Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Tips for aflat stomach

Everybody wants to look great. They want a flat stomach and rock hard abs. But how so you achieve this? Here are the top 3 tips for achieving a flat stomach.
Abs are made in the kitchen
Many people think that they can get a flat stomach by only doing exercise. The truth is, though, that you need to have a very low body fat percentage to have a flat stomach, and even lower to actually see your abs. It doesn’t matter how many crunches or planks you do, you will never have a flat stomach if you don’t get rid of that layer of fat on your stomach.
The easiest way to loose that fat is just reduce the amount of food you are eating. Try not to eat as many carbohydrates or sugary treats and you will lose that weight in no time.
Do abs exercises
Obviously, to get a flat stomach you have to strengthen the muscles around your stomach area. There are a wide variety of abdomen exercises you can do, like crunches or sit ups. Sometimes, those get boring though. Here is an effective exercise for building your core.
They are called planks. What you do is lay flat on the ground on your stomach. While still flat, change the position of your feet so you are on your toes. Then, raise your upped body onto your elbows and hold that position. This is very similar to a pushup, but instead of supporting yourself with your hands, you are supporting yourself with your elbows and forearms. This exercise will produce a burn like no other and really tone your core muscles.
Don’t forget Cardio
Many people forget to do cardio when they want to gain a flat stomach. While diet and strength training are very important components to your journey to a flat stomach, the value of cardio should not be understated.
Cardio doesn’t have to be difficult to do. You can do whatever activity raises your heart rate. Some of the most popular cardio activities are jogging, swimming, skipping, or even just walking. Every little bit helps.
Also, to shed a few extra pounds around your stomach, why not try high intensity interval training, or HIIT for short. Basically, you choose your favorite cardio exercise and perform it at varying intensity. For example, if you chose jogging as your activity, you would run as fast as you can for 15 seconds, then jog at a slower rate for 30 seconds. You repeat that a few times, and your heart rate will be through the roof. You can do this with any exercise.
Getting a flat stomach is not that difficult. You just have to watch your diet, do abdomen exercises and do some cardio. If you stick to that plan, you will have visible abs in no time! If you need more information on this, there are many great resources available on the Internet with more tips and techniques for getting a flat stomach.