We all want a toned, flat stomach. No surprise there. But since many women are still relying on crunches to get it, we want to make one thing clear: Crunching isnot the most effective abs workout. "Crunches work only the muscles on the front and sides of your abdomen, but it's important to target all the muscles of the core to get more defined abs—including lower back, hips, and upper thighs," says Lou Schuler, co-author of The New Rules of Lifting for Abs.
To lose belly fat and uncover amazing abs, Schuler recommends a series of core stabilization exercises based on a training program devised by co-author and personal trainer Alwyn Cosgrove. "Core exercises like the plank help train muscles to stabilize the spine and pelvis so you can avoid back pain and improve posture, Schuler says. "They also burn more calories than crunches because they work more muscles."
Get More Workout Tips!
Related: For a flat belly and toned bikini body, check out The Bikini Body Diet bySHAPE editor-in-chief Tara Kraft.
Trade crunches for these three super-effective abs exercises from The New Rules of Lifting for Abs and you’ll be on your way to a perfectly toned, flatter tummy.
The Best Abs Exercises: Side Plank
Why it works: This abs exercise is more challenging than a traditional plank because you're supporting your entire body weight on two points of contact instead of four. As a result, you must work your core harder to stay stabilized.
How to do it:
A. Lie on your left side with your elbow directly beneath your shoulder and legs stacked. Place your right hand on your left shoulder or on your right hip.
B. Brace your abs and lift your hips off the floor until you're balancing on your forearm and feet so that your body forms a diagonal line. Hold for 30 to 45 seconds. If you can’t hold that long, stay up as long as you can and then repeat until you’ve held for 30 seconds total. Switch sides and repeat.
More great stabilization moves: The standard plank and the anti-rotation hold.
The Best Abs Exercises: Walkout from Pushup Position
Why it works: This abs exercise involves full-body movement, such as using the arms and legs, while incorporating resistance to strengthen your entire core.
How to do it:
A. Start in pushup position with hands two inches wider than your shoulders.
B. Walk hands out as far as possible, then walk back. Do 10-12 reps.
Make it harder: Lift one leg before you walk your hands out and back.
The Best Abs Exercises: Alligator Drag
Why it works: This abs exercise uses your entire core to keep your body stabilized and burns additional calories by adding movement (dragging yourself along the floor). It mixes cardio, stability, and strength training to get you fast results.
How to do it:
A. Find a stretch of floor that allows you to go forward 10 to 20 yards, and grab anything that will slide over the surface with minimal friction. Dinner plates or plastic bags work on a carpeted floor, while towels work on wood or tile.
B. Start in pushup position with your feet on the slides, towels, or plates.
C. Walk yourself forward with your hands to the end of your runway (aim for at least 10 yards). Rest for 60 to 90 seconds (or as long as you need to recover) and repeat the alligator walk back to where you started. That’s one set. Repeat one more time.
How To Lose Belly Fat in 1 Week : Best Ab Workout For Women - No Equipment Required!
Why You Suffer From Excess Belly Fat?
It is normal for you to have some belly fat that will help in cushioning the bones and the organs and to protect them. But, excess belly fat is a matter of huge concern and you will be able to get rid of the tensions of excess belly fat through exercises and taking in a low-carb diet. The following are some of the reasons on why you have excess fat around your abdomen area:
1. Poor Metabolism
As you begin to age, the metabolism rate of your body slows down and this results in increased fat storage on your belly. Women are easily susceptible to belly fat than men. You might be wondering why some of your friends who eat fried and sugar based foods most of the time have a flat stomach and you always put on fat around your belly area. The main reason behind this is that your friends have a higher metabolism rate than what you are having.
2. Genetics
It has been proved that the fat cells that you develop in your body depend on your genes. If your grandparents or your parents have excess belly fat, then you too will have the same. There are two types of body structure: pear shaped and apple shaped. If you are pear shaped, then the fat in your body gathers at in the lower part of your body like the buttocks. If you are apple shaped, then the fat in your body gets accumulated around the belly area.
3. Sedentary Lifestyle
If you are leading a sedentary lifestyle with no physical exercise and spend most of your time sitting in front of the TV or computer, then you are sure to accumulate a lot of fat around your belly in a few years time.
4. Overeating
If you are indulging in eating more than you ought to eat, then you are sure going to put on weight easily. If overeating is coupled with a sedentary lifestyle, then you are going to gain belly fat in no time and you will easily put on weight.
