How to Attain a Flat Stomach
By April O'Neil
Often times when I go to the gym I see overweight people or people with flabby mid-sections doing abdominal exercises with the hope that they can 1)lose their tummy fat and/or 2)develop a noticeable six pack.
The fact of the matter is that there is no way to do spot reduction fat loss. The body does not say "ooh that ab exercise or cardio is stressing me out, let me burn the stomach fat first." Your body burns fat unevenly and varies from person to person. The only way to lose that awful belly fat is to do regular cardio exercise and have a well-balanced diet.
In addition, for these people with fatty mid-sections, performing abdominal exercises will only develop their abs which lie underneath. The abs add muscle and become larger, pushing the fat out further and making the belly look even larger! The fat must be lost first!
Cardio Suggestions
- Perform cardio 3x per week, preferably in the morning on an empty stomach. Your body will be at a caloric deficit from sleeping and will promote fat burning readily. Each session should be 30-45 minutes straight.
- Invest in a heart rate monitor watch. Ever wonder what those bands are across people's chest, why runners check their watch a lot, or why they run in place at stoplights? They are monitoring their performance and heart rate. I highly recommend the Polar F6 Heart Rate Monitor Watch
as it is durable, accurate, and even integrates with cardio machines at many health clubs such as Lifetime Fitness. There are many levels of cardio, and it is well documented that the fat burning zone is when your heart rate is at 60-70% of your max heart rate. To find your maximum heart rate, use the formula published by Harvard Men's Health Watch: Max heart rate = 208 - (0.7 x age in years). Then multiply your max heart rate by 60% and 70% to find the fat burning zone you need to maintain for your cardio sessions. If you can keep at this level for a significant amount of time (30-45 minutes), you can burn fat and keep your muscle. If you cannot perform cardio at that level for that amount of time, start shorter and work your way up. Do not do cardio for more than 45 minutes per session.
Diet and Nutrition Suggestions
- Drink a lot of water. Most people do not know this but the more water you drink the less it will store. If you aren't drinking enough water, you may be carrying a lot of water weight in your mid section and/or look bloated. H2O is your friend!
- Try to eat 5-6 small meals per day, evenly spaced. Each meal should have an ample amount of protein to keep your metabolism up throughout the day. Aim for 1 to 1.5x your weight in protein (this is a bodybuilder benchmark). So if you weigh 170 pounds, aim for 170 to 255 grams of protein per day. Dividing that by 6 would mean each meal should have between 28 and 43 grams of protein. You may find that it is difficult to get that amount of protein each day. One of the best supplements you can invest in is Whey protein. Whey protein is absorbed into the body much faster than other proteins, which makes it a great supplement before and after workouts. Make sure you use it as a supplement and not a meal replacement however. One scoop provides 24 grams of high quality protein and the Optimum Nutrition whey is by far the best tasting protein you can buy.
- Invest in some certified Hoodia. Working out can cause you to have extreme hunger. The last thing you want to do is have an amazing cardio session and then overeat after, negating your gains. One supplement that is highly effective at suppressing your appetite and hunger is Hoodia. It is derived from the Hoodia plant in South Africa and comes in pill form. Once taken, Hoodia basically tricks your hypothalamus and body into believing it is full and suppresses your appetite for up to 6 hours. If you take this and eat 6 small meals per day, you will not feel hunger or be tempted to overeat. Just make sure you don't forget to eat if you are taking Hoodia, as it is extremely powerful. I personally recommend Hoodia Rush, as it is certified authentic Hoodia from a quality supplier.
Weight / Resistance Training
Only after you have lost the stomach fat, or have just a little left to go, should you begin doing resistance training to develop and build a larger, more defined six pack. Here are some exercises that I recommend:
- Purchase a rolling wheel. This is just a wheel with two handles on the sides, NOT those ones sold on tv which provide assistance! They provide a great exercise for both the abdominals and the obliques. You can order the Everlast exercise wheel
online at Amazon for only $10. Perform the exercises slow and steady.
- Refrain from situps, do crunches instead! Situps are a bad exercise for your lower back and psoas muscle.
- To build extremely defined and beefy abs, use weight resistance. Every fitness center has machines where you sit down and there is a bar across your chest which is tied to weights. Start light and work your way up. Make sure to concentrate on the way back up, slow and steady to really work the abs.
- Try the stomach vacuum. This is an exercise that can be done anywhere without any equipment. Basically you exhale as much as possible and then pull your stomach in for as long as possible. For the proper way to perform this exercise see Bodybuilding.com's stomach vacuum page.
By following these tips and suggestions you will be able to attain your goal and develop not only a flat stomach, but a solid six pack which you will be proud to show off. If you have any additional tips you would like to share, please submit a tip using the form below and I will add them to this page.
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