Realistic Ways To Get Flat Abs

TV ads constantly push pills and gadgets that promise you a flat, firm stomach with no effort. But if any of them worked consistently, there wouldn't be a new product every week. If you are truly dedicated to getting fit and having attractive abs, adjust your diet, burn more calories than you take in, and perform the correct ab-specific exercises and the correct compound exercises.

Diet

In "1000 Cures for 200 Ailments," Dr. Christine Gustafson advises eating foods with a low glycemic index to reduce the amount of calories stored as fat. Eat whole foods, including plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Avoid processed and white foods. According to a study published in the February 2007 issue of the journal "Obesity," you should eat plenty of protein, as it increases feelings of satiety and preserves muscle mass. Maintaining muscle while dieting is difficult, but necessary for getting flat abs.

Aerobic Exercise

Aerobic exercise has numerous health benefits, and is often essential to burning more calories than you consume. Aerobic exercise will burn fat, and will eventually give you the energy to increase the intensity of your exercise routines. Swimming, running, stair climbing and boxing burn the most calories, but find an aerobic exercise that you enjoy. It's more important to burn calories consistently than to burn a lot of calories at once. Amateur or pro, people who love the exercises they do regularly end up with athletic bodies and flat abs.

Abdominal Exercise

"Strength Training Anatomy" describes the abdominal muscles as a hammock that holds in our internal organs. Think of a hammock tied loosely between two trees. When you get in the hammock, it will sag all the way to the ground. A hammock tied tightly, on the other hand, won't bulge nearly as much beneath your weight. So although it's a myth that you can reduce fat specifically in the stomach by performing stomach exercises, strong abs are important for a flat stomach. Perform effective exercises that recruit a lot of abdominal muscle, such as bicycle crunches and plate twists. Also perform exercises that target weak spots like the lower abdominals, such as reverse crunches and ab wheel rollouts. With all abdominal exercises, focus on contracting the abdominal muscles hard instead of trying to crank out reps.

Weight Training

While weight training is important for full-body strength, it's also important for core strength. Big compound movements require the activation of core muscles that form the hammock that hold in your internal organs. A study published in the "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research" in January 2008 found that squats and deadlifts activated as much as or more core muscles than did fitness ball exercises. Focus on compound lifts that require the use of multiple muscle groups. Focus on free-weight lifts that require you to balance, one of the functions of the core. Exercises like squat, deadlift, chin-ups, shoulder press and barbell rows will give you functional strength and flatter abs.