Revealing a tight, toned middle is a two-step process of losing fat and building muscle. One without the other won't deliver the results you're looking for. Build muscle without losing fat, and you'll have a six-pack hidden under the spare tire. Lose fat without building muscle, and you'll have no definition. Incorporate both fat loss and muscle building to reveal amazing abs quickly.
High-Intensity Cardio
The fastest way to lose fat around your midsection is to engage in high-intensity cardiovascular exercise. A study conducted by William E. Kraus and a team of researchers published in the July 7, 2005 issue of the "Journal of Applied Physiology" supports this concept. The study found that moderate exercise prevents you from gaining any belly fat, but to actually lose it, you must work out at a vigorous pace. Incorporate high-intensity exercise into your workouts by adding interval training. The easiest way to do this is by using a treadmill, elliptical trainer or another piece of cardio equipment. Or, just strap on a pair of running shoes and hit the road.
After a solid warm-up, go as fast as you can for one minute and then allow a five-minute recovery period in which you exercise at a moderate pace. As you build cardiovascular fitness, aim for longer, higher-intensity intervals. In the study, participants lost the most belly fat when they performed the equivalent of jogging for 20 miles per week. This research is confirmed in a website article, "Exercise Tips for Fat Loss," published by the Women's Sports Medicine Center at the Hospital for Special Surgery. "The harder the intensity of exercise, the more calories are burned by the body," the article says. Burning more calories equals burning more fat, at a rate of one pound of fat for every 3,500 calories burned.
Core Stabilization
An excellent starting point for revealing sculpted abs is core stabilization through isometric contraction, which is holding a position of muscle contraction without any joint movement. Planks are a classic exercise designed to engage and stabilize your entire core, paving the way for future ab training and getting you to your flat-ab goals even faster. To get into plank position, lie on your stomach on the floor. Place your forearms under your shoulders, position your toes on the floor and then lift your entire body up in a straight line. Keep your abs held in and your shoulders down, and remember to breathe. To regress this exercise, perform it on your knees instead of your toes. To progress it, alternate raising each leg. Aim to hold the plank position for 30 seconds each set. Perform three sets per workout on alternating days of the week.
Defining Your Obliques
Love handles have no place in the chiseled midsection. As you're shedding fat, firm up your obliques, which run along the sides of your midsection, with a challenging exercise called the Russian twist. To perform the exercise, sit upright on the floor with your knees bent and heels touching the floor. Lean your torso back slightly. Hold a dumbbell or a medicine ball in your hands and stretch your arms out straight in front of you at shoulder level. Rotate to one side, and tap the weight to the floor. Rotate to the other side and tap. Repeat for 25 repetitions per set. Perform three sets per workout on alternating days of the week.
Firming the Lower Abdominals
As you're losing fat and toning your core, don't forget your lower abdominal muscles, which help hold your stomach in, are part of proper posture and are crucial to getting an overall flat stomach. Target your lower abs specifically with leg walkdowns, which engage these muscles as each leg is lowered to the floor. To perform this exercise, lie on your back and raise both legs, straight up at a 90-degree angle, toes pointing toward the ceiling. Keeping your stomach in, lower one leg to the floor. Raise and repeat with the other leg. To make it easier, bend your knee as you raise your leg back up. To make it more difficult, lower both legs simultaneously. Perform five repetitions with each leg for 10 per set. Perform three sets per workout on alternating days of the week.
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