The American Pregnancy Association explains that most women gain between 25 and 35 pounds during their pregnancy. After delivery you may be left with an extra bulge on your tummy that may stop you from fitting into your favorite skinny jeans. Don't sweat it, instead, focus on burning calories with cardio training and increasing your lean mass. Before beginning exercise, consult your doctor.
Cardio
Performing hundreds of crunches alone does not get you a flat stomach. Instead, you must burn the fat that lies on your abdominals with cardio training. Cardio training melts fat from your entire body, including you midsection. The American College of Sports Medicine suggests completing 60 minutes of aerobic training daily to help you alter your body composition. Complete exercises like running, swimming and kickboxing that engage your abdominals, to help keep your body balanced during movements.
Interval Training
Interval training helps you burn more fat in a shorter time. The aerobic and the anaerobic energy systems are active during interval training because you must use short bursts of high intensity exercise followed by a moderate intensity for a longer duration. Choose to interval train two days instead of your normal cardio routine to boost your calorie burn. Choose any cardio activity and interval train by working at a high intensity for 30 seconds followed by a moderate intensity for two minutes. Repeat your intervals for 45 minutes.
Circuit Train
Circuit train one to two days a week to increase your lean mass and whittle away your midsection. Circuit training uses six to 10 different exercises, completing one after another without rest. The fast pace keeps your heart rate up and your body burning more calories, helping you melt abdominal fat. Complete total-body exercises and abdominal exercises to burn calories and target your tummy. For example, complete one minute of squats, planks, pushups, lunges, reverse crunches, dips and bicycle twists. Rest for two minutes and complete the circuit three more times.
Abdominal Work
After you train aerobically, end your workout with abdominal exercises. Choose three different exercises to mix up your routine and work different muscles of your core daily. For example, choose from planks, bicycle twists, reverse crunches, scissor kicks, side planks, leg lifts and crunches. Perform three sets of 12 to 15 repetitions per exercise or, if you choose to perform planks, hold them for 30 seconds or longer.
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