The best abdominal exercises should be geared towards producing lasting benefits to the entire body. Ideally, you should begin with some guidance from a certified fitness trainer, as this person will be able to guide and teach you the importance of precision when you add abdominal exercises to your workout. Training the abdominals is important because apart from revving up the metabolism and unearthing a set of six pack abdominals, toning the core muscles improves posture, reduces lower back pain as well as risk of injury, and strengthens the torso.

You must first decide what your fitness goals are in order to determine what the best abdominal exercises will be for your needs. An example would be if someone has an achy lower back. Crunches with the feet up in the air may be the best because this exercise works the abdomen hard but does not put a lot of strain and pressure on the lower back. But, if you are an athlete who is looking for serious core strengthening, then double-hanging leg raises may be the best abs training for you.

There have been studies done to find the safest abdominal exercises that measure the work-to-compression ratio. The researchers looked at nine abdominal exercises and compared the muscles worked in the abdomen to the pressure exerted in the lower back during each exercise. Based on the study, the exercise that worked the abdominal muscles the hardest, while putting the least amount of pressure on the lower back, were crunches (with the feet on a bench or ball). With the feet lifted, it takes away some of the arc in the lower back and takes pressure off of the joints. Alternatively, the stomach exercises that worked the abdominal muscles the hardest and also put the most pressure on the lower back were the double-hanging leg raises.

Have you also thought about exercises for the obliques? The internal and external oblique muscles actually work the hardest when you move forward, as in crunches or sit ups; however, in order to maximize your workout you should also include rotation, twisting or side bends. If you are looking for the best exercises to strengthen the oblique muscles, then they include side planks, bicycle crunches or oblique crunches.

Any kind of physical activity has some benefit, so the most important thing for you to do is to become active. The best abdominal exercises for you will be the ones that you enjoying doing the most. Whatever you do, sticking to an exercise program will help you maintain good form if you stay consistent.