You can certainly get toned and strong abdominal muscles while carrying around a few extra pounds, but if you want those muscles to show, it's necessary to ditch the belly fat. Contrary to popular belief, situps and crunches aren't the most reliable way to do that; instead, you can get rid of the fat and showcase that six-pack with frequent, calorie-burning cardiovascular exercise. Consult your doctor before beginning any new fitness or diet regimen.
Background
It's not uncommon for fat to gather in the middle of your body, particularly as you grow older. According to MayoClinic.com, our body compositions naturally shift as we age, and we gain body fat and lose lean muscle mass. There are two types of belly fat, subcutaneous and visceral. Subcutaneous fat is the type that's visible hanging over your pants, but it's not as dangerous as visceral fat, which is located deep within the abdomen and can raise your risk of heart disease, diabetes and other chronic health issues.
Muscle Definition
The famed "six-pack" is actually just one muscle, the rectus abdominis, at the front of the torso. Since most everyday activities don't work the abs quite enough to tone them, the best way to get six-pack definition is through core exercises such as situps, crunches, twists, the plank and the quadruped. To strengthen the rectus abdominis more quickly, add an extra element of resistance to the core exercises you do by holding dumbbells, a barbell or a weighted medicine ball as you perform them. You can also do exercises on an inflated stability ball to enhance your muscle control.
Cardio
It's clear enough that if you are able to develop six-pack abs, they won't be visible under belly fat. To show them off, get rid of the fat with regular cardio, which burns more calories than core exercises. You'll lose 1 pound for every 3,500 calories you burn, so pick the most vigorous exercises for the most dramatic results. For example, MayoClinic.com calculates that if you weigh 160 lbs., an hour of jogging on a treadmill with an incline will burn more than 650 calories for you. If you do that every day, you'll lose nearly a pound and a half per week. Not all of that weight will come off your belly, but it's likely that much of it will.
Guidelines
Getting a visible six-pack requires serious work, particularly for women, who tend to have higher percentages of body fat and less evident muscle definition. To get there, the American Council on Exercise recommends doing at least five or six cardio sessions of 45 minutes or longer per week, and the American College of Sports Medicine suggests a twice- or thrice-weekly routine of eight to 10 core training exercises, with eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise. You can further accelerate your results by following a balanced, low-calorie diet.
References
- MayoClinic.com; Belly Fat in Women: How to Keep It Off; April 16, 2009
- MayoClinic.com; Exercise for Weight Loss: Calories Burned in 1 Hour; Dec. 1, 2009
- American Council on Exercise; Three Things Every Exercise Program Should Have; 2009
- American College of Sports Medicine: Physical Activity & Public Health Guidelines
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