Flattening your stomach with exercise is a two-pronged attack that requires a balanced approach to abdominal muscle tone and overall fitness. You cannot selectively burn fat from your abdomen with exercise, no matter how many crunches you do. So, while any stomach-flattening regimen includes a hefty dose of ab-specific exercises, you must also exercise to burn body fat to get the flat belly you seek.
Cardiovascular Exercise
The primary component of a flat stomach is a reduction in overall body fat. To burn fat, you have to burn calories. The most efficient way to get the body to do this is to exercise for an extended period of time at a steady pace. Examples of cardiovascular exercise include walking, running, swimming, cycling and cross-country skiing. If you are not accustomed to this type of exercise, start out walking or jogging slowly for 20 minutes at a time three times a week, and gradually increase your intensity and duration as your body becomes accustomed to the exercise. For optimal fat burn, work your way up to four or five workouts of at least 45 minutes per week.
Plank
The other component of developing a flat stomach is toning the abdominal muscles. The plank is a motionless (isometric) exercise that helps serve this purpose. Kneel on the floor and lean forward so that your upper body is resting on your elbows and forearms. Extend your legs behind you so that the only points of your body that are touching the ground are your forearms, the balls of your feet and your toes. Keep your back straight. A common mistake in form with this exercise is to allow your butt to stick up in the air. Align your back so your body forms a straight line from the top of your head to your heels. Hold that position for as long as you can. Start off with a target of 30 seconds and work your way up to two minutes.
Windshield Wiper
Round out your muscle-toning routine with exercises that involve a full range of motion. This exercise works all of your abdominal muscles. An example of this is the windshield wiper. Lie down on the floor on your back and extend your arms out from your sides. With your knees straightened, extend your legs up into the air above you so that your body forms an "L" shape. Keep your arms, head and shoulders on the ground and, in a steady, controlled movement, roll your legs toward the floor on your right side. Lift your legs back to the starting position above your body, then roll to the left using the same controlled, steady motion. Return your legs to the starting position to complete one repetition. Start out doing eight repetitions at a time and work your way up to 25.
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