Introducing the first article in our fitness series, the personal trainers from The Fit Scene give you their top tips for achieving the perfect, toned stomach:
The area that everyone has an issue with, hands down is getting that flat
toned stomach. Guys and girls alike, time after time, come to us and askhow do I get a flat stomach?
Here are our 5 tips below:
1) DON’T JUST TRAIN YOUR ABS!
This is a common mistake, ever wondered why big built guys walking around
the gym, look like they are constantly hunched over? It’s because they
are! If you only train your main abdominal wall, then the muscles are
tighter than the rest of your core complex; leading to you being hunched
after a prolonged period of time. This can also leave a weaker core and
lengthened posterior chain (back muscles).
2) THINK OF YOUR ‘CORE’ AS A CYLINDRICAL BLOCK OF MUSCLE.
So what's the reason for training the entire core not just the main
abdominal wall?
The core is the building base for the entire body, so training only a 1/4
of it may make your front look great but won’t help with achieving the
full package.
Training all sides of the core will lead to a better base for anything you
want to do with your body including - running faster, lifting bigger,
looking taller, jumping higher…… literally everything!
3) THE DREADED SPARE TYRE!
The body will keep its most vital organs protected to the fullest extent,
as long as it possibly can. Ever wondered why you can’t shift that last
bit of fat that sits round your stomach (sometimes referred to as the
spare tyre)? It’s because your body is protecting its vital organs. This
is the last place that it will go from!
In honesty if this is the only place you’re holding fat, you're doing a
pretty good job already!
4) NUTRITION! NUTRITION! NUTRITION!
You can do as many sit-ups as you want, without lowering your body fat
percentage, you’ll never see your abdominal muscles!
By lowering your carbohydrate intake your body will naturally resort to
using fat stores as energy. So opt for a high protein, low carbs nutrition
plan. This along with a high intensity cardio based workout program will
allow those ever allusive abs to start saying hello!
5) FOUR GOOD CORE EXERCISES
- Full range sit-ups on a BOSU. (Main abdominal wall)
- Side raises on a Swiss-Ball (obliques and sarratus anterior)
- Plank (all cylindrical core muscles)
- Skydivers (multifidus/ TVA)
