Good Exercises To Get A Flat Stomach

A flat stomach is the result of two separate factors. First, you must reduce your body fat, because having a fit core isn't going to result in a flat stomach if you have fat over or under your abdominal muscles. Second, you must strengthen the abdominal muscles to better hold in your internal organs and the visceral fat surrounding them. By focusing on these two factors, with some determination you can mold a flatter, more athletic stomach.

Aerobic Exercise

There's nothing better for reducing body fat and increasing overall fitness than aerobic exercise. For producing a flat stomach, running is probably the best. A study published in the December 2009 issue of Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism found that intense running activated enough trunk muscles to count as a core exercise. To reach these levels of intensity, try interval running, where you sprint for a distance, then walk for a distance. The most important factor in choosing your aerobic activity, however, is to find one that you'll stick with.

Ball Crunches

Ball crunches are easy on the back but strenuous for the abs, making them a good start to your abdominal workout. A study commissioned by the American Council on Exercise and published in its May/June 2001 issue of ACE Fitness Matters found that, depending on the abdominal muscle group, ball crunches activated 39 to 47 percent more abdominal muscle than a traditional crunch. To perform ball crunches, sit on an inflatable fitness ball. Walk your feet forward until the ball supports your mid and lower back. Crunch, tilting your chest toward your pelvis. Relax back. To increase the intensity, hold a weight to your chest. Perform sets of 20 to 30 reps.

Machine Crunches

Because it features an adjustable weight stack, the machine crunch is an exercise that grows with you. Beginners can use light weights and learn to feel the contraction, while advanced athletes can add lots of resistance. In "The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding," Arnold Schwarzenegger advises that you try all the ab machines at your gym until you find the one that best matches your body. Don't just go through the movements, perform machine crunches slowly and deliberately to feel the contraction in your abs. Progress by increasing weight rather than increasing reps. This will build the rectus abdominis muscle, allowing it to better flatten your stomach. Perform machine crunches in sets of 10 to 20.

Reverse Crunches

Most abdominal exercises stress the upper abs more than the lower abs, because most abdominal exercises have the chest tilting toward the pelvis. This imbalance can produce a protruding lower belly. A flat stomach requires equal development of the upper and lower abdominal muscles, so an exercise that tilts the pelvis toward the chest is essential. That is exactly what the reverse crunch does. To perform reverse crunches, lie on your back on an exercise mat with your hands palm-down at your sides. Bend your legs at the knees and hips. Crunch your lower abs, rolling your butt and lower back off of the mat. Hold the contraction, then relax back down. This exercise looks almost just like a sit-up in reverse. Perform in sets of 10 to 30.