5. Poor Sitting Posture
If you do not practice proper sitting techniques and always slouch when you sit on the chair, then you are sure to catch fat accumulation around your stomach area. You should always sit straight on a chair.
6. Stress And Diseases
Stress is one of the main reasons why people tend to accumulate food around their waistline. It will increase the level of cortisol in your body that leads to belly fat. Diseases such as breast cancer, sleep apnea, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes in women will result in fat accumulation around their belly area.
7. Sagging Muscles
If you have saggy muscles around your abdominal area, then you can easily get excess belly fat.
8. Hormonal Changes
As a woman tends to attain middle age, the ratio of the body fat will increase in proportion to her body weight. There is an increase in the risk of accumulating fat around the waist area during menopause. Hormones play a vital role in regulating the fat concentration in a woman’s body.
How To Measure Belly Fat?
It was perceived earlier that belly fat is healthy as it could be utilized by a person whenever he or she needs some extra energy. But, the times have changed now. It has been researched that excess belly fat will result in people to easily catch cardiovascular diseases. So, it is vital for every man and woman to keep track of their belly fat and to keep it under check always. The following are the ways you can measure your waistline:
a) Waist To Hip Ratio
Measure the narrowest part of your waist and then measure the broadest part of your hip. To calculate the waist to hip ratio, all you need is to divide the values to get the ratio. If the ratio is about 0.8 or more, then you can fall prey to cardiovascular diseases easily.
b) Body Mass Index
Body Mass Index or BMI is the ratio of your weight in kilograms divided by their square of your height in meters. If your BMI is in the range of 25 to 29.9, then you are in the overweight category and if your BMI ratio is over 30, then you are an obese person. You will need to cut down on your belly fat considerably if you are to stay free from health risks.
c) Waist Circumference
Use a tape to measure your waistline at the level of your navel. You should breathe normally when you are taking the measurement. If your waist size is more than 34 inches, then you are at a risk of catching chronic heart disease.
Best Exercises To Reduce Belly Fat:
Crunches
Twist Crunches
Side Crunch
Reverse Crunches
Vertical Leg Crunch
Bicycle Exercise
Lunge Twist
Rolling Plank Exercise
The Stomach Vacuum
Captain’s Chair
Bending Side To Side
Walking
Running
Jogging
Cycling
Swimming
Expert Tips
1. Crunches:
Nothing burns belly fat faster than crunches, which occupy the number one position in fat-burning exercises. Now, it’s time that you start performing this exercise.
How To Do
Lie down flat on a mat with your knees bent and feet on the ground. Alternatively, you can also lift your legs off the floor at a 90-degree angle. (See picture).
Lift your hands and place them behind your head, or keep them crossed on your chest.
Inhale deeply, and as you lift your upper torso off the floor, exhale.
Inhale again as you get back down, and exhale as you come up.
Do this for 10 times as a beginner.
Repeat another two to three sets.
Variations
Dumbbell crossover punch, shoulder press and side crunch, butterfly crunch.
Precautions
While performing crunches, instead of entering the full sit-up position, just raise your back a few inches from the ground. This ensures you don’t hurt your back.
Also, don’t jerk your head forward while doing crunches. This will put pressure on your neck and result in pain. Just hold your hands above your head and perform the exercise.
Tip: As you lift your torso, do not sit up straight. Your back should make an angle of 30-40 degrees with the ground. Only then you will feel pressure on your abdominal muscles.
Lunge Twist:
This is a workout for beginners who want to reduce belly fat quickly.
How To Do
Stand with your legs hip width apart. Keep your knees slightly bent.
Lift both your hands in front of you, aligning them with your shoulders and keeping them parallel to the ground.
Lunge forward as shown in the picture. Take a big step forward with your right leg, and sit down as if on a chair so that your knees make a 90-degree angle with the floor. The left leg should be positioned backwards, supported by the toes.
The spine should be kept straight. Don’t bend your spine forward.
Twist your torso (just the torso, and not the legs) to the right and then to the left.
Repeat 15 times.
Rolling Plank Exercise:
The rolling plank trains the muscles around your abdomen, hip, and lower back.
How To Do
Position yourself on the floor with your knees and elbows resting on the ground.
Keep your neck aligned with your spine. Look forward.
