what exercises should i do to get a flater stomach

OLP

first of all i'm a fella, i'm not fat or big, but my stomach isnt very muscly, i'm kinda aiming towards a six pack, so what exercises should i be doing?

Dublin's Finest

it's a ****in nightmare that involves eating nuts, and carbs and exercising for an hour everyday and having no life and not drinking.

poxy flat stomachs. swot up on scrunches, they'll make your stomach tougher but not neccesarily flat.

OLP

thanks

the_syco

Dublin's Finest wrote:

swot up on scrunches

Wots "scrunches"?

Dublin's Finest

they're basically sit-ups except the idea is to 'scrunch' your ribs towards your pelvis...sounds weird but it works and you really feel it after twenty or so.

i'm not really explaining it well, but try to imagine compressing your stomach into your body like an accordion.

Chucky the tree

only excercise there is to make your stomach flatter is running.

pwd

Bicycle crunches
Captain's chair (bring legs as high up as possible.) weighted if possible.
weighted inclined crunches.
weighted swiss ball crunches. Feet on floor not against wall and as close together as you can put them while maintaining stability.
+
reasonably low body fat
=
6 pack

smaller weight/s behind head works better than big one/s against chest. Heavy plates are too large in size, so their centre of gravity is too close to the fulcrum of the motion.

the scrunches that df describes are more ommonly called crunches

RonanC

OLP wrote:

first of all i'm a fella, i'm not fat or big, but my stomach isnt very muscly, i'm kinda aiming towards a six pack, so what exercises should i be doing?

No matter have many crunches or stomach specific exercises you do, it won't make a difference unless you reduce your body fat to somewhere in the region of approximately 8-10%.

By all means do certain exercises for your stomach but incorporate them into an appropriate diet and training regime specific to your goals.

joc_06

My weighing scale tells me im 12.5% BF but i can clearly see 4 of my 6 pack. Maybe im a bit less and the scale is inaccurate. its one of the lidl ones from a few weeks ago.

From my research and expierence you need to be approx 10%Bf and do low reps of decline weighted situps. I've read to think of your abs similiar to any other muscle like a bicep. You dont do 100 Dumbell curls for your bicep so why do 100 situps for your abs.
I do 3x15 decline situps after every workout with 50kg on my chest an i can feel all 8 of my six pack under the flab. (yes you actually have a lower two aswell). CAn only see 4 though :-((
Any one comment on that?

Cianos

I dont really care about getting a six-pack, but I would like to hold back the beer belly! So, what is the best exercise to do to just gain a flatter stomach, rather than a really defined one? (also, how much of each exercise and how often please) Im about 11.5 stone, 6ft, slim enough except for the expanding stomachio.

RonanC

joc_06 wrote:

My weighing scale tells me im 12.5% BF but i can clearly see 4 of my 6 pack. Maybe im a bit less and the scale is inaccurate. its one of the lidl ones from a few weeks ago.
.
.

CAn only see 4 though :-((
Any one comment on that?

Sounds like you have primarily subcutaneous fat around your abs which is essentially stubborn fat (the type that goes on easily and comes off last). Men are genetically predisposed to holding this type of fat around the abs and lower back.

This type of fat has less blood flow, is less sensitive to the fat mobilizing effects of catecholamines, and more sensitive to insulin, all of which make dieting into sub average BF levels difficult for most people.

Blood flow to fat cells improves during fasting and, although you don't want to fast completely (too much muscle loss), you can mimic the condition with some form of a low-carbohydrate/ketogenic diet.

Low thyroid decreases blood flow to fat cells and normal or even high thyroid levels improve it. Short of using thyroid medication, there isn't a whole lot that can be done here. However, aerobic exercise (especially sprinting) improves blood flow to fat cells in addition to burning calories, so that's a possible solution for you to consider.

memphis

I have the exact same problem. I'm not big or fat by any means, but I have a really large gut.

I have lost weigh on occassions but my metabolism means that I put it all back on. I am currently weighing about 13 stone, and am 5' 9".

I find the best way to lose the stomach is to take regular exercise, drink plenty of water.... and I mean plenty, and eat a regular health diet, cut out fatty greasy foods, give up the booze, and eat plenty of fruit and veg.

joc_06

Cianos wrote:

I dont really care about getting a six-pack, but I would like to hold back the beer belly! So, what is the best exercise to do to just gain a flatter stomach, rather than a really defined one? (also, how much of each exercise and how often please) Im about 11.5 stone, 6ft, slim enough except for the expanding stomachio.

There is no "exercise" to help gain a flatter stomach. To lose fat off your gut you have to lose fat off all your body. So the only exercise i could suggest is lots of cardio and HIIT (Interval trainint) and a clean diet. Alcohol is terrible if you are trying to diet and especially the kebabs and burgers you have after a feed of drink.
Best way to work abs is low reps high weighted decline situps imo
My diet at the moment is protein shake in morn with water an creo mix with carbs like dextrose and glucose in there. Lunch - 200g grilled chicken and 200g boiled mixed veg - carrots +green beans, corn etc.
1hr before workout another shake and loads of oats with milk and sugar.
<20mins after workout another shake.
then bed.
Thats about as clean as you can get but man is tough. Been on it 2 weeks now and the fat is shifting especially of my ass and pecs. Abs will be last i know so 2 or 3 more weeks and i'll have my 8 pack.
Friday is my cheat day and i cant wait for it. Wholewhat bagels and low fat cheese. Man i cant wait.
Oh ya i havent drank since paddys and i drink loads of water every day. Pee every 2 hrs and ive cut back on fruit a lot. It might surprise ya'll to know that while good for you there are a lot of carbs in fruit and i wouldnt include them in a cutting diet only in pre and post workout banana shakes

joc_06

Oh i forgot the most important thing.
Your EFA's essential fatty acids.
I take 10ml cod liver oil every morning. Necessaruy to lose fats. Not 100% sure of the science behind these but you need these fats to lose fat. anyone?

