Wondering How To Get A Flat Stomach?
When you’ve been an Austin personal trainer as long as I have, you certainly get to meet a wide variety of people from many different backgrounds and with an equally wide variety of goals. A lot of men want to become physically larger with big muscles, usually pectorals and arm muscles being the most sought after, and legs the least. In fact, other than the professional athletes I’ve worked with whom are contractually limited to their physical size, or an athlete such as a tennis player, for example, for whom it would be a detriment to be built like an NFL linebacker, only fewer than 10% of men that I’ve ever worked with have ever been happy with their physical stature.
Women, on the other hand, tend to want to be smaller and usually incorporate some muscle tone. I can assuredly say that virtually every woman, other than physical therapy or corrective flexibility clients, have all expressed interest in losing a few pounds and adding some muscle, though usually, just a touch. One commonality between the sexes, and even occasionally heard from some professional athletes, is the desire to have a flat stomach.
A flat stomach, for either sex, has long been held as a benchmark of fitness. Men may have bulging biceps, wide shoulders, and impressive pecs, but if they have a protruding mid section, they aren’t truly in shape, no matter how much they can bench press. Or are they? For women, it’s perhaps even more of a barometer of fitness to have a flat stomach. Toned arms are great, as are shapely hips, but if the midsection has a pooch, often times, like with their male counterparts, regardless whether people view them as fit, healthy, and strong, they will tend to feel like they’re not.
So how does one go about obtaining a flat stomach? The answer, like virtually every fitness answer, is very individual. With different genetics, work ethics, schedules, etc, comes along with it varied results amongst any group of people as well as the fact that people hold their fat in different places. Some women get big hips before they get big bellies, for example, and some men tend to hold it more in their sides, which have become known as love handles. Everyone is different and their needs will be as varied as their results.
Some parts of the equation, however, will be universal. For example, proper nutrition will be of the utmost importance. This means abstaining from whatever your indulgence of choice is, be it cookies, ice cream, wine, cocktails, etc in anything other than the most moderate of amounts. Cardiovascular exercise is another universal necessity for obtaining, as well as maintaining, a flat stomach. Especially as we grow older and our natural metabolic rates decline.
Another facet of the equation is naturally going to be exercise. Strong abdominal muscles are inherent to flat stomachs. A strong abdominal region will keep the midsection tight, as well as build the fabled 6 pack which will be visible once enough body fat has been shed. A strong abdominal area also protects the low back and is crucial for good posture.
The age old myth of simply doing crunches to lose a big belly is just that. A myth. Consistent cardiovascular exercise coupled with proper nutrition, and then blended together with abdominal exercises, is how one would go about achieving a flat stomach… generally speaking, of course.
Older folks, especially women, who tend to have higher blood sugar levels than males as they age, will have to make more concessions on the nutrition front, as once you add sugars from any source to an already higher blood sugar level than normal, the pancreas will secrete the hormone insulin to create a balance, thus making it a far more complex equation than simply calories in vs calories out in order to drop a few pounds.
Another consideration for a flat stomach has to be postural. When we have tight psoas muscles, which are the major hip flexors, coupled with tight gluteal muscles, the pelvis will naturally have a forward tilt thus pushing the rear end backwards, and pushing the abdominal region forwards. Even if you are extraordinarily lean and have this type of imbalance, you will have a protruding mid section. This is remedied with corrective flexibility training which entails body work, as well as certain exercises that will restore the proper length of the muscles and connective tissues, thus rectifying and maintaining the balance.
So how do you personally go about getting a flatter stomach? Cut back on the fun, add in more cardio, and do some abdominal work. Be consistent when you don’t want to be, give it time, stay the course, and you’ll make progress. If that doesn’t do it, call a professional personal trainer.
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Andy
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