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Five Steps to a Flat Stomach
 Most people would like to have a flat stomach. How about you? Do you want a flat stomach? If you already have a flat stomach, you probably want to keep it flat. Well, if your goal is to obtain or maintain a flat stomach, follow these five steps.
Step One – Get Pumping! A full body resistance training routine should be started to increase your total muscle mass. Extra muscle will raise your metabolism and help you burn more fat. By training to “near failure” or “failure”, you’ll cause your body to burn fat after your workout. I call this the “afterburn”. When you burn more fat, you'll most likely lose inches around your waist.
Step Two – Get Moving! Cardio training is an effective way to reduce fat in the abdominal area and keep it off. One recommended cardio method is Long, Slow Distance (LSD) training. With LSD, you perform walking, cycling or jogging pace for 45-60 minutes per training session, three to five times per week. Your exercise intensity is measured by the “talk test”. Using the talk test, you walk, cycle or jog at a speed up to the point where you are not able to talk in a full sentence without heavy breathing.
For advanced trainers, you should employ High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) to induce fat burning for several hours after your HIIT session. To perform HIIT, begin with a 5-minute warm-up, then start to walk, jog or run as fast as you can go for 1-minute, then slow down to a 3.5-4.0 mph walk for 2 minutes. Repeat this cycle eight times. Finish off with a 5-minute cool-down.
Step Three – Get Crunching! In addition to cardio and full body resistance training, specific resistance training of the abdominal muscles is a necessary step to develop strength and tone in the midsection area. Train your abdominal muscles three times per week. Recommended exercises are crunches, reverse crunches, and hanging knee raises. The abdominal muscles require one to three sets of 8-20 repetitions for strength and development.
Step Four – Get Straight! Improved posture will make your stomach look flatter. If you stand tall, arch your lower back, pull your shoulders back and raise your ribcage, your stomach area will become flatter. By strengthening your back and abdominal muscles and concentrating on sitting, standing and walking taller, you will improve your posture and help flatten the stomach area.
Step Five – Get Clean! Clean up your diet. Eliminate simple sugars and reduce fast burning processed carbohydrate foods from you diet. Also, lower the fat in your diet and moderate your alcohol intake. Practice portion control and make sure you eat a clean, healthy and balanced diet of 4-6 small meals per day.
There you have it. Follow these five simple steps and you can obtain or maintain that much desired flat stomach. It takes patience and persistence, but the effort will be well worth it. |
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