6 Stomach Exercises for Women to Tone Abs and Core

Stomach exercises that span your body's trunk functionally must be included in your workout routine if you want to develop a stronger, well-defined core. The finest ab workouts include moves that target every one of these important core muscles.

In addition to serving as the center of your body, your core is used in almost every action you make and is a key component of your total strength. Weak core muscles might cause other muscles to overcompensate, increasing our risk of injury.

Many of us would rush through the stomach exercises. However, doing them slowly is always preferable. Breathe in and out as you move slowly and carefully.

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Best Stomach Exercises for Women

Working the "lovely" muscles you can see is not enough to develop a six-pack. Fortunately, there are loads of different stomach exercises that are risk-free, efficient, and help strengthen your core more than crunches do.

Your core, often known as the collection of muscles that support your spine and pelvis, can be strengthened at several levels with a routine you can make by combining these exercises in different ways.

Here are some of the best stomach exercises to include in your routine:

1. Flat Bench Leg Raise

A flat bench leg raise is a fantastic stomach exercise. To lift your legs and fight gravity as you lower them, your core must be engaged.

Here's how you should do it:

• By lowering your legs slowly, you can make the exercise more difficult.
• Hold the bench on either side of your head while lying on a flat bench. Alternately, maintain a straight arm position and maintain balance by grabbing the bench's side.
• Exhale as you inhale deeply and elevate your straight legs off the bench.
• Legs should be raised until they are 90 degrees from the floor.
• Return your legs to the starting position gradually and then repeat.

2. Reverse Crunch

An alternative to the classic crunch is the reverse crunch. To lift your knees to your chest and stop yourself from lowering your feet back to the floor while performing this stomach exercise, you must engage your core. You can make this activity harder by performing it slowly.

Here's how you should do it:

• Place your feet level on the ground and your knees at a 90 degree angle as you lie down on a mat or other soft surface. For balance, place your hands at your sides, palms facing down.
• As you bring your knees near your chest, tighten your abs and breathe out. Throughout the action, try to maintain knees at 90 degrees.
• Stop performing crunches, when your mid-back is still in contact with the mat but your hips have lifted off the floor.
• Resuming from where you left off after a brief pause.

3. Side Plank

Unlike regular planks, you will only need two points of contact to maintain your body weight. To maintain stability throughout this stomach exercise, your core needs to work harder.

Here's how you should do it:

• Start on your left side with your forearm parallel to your body and your elbow just below your shoulder.
• Put one foot in front of the other or stack your feet.
• Until your body forms a diagonal line from your shoulder to your feet, engage your core and lift your hips off the ground.
• Maintain this posture for about 30–45 seconds.
• Repeat while changing sides.

4. Alligator Drag

You'll need room to walk around and anything that slides over the floor easily for this stomach exercise. On hardwood or tile surfaces, try using a towel. In this workout, your entire core will be used for stability. For added intensity, it also incorporates movement and resistance.

Here's how you should do it:

• Start in a plank position and place a Frisbee, bag, or towel under your feet.
• For 10–20 yards, drag your lower body behind you while just using your hands to go forward.
• As you advance, keep your glutes and core firm.
• After taking a brief break, alligator drag back to the starting point.
• Repeat after a break.

5. Mountain Climber

The movement of the mountain climber exercise is similar to mountain climbing. This stomach exercise makes your core stronger and aids in abdominal fat reduction.

Here's how you should do it:

• Set up a plank position. Check that your shoulders, elbows, and wrists are aligned.
• Bring your right knee up to your chest while bending it. Put your right foot back on the ground.
• Hop and lift your left foot off the ground as you place your right foot back.
• Bring your left knee up to your chest while bending it.
• Increase your speed to feel the burn in your thighs and abs.
• Perform 3 sets of 20 repetitions.

6. Toe Reach

To hold your legs in the air while performing the toe reach, your abs must also contract in a manner similar to that of a typical crunch. Both the bench and a soft surface are suitable for performing this stomach exercise.

Here's how you should do it:

• Keep your arms and legs straight and upright as you lie down on a soft surface, such as a flat bench.
• By tightening your stomach and extending your legs, you can do an upper body crunch.
• After pausing briefly, go back to the starting position when your hands reach your toes or as far as you can reach.
• Repeat as many times as you want to.

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Wrapping Up

Always keep in mind that stomach exercises like these will help you tone your abs and correct your posture. However, it is impossible to "spot-reduce" fat in particular areas of your body.

This implies that even if you perform hundreds of repetitions, you might still not end up with six-pack abs. Instead, focus on lowering overall body fat by consuming fewer calories and maintaining a regular exercise schedule.