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Sculpt
Sexy Abs
If you’ve been doing crunches
religiously for years and still have
belly flab, it’s your approach that’s
to blame. Here is the experts’
ultimate tummy-flattening
plan. Follow these five rules
to finally achieve that
perfectly toned tummy.
The 5 RuleS
o f F l at A b s
Rule No. 1
Attack Your
Hidden Core
Muscles
Crunches target only
superficial muscles,
so they aren’t the most
efficient way to work your
abs. Hard fact: To burn
1 pound of fat, you have to do
250,000 crunches, according to
researchers at the University of
Virginia. That’s 100 crunches
a day for 7 years. Uh, no thanks.
Instead, you need to target
the muscles that lie beneath the
superficial ones: your transverse
abdominis, multifidis, and
internal obliques. Strengthening
them pulls in your middle like
a corset, keeping the area
looking flat and toned. “Not
only are these muscles weak
in many women, but most
of us don’t have a clue about
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how to engage them,” says
celebrity trainer Valerie Waters.
To practice engaging these
“hidden” muscles, try this
drill from Waters: Lie on your
back and place your palms just
below your navel. Exhale and
allow your tummy to expand
as far as you can, then focus
on pulling your belly button
toward your spine, drawing
your abdomen toward the
floor. Hold for 5 seconds.
Repeat 8 to 10 times.
Rule No. 2
Move Your Butt
Your booty and your belly are
unlikely partners in crime.
Here’s why: Over time, sitting
around too much renders your
glutes practically useless and
causes your hip flexors—the
muscles that connect your hip
bones to your legs—to become
stiff. This couch-potato combo
tilts your pelvis forward, which
increases the arch in your back
and puts stress on your spine.
From a cosmetic standpoint,
it pushes your abdomen out,
making even a relatively flat
stomach bulge. That means that
to lose your gut, you’ve got to
work your butt.
Combat tight hip flexors with
this stretch: In a lunge position,
lower yourself so your back knee
is resting on the floor. Push your
hips forward, keeping your back
upright, until you feel a stretch
in the front of your hip. Hold for
10 seconds, relax, and repeat.
Switch legs. You can increase
the stretch by reaching your
arms over your head.
Rule No. 3
Eat Flat-Belly Foods
You can’t see ab muscles if they’re buried
under a layer of fat. Excavate them by following these easy dietary guidelines.
PUMP UP YOUR PROTEIN INTAKE Substituting meat, fish, dairy, and nuts for carbs
can reduce the amount of fat around your
middle. Researchers at McMaster University in Canada assessed the food intake of
617 dieters and discovered that when the
people exchanged carbohydrates in favor of
an equal amount of protein, they reduced
belly fat.
Eliminate added sugar The average
American eats about 20 teaspoons of sugar
daily in the form of processed foods like
soda, baked goods, breakfast cereals, fruit
drinks, and even flavored yogurt. That’s
about 325 empty calories every day. All that
sugar increases insulin production, which
slows your metabolism.
Don’t fear fat Research shows that diets
containing more than 50% fat are just as
effective for weight loss as those that are low
in fat. “Fat is filling and adds flavor to your
meals, both of which help you avoid feeling
deprived, so you can stick to your diet,” says
Alan Aragon, MS, a nutritionist in the Los
Angeles area. Eat foods rich in monounsaturated fats, such as olives, nuts, and avocados;
research has even found that it’s okay to
enjoy whole foods that contain saturated
fat (including milk, cheese, and butter) in
moderation.
Beat the bloat No matter how much ab
fat you lose or muscle you tone, if you’re
bloated, you won’t look (or feel!) your best
in a bikini. Carbonated beverages and even
good-for-you foods such as beans and broccoli can make your stomach swell. And keep
your sodium intake in check: Nutritionists
suggest you stay under 2,000 mg to avoid
retaining excess water. (Most of us get closer to 5,000 a day.)
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Core Benefits
A tight tummy does more than just turn heads. Check out
these other surprising belly bonuses.
