Abdominal exercises are useful for building the abdominal exercises. Abdominal exercises alone will not help in getting flat abs. You need to exercise the entire body and to lose the weight in all the areas. Abdominal exercises can be done during pregnancy to strengthen the abdominal muscles but consult the doctor before you start exercising. Avoid the exercises in the first 3 months since it may interfere with blood flow to the uterus and brain.

Tips for doing abdominal exercises:

• Lie on back with knees bent.    
• Feet flat on the floor close to the buttocks, or raised up on bench.
• Avoid having the feet held down.
• Avoid jerking or twisting movements for beginners.
• Breathe comfortably while exercising.
• Avoid pulling on the head during exercises.
• Warm up the stomach muscles with easy stomach exercises before proceeding

The common abdominal exercises:

Sit-ups:

• Lie on the back on the floor and hook the toes under a heavy piece of furniture.
• Bend the knees comfortably and keep them bent throughout the entire set. This helps to relieve back strain.
• Place the hands behind the head and lock the fingers together.
• Curl the head, shoulders, upper back an low back slowly in succession off the floor until the torso is perpendicular to the floor.
• Hold the upright position for a second and reverse the movement slowly until reaching the starting point.

 

Abdominal crunches:

• Lie flat on the back and place the4 calves on a flat surface.
• Keep the hands behind the head with fingers interlaced together.
• Perform the following movements simultaneously: Pull the hips from the floor using lower abdominal muscles. Raise the shoulders and back from the floor using the upper abdominal muscles. Force the shoulders in moving them towards the hips and exhale hard.
• Hold the contracted position for the count of 1-3 seconds.
• Repeat the movements until fatigued.

 

Tummy tuck: This is the easiest exercises to shape and tone the abdominal area. Inhale and then wile exhaling pull the belly button in to the spine. Hold for few seconds and then relax.