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Flat Stomach: Tips and tricks you've never heard of!
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Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jwra/
Everyone wants nice abs! Whether you're a happy parent, weekend warrior or practically live at the gym chances are you wish your stomach looked a little different than it does now. Ab work has gone through a lot of chances over the past couple of decades, and although a lot of people wasted a lot of time doing hundreds of crunches, thankfully we learned a lot along the way!
Here are the latest tips and tricks for getting a better stomach! Let me be clear, there is no way around fat loss and good hard work, but these tips can help get you to flat and sexy faster!
Stretch to flatten
Do you sit for a living? With great posture? In an optimal position for your body? No? Sitting for long periods of time, combined with a weak lower back can lead to your hip flexors becoming overly tight. The reason you should care if your hip flexors are tight, is because the tigher they are the more your abs pouch out. Tight hip flexors prevent your stomach muscles from lengthening all the way, allowing you to stand up straight and your abs to truly lengthen - therefore looking flatter. If your abs never actually get to stretch out they will lead to your abs sticking out more than they should, and can lead to chronic back pain as well. The remedy? Stretch your hip flexors! Hold the stretch for at least 30 seconds a couple times a day, preferably after a workout when you're warm. Breath deeply and imagine those abs getting longer and flatter!
100, 200, 300 - STOP!
Hundreds of crunches will not give you a great stomach. If you are doing more than 25 reps of any type of core work I want you to re-read that sentance. It won't work! Crunches as we know them primarily work the top layer of your abs, your rectus abdominis. While your rectus abdominis is responsible for the six pack look of chisled abs working them into oblivion will actually make your abs bigger, not flatter like most of us would like. In order to flatten the abs you have to work the deepest layer of your ab muscles, your transversus abdominis or transverse abs. Best way to work your transverse abs and flatten your stomach once and for all? My best answer is to take Pilates, and continue to utilize those principles for the rest of your life. The reason is because a good Pilates instructor is equipped to teach you everything you need to have flat abs for the rest of your life! Even if you have to take an entire year of classes wouldn't that be worth it? If you don't feel like you're doing core work differently after your first three sessions, chat with your instructor or find a better one. It should change the way you view your abs - really!
I hate crunches
Fine, you hate crunches, or you have had a neck injury that makes them painful, or your lower back is so darn tight that it feels like you have an ice pick in your back everytime you try to do more than ten. The good news is it is possible to work your core without crunches, the bad news is that you'd have to be pretty darn active and have very low body fat for it to matter. I think utilizing activities which work your core as cross-training is great, but you still need to be able to do targeted core exercises. Start with a lower back flexibiltiy test to see if you would benefit from adding lower back stretches to your daily routine. For neck pain, consult this great article on how to avoid neck pain when doing crunches, and remember your neck has muscles in it that will get stronger like any other muscle! Also keep in mind there are dozens of core exercises you can do with your head staying firmly on the ground!
Test your strength!
Having a strong core is one of the best ways to prevent a host of injuries and aches and pains! To see how your core stacks up check out this core strength and stability test! If your core needs a little work add in 3 - 5 exercises every other day, focusing on completely exhausting your core muscles during every exercise. If you need ideas, check out this killer no equipment needed ab routine! Don't forget to stretch your lower back and hip flexors when you're done!
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