When it comes to having excess fat, a lot of attention is drawn to the midsection. This is because of the dangers abdominal fat causes. Unlike subcutaneous fat which is right under the skin, abdominal fat tends to be visceral which is deep. This increases the risk for high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Achieving flat abs cannot improve your self confidence, but it can also improve your health.
Spot Reduction
Spot reduction is a myth; this means you cannot perform an ab exercise hundreds of times a day to make your stomach flat. Doing exercises will build up your muscles, but they will not get rid of the fat that covers them up.
Cardiovascular Training
Cardiovascular training is the most important part of achieving flat abs. This is the type of exercise that burns calories and melts away fat throughout your whole body. Any type of cardio works as long as you enjoy it and do it at a moderate or higher intensity. The main thing you need to concern yourself with is duration. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, you may need to exercise for 60 to 90 minutes to lose weight. If this is not possible because you have a busy schedule, work out several times a day.
Maximal Recruitment
Abdominal exercises are used to tone and tighten your muscles. The key thing to realize is, you need to work your abs from multiple angles. This will ensure that you achieve a maximal amount of muscle fiber recruitment. For example, crunches are good ab exercises, but they only target the upper part of your stomach. Include other exercises in your routines like reverse crunches, hanging leg raises, Russian twists, bicycle maneuvers and side bends. The more movement patterns you go through, the better results you will get.
Weight Training
Weight training is often overlooked when it comes to flat abs, but it is important. When you do weight training, you build muscle which is metabolically active tissue. With a higher resting metabolic rate, you will burn even more calories and achieve a flat stomach faster. Weight training also causes you to forcefully contract your abs to maintain a stable spine and to generate force. This holds true, especially with compound exercises like bench presses, shoulder presses, dead lifts and squats. Compound exercises work more than one muscle at a time and they lead to fast gains in size.
Diet
If you were to do weight training, cardio and ab exercises on a regular basis but eat everything in sight, you will compromise your progress. Your goal is to promote weight loss by cutting back on your calories. A reduction of 500 calories a day can lead to about 1 lb. of weight loss a week according to Mayoclinic.com. Choose foods that are high in nutrients and low in empty calories like lean meats, low-fat dairy products, beans, whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
Member Comments