The best ab exercises for women are those routines that help shape their ab muscles to give it some definition instead of making the whole six pack visible.

However, what many women do not recognize is that it takes a whole lot more than just sit ups and crunches to flatten the stomach. Will it strengthen your abdominal muscles? Indeed! However, most women aim to have a flat defined stomach that isn't overly muscular.

The best ab exercises for women when it comes to that are core strengthening workouts. Here's a record of some good exercises that work for many women:

•Ab Bridges (a.k.a. Plank Holds) - hold this position for at least 1 minute before doing it another 2 more times. Aim to reach a maximum of 2 and a half minutes

•Side Ab Bridges - hold this position for at least 1 and half minutes on each side before doing it another 2 more times and aim for a maximum of 3 minutes when you are used to it

•Lying Oblique Leg Raises - aim for 3 sets of 10 repetitions for each leg

•Plank Holds using an Exercise Ball - aim for the same set amount of time and reps as the Plank Holds on top

•Ab Flutter Kicks - do 3 sets of 20 reps

If you want to get these workouts to do the job you want it to, it is best that you distribute them out in a way which you could do them all in just 3 days of the week doing each exercise at least 3-4 times.

Women do not necessarily need to work out for long hours in order to get in shape. Even walking as a form of cardio will help take out a whole lot of calories in a woman.

More Beneficial Advice

As you may have already known, in order for ab work outs to pay off, you need to do a few more things to shred the fat around the stomach region to flatten your belly. Losing fat comes best when done it two ways - healthy eating and doing cardio workouts like running.

Try doing interval training, circuit training, and other forms of cardio added with a good diet to lose fat faster. Take into account that Rome wasn't built in a day and the same applies to developing your abs. It takes consistency and dedication to achieve anything in life.