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Summertime is almost upon us, and many people want to do things to lose that paunch that they have developed over the winter months. So, if you are looking for the best stomach exercises that you can do in order to get a flatter stomach, here are some of the best stomach flattening exercises that you can try.

• Bicycle – This exercise does not require any equipment. It’s done by lying on the floor with the lower part of your back pressed on the ground. Your hands should be on either side of your head, and your knees should be at 45 degree angles. The motion that you will be doing will be like when you are pedaling a bicycle, and you touch your elbows to the alternating knees – your left elbow to your right knee and vice versa.

• Ball Crunch – This requires just an exercise ball, which can be bought at just about any sporting goods store. To do the exercise, lie on your exercise ball, making sure that it’s positioned under your lower back. You can either do it with your arms crossed over your chest or behind the bed. Contract your stomach so that it lifts your body off the exercise ball, at the same time pulling your ribcage’s bottom in the direction of your hips. Make sure that the ball stays stable as you are curling up.

Lower your body back down, at which time you should feel a stretch in your stomach, and do it for 1 to 3 more sets of 12 to 16 reps each.

• Vertical Leg Crunch – This is an alternative to a favorite stomach exercise and a great way to flatten your stomach. This exercise does not require any equipment. As the name implies, you do this exercise while you hold your legs up in the air. Your legs should be straight up with your knees crossed over one another. For support, you can place your hands flat on the floor. In order to get your shoulder blades up, contract your stomach. It will feel as if you are trying to touch your feet with your chest.

Make sure that your feet are staying in the same position and make believe that your belly button is going in the direction of your spine at the movement’s top. Lower your body back to the floor and repeat the exercise for 1 to 3 sets, doing 12 to 16 repetitions each set.

• Crunch, Long Arm Style – The only equipment you might want for this exercise is a mat to make it more comfortable. To do this exercise, lay on your mat and extend both of your arms straight behind your head, making sure that your hands are clasped and your arms are alongside your ears. Contract your stomach and lift your shoulder blades off of the mat. Make sure that your arms remain straight but don’t strain your neck. If there’s pain in your neck, you can put one of your hands behind your neck while keeping the other one straight out. Lower your body and repeat the exercise for 1 to 3 sets with 12 to 16 repetitions for each set.

• Crunches, Reverse Style – Another great stomach exercise is the reverse crunch. This is done by laying on a mat or on the floor and placing your hands either behind your head or on the floor. Then, bring your knees toward your chest until they are bent at 90 degree angles with your feet either crossed or together. Contract your stomach to get your hips off of t he floor and reach your legs up. Lower your body and repeat the exercise for 1 to 3 sets with 12 to 16 repetitions in each set. Don’t swing your legs in order to create momentum – use your stomach to lift the hips and you’ll get better results.

• Plank Exercise – This is an exercise which not only helps the stomach but helps to build endurance in the back as well as in the stomach. Lay down a mat resting on your forearms with your palms flat. Then push up off your floor raising on your toes and resting on your elbows. Make sure that your back is flat like a plank; it should be a straight line from your head to your feet. Make sure you’re tilting your pelvis while contracting your stomach in order to make sure that your butt isn’t sagging or going up. Hold this position for 20-60 seconds, then lower it and repeat this exercise for a total of 3 to 5 repetitions.

Each of these stomach exercises are going to help you get rid of that paunch that seems to stare you in the face every time you look down. Most of them don’t require anything more than a floor or a mat, with the exception of the exercise ball. As you can see, it’s not required that you go to a gym to get a workout for your stomach. All you have to do is to do one or more of these exercises each day and you will find that your stomach is getting smaller and tighter. You will be looking great in your bathing suit and will be the talk of the beach or of the pool.