For those seeking ab fitness to tone, firm, or lose weight around the midsection, abs are one of the hardest areas to workout. Due to the fact that many people do not work them out properly, and also that it is an area of the body which is prone to high body fat, make sure you know how to workout, and what exercises to do for ab fitness. Here are some things
DON'T STICK TO ONE EXERCISE
Whether it is crunches, sit-ups, reverse crunches, or planks, you have to mix things up. In order to see the muscle transformation, and in order to workout all muscle groups in the abs, you have to mix things up.
USE WEIGHTS
In order to build muscle, you have to add weights to your abs routine. You can hold a weight across your chest, above your head, or with your ankles (depending on the routine you are doing) but, adding in weight is going to help build muscle, and will allow you to do more challenging exercises down the road (for example, getting bigger wrists).
DON'T TRY TO DO HIGH REPS
You will notice that if you do 20 reps properly, with the right weight thrown in, and done from different angles (exercises), you are going to get a much better workout than if you do 200 reps of crunches, where you are simply working the spine.
PROPER DIET
As with any other workout routine, if you want to see results you have to incorporate the proper diet. So, you are going to want to eliminate refined sugars and carbs, increase protein, and add in the healthy fats like nuts.
ALTERNATE SPEED
Depending on the exercise and muscle group you are using, and on the amount of weight you are including, you should vary the speed of each exercise.
WORKOUT OTHER BODY PARTS FIRST
Due to the fact that your abs are part of the core muscle group, they take much more effort to work them out. For this reason, you should do cardio, and workout larger muscle groups first (when weight lifting), to ensure you will have the strength you need to complete your workout.
STRETCH
Although it seems trivial, stretching prevents injury, and it helps you to elongate the ab muscles. This is going to make for a more defined look, will help you get the slimmer look you are after and will help you see the definition in your abs far quicker.