If you want great looking abs and a flat belly that tells the world you're fit, it takes work. At Habitat Health and Fitness in Lakeland, FL, we help you achieve that goal. We provide workouts for a flat stomach, but it takes more than that. Great looking abs start in the kitchen and continue in the gym. It doesn't matter how fit you are, if there's a layer of fat covering that flat tummy, nobody will know. You may have the best abs, but won't have a flat stomach.
Bodyweight exercises are a great place to start.
One of the toughest exercises that looks so simple is the plank. You can do a forearm or the more difficult straight arm plank. The more difficult straight arm plank starts in push-up position with your hands directly beneath the shoulders, pushing against the floor and body straight. Just hold the position for at least twenty seconds, or longer if you can. If you're a beginner, start with the forearm plank. It's the same as the straight arm, but you bend at the elbow, putting your forearm on the floor and weight on the forearm not the hands. Your elbows should be in line with your shoulders and forearms parallel to the body.
Strength training can help build strong abs and burn off the fat that's hiding them.
Studies show that when you use strength training as part of your workout program, it is far more effective than just using endurance training alone. Strength training builds muscle tissue and the more you have, the more calories you burn. While endurance/cardio training burns calories, but those calories come from both muscle tissue and fat tissue. Why is this important? The more muscle tissue you have, the more calories you burn even when you're resting, so you lose weight faster.
Combine strength training with HIIT---high intensity interval training.
What is HIIT? It's not a type of exercise, but rather a way of doing any type of exercise. You simply do the exercise at peak intensity with your heart rate high, then reduce the intensity for an equal or longer time with a recovery period. You can do it with any exercise, but when you combine it with strength training, you'll build muscle and burn calories so your strong abs will show. Not only is getting rid of belly fat great for showing off your abs, it's also important to your health. Visceral fat, fat around your middle that covers the stomach, is the most dangerous type of fat to your health.
- Try an isometric exercise that's often called a vacuum. Stand up straight, inhale deeply and then as you exhale, pull your stomach in as tight as possible, as though you're trying to touch it to your backbone. Hold as long as you can.
- Find a group of tummy exercises you can do at home and do them throughout the day. A bridge is a good tummy tightener. Lay on your back but pick your hips up off the floor until your body forms a straight line. Hold for as long as you can.
- Do traditional circuit training. Circuit training is a way to combine strength and cardio training. You can do almost any type of exercises, just take no breaks or shorter ones in between exercises.
- At Habitat Health and Fitness we help develop a program exclusively for you and your goals. We create workouts that flatten your stomach, as they build your strength, flexibility and endurance.
For more information, contact us today at Habitat Health and Fitness
