The coveted six pack/flat stomach is probably the most sought after result in gyms around the world. Sit ups, leg raises, planks, this diet, that diet, flat tummy teas (*gasps) there’s an infinite number of ways and routines that people, including myself, have tried and put themselves through in order to get the midsection they crave.
A question I get asked all the time is ‘What exercises do I need to do to get a flat stomach’, which in itself is the wrong question to ask and if anyone were to give you a list of exercises they would either be lying or didn’t know what the hell they were on about.
Here is your guide to getting Abs and a flat/toned stomach…
Abs are Made in the Kitchen
Abs are made in the kitchen is a phrase that most of us have heard at some point or another which is right in one way and wrong in another.
For the most part, this is very true - in order for you to see your abs and have a flat/toned stomach you have to get rid of the body fat around your mid section. Now no amount of sit ups will do this as it’s physically impossible to spot reduce body fat from a specific area of the body (Although that would be nice). The way to reduce fat around your tummy is the same as reducing fat from everywhere else on your body – consistently be in a calorie deficit (Eat less calories than you’re using).
Bu we also have to consider that in order to ‘make’ or build up your abs your have to be doing either abdominal targeting exercises (Crunches, Knee Tucks etc), Core exercises (Planks, Single Arm Planks) or lifting weights (More specifically compound movements such as Squats and Deadlifts) as your abs have to brace while lifting.
So How Do I Get Abs?
So to summarise everything we looked at above, stripping the body fat from around the midsection is the most important thing to focus on when we are looking to get abs, however working and building up the abdominal muscle will also make a difference too.
In terms of training your abs, the muscles involved are just the same as every other muscle in the body – they have specific job that they do and the best way to build them up is to do challenging exercises which makes the muscles work hard.
In terms of stripping away the body fat around your stomach, you have to consistently be in a calorie deficit and soon enough that midsection will become flatter and more defined.
Case Study
Take our client Dave for example. Dave trained with us for our 8-9 months and during that time we gave him a solid weight training programme that focused mainly on compound lifts, incorporated an easy to follow cardio schedule and most importantly, looked at his diet at the time of starting and make the necessary adjustments to keep him in a consistent calorie deficit while making sure he enjoyed his diet.
The results he got were amazing. A massive reduction in body fat across the whole of his body, but especially his midsection which bought out some good abdominal definition - not bad for a guy in his 40s!
Want to get results like Dave?
Want to reduce your body fat and transform your body?
Email adam@adamcmorris.com for details on Personal Training & Online Coaching!