BrianD3

Here's a story about six packs. Up until I was about 24, I was very skinny @ 5 foot 9 and 9 and a 1/2 stone. I had a terrible diet composed mainly of burgers, chips, battered sauaages, sweets, chocolate. My weight stayed constant, obviously I was burning up the same number of calories as I was taking in. I did no exercise whatsoever. Yet I could see my abdominals more clearly than most people who sweat it out in the gym several nights a week.

Now I'm a bit older and am into building muscle and getting stronger. I eat a lot better now but also take in more calories. If I'm not careful with how much I eat I start to gain some fat around my abs. It's a challenge to maintain a well defined eight pack while at the same time trying to put on muscle mass on the rest of the body.

So IMO six packs and ab visibility are 75% about bodyfat/calorie expenditure and maybe 25% about actual muscle development. In men's health magazine a while back there was a guy who had 7% bodyfat yet curiously he didn't have particularly impressive abs. He was put on a program of heavy, low rep ab training for a month or two and it made a big difference. However, if he had been at 17% bodyfat rather than 7% to start with, it would have made little or no difference (it may have helped him hold in his belly a bit but that's all)

BrianD3

joc_06

BrianD3 wrote:

So IMO six packs and ab visibility are 75% about bodyfat/calorie expenditure and maybe 25% about actual muscle
BrianD3

I dont know the actual figures but if you are over approx 15% Bf it doesnt matter what you do. you'll never SEE a 6 pack. You might feel one if you press through the flab
The opposite is also true. If you have low BF but do no exercise then you'll just be scrawny.
All that is pretty much common sense.
What isnt common sense is how to get one. Not all fats are bad, loads of cardio might help to lose fat but for the amt of muscle you lose while doing it its not worth it.
Running in a plastic bag is f*ck all good for losing fat too. All you lose is water.
HIIT is the way forward and a clean diet with EFA's and loads of pretein to stop you losing muscle

BrianD3

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is the importance of balanced musculature. A lot of times when people attempt to work their abs, they end up working their hip flexors instead. Disproportionately strong hip flexors will cause the pelvis to be pulled downwards at the front which tilts the entire pelvis forwards. This result in an increase in lordosis (arch) of the back causing the arse and abdomen to stick out. This can give the illusion of a fat belly where their isn't one.

BrianD3

cregser

I had a six pack once! I worked so hard to get it, I celebrated a little too much and lost it straight away!

It's real hard work to get one, and you need to be disciplined to keep it.

Here's a good exercise, don't know what it's called:
- Start standing up and crouch to put your hands flat out in front of you
- Balancing on hands, throw both feet back (into the press-ups postition)...
- ... and immediatly move back to where they were.
- then stand up and repeat.

Doing about 15-20 and repeating 3-4 times will wear you out!
Just be careful when standing up and crouching to keep your back straight.

Combine that with some crunches (which are basically sit-ups except you go up half way). And more crunches were you lift your left knee to tip your right elbow and vice-versa. Don't just do one-dimensional sit-ups. You need to work the love handles as well.

I always warm up with jogging on the spot until my abs feel warm. Any workout is so much more efficient when you're already warmed up. You should know that anyway.

Airwaves

Be proud of your beer belly alot of time and money went into it!

0utshined

cregser wrote:

Here's a good exercise, don't know what it's called:
- Start standing up and crouch to put your hands flat out in front of you
- Balancing on hands, throw both feet back (into the press-ups postition)...
- ... and immediatly move back to where they were.
- then stand up and repeat.

That sounds like a burpee.

**Edit :

Yeah, it sure is :http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/rossboxing2.htm

cregser

It sure is

joc_06

I didnt know it was called a burpee but its a great exercse. REally tough. I've never done more than 30 non stop.
How does that work your abs though?

Boru.

Hi all,

While everything said in regards to diet and body fat is spot on I have to disagree with joc 06 there are exercises that flatten the stomach. You won't burn many calories and you won't lose much fat , but you can flatten the stomach adn lose up to three inches doing a series of exercises that work the transvese abdominals. This is the set of muscles behind the rectus or your six pack. The transverse is responsible for pulling in the abdominal wall among other things. Thus if you train the transverse you get a flatter stomach, it's like your holding your stomach in 24/7.

There are hundreds of different technuiques to work the transverse with the obliques, the rectus, the erector spinae etc and some on its own. Combine them with some deep breathing and your away.

In particular I'd recommend the Flattner (utilising isometric tension in the transverse) and a tilted vacum. As I say there are laods out there.

On a final note, please work the back as well. A funtcion of the abs are to pull the ribcage towards the pelvis. Without an equally strong series of back muscles to counter balance this you could end up with a hunched rounded back, and definitely a decreased range of motion, as well as load of other problems a few years on from now.

If you need anything else shout!

Hope this helps,

Boru.