The coveted six pack/flat stomach is probably the most sought after result in gyms around the world. Sit ups, leg raises, planks, this diet, that diet, flat tummy teas (*gasps) there’s an infinite number of ways and routines that people, including myself, have tried and put themselves through in order to get the midsection they crave.
A question I get asked all the time is ‘What exercises do I need to do to get a flat stomach’, which in itself is the wrong question to ask and if anyone were to give you a list of exercises they would either be lying or didn’t know what the hell they were on about.
Here is your guide to getting Abs and a flat/toned stomach…
Abs are Made in the Kitchen
Abs are made in the kitchen is a phrase that most of us have heard at some point or another which is right in one way and wrong in another.
On one hand, yes this statement is true – in order for you to see your abs and have a flat/toned stomach you have to get rid of the body fat around your mid section. Now no amount of sit ups will do this as it’s physically impossible to spot reduce body fat from a specific area of the body (Although that would be nice). The way to reduce fat around your tummy is the same as reducing fat from everywhere else on your body – consistently be in a calorie deficit (Eat less calories than you’re using).
One the other day this statement is false as in order to ‘make’ or build up your abs your have to be doing either abdominal targeting exercises (Crunches, Knee Tucks etc), Core exercises (Planks, Single Arm Planks) or lifting weights (More specifically compound movements such as Squats and Deadlifts) as your abs have to brace while lifting.
So How Do I Get Abs?
So to summarise everything we looked at above, how you get abs is by building up your abdominal muscles through exercise and strip away the body fat around your stomach to reveal all your hard work!
In terms of training your abs, the muscles involved are just the same as every other muscle in the body – they have specific job that they do and the best way to build them up is to do challenging exercises which makes the muscles work hard.
In terms of stripping away the body fat around your stomach, you have to consistently be in a calorie deficit and soon enough that midsection will become flatter and more defined .
Need more help?
Adam C. Morris - Fitness Coach 