Learning to do the abdominals correctly allows you to have excellent results in terms of toning the belly, and in fact those who have the problem of accumulating fat on the abdomen should never underestimate this kind of exercises.

However, very often the poor execution of the abdominals creates problems in the neck and in the spine in general: this is precisely because, instead of concentrating on the abdomen, for example to lift the torso up while lying down, in most cases it relies on neck, head, shoulders and back. With the result that the abdomen works little, at a muscular level, while the spine is excessively stimulated. And we realize this because we will begin to feel pain, a faint burning and stiffening at the end of the exercise.

There are also exercises, such as reverse abdominals (such as leg raises), where for example from a lying position on the floor I raise my legs. The correct execution involves keeping the back completely flat on the floor, including the lumbar area. If the lower back tends to come off the floor, again, we can get injured.

In this article, therefore, we will see: how to do the abdominals in the right way and which exercises for the abdomen work safely to tone the belly.

Without exaggerating, these exercises can also be done every day, if you want to get quick results, for about 10 minutes. Not more, otherwise there is the risk of inflaming the muscles, paradoxically causing an effect of protrusion out of the belly that is unsightly especially in women.

In short, you have to do the abdominals in the right way both to avoid injuries and to get results first: and, more than for other parts of the body, such as for example for the buttocks, for the abdominals more than the quantity is worth the quality and variety of the exercises. .

HOW TO DO ABDOMINALS TO HAVE A FLAT STOMACH

Here are some rules for not making mistakes.

• The abdominals should be done slowly and in the correct position

In particular, you have to contract the muscles in and out while doing the exercises. If the exercises include the shoulders, for example you have to lift them high, the weight of your body must be shifted to the abdomen, it is the abdominal muscles that bring your shoulders up and not the neck and head.

A trick to do this is to mentally focus on the navel, as if the navel were to ideally attach itself to the spine, then pushing it in. And keep your head locked with your hands but don’t use your hands to push your neck forward and so lift your back. Watch this video of the personal trainer Umberto Miletto: here he explains how to do the “crunches” so as not to overload the neck. 

• In the abs, variety counts
  

Don’t just do the same exercises over and over, but at least three or four different ones.
This will make sure that every part of the abdominal wall is working. So, imagining to dissect the abdomen into four parts, we can for example perform two exercises for the part above the navel, one of which in isometry (crunches or sit ups plus the plank), one for the part below the navel ( the leg raises or the scissor exercise) and one for the lateral zone (the bicycle, the side plank or this exercise which is very good).

• In all other exercises, we must remember to contract the abdomen

The abdomen must always be stimulated, not only when we do the dedicated exercises. An abdomen involved in other exercises not only trains and therefore completes our abdominal workout, but is often “the key” to doing the exercise correctly. This happens with all exercises where balance is important, because for example I have to keep one leg raised or I have to take an unstable position or jump.
Or even for multi-joint exercises such as squats or deadlifts.

• The abs stand out more if we have little fat on the abdomen
  

The best results are achieved by combining our efforts with a diet.

• Not everyone has the six-pack

Not all trained people have sculpted abs. Our natural conformation also has a say. A flat, toned stomach is more than enough for most of us.

IMPORTANT!

In this article that I wrote about how to have a flat stomach , I give you small diet tips that easily aim to reduce your stomach while also improving digestion.
But above all, if you go to page 2 of the article I have just linked to you, I will explain a very easy and foolproof workout. If you have found all the things written above difficult and you want a practical training plan that works, it will help you a lot, also because you do everything standing up.