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This is usually the time of year when we start looking at our waistline which has probably increased from all the good food eaten during the holiday season. The motivation for doing abdominal or ab exercise is no doubt augmented by the blizzard of commercials for products that will help us reduce our waistline in less time and more effectively. Giving us the "six pack abs" that we desire.

While many of the ab exercise products must be judged on their own merits, there are millions of Americans who do start or re-start an exercise program every year and often make serious errors in choosing which type of ab exercise to perform. There are exercises that can actually increase the size of our waistline instead of reducing it.

For starters, the right type of ab exercise will focus on the upper and lower abdominal muscles to strengthen the abdominal wall and help flatten the stomach area. This will not necessarily reduce the waistline however because while strengthening the abdominal wall is important, it is reducing the fat around the stomach area which will reduce the waistline in general. This means eating a healthy diet that promotes muscle building and fat burning so your ab exercise program has the correct effect - Flatter abs!

Once you have established a good diet that reduces carbohydrates and increases protein, the next step is avoiding the types of ab exercises that can either have no effect or can increase the muscle mass around the waist area.

Straight Leg Sit ups: Most of us are familiar with the bent knee sit ups which are quite common, but straight leg sit ups puts a great deal of pressure on your lower back, particularly the spine and can cause injury especially if the sit up motion is quick or jerky. The bent knee sit up takes the pressure off the spine and should be done slowly with gradual movement for maximum effect and lessening the chances for injury.

The Bend-Over Twist: This is another poor ab exercise that works the oblique muscle areas around the waist and not the abdominal wall itself. This type of exercise usually consist of bending over until the upper half of the body is parallel to the ground and then twisting the torso from left to right.

Roman Chair Sit up: Basically this is sitting normally in a chair and bending backwards to the point where the back may be parallel to the floor, then using the abdominal muscles to pull you back to a regular seated position. While this may feel like it works, the hip flexors are the muscles that are being used mostly in this ab exercise.

Electronic Ab Stimulators: These electronic devices which have a long history promise to build the muscle tissue faster by doing more contractions that possible under normal circumstances. However the research about the devices shows that the fat burning effects as well as building six pack abs are non-existent.

Overall, finding the best ab exercise is one that promotes the flattening of your abdominal muscles while placing the least strain on other areas of your body to reduce injury. Consistency and persistence in following a daily exercise routine combined with a proper diet will show dramatic results in a relatively short period of time.

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