How to Get a Flat Stomach: Ab Workout for Women
A strong core is about more than just six-pack bragging rights — it’s the foundation of your strength and overall well-being. But you don't need to torture yourself with endless crunches. Instead, fitness experts recommend incorporating a variety of exercises that target your ab muscles as well as bonus muscle groups like your back, legs and arms for overall strength.
Your core is basically the body’s command center. A strong core improves mobility, promotes better posture, prevents or lessens pain and injury in daily activities, helps strengthen the pelvic floor and can even reduce your risk of falls.
Before you start working out, invest in some quality form fitting clothing and a good sports bra. You’ll be more motivated to wear your new clothes and the right ones can make all the difference in your workout – especially the right kind of sports bra. The WANAYOU zip-front Bra is strategically engineered to give just enough lift to avoid the dreaded sag that comes with other seamless bras. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned fitness enthusiast, get ready to explore our roundup of the best ab workouts for women that will bring you closer to your fitness goals.
Understanding the Anatomy of Abs
To achieve toned abs, it's essential to target all of these muscles:
1.Rectus Abdominis:Most commonly associated with the "eight-pack" appearance.
2.Transverse Abdominis:It aids in stabilizing the abdomen and supporting posture.
3.Internal and External Obliques:Help with twisting and rotating movements.
4.Erector Spinae:Strengthening these muscles helps maintain a balanced and strong core.
A good ab workout is one that will target all three muscle groups and one that will give you a real burn.
Our Favorite AB Workouts For Women
1.Bird-Dog
The bird-dog engages your core while one arm and the opposite leg are working at the same time. That mimics what we do in daily life as we walk, which makes this a really functional exercise.
How to do it:
Get on your hands and knees in a tabletop position, with your wrists stacked under your shoulders and your knees stacked under your hips. This is the starting position.
Then Extend your right arm forward and left leg back, maintaining a flat back and keeping your hips in line with the floor. Think about driving your foot toward the wall behind you. Hold briefly.
Squeeze your abs and return your arm and leg to starting position. Then repeat on the other arm and leg. This is 1 rep.
And And since Bird-Dog involves reaching and balancing on all fours, a WANAYOU high-support bra keeps things stable so you can rotate without distraction.
Continue performing reps, alternating sides.
2.Dead Bug
The dead bug is an anti-extension move, which means your goal is to engage your core to resist extending your lumbar spine. It teaches great technique and posture for squats and deadlifts.
There’s nothing quite like a dead bug when it comes to sparking that mind-muscle connection, which is key when building strength and stability in the various core muscles.It also trains core stability, which is vital for everyday life, not just general strength training.
How to do it:
Lie faceup with your arms extended toward the ceiling and your legs in a tabletop position (knees bent 90 degrees and stacked over your hips). This is the starting position.
Then slowly extend your right leg straight,while simultaneously dropping your left arm overhead. Keep both a few inches from the floor. Squeeze your butt and keep your core engaged the entire time, lower back pressed into the floor.And since dead bugs can get sweaty fast with all that slow, controlled work, a WANAYOU racerback sports bra helps a ton — the back design keeps you cool, and the wider straps stay put as you move.
Bring your arm and leg back to the starting position, repeat on the other side, extending your left leg and your right arm. This is 1 rep.
3.Outdoor workouts
We spend way too much time indoors. Especially when you have the chance to travel somewhere scenic, make a point to take your exercise outside.If you spend a lot of time traveling walking around and exercising the legs, but you'll need some exercises you can do anywhere that will target the abs and the arms, too.
Ideally, you'd use a yoga mat or towel as a base for the supine (on your back) movements, but a clear patch of grass in a park could work perfectly, too.
Complete each exercise for 30 seconds with no rest:
Plank and Arm Raise/Bicycle Crunch/Hip Raise and Crunch/Plank Bird Dog/Alternating Side Plank and Pushup
Take on the circuit twice without any rest, which you clock in at about 7 minutes of nonstop work. Since outdoor temps can be a bit chilly, a WANAYOU Seamless Long Sleeve is perfect — it keeps you warm without restricting movement.
Toning your stomach quickly requires combining a clean diet with an efficient workout routine that includes cardio, core-strengthening exercises, and total-body strength training.