When looking for the best ab workouts for women you need to know these important tips.

1. Work your entire core. Your core is the trunk muscles of your abdomen, lower back, and pelvis, is a whole system that supports your body as you stand up straight, perform everyday activities, and work out. And it’s important to strengthen all these muscles, not just the rectus abdominis. The bare minimum you should do is work on strengthening your lower back which keeps your abs strong enough to reduce back injuries. A full body workout will make you look and feel better.

2. Take it slow. When working the abs its important to not go fast. Either you let momentum carry you through much of the movement or you pull yourself up with your back and shoulders. To get maximum benefit you should do controlled movements. And keep the abdominals contracted the entire time. After all, the abs are the ones you are working out. When your form starts to waiver its time to stop.

3. Don’t overdo it. If you really want great abs, you may be tempted to grind out crunch after crunch to the exclusion of other exercises, or to do more ab-centered workouts than your fitness program recommends. But directly working your abs too often can do more harm than good. Like any muscle, the abdominals need to recover between workouts. If the reps and weights you are doing are not going up its a sign that you are doing to much and need to take a break.

4. Don’t neglect the rest of your body. The more you work your entire body, the better it is for your abs. Full body workouts like push ups and squats require the abs to work just as hard as the muscle you are focusing on. Working on the entire body will burn way more calories which helps get the metabolism reved up. Ab exercises for women are great but a full body workout is the way to go.

5. Lose the fat to make your abs flat.Regardless of how much you work on the abs they are only going to show if you burn through the fat. That’s going to require a diet that’s high in protein and fiber, low in simple carbs, and full of bulky, nutrient-dense foods that keep you full with fewer calories—and of course, plenty of water. If you’re on a meal plan associated with a particular workout, make sure you’re really following it and not fudging here and there. The combination of a total body workout along with a clean diet will get you the flat sexy abs you worked so hard to get.

Getting in shape and working on the hips, thighs, and legs can not only be done with ab workouts for women but with total body workouts.