Lift the knees up and support your legs on the toes.
Contract your knees and keep breathing normally.
This is the plank pose. Stay in this posture for 30 seconds.
Now, start moving to and fro for the next 30 seconds. This is the rolling plank exercise.
Lie down on the floor sideways.
Support yourself on your right elbow and right leg. Your elbow should be perpendicular to the shoulder, and the left leg should be above the right leg, keeping them together.
Keep your knees straight. Your hips should not be touching the ground.
Hold this position for 30 seconds. Once you get comfortable, you may hold this for one to two minutes.
Repeat on the other side too.
While you are in this position, you may also lift the leg on the top and bring it down again. This makes the exercise more effective – it works not only your abs, but also your thighs and hips.
Variations
Knee plank, rocking plank, reverse plank.
Precautions
Plank is a strenuous exercise, and you might feel like holding your breath while performing it. But don’t do that, as you might suffer from nausea or dizziness.
The Stomach Vacuum:
Stomach vacuum exercises are low-impact exercises that place greater emphasis on breathing instead of increasing your heart rate.
How to Do it:
a. This is similar to what we call the cat stretch pose. This is also known as the four-point, transverse-abdominal stomach vacuum. Follow the steps mentioned below to do this exercise for reducing belly fat:
Go down to the ground on all fours, supporting your body on your hands and knees.
Inhale deeply and loosen your abdomen.
As you exhale, tighten the abdomen muscles.
Hold this position for 15-30 seconds.
Repeat the process.
[ Read: Simple Ways To Reduce Stretch Marks ]
b. Another type of stomach vacuum exercise is elevators. Here’s how to do it:
Sit on a chair. Imagine your belly to be an elevator that’s moving up.
Now inhale deeply using only your nose and think that it’s the first floor.
Breathe out using your mouth and simultaneously push your belly towards your spine, imagining that you are going up to the fifth floor.
Breathe out fast five more times, squeezing your abs every time you exhale.
Repeat the same five more times.
c. You can try standing pelvic tilts. This is another form of stomach vacuum exercise.
Stand with your legs hip width apart and bend your knees slightly.
Inhale deeply through your nose and push your belly inwards towards your spine, and at the same time, roll your hips out in the front.
Do five to six sets.
Variations
Seated stomach vacuum, functional stomach vacuum.
Precautions
If you are suffering from any heart or lung ailment, it is best to avoid performing this exercise.
This exercise must be performed only on an empty stomach, as doing otherwise might lead to indigestion.
. Captain’s Chair:
All you need to do this exercise is a chair.
How To Do
Sit on the chair with your spine straight and shoulders relaxed.
Keep both hands beside you with your palms by the side of your hips, facing downward.
Inhale deeply.
As you exhale, bring both your legs upwards such that your knees are close to your chest. Hold for five seconds. Don’t bend forward and arch your back.
Bring down your legs slowly and repeat.
Variations
Hanging knee raises, lying leg raise.
Bending Side To Side:
This is yet another perfect exercise for reducing belly fat.
How To Do
Stand erect with your feet together and keep your hands to the sides.
Keeping your legs grounded, bend your body to the right as much as possible till you feel a strain on your left waist. As you do so, ensure your right hand is on the right hip, and the left hand is raised upwards. Stay in the position for 15 seconds.
Return to the original position.
Now bend to the left, and retain the position for another 15 seconds.
Slowly, you may increase the holding time to 30 seconds.
Cardio Exercises:
Cardio is one of the most effective ways to burn calories and shed unwanted flab from your body. Cardio exercises are immensely helpful in reducing belly fat. Doing cardio on a regular basis will offer you other health benefits such as reduction of stress, an increase in your lung capacity, better sleep, and a sense of overall well-being
12. Walking:
One of the very first cardio exercises to reduce belly fat is walking. Surprised? Do you think it’s too simple to be effective? Well, then you should know that walking is a great and effective way to burn away that ugly belly fat. In fact, it is an excellent fat burner for your entire body. If you follow a healthy diet along with walking at a steady pace for 30-45 minutes for at least four to five days every week, you will witness a gradual decrease in your weight.
This low-impact exercise increases your metabolism as well as your heart rate. A heightened metabolic rate will burn away calories at a faster pace, thus helping to eliminate the fat accumulated around your belly. In fact, walking decreases the risk of injuries and is considered to be a good workout for beginners.
