A fat, hanging stomach carries with it two main problems. First of all, stomach fat is dangerous because it is has a tendency to build up around the organs. This raises the risk for chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol. Secondly, a hanging stomach is unsightly and it can cause feelings of embarrassment and a low self-esteem. Toning your midsection takes the right exercise routine in conjunction with a change in dietary habits. Your overall goal is to make the fat disappear while making your abs visible.
Step 1
Focus on creating a caloric deficit before you do anything else. Cutting back on your calories will force your body to dip into stored fat for energy, making your stomach smaller. Reduce your daily intake by 500 to 1,000 calories and you will lose about 1 to 2 lbs. every week.
Step 2
Melt fat in your stomach with interval training. Choose a form of cardio you like, such as running, and do a light warmup for five minutes. Run as fast as you can for 30 seconds, then jog lightly for 60 seconds to catch your breath. Run fast again for 30 and continue to interval back and forth for 30 minutes. Finish with a light cooldown jog for five minutes and work out three days a week on nonconsecutive days. Interval training causes a high caloric expenditure which can help you get rid of your hanging stomach quickly. The high intensity bouts also cause you to forcefully contract your abs.
Step 3
Lift weights three days a week on noncardio days. Base your workouts around compound exercises which work multiple muscles at the same time. Adding muscle to your frame will boost your resting metabolism and cause you to burn more calories while at rest. This in turn will further promote stomach fat loss. Compound exercises also cause you to forcefully contract your abs which can help you tone up. Include exercises like bench presses, overhead push presses, pullups, dips and deadlifts. Aim for 10 to 12 reps and do four or five sets.
Step 4
Perform ab exercises that target your whole abdominal area. This will ensure you achieve a maximum amount of muscle recruitment to improve your tone. Incorporate exercises like reverse decline crunches, hanging oblique knee raises, plank lifts and bicycle maneuvers. Aim for 15 to 20 reps, do three or four sets and do your workouts three days a week.
Step 5
Use proper mechanics with your ab exercises to prevent injury and promote the best progress. For reverse decline crunches, lie face-up on a decline bench with your head near the top, hands gripping the padded support above your head and legs extended out straight. Pull your legs inward as you bend your knees and curl your lower body up. Lift your hips off the bench, tuck your knees into your chest and squeeze your abs forcefully for a full second. Lower your legs back down slowly and repeat.
Step 6
Attend Pilates classes to further tighten up your abdominal area. Pilates actually works the stomach and all other areas of the core. Exercises are performed from seated and lying positions and you move your limbs and torso in a way that causes you to forcefully contract your abs. Call a local gym to see if it offers classes, go to a private studio or get a DVD and work out at home. Perform Pilates two or three days a week. Being that the abs recovery quickly, you can work them several times a week.
References
- Harvard Health Publications: Abdominal Fat and What to Do About It
- MayoClinic: Interval Training: Can it Boost Your Calorie-Burning Power?; February, 2010
- CriticalBench.com: Compound Exercises for Maximal Muscle Mass; Jeff Anderson
- ShapeFit: Abs Exercises -- Reverse Decline Crunches for Six Pack Abs
- Unm.edu: SuperAbs Resource Manual; Len Kravitz, Ph.D.
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