Before you start your abdominal workout and exercises you need to set goals and mentally prepare to ensure that you achieve your aims and objectives. If you dive into an abdominal training regime without thinking about what you want to achieve and how you want to or are going to achieve it, then it is more than likely that you will fail before you've even started. As the old saying goes, "Fail to plan, then plan to fail".

There are a few questions you need to ask yourself before beginning your abdominal training regime to rid your abs of that excess abdominal fat.

Do I really want flat abs?

Am I willing to work as hard as I need to to achieve flat abs?

If I did get flat and firm abs, what will that change in my life? What will flat abs actually do for me?

What would happen if I let go of this ideal and focused on other goals?

Get a piece of paper and a pen and write down your answers to the above questions. After looking at your answers and thinking about your targets and objectives, do you still want to proceed with the abdominal workout to achieve flat and firm abs or do you want to give up now?

If you're still with me then your next challenge is to write down your goals. Write down your short term goals such as:

"I want to lose one inch around my abs within one week"

Or they can be long term goals such as:

"I want to lose six inches around my abs within twelve weeks and I want to continue my training programme after this time to maintain the firmness in my abs"

Your goals don't have to be about losing a certain amount around your abs; they could also be something like:

"I want to firm up my abs and have the confidence to wear a bikini at the beach".

Write three or four goals down and stick them on your bedroom wall or in a place where you will see them everyday. This will keep you focused on the task and motivate you to do that one last sit up or one last crunch.

Do not underestimate the importance of this step. This part of the process is essential not just for abdominal training but also for any fitness programme or regime you embark upon. Don't ever dive into a fitness programme without the required planning stages.