4 Exercises for Stomach Muscles

Every man and woman I know is constantly searching for ways to flatten and tone their stomachs. They do outrageous stomach exercises that would make contortionists blush, only to have that little bulge protruding out of your tightest shirt or hanging below your hottest beach trunks.

{This requires incredible stomach muscles, but this isn’t the way to get them!}

There’s a reason why exercises for stomach muscles don’t work—your stomach is not a muscle! Keep reading to find out which exercises for stomach muscles really work!

Stomach Anatomy

Before you can learn which exercises for stomach muscles will actually work, you need to know whatyou’re working out. What we call stomach muscles is really our abdominals and core.

Exercises for stomach muscles—which is actually part of your digestive tract–will help you pass gas, but they will not give you a flatter, toned tummy. What you really want to do in terms of exercises for stomach muscles is work your core and abdominal region.

By working your abdominal muscles and core you can have a fully toned abdomen that looks good from all angles. An added bonus is that exercises for stomach muscles that work the entire region give you muscles without lower back pain.

Running

Running is one of the best exercises for stomach muscles because it helps you burn lots of calories, which is key to having a spectacular mid-section. Running burns anywhere from 500 to more than 1,100 calories per hour depending on your running speed, and although all that fat won’t come from your stomach, this is an exercise that will work well for stomach muscles.

Since there are no “stomach exercises” per se, exercises for stomach muscles will include activities like running that require you to keep your core contracted just to keep you balanced. This is yet another way in which running helps build abdominal muscles.

Kickboxing/Martial Arts

Remember a few years ago when TaeBo was all the rage? Well dust off those tapes and reintroduce Billy Blanks to your world because kickboxing and martial arts are great exercises for stomach muscles. The movements required during kickboxing—pulling down your arms and kicking motions—work your abdominal muscles.

Because kickboxing and martial arts requires you to keep your abs tightened, they are excellent exercises for stomach muscles. Kickboxing and martial arts combine a mixture of aerobic and resistance exercises that are perfect for lean & toned stomach muscles. Kickboxing or martial arts are great exercises for stomach muscles because they eliminate abdominal exercise boredom while giving you a rigorous workout that requires…tight abdominal muscles!

Bike Crunches

Yes, crunches can be boring and sometimes uncomfortable, but they can also be truly effective exercises for stomach muscles. Bike crunches specifically are great for the entire abdominal region because they employ the core and abdomen to complete each crunch.

When you complete bike crunches your lower body is riding a bike while your upper body is performing exercises for stomach muscles! Its one great exercise that does double duty, working both the upper and lower abdominal muscles. The side to side motion required of Bike Crunches makes sure your oblique abs are getting sufficiently worked out as well!

Here are a few 5 minute abdominal exercises!

Baseball/Softball

When you’re looking for exercises for stomach muscles but you don’t want to spend all day doing boring abdominal exercises, consider a few innings of baseball or softball.

The motions involved in baseball & softball—pitching, hitting and throwing—will help improve your core muscles. Baseball is a good way to have fun while still exercising stomach muscles. When you factor in the running involved in baseball and softball, you can see why baseball and softball are effective exercises for stomach muscles.

Each step of play in baseball and softball in some way works your abs and core muscles. When you pitch, hit or throw the ball you should keep your core tight for maximum effectiveness. This will give your muscles a workout through each inning. Baseball and softball are great exercises for oblique stomach muscles, and the longer you play the harder your midsection will be worked!