Everyone talks about and aspires to having flat abdominals. "Flat" is not the operative word here. "Strong" abdominals are what we need to work on. The abdominal muscles form a whole system around the girth of our bodies that in the fitness world is known as our "powerhouse." It is from this system that all of the body's motion is generated.

This is the core of our posture, our stability, and our functioning, so having "strong" abdominal muscles is tantamount to good health and fitness. In this article, I am going to describe the most effective ways to develop strong abdominal muscles (that lead, in turn, to flat abs).

Proper form is everything. When we are performing any kind of exercise, we must concentrate on using correct form, but even more so when working on our abdominal muscles. Why, you ask? Because if we do not use proper form, the time spent working out will be to no avail, or can actually work against our goals. Working improperly, we can put too much stress on our lower back, we can put extra stress on our neck muscles, and we can achieve abdominal muscles that are firm, but bulge out - no flat abs in this case! Following are the ways to maintain excellent form that will pay off.

Suck it in. Whether you are exercising or not, one of the guides to strong and flat abs is to "suck them in" at all times. When we are doing crunches, for example, if we let our abdominal muscles bulge out, they will get hard, but they will be sticking out - and I don't think that is what we have in mind. So, as one of my trainers says, for flat abs and proper form while exercising those abs, "Pull your navel to your spine."

For performing the old standby, crunches, practice the following steps. Start flat on your back, pulling in on the abdominals, knees are bent, and heels are close to your buns. Get those feet off the floor (when our feet are on the floor we use our hip flexors to help us lift, even though we are unaware of it). You may support, but not pull on, the head and neck with your fingertips, as your abdominals lift your upper body. Breathe out as you lift, and in as you return back down. And focus on the abdominals - use the strong mind/body connection to feel the move deeply.

For side crunches to work the oblique abdominal muscles, keep the feet off the floor, and concentrate on bringing the rib cage to the opposite leg, breathing the same as before. Do not twist the body.

For reverse crunches, cross your ankles, feet still off the floor; arms are on the floor with palms down; and head, shoulders and neck are on the floor relaxed. Now, lift your lower body making use of the abdominal muscles, not the legs, breathing out as you lift. This is not an easy move, but is guaranteed to strengthen and firm your "powerhouse."

Get on the ball for the most effective abdominal workout. As you watch TV and read magazines, you are bombarded with advertisements for all kinds of exercise equipment that guarantee "flat abs" quickly and efficiently. Some of these tools can be effective if used on a regular basis and a good number of them are also pricey.

The American Council on Exercise recently performed a study on many of the common exercises and tools used for abdominal workouts. They attached wires to all of the abdominal muscles along with the hip flexors, and tested how strongly the muscles were being worked during the variety of common moves with and without tools.

Number one for the most effective abdominal workout was and is a large stability ball. Not only will you get the most effective abdominal workout in the least amount of time, but your back, balance, and center core of your body will also benefit from using this dynamic and cost effective tool.

I teach a full class using the ball and a class where we couple it with other forms of calisthenics. You can't beat it as a functional workout - a workout that helps us function throughout the day in all physical activities. It is also a great tool for deep body stretching. If you have additional questions about the ball, just e-mail me.

For results, persistence is the key. As with everything else, if you don't persist with an exercise routine, nothing much will happen. Exercising once in awhile is better than never exercising, but will not bring about noticeable changes to your body and the way you feel. So, get started now, and let me know how you are doing! You will be amazed at what a difference it will make in every area of you life.

As always, check with your own healthcare professional before undertaking any diet or exercise program.