5 Best Flat Stomach Exercises EVER
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| The best flat stomach exercises |
The stomach area, it’s one area that every person I know frets about. Whether they need to lose 5 pounds or 50, my friends are always on a quest to find the perfect flat stomach exercises. But what exactly is the perfect flat stomach exercise?
[There are easier ways to get a flat stomach...trust us. And keep reading!]
The best flat stomach exercises ever are exercises that, when combined with a healthy diet, work all the areas around your midsection as well as your stomach. Simply doing 1,000 crunches each day won’t do the trick; you need well-rounded stomach exercises that focus on working all of those muscles…not just the ones you want to show off!
Flat Stomach Exercise #1–Captain’s Chair
The captain chair is a great flat stomach exercise because it allows you to increase your abdominal strength as well as tone the muscles. There are many different variations of stomach exercises that can be done on the Captain’s Chair, allowing you to get a complete abdominal workout.
The key to the Captain’s Chair without injury is to NEVER swing your legs or use momentum from swinging your legs to bring them inward. This will practically guarantee a back injury and no real results for your stomach. Keeping your knees bent during the captain’s chair make sure you keep focused on your abs rather than those hip flexors.
[The captain's chair is a great way to learn to control your stomach muscles while you tone them.]
A flat stomach is just steps away with the captain’s chair. Simply stand on the equipment with your back to the machine and hold the cushioned grips with your hands. Next, contract the abs in order to raise your legs & knees to your chest. Exhale as you lower your legs back to starting position. Do at least 2 sets with 15 repetitions.
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Flat Stomach Exercise #2–Pelvic Thrust
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| Pelvic Thrust |
I know that pelvic thrusts are the least favorite flat stomach exercises on the planet, but they are also very effective. When done correctly pelvic thrusts give your lower abdominal muscles a nice workout. The pelvic thrust is recommended because the lower abs are often the forgotten stepchild of all abdominal muscles. Most people focus so much on the “six pack abs” that they often forget about the part of the belly just south of the six pack.
To do pelvic thrusts, lie down on your back with your knees bent. Place your arms on the floor with the palm touching the floor and tighten your stomach muscles. BREATHE. Lift your pelvis straight up toward the sky while keeping the lower part of your back on the floor. Hold this position for a few seconds and then slowly lower yourself down to starting position. Do 2 sets of pelvic thrusts at least 3 times each week. Your repetitions should be no less than 10 and no more than 20 to get a flat stomach.
Flat Stomach Exercise #3–Swimming
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| Swimming |
Swimming for a flat stomach has the added benefit of being a great cardiovascular workout, which is a crucial step in weight loss. No matter how good or bad of a swimmer you are, hitting the pool for laps is one of the best flat stomach exercises you can do! To get the best possible stomach workout do the butterfly stroke, breast stroke, or back stroke as these moves work the stomach muscles most when done properly.
If you don’t swim that well but you still want an alternative flat stomach exercise, consider using a kick board. Lie on your back as if floating and hold the kick board to your chest for stability. Kick the water as hard as you can (without straining) for an awesome stomach exercise. Just make sure to keep your feet and legs close to the surface of the water to get the most effective flat stomach exercise.
Flat Stomach Exercise #4–Cardio
Ok so cardio isn’t exactly a specific exercise, but the truth is that there isn’t just one exercise that’ll give you a flat stomach. You can do tons of abdominal exercises to flatten that tummy, but as long as you have excess fat around your stomach it will never be totally flat. Choose any type of cardiovascular exercises that you want and perform it for at least 30 minutes each day, no less than 3 days per week.
To get a flat stomach you will first need to burn off the fat that’s hiding the flat, and that requires cardio. However as you burn with cardio, you should be toning with resistance training like the flat stomach exercises listed above. The good thing about cardio is that you can choose how you do it. Outdoorsy types will choose exercises like running, hiking, or speed walking while those who prefer mirrors and air conditioning will opt for elliptical machines, treadmills, or racquetball. Without a proper dose of cardio, your flat stomach dreams are way in the future…
Flat Stomach Exercise #5–The Crunch
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| The Crunch |
Cardiovascular exercise is crucial to having a flat stomach, but abdominal crunches are a great way to tone the stomach muscles. This is the go-to exercise for people the world over with a belly fat surplus, the only problem is that crunches are the ONLY exercise most people do to flatten their stomachs. The reason the crunch is such an effective flat stomach exercise is because when done correctly, it uses the stomach muscles to raise your upper body off the ground. When done incorrectly, the abdominal crunch leaves you with a stiff neck and sore shoulders.
[Crunches are the best flat stomach exercises ever because when done correctly (as you can see) they work effectively and minimize injury.]
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| The best flat stomach exercises |
The crunch requires you to lay face up on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Cross your arms over your chest or rest them at the base of your neck and tighten your stomach muscles to lift you off the ground. You should lift yourself until your shoulder blades are no longer touching the floor. Avoid getting dizzy by exhaling as you lift up and inhale as your shoulders return to the floor.
Crunches are also the best flat stomach exercise because there are tons of variations. You can do the reverse crunch, the oblique crunch, the ball crunch, the bicycle crunch, or even the vertical leg crunch just to name a few. The abdominal crunch allows you variation to avoid boredom and to work all the abdominal muscles for the best chance at the flat stomach you’ve always wanted.
Just remember that exercise alone won’t give you a flat stomach, it also requires the following:
1. Cardio
2. Flat Stomach Exercises
3. Healthy diet
4. Consistency