Steamier Sex
Strong abs and lower-back muscles give you the stamina
and strength required to make the most of positions
like Reverse Cowgirl and Wheelbarrow. But even more
important, a smaller waistline means better blood flow.
When you’re overweight, you tend to have significantly
more artery-clogging plaque, which decreases blood
flow throughout the body. Researchers have found that
increased blood flow in the pelvic region improves vaginal
lubrication, sensitivity, arousal, and sensation.
Fewer Injuries
Researchers for the U.S.
Army tracked the injuries of male and female
soldiers during a year of
field training in which they
periodically performed
the standard Army fitness
test of situps, pushups, and
a 2-mile run. Those who
could crank out the most
situps were less likely to
suffer from injuries.
Better Health
A Canadian study of more than 8,000 people over 13 years found that people with the weakest abdominal muscles had more than double the death rate in that period than those with
the strongest midsections. No surprise when you consider all the health conditions associated with belly fat. Studies show that people with flat abs are:
• 25% less likely to develop heart disease
• 35% less likely to have a heart attack
• 41% less likely to develop high blood pressure
• 40% less likely to develop kidney cancer
• 60% less likely to develop gallstones
• 14% less likely to develop osteoarthritis
Melt YOUR Middle
Follow this interval-training program to fire up your metabolism and burn off the fat that’s
hiding your abs. Intervals are short bursts of maximum-intensity effort—you’re doing it right if
you can’t carry on a conversation—separated by periods of easy-pace recovery. In an Australian study, women who cranked out high-intensity interval training 3 days a week for 15 weeks
dropped significantly more weight than those who exercised for the same period of time at a
lower intensity.
Do the routine 3 times a week after you work your core—and always remember to include an easy
3- to 5-minute warmup and cooldown. You can run, bike, or use the cardio machine of your choice.
Week
Max Effort
Easy Pace
Reps
1
1 min
2 min
5
2
1 min
90 sec
6
3
1 min
1 min
8
4
1 min
1 min
10
5
75 sec
1 min
10
6
90 sec
1 min
10
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Rule No. 4
Stop Stressing
Your stock portfolio. Your inlaws. Your never-ending to-do
list. We get it: Life is hard. But
anxiety can produce extra cortisol, a hormone that encourages
the body to store fat, particularly in your belly. According to
researchers at Yale University,
your midsection is 4 times as
likely as the rest of your body
to store stress-induced fat.
Help keep anxiety in check by
taking little breaks from work
every 90 minutes. “It’s almost
like recalibrating your body,
reminding you to breathe
and relax,” Waters says.
Another way stress
sabotages your abs:
When tension runs
high, we reach for
fattening foods.
To keep your
hand out of
the office
candy jar,
keep the
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container out of reach. In one study,
participants who had to walk 6 feet
to reach the candy ate up to seven
fewer chocolates per day than when
the jar was conveniently located at
their desk.
Rule No. 5
Work Your Abs Less Often
Ditch your daily ab workouts. You
need only three sessions a week to
see maximum results. “Training
every day with endless crunches
won’t flatten your belly faster,” says
Bill Hartman, CSCS, co-owner of
Indianapolis Sports and Fitness.
“You’ll see benefits quicker if you
give your muscles a day to fully recover between workouts.” That’s be-
cause stressing your muscles during
a workout breaks down the tissue,
and they need rest days to rebuild
and get stronger. What’s more, you
should stick to only 15 to 20 reps of
each move. “If you can easily do that
many, it’s time for harder moves,”
says Rachel Cosgrove, CSCS, owner
of Results Fitness in Newhall, CA.
And if flat abs are important to
you, promote them to the top of your
fitness to-do list. “A lot of people
exercise their abdominal muscles at
the end of their workout, and that’s
when you get sloppy or run out of
time,” Cosgrove says. “You should do
them first and then move on to your
cardio. To get them looking great,
you need to make them a priority.”
You’ll be glad you did.
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