Doing basic crunches can get you that flat stomach you've been yearning for, but its effectiveness can be increased when done with a ball.
Due to its sheer simplicity, most people overlook how an air-filled sphere can be effective with exercising.
People are more interested in hi-tech or advanced equipment, unlike beginners and more advanced workout aficionados who find the exercise regimen is as much of a psychological endeavor as it is a physical one due to the complicated mechanics and positions required just to get started.
If the crunch can be done in a lot of ways, exercises involving the ball also come in variations.
You can choose from the multitude of workouts to effectively target a particular area of your abdominal muscle.
You can use a medicine ball or a stability ball, and you may employ various stand alone exercises or use them in combinations to get that great looking abs.
To provide you a clearer image of the various abs exercises that you can do with a ball, here are a few examples: Medicine Ball Exercises: There are a lot of exercises that you can do using the medicine ball, with the Russian Twist being the most popular as it is a variation of the V-Sit exercise - both are simple yet effective ways to get rid of those flabby abs and developing core strength in the process.
Your starting position is sitting on the floor with knees bend and feet planted flat on the floor.
While holding the medicine ball, extend your arms in front of you, then lean back to have your body angled at 45 degrees.
Twist your upper torso to the right, then to the left; all the while keeping your lower body in place.
Do these for a maximum of twenty repetitions per set and for three maximum numbers of sets.
Always take a break between sets.
Other exercises you might want to try are the Crunches With a Toe Touch and Medicine Ball Crunches on an Exercise Ball.
Stability Ball Exercises: The Stability Ball Crunch, Alternating Crunch, Reverse Curl, Lower Abs In and Out, and others are friendlier for beginners.
Each of these exercises will target different areas of your abdominal muscles and it is up to you to find out which ones you need to get that great looking abs.
Always keep in mind that you do not have to do lots of exercises as this will not speed up the process of getting a six-pack.
You do not need to do a hundred sit ups every day.
What you need to do, is not forget to exercise your abdominal muscles while you exercise other muscles.
Three or four times a week is advisable, nothing more.