Although stomach fat can't be targeted with abdominal exercise, abdominal exercises can build up the network of muscles that holds your stomach in tight. The book "Strength Training Anatomy" by Frederic Delavier uses the metaphor of a hammock. If you lie in a hammock that's loose and weak, you'll sag to the ground, while one that's tight and strong will support you. By exercising intensely, you can strengthen that hammock and tighten your stomach.
Crunch
The crunch sometimes gets a bad rap. It's understandable, since the conventional method is to crank out hundreds of reps as quickly as possible. If you've tried them this way, then you probably soon gave them up after seeing too few results for too much discomfort. But in "The New Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding," Arnold Schwarzenegger explains that the crunch is the purest abdominal exercise there is. The abdominal muscles tilt the chest and pelvis towards each other, and that's exactly what a crunch requires of you. To perform crunches, first get your feet off the ground. Either hold them up in the air or put them on an exercise ball. This keeps your back rounded and planted on the ground. Crunch your chest towards your pelvis. Schwarzenegger explains that to see results, you need to contract your abs as hard as you can, holding for a moment. Then relax back down. If you're performing the exercise slowly and with intensity, you'll only be able to do 10 to 20 reps per set.
Hand Walk Around
Exercise balls are great for adding instability to your abdominal routine. That might not initially sound like a good thing, but one of the abdominal muscles functions is to stabilize your upper body so that you maintain balance and remain upright. The hand walk around has a lot of the benefits of a plank, but with constantly shifting stability. To perform the hand walk around, get into a pushup position with your legs supported by an inflatable exercise ball. Slowly lift one hand at a time and place it to the right or left, depending on which way you're rotating. Keep walking with your arms until you've made a full rotation, then go the other way. In the book "Swiss Ball for Total Fitness," author James Milligan emphasizes the importance of keeping your back straight, and explains that you can adjust the difficulty of this exercise by placing the ball closer to your knees or ankles.
Plate Twists
Plate twists are a tough exercise that tighten the front abdominal muscles known as the rectus abdominis along with the oblique abdominals. So the best thing about plate twists may be how much muscle they activate, but the next best thing is how easy it is to vary their difficulty. To perform plate twists, sit on an exercise mat with the soles of your feet flat on the ground. Hold a weight plate or medicine ball to your chest. Lean back, keeping your back slightly rounded, and rotate slowly from side to side, holding the plate away from your body. The farther you hold the weight away, the more difficult the exercise will be. Once you can easily twist with a given weight, increase the weight. And to add instability that will really tighten the abs, the "Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding" advises lifting one or both feet off the ground and balancing on your butt as you twist. A twist to each side is one rep. Perform in sets of 10 to 20 reps.
Plank
The plank is an effective way to both end your abdominal workout and measure your progress from week to week. And the extended contraction works deep into your abdominal muscles to tighten and strengthen them. To perform a plank, get into a pushup position, but on your elbows instead of your hands. Hold this position for as long as you can, maintaining proper form throughout. Time yourself, then every week try to hold the plank for a little longer than you did the week before.
References
- "Strength Training Anatomy Third Edition"; Frederic Delavier; 2010
- "The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding"; Arnold Schwarzenegger; 1998
- "Swiss Ball for Total Fitness"; James Milligan; 2005
- "Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding"; Robert Kennedy; 2008
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