Adopt Weight and Resistance Training in your exercise regimen:

Are you still performing regular abs exercises (like crunches and sit-ups) but have not yet acquired the flat stomach you have been dreaming? The time has come to finally leave the mattress and catch the weights. It is time to start using weights and resistance exercises in your training program. These exercises use a combination of increased resistance with weights, and in addition to the usual abs exercises they will increase the intensity of your fitness, so as to have faster results. Weight exercises will also tone your front, side and deeper muscle layers of your torso, for a total abdominal strengthening. Combine the weight program with your usual aerobic exercise and a calorie controlled diet: within a few weeks you will admire in the mirror a flat and sexy tummy that you always wanted to have.

Muscle Mechanics

The stomach region consists of four major muscles that work together to help your spinal cord to bend and also to make the top and bottom of your body torso to turn and pull in the abdomen. The front abdominal extends vertically from the pubic bone to the bone of the sternum. The external oblique muscles run diagonally from the bottom of the ribs to the pelvis. The internal oblique muscles are below them and move diagonally, and conversely. The transverse abdominal is lower than the other muscles and gets activated when the other muscles get contracted.

Exercise Strategy

As Mylene Dane stressed, “Most people do not ever increase the intensity of their abdominal exercises. They just do more crunches until they stop seeing results”. Mylene Dane is the creator and co-owner of Train West Hollywood gym in California. But as happens with other muscles, the abdominals become tighter when the exercises get more difficult. The conclusion: Instead of doing more repetitions, give variety to your exercises to ensure they are targeted to all groups of your abdominal muscles, and also add more resistance to your old and new exercises.

The ‘Rectus Abdominus’ are the easiest muscles to corrupt and the most difficult to develop. So, if you developed something of a ‘pot belly’ and have decided that it is time you got yourself something that resembles six pack abs, you should prepare yourself for the fight of a lifetime. In order to get yourself six pack abs, you must workout for as many months as the number of years you have neglected them.

To give your abs a brick-like structure, diet is important, but also vital is the knowledge of which group of muscles others have willingly ignored that you need to focus on for getting that washboard wonder look!

It is not enough just to exercise the abdominals alone: the Rectus Oblicus (muscles on the side, just above the hips, known as the ‘love handles’) must also be exercised. Leg lifts and working the back muscles are very important in order to get the perfect abdominals.

On your way to developing your six-pack abs you will need to lose fat deposits in all your muscle groups. You can do this by lifting weights, though not too heavy. Some form of cardiovascular exercising for at least 20 minutes daily will also be a great help.

You must also wake up and keep your metabolism going. You can do this by eating a small meal such as, potatoes and salads every three hours, just to keep the hunger pangs away. Have smaller dinners, plenty of fibers and never forget to have breakfast.

There are many videos available today that help you learn about abdominal exercises from a  certified personal trainer; all stress on the importance of warming-up before trying out various crunch exercises, like the bent knee crunch, bicycle crunch, exercise ball crunch, long arm crunch and the V crunch. Equally important is learning assorted leg and hip raises that help to strengthen and condition abdominal muscles.

Be persistent and disciplined and before you know it you will be able to see results in the shape of six-pack abs.