IT seems everyone who exercises is looking for the best ab-exercise routine for developing flat, tight abdominal muscles.

Every year there are dozens of a new exercises, fitness classes, products, gadgets or routines claiming to sculpt and strengthen the abdominal muscles like none other.

And while some of these may offer a new approach to working the abs, most are ineffective and some may increase your risk of injury.

Similarly without proper technique coaching not only could you be wasting your time with ineffective exercises but also injuring your neck or back.

To train the abs properly you must understand exactly what is where and what they do:

Rectus Abdominal Muscle - found between the ribs and the pubic bone at the front of the pelvis. These muscles are commonly called "the six pack." The main function of the rectus abdominal muscle is to move the body between the ribcage and the pelvis.

Transverse Abdominal Muscle - act as a natural weight belt, keeping your insides in. This muscle is essential for trunk stability.

Internal Obliques Abdominal Muscle - these flank the rectus abdominal muscle, and are located just inside the hip-bones. They rotate the torso and stabilise the abdomen. The internal Obliques work in the opposite way to the external oblique muscles.

External Obliques Abdominal Muscles - the external oblique muscles allow the trunk to twist, but to the opposite side of whichever external oblique is contracting.

The first thing to realise for perfect abs is that it starts with what you eat.

You can have the best thought-out ab program in the world, but if you have a layer of fat covering your abs, no one is going to see the abdominal muscles you've developed.

Diet is the single most important factor.

There is no way around this unless you are one of the genetically lucky few who can eat all they want and stay lean. I am not!

Whatever exercises you choose to do you must keep in mind that the abdominal muscles are highly adaptive to exercise so you absolutely must keep changing the exercises on a regular basis.

Once your abs recognise a movement they've done before, chances are they aren't going to feel the need to change all that much.

Aim to have three to four exercises that you regularly cycle through from week to week. You can keep the same exercise in for a few consecutive sessions, but after that move on to the next.

Remember if you do what you always do then you are only going to get what you always got!

Also give your muscles a chance to recover between sessions.

When you have worked your abs you create tiny muscle tears that are necessary for then the muscle to grow back stronger.

This takes time and too little rest can be as counter productive as too much!

If you are unsure whether your ab workout is effective or are starting a workout for the first time please ask a fitness expert.

Everyone can look at a website and try and copy what they see but it I really recommend you get someone in the know to check that what you are doing is firstly safe and secondly effective.

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