Although we can’t lose weight by targeting only certain areas locally, it’s very possible to make our waist look slimmer and our belly look flatter. A few muscle groups are responsible for our middle part, and we just need to find exercises that work on isolating these muscles. Another trick is that these exercises should be done in such a way that we make these muscles strong and toned, but not large and misshapen. And the workouts in this article have been specially selected to meet this goal.
Our middle section has only 3 main muscle groups and each of them plays a special role in how our waist and abdomen look. If the deep-lying transverse abdominal muscles are not strong enough, the abdomen will stand out. The rectus abdominis above gives us a defined 6-pack. The outer and inner oblique muscles are responsible for the waist shape and contribute to the hourglass shape that many of us aspire to.
If a slim waist and flat stomach are your goals, you should focus on toning and strengthening these muscles. That’s why you need a mix of static exercises, dynamic exercises with body weight, and stretching.
1. V-ups
V-Ups target all abdominal muscle groups: transverse abdominal muscle, obliques, and rectus abdominis
- Lie down, keep your legs flat and stretch your arms over your head.
- Crunch and lift the upper body and legs off the floor.
- Return to the starting position.
- Repeat the exercise 10-12 times.
- If it is too strenuous, take turns lifting one leg at a time.
2. Scissors
The scissor exercise is a great workout for the transverse abdominal muscles.
- Lie down and put your arms on the sides.
- Bend your knees and lift your legs.
- Lift one leg to an angle of about 45° and lower the other leg until it is only 5 cm away from the ground.
- Alternate the legs.
3. Torso twist stretch
The torso twist stretch works on your transverse abdominal muscle and obliques.
- Start by sitting on the floor.
- Stretch out the left leg and bend the right leg.
- Support yourself with your right hand behind you, turn the upper body to the right and bring the left arm over the bent knee.
- Do not overdo the rotation, it should be a stretch, not a load.
- Wait about 10 seconds and return to the starting position.
- Repeat the exercise on the other side.
- Do 5 repetitions.
4. Alternate reach and catch
Alternating gripping and catching strains the muscles of the transverse and rectal abdominal muscles.
- Lie flat and bend your knees.
- Move both hands in the direction of the left thigh, gripping the knee.
- Return to the starting position.
- Repeat this movement on the left side.
- Repeat the exercise 10-12 times on each side.
5. High plank with hip extension
Everyone “loves” the plank. The high plank with hip extension takes this exercise to the next level and targets the transverse abdominal muscles as well as the outer and inner obliques.
- Start in a push-up position, hold your hands under your shoulders, and form a line from your
- head to your feet.
- Keep the upper body steady and slowly lift the left leg off the ground.
- Hold for 5 breaths and return to the starting position.
- Repeat the procedure with the right leg.
- Repeat this 10-12 times with each leg.
6. Abdominal stretch
Abdominal stretching is also known as cobra yoga stretching and is very effective for stretching the rectus abdominis.
- Lie down on your stomach and place your hands near your shoulders.
- Press your hands and lift the upper body upwards, leaving the hips and pelvis on the floor.
- Stop for 10-15 seconds.
- Repeat the exercise 5 times.
7. Crunches with a balance ball
Crunches with a balance ball train the muscles of the rectus abdominis and the transverse abdominal muscle.
- Choose a ball so that your legs form a 90° angle when you sit on it.
- Sit on the ball and move your feet forward so that your lower back lies on top of the ball.
- Support yourself with your hands behind your head.
- Crumpled, tensing your body center, and slowly move back to the starting point.
- Repeat the exercise 10-12 times.
- Be careful not to pull your head with your hands, your abdominal muscles should do the work.
8. Side stretch
Regular stretching is just as important to get in shape and stay in shape as any exercise but is often overlooked. Lateral stretching is ideal for the oblique muscles.
- Place your feet shoulder-width apart and keep your hands on the side.
- Slide the right arm to the side, bend the upper body and lift the right arm up.
- Wait a few seconds and slowly move back to the starting position.
- Repeat the exercise on the other side.
- Repeat the exercise 10-12 times on each side.
9. Side crunches with a balance ball
Lateral crunches with a balance ball are very effective for the outer and inner obliques, as the instability of the ball forces you to activate these muscles to the maximum.
- Lie sideways with your right hip on a gymnastics ball.
- Put the left foot behind the right foot, use a wall if you need additional support.
- Place your hands on the back of your head for support, but try not to pull during exercise.
- Crunch upwards while lifting the upper body.
- Slowly return to the starting position.
- Repeat the exercise 10-12 times.
- Change sides and repeat the exercise 10-12 times on the other side.
10. Reverse crunch
The reverse crunch uses several muscle groups, the rectus abdominis, the obliques and the transversus abdominis.
- Lie down and put your hands on the sides or under your buttocks.
- Bend the knees at an angle of about 90°.
- Pull the legs to the chest and upwards, curling the back slightly.
- Roll back to the starting position.
- Leave your knees bent all the time.
- You can adapt this training to your own strength, the further you roll, the more difficult it is.
