.

Intermediate
Plank (from a pushup position, but support yourself with your forearms rather than your hands. Squeeze your abs and keep your whole body tight)
V-sits (start with body totally flat and hands extended behind head. Then curl whole body so hands touch feet with legs and arms straight.)
Plank on an exercise ball (Do the same plank as above, but elevate your feet and support yourself with your forearms on an exercise ball)
Perform the Plank for 1 minute at a time, rest for one minute and repeat 1 or 2 more times. The V-sits can be done in three sets of 10 to 20 repetitions. These exercises should be performed no more than 2 times per week.

Advanced
Hanging Knee Raises (hold onto a pull-up bar and curl your knees to your chest)
Hanging Straight Leg Raises
Perform three to five sets of ten repetitions. This should be done no more than two times per week, but one time should be sufficient for almost anybody.

So there you have it, beginning to advanced abdominal exercises guaranteed to strengthen the abs and bring the sexy. Keep in mind however that while these are great for bringing out definition and toning the midsection, they should be seen only as a supplement to diet, which is the leading cause of flat